"So why Boston?" I ask my grandma.
I mean she could have picked so many other places and she picked Boston...
I know she used to live here but she never really talked about it.
"I have a lot of great memories there." She says with a small smile.
"Like what?"
"I'll let you know when we get there."
Okay...
We've been driving for the past 3 hours and the GPS says that we're gonna be there in 17 minutes.
Thank god, my ass is cramping from sitting so much.
I decided to skip school today because I wanted this trip with my grandma to happen as soon as possible.
As the days have gone by, I can tell she's getting weaker and I don't want to waste any of the time we have left together.
I decided not to invite Xander even though grammy said she wanted him here.
Things are still pretty awkward between the two of us and as selfish as this may sound, she's my grandma and I want this trip to be solely about us.
When she asked me why he wasn't here, I lied and said he was busy with football...which is half true because football season has started, however Xander isn't as busy as I said he was.
We haven't properly spoken in about 2 weeks and I know it's my fault. I've just been so busy with work, school, and my grandma that I haven't had time to just sit and talk to any of my friends.
He stopped reaching out about 3 days ago, his last text said, "I'm not sure what I did wrong but text me when you're ready to talk."
It was blunt and I could tell he is upset over my sudden disappearance but it's for the best.
After my parents died, I was a fucking wreck.
I cried and poured out every emotion to all of my friends and that caused all of them to leave me.
So no way am I allowing that to happen again.
I haven't even told Ryan and she's my best friend.
She was the only one there for me after my parents died.
But, I don't want to burden her. Ever since she and Axton started dating, she hasn't stopped smiling. She's constantly giggling at the messages he sends her during class or she talks about the amazing dates they go on. I've never seen her this happy.
Why would I ruin that?
Plus, Xander has so much on his plate right now with football and college. He's been talking about all the college scouts coming to watch him play ever since he passed his midterm. Right now, I just need to distance myself from him so he can focus. The last thing he needs to worry about is my drama. I don't want his future to be in jeopardy because of me.
My grandma and I continue driving while listening to the radio, taking in the scenery around us.
"Uh, grammy...you made me drive 3 and half hours just to see a tree?" I ask while looking up at the giant tree in front of us with barely any leaves and a bunch of snow piled up on each of the branches.
"It's a special tree." She shrugs.
Her blunt answers are driving me insane!
I don't think she knows how much begging it took to get Dr.Davis to allow me to take her somewhere.
He was super strict on making sure she doesn't walk much so he let me borrow a wheelchair from the hospital.
I quickly park the car, take out the wheelchair from the trunk, and help Grammy sit in it.
When we walk over to the tree, I realize just how big it actually is.
"Did I ever tell you how I met your grandfather?" She asks suddenly.
I quickly shake my head no.
Grammy barely ever mentions my grandpa.
He tragically passed away when I was only 2 from a seizure.
"Well have a seat dear because this is quite the story." She laughs.
I walk us over to a bench that's located right in front of the tree.
The view is stunning, we have the perfect view of the snowy city of Boston.
"I met your grandpa when I was 15 years old. We went to different high schools, he went to a prestigious private school while I went to a normal public school. One day, I got into an argument with my mother and ran away. I had no idea where I was going but I just kept walking until...I found this tree." She ends with a small laugh.
"Of course at that time it was much more lively and shorter. I walked over to it and I just remember being completely mesmerized by it. Suddenly I heard some rustling from the other side of the tree and when I walked over to see what it was, I saw a boy around my age sitting on one of the branches while picking at some of the leaves."
"Did that boy happen to be grandpa?" I ask.
"Yep, even as a boy your grandpa was always curious and a daredevil. I remember telling him that what he was doing was dangerous but he said I couldn't judge unless I tried it myself. At first, I was confused until I realized he wanted me to climb the tree. I remember how he scooted over and patted the seat next to him. I was scared shitless but more because I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of the cute boy in the tree." She laughs and turns around to point at the branch they were sitting on.
"Anyways, I think he realized that I wasn't gonna climb so he jumped down and offered a hand. I remember looking at him like he was crazy but for some reason...I decided to climb the tree and when I did, it felt weirdly more calming in the tree than standing beneath it. He joined me after and took a seat next to me. We stayed quiet, neither of us introduced ourselves, we just watched the sun go down while picking at the leaves. It was peaceful."
"Finally, he asked me why I was there and I told him about my argument with my mother and he told me that he argued with his father. He said that this was the special tree that he liked to be alone in but...he said I could join him anytime I wanted."
"I remember blushing like an idiot and asking him if he came here often. He said he did and that his parents never cared since they were always busy working. He said that they had careers that constantly had their attention and that his father was especially hard on him about his future. He had three older brothers who all followed in their father's footsteps but your grandfather always rebelled. He always talked back, not caring about the consequences."
"Your grandfather reminds me a lot of Xander. They have very similar qualities."
My breath hitches at the mention of Xander.
"I remember feeling uncomfortable when he told me this since I came from a lower-class family. I was working as well as going to school to help my mother with bills. I always had an idea of what my future would look like and always had good grades. However, I was very introverted and only had a couple of friends."
She's like...me.
"I knew your grandfather and I came from two different worlds and no matter how much your grandpa would flirt with me, I would try to shrug it off because I was a realist. I mean why would a rich boy go for a low-class girl like myself. Sometimes, when I would go to town, I would notice your grandpa hanging out with a bunch of friends, some being girls. I got jealous but I tried to ignore them."
"Even though I knew it was a bad idea, your grandfather and I would meet at the tree every Friday after school. We would talk about our week and tell each other things that we never told anyone else. I was falling for that bastard HARD." She laughs.
"One day, one of his brothers followed him to the tree and found us together and told his parents. His father had forbidden him to ever see me again and I didn't see him again after that."
"Wait what? Then how did he end up becoming my grandpa?" I ask, clearly invested in their adorably forbidden romance story.
"After the third Friday your grandpa stopped coming to the tree, and so did I. It wasn't until the last Friday of senior year that I went back. I had climbed up and sat at the same spot on the branch. Suddenly I heard some leaves crunching which scared me so bad, that I fell off of the branch and landed on top of someone-"
"Grandpa." I gasp.
"Yes. I remember being in shock and quickly getting off of him. We both sat there awkwardly and just stared at each other. He explained to me what happened and apologized for not reaching out to me. In all honesty, I was an equal mix of pissed and shocked so, I got up and began walking down the hill and your grandpa chased me down. I told him I forgave him and tried to walk away but he just held on, almost like he was too scared to let go." She takes a breath and looks back up at the tree again.
Okay, I'm not gonna lie...this would make for a great movie.
Like, I'm so invested.
"Then suddenly, he kissed me. Your grandfather was my first kiss. He was gentle and sweet yet held onto me so tight and protectively, I knew right then that I was in love with him."
"Awwww grammy you're gonna make me cry," I whisper.
I can't even imagine how magical that moment must have felt.
I'm not the hopeless romantic type but I would swoon if that happened to me.
"Your grandfather and I decided to keep our relationship a secret during the whole summer before we left for college, however that was short-lived when I got pregnant with your mother."
"Oh my god! What did your mom say? What did his parents say?"
"His parents were beyond mad and they threatened to cut him off yet he always stuck by my side and ended up leaving them for good since he was 18. As for my mother, she was very upset but she ended up helping us out until we were ready to live on our own and take care of your mother. We never ended up going to college, your grandfather worked two jobs and so did I and even though we were struggling with our finances, we were always happy because we had your mom." She finishes and I notice a few tears roll down her face.
And suddenly, a few of mine do as well.
Suddenly, she starts rolling over to a certain spot under a branch.
"After your grandfather passed away, I came back here and buried his ashes in the spot right under our branch." She says while smiling at a patch on the floor under the branch.
Jesus, I did not expect today to be so emotional.
"That was a beautiful story grammy."
"A lot of my relationship with your grandpa reminds me of you and Xander. He's an amazing boy sweetheart, don't wait as long as I did and tell him you love him because you never know how long you have left in this world."
"Grammy-"
"I'm serious Arya. I know how you are, you're stubborn and shy just like I was. You and Xander are graduating in a couple of months, who knows if you'll ever see each other again."
I swallow a large lump in my throat.
"I will...don't worry." I finally mumble.
That's why she wanted Xander here, she wanted to tell him the story.
She wanted us to admit that we were in love.
Oh, she's good.
"Arya, I want you to know that no matter what happens to me that you're the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I love you so much." She says suddenly.
"Grammy stop. Everything is gonna be fine." I say.
She sounds like she's giving up and I hate it.
She still has up to 5 months.
"Just say it back baby."
"I love you too granny, more than anything."
"And I want you to promise me two things."
What the fuck is this?
It sounds like a fucking goodbye.
"Of course."
"I want you to promise me that you will finish your school and never settle for anything or anyone less than perfect."
"I promise."
"And, I want you to promise me that you will stop pushing people away. It will only hurt you in the end."
For fucks sake I hate this.
"I- I promise."
We continue enjoying the tree while she tells me some other childhood memories.
I love this, just her and I in this peaceful city.
We needed this.
I look at the time and realize we better head back before Dr.Davis literally murders me.
In the car, we continue talking about some of our favorite memories together and just continue enjoying each other's company.
When we make it back, it's around 10 pm.
I bring her back to her room and help her to her bed.
I lay on the couch bed on the other side of the room.
Dr.Davis comes in to check on her, he says she's doing okay.
My grandma and I continue talking until we both fall asleep around midnight.
Suddenly I'm woken around 4 am to a beeping noise.
When I look over at her, I notice the monitor...
It's flatlined.
No no no no no-
"Grammy!" I run over to her and Immediately start squeezing her hand and tapping her face.
"Grammy please wake up!" I yell.
This cannot be happening!
She still had time!
Suddenly a large group of nurses and doctors storm into the room and I am rushed out by a nurse.
"Fuck!" I scream while slamming my hand against the wall.
That's when Dr.Davis comes out of the room.
"Arya...sweetheart...I-"
"NO!" I rush over to him and grab him by the shirt.
"I'm so sorry honey." He whispers.
"YOU'RE LYING!"
"I-"
"SHE CAN'T BE GONE!"
He doesn't say anything.
That's when I collapsed to the floor.
The one person who meant the world to me is gone.
My grandmother-
She's gone.
And I didn't get to say goodbye...again.
"Why does this shit always happen to me?"
-----------Author's Note----------
This was by far the hardest chapter for me to write.
I know I didn't mention Arya's grandmother a lot but it definitely felt very personal and I'm currently balling my eyes out.
I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!
-Pradabagg
Word Count: 2400