Love Above all Else

13. The Letting Go

"You should feel lucky I trust you so much."

"Duh." 

I get into the car, not even asking where we are going. I just reach over and turn the volume up on the radio. It is playing a song I haven't heard in a while.

"Only the Ones We Love" fills the car as I turn up the radio. It is such a slow song. It is such a sharp contrast to the speed of the vehicle; it puts me into a sort of trance. I pretend I don't see Riley glancing over in concern and I turn the music up even more. I sink into the corner of the passenger side just as I sink into the deepest side of my thoughts. She speeds out of the neighborhood and I can only think of Marco as we pass other neighborhoods and stores. 

My mind goes to his smile. The way he would look up at me and smile as I walk into a room. He made me think he was falling for me. Seeing him would make me calm. That smile always calmed me down. And now here I am, upset and drowning. 

I wish we had stayed the same. But I had to mess it all up. I am the reason he said no. He probably hates me. I think I was starting to love him, so I should have been okay with just being friends. Either way, he would be in my life, so I should have been okay with him being my friend.

His eyes would crinkle when he laughed, and the way his body would shake. It was all becoming magical to witness. I lost that the other night. I lost it all. 

Every part of him passes through my thoughts as I stare at the window and I end up noticing we pull into a bumpy road and come to a stop. We are surrounded by trees. 

"Riley, I swear to God. If you are going to kill me, you could have just done it a while ago. You didn't have to bring me into the middle of the woods."

"Belle. Trust me please," she tells me. 

She opens the door and gets out. While I get out of the car, I hear Riley rummaging behind the car, in the trunk. I slam the door, making sure it is shut, and walk behind the car to see a peppy Riley with a large tote bag filled to the brim.

"What is in there?"

"Stop asking questions! We are waiting for Chevy and Nate"

"But why," I inquire, "I don't even know what we are doing. I didn't even know we were going to see them today." 

I start to look around and all I see are trees to the front and on both sides of me. Behind me is a little car smashes path with a tiny car in the distance. That car is getting bigger and closer as I start to see Nate and Chavy through the windshield. They pull up right behind Riley's car and stop just before hitting us. Nate gets out of the driver's seat with a loud, "WHOOOO!!!"

"Are we ready to go?" Chevy asks.

"Go where?" I am so confused.

Riley waves us all to follow her before yelling, "No one tell her anything until we get to the spot!"

I shut up and walk between Riley in the front and the twins in the back. The leaves are soggy and cold on my sandaled feet, so waiting is hard. We walk for about three minutes In silence and I am starting to get impatient. I hug my jacket over my chest, freezing from the winter bite. We reach a mall clearing with a large rock in the middle. Where are we?

"Are we there yet?"

"Actually, yes," Riley answers me while she turns around and looks at me

She drops the tote bag onto the forest ground gently before putting her hands on her hips and staring at each of us lined up in a row of three.