Back Roads | ✅ completed

Chapter 54

The band that was playing earlier when the girls had arrived with Carter finished up there set a few hours later and another band took their place. The first band had a pure blue grass sound whereas the band playing now was more rock country. Daisy was dancing freely, with some help from the free birthday shots strangers had purchased. David danced with her as his sober eyes kept note of everyone surrounding them.

Jasmine has left the reserved section, as Carter called it, and leaned against the bar with a sweaty glass in her hand. The bar had grown more packed the longer they stayed. Glancing at the clock on the wall she saw it was one in the morning. The beer tent announced last call twenty minutes ago and the crowd split as they stumbled to one of the bars. Most ended up at Rodeo because they had live music, strong drinks and the obvious positioning of the tent's entrance directly across from the bar's own. Now, elbows were bumping elbows and toes were being stepped on.

Giving into the wave of drunken patrons, Jasmine remained attached to the solid wooden bar. Eli and Carter were playing beer pong now, the girls they had been flirting with gone for the evening. Liam played darts with Travis. Her parents, and well as Daisy's, had left two hours ago claiming they were too old stay up any later.

"Tell me we didn't miss the presents?" Jasmine's head spun as the sweet voice was raised to be heard over the music. Sophia smiled and held open her arms with two gift bags clutched in one hand. Jasmine set her glass down on the bar and fell into the woman's hug.

"I thought Eli said you were down South for a family thing."

"We got half way there when I looked at Ethan and told him to turn around. You girls are our family, too," Sophia smiled, brushing Jasmine's hair from her face. She patted the young woman's cheek before adding, "And this was much closer than his crazy family."

"You guys made it," Eli stated, a grin confirming he was buzzed stretched across his face. He turned to Jasmine, threw his hands in the air and yelled, "Surprise!"

"Thank you, Eli," Jasmine laughed at his child like amusement. Carter came up behind his friend and wiggled his way between Eli and Jasmine. The music suddenly changed to a slow one and Jasmine looked over at Daisy and David. He still hadn't asked the question and she was practically dying to see it firsthand.

"Can I get a water," Sophia looked at Jasmine.

"And a Coke." The bartender nodded and went to get the drinks.

"Just a Coke? Are we taking it easy?"

"Twenty-five is where it all starts to decline when one tries to bounce back from a night of drinking."

"And the lovely Daisy?"

"Almost to the point of no return, but David has been sneaking her water. He's got some big birthday plans and he needs her sharp."

"I didn't miss it did I?"

"No," Jasmine pouted. The bartender sat down their drinks and the women took them and walked over to the reserved section. Ethan stayed with the boys discussing the possibility of a game of pool.

"Your parents around? I wanted to talk with your mom. It has been too long since I've seen her."

"They bailed pretty early. Something about not being young anymore."

"Wise words," Sophia smiled. She set the bags on the table and pushed a blue one toward Jasmine. "Just a little something, but you have to wait for Daisy."

As if hearing her name, Daisy appeared from behind Jasmine and hopped onto the seat beside Sophia. David stood to Daisy's right smiling at Jasmine before saying hi to Garrett's mother.

"I had no idea you were going to be coming," Daisy smiled at Sophia. The woman patted both of the girls' hands.

"I wouldn't miss this," she smiled. Jasmine knew deep down she was there in place of Garrett but didn't say anything to break the cheerful atmosphere. "I brought gifts!"

"Yay," Daisy cheered, pulling her hand free to clap. Sophia pushed the green bag toward Daisy and gestures for them to pull out the tissue paper. Daisy started excitedly, and Jasmine followed. She felt the unmistakable edge and glass of a picture frame. Her stomach began to twist as she lifted the frame from the bag. Placed carefully in the center of two pieces of glass was a photograph Jasmine had no idea existed, or at least was possible to have.

Garrett was beside Jasmine, and she had her arm wrapped around his waist while she laughed with Daisy on her other side. Garrett wore a lopsided grin, sweat causing the black grease under his eyes to streak. Jasmine and Daisy had each written the number twenty-five on their cheek in purple.

Jasmine's hand covered her mouth and she caught David moving from the corner of her eye before her sight had time to blur. She looked up and saw him place a hand on Daisy's shoulder as she leaned into him. Sophia had taken the picture after the baseball game. The team had just won the conference title, and Jasmine and Daisy were there to witness Garrett score the game winning run after two extra innings.

"Thank you," Jasmine forced the words out. Sophia's smile had weakened, but never faded completely. Jasmine looked at Daisy as she nodded her silent thank you.

"It was horrible timing," Sophia admitted but she looked at each of the girls in turn, "But I love that picture. The pure happiness of the moment. I want you to know that y'all can still have that, 'cause he will be with you to remind y'all to."

In synchronized movements, the girls slipped off their chairs and hugged the woman. She hugged them in return, before pulling them away to wipe their cheeks of the tear trails. She kissed each girl on the forehead and excused herself to dance with her husband.

"I think she's got the right idea," David offered a hand to both the girls and Daisy took it quickly looking for an escape. Jasmine shook her head and waved them off. Placing the frame back in the bag she heard it connect with something in the bottom of the bag. Looking around her to see if anyone was watching, she set the frame on the table and dug deeper into the bag. More metal. Her fingers traced over the familiar beaded pieces of metal and ran it through her fingers before finding what she knew would be waiting at the other end.

The cheap, smoothed edgesof the metal was cool against her fingers as she retracted her hand from thebag. Her thumb rubbed over the raised letters and numbers that had been stampedinto the one and half inch-long piece of metal. Olsen, Garrett James. His dogtags. Jasmine's head whipped around looking for Sophia. She was on the dancefloor and smiled at Jasmine before her husband twirled her. Jasmine's handstightened around the last piece of Garrett she could bare to keep in her life.The last piece that proved he existed and his bravery. Smiling at the metal,she quickly buried them under the tissue paper in the bag and placed the framecarefully on top.