The Vale Of Tears

Chapter 2: Bittersweet

"See? There's nothing to be worried about," Kyan wrapped an arm around Avery's shoulders and said gently. She seemed to be satisfied with the explanation and some of the color had returned to her face.

"Yeah, I'm feeling better now. Let's do this before I lose nerve."

They went through the procedure and after about two hours they were finally in the plane that would take them up to the necessary height. By the time they were ready to jump, even Kyan couldn't hide that he was feeling nervous. At the height they were supposed to jump, the instructors asked them who was going to go first. Looking at how nervous Avery was, Kyan volunteered. The plane door was opened and the instructor Kyan was strapped to asked him to jump when he was ready. After bracing himself for a few seconds, he let himself fall forward and out of the plane.

Avery screamed when Kyan jumped and then it was her turn. They moved forward to the door. She looked down and almost threw up.

Avery closed her eyes before she jumped but opened them right after. It was simply amazing. It felt like she had left her fear up in the plane and the only thing she was feeling was pure exhilaration. She felt like she was flying. It was such a rush and the view was breathtaking. It didn't feel like she was falling. It felt like she was suspended in mid-air. She had never felt more peaceful. She saw Kyan a few feet below her. He was whooping and screaming in delight and she didn't hesitate to copy him. Yelling into the wind was the most satisfying feeling she had ever felt. She could feel the tension she had been feeling ever since she found out that she'd be moving ebbing away. As she looked down, she could see the land stretched out under her and she felt like this would be the only time she was going to experience this in her life. It was simply beautiful.

Then her instructor pulled the parachute and they slowly and smoothly glided down. She couldn't keep the huge smile off her face. The feeling was so overwhelming that she felt like she could cry.

After about five minutes, they landed a few paces from Kyan and as soon as she was unstrapped, she ran towards him. He pulled her into his arms and they started laughing.

"Oh my god, that was the most awesome thing we've ever done! I can't believe I didn't wanna do it. Thank you so much for making me do this," she said breathlessly and hugged him.

"Of course. It was actually so much better than I expected. I'm definitely gonna do this again," his eyes were shining in excitement.

"Yeah, me too."

After their last adventure together, Avery suggested that they grab something to eat. She wanted to give Kyan a treat for making her their last week together so memorable and exciting.

When they drove back to town in Kyan's car, they parked in front of a small diner and made their way inside. After grabbing a menu from the counter and getting themselves a seat in the corner, away from other tables, they started talking while waiting for someone to attend to them.

"I can't believe today's the last day we're gonna be able to hang out with each other," Avery said, the happiness in her face slowly fading.

"What are you talking about? It's not the last day," Kyan scoffed. "Just because you're moving away doesn't mean we won't see each other or be able to hang out again. After we graduate, we might even end up going to the same college. Even if we don't, we'll always keep in touch. You know that. Our friendship is forever."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But a year is a long time to be away from each other. Ever since we became friends, the longest we've been away from each other is probably a few weeks. A lot can happen in a year. For all we know, we might both get busy with our own lives and slowly drift apart." She voiced her fears about their friendship for the first time.