Sadly, she wasn’t right in that regard. You could prepare and I knew from firsthand experience that it didn’t make it any easier, but I wasn’t about to tell her that. It wasn’t the time.

“You were close to your parents?”

“As close as you can be in high school.”

“What happened?”

I assumed it was a car crash or something sudden that took them.

“They drowned.”

“What?” I sat down next to her on the concrete. “How?”

“Cave diving.” She sighed. “They were risk takers, unlike me. I was afraid of my own shadow until last year.”

I chuckled and wrapped my arm around her.

“They were in Florida for another one of their diving trips. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I do know they were careful. I never thought about the risks because they were always so safe.” Her voice got really quiet. “I got in a huge fight with both of them over the phone. I wanted to go to a party and they said no. I told them I hated them and didn’t want to ever see them again.”

Shit.

“They died three hours later. Their bodies were recovered miles inside the cave they were exploring. The safety ropes were tattered as if they’d been ripped in half. The police thought that maybe the surf came in sooner than my parents expected, causing the rope to rub against the sharp rocks.”

Kiersten wiped at a few stray tears. “I can’t imagine. It kills me to know that their last moments were spent lost in a dark watery hole. It’s not as if you can go to the surface. It just seems so miserable, and I was powerless to do anything to stop them.”

Risking getting myself slapped or worse, I licked my lips and said, “Kiersten, I think you’re looking at it the wrong way.” I could feel her muscles tense beneath my touch. It was as if I’d just told her I was going to hunt her and I wanted her to run, every single part of her body pulled away, getting ready to bolt.

“Hear me out,” I whispered. “They loved cave diving, right?”

“Yeah.” Her voice was small and weak but at least she was still sitting by me, not slapping or running.

“And they knew the risks involved in it?”

“Of course!”

“Close your eyes.”

“What? No.” She tried to pull away from me, but I held her firm.

“Kiersten, just close your eyes.”

She shivered and huffed, then closed her eyes.

“Listen to my voice,” I whispered against her ear. “Imagine the story differently. Your parents get off the phone with you, both irritated but not really upset. I mean, you were, what? Fifteen? All fifteen-year-old girls go through those stages.”

“How would you know?”

“I’m a fifteen-year-old girl trapped inside this body.” I chuckled against her ear. “And I know because I used to mentor at the youth center. Believe me, fifteen-year-old girls are terrifying.”

Her shoulders relaxed.

“So they get off the phone with you, shake their heads, have a good sigh, and hold hands as they walk across the beach. They put on their gear, check and double check their air and the ropes and then go into the cave. Something happens. maybe it was just the perfect storm of the elements. The cave was so beautiful that they went farther and farther in, not realizing they didn’t have enough air to get back. Or maybe they didn’t realize the ropes were no longer attached to the way out.”

Her breathing was erratic as I continued my story and rubbed her back. “Maybe they looked at their air, knew they didn’t know which way to go so just went one direction. Maybe, they grabbed hands and swam into the darkness knowing full well that in a few minutes they’d probably fall asleep. But at least they’d fall asleep holding hands. At least, the last thought in their heads would be of you, of their family, and at least they were with each other. I guess I don’t look at their death the same way you do. You think of their death as torture. And I think of it as peace. Maybe that makes me crazy, but I can’t imagine your parents, seasoned divers that they were, panicking and suffering.” I shrugged. “I see them holding hands into the darkness, and I see them smiling.”

Kiersten was silent for a while.

I pulled back to look into her eyes, but she was covering her face with her hands, and when she pulled back her fingers, they were wet with tears.

I didn’t have time to prepare myself for her hug. She knocked me onto the concrete so fast all I could do was open my arms to her and hang on tight.

It was the first real hug I’d received since my brother had died. I didn’t tell her that, but in that moment, hugging her, comforting her… Death didn’t look as bad anymore. The future didn’t look as bleak. Because when she pulled back… when her eyes met mine, I saw hope.

Chapter Eighteen

So I hug complete strangers and cry in their arms? Tell me something I don’t know!

Kiersten

He probably thought I was insane, but I couldn’t pull back. Logically, my brain told me it was insane to feel so close to a guy I’d barely met. But emotionally? He’d picked up every little piece of emotional baggage I’d brought with me to college, unzipped it, and cleaned house.

Part of me was furious. But the other part of me? The one still holding onto Wes like he was my lifeline — just felt free. He did, in five minutes, what two years of therapy and endless amounts of antidepressants had failed to do. He’d helped me forgive. I knew it wasn’t that easy, it couldn’t be. Was it really just about thinking about the story differently? The odd thing was, everything he said about my parents was spot on. It was true. He made me believe the story because I knew for a fact that was how they were.

“Kiersten?” Wes murmured against my wet cheek. His breath created a cooling sensation, causing me to shiver from my head to my toes, “You okay?”

I let out a heavy sigh. “Do you think I’m crazy?”

Wes laughed. “We’re all a bit crazy, it’s what makes us human.”

I pushed against his chest.

“Wes?” a male voice said from behind me. I turned to see the guy that had been in the cafeteria that one day.

“David.” Wes stood and helped me to my feet. “Everything alright?”

“Course.” David cleared his throat and then dialed someone on his phone. “He’s fine, sir. Yes, he was just out… running with a girl.” David’s smile fell. “Of course, sure I’ll remind him, yes. Thank you, sir… Sorry sir.”

Wes released my hand and crossed his arms. “So, the general’s orders?”

David shoved his phone in his pocket. “He just said to keep your priorities straight. Your health, football, school. And then friends.”

Ouch! That made me last.

“Right.” Wes nodded. “Thanks David. I’ll text you if I need you.”

David stood his ground.

Something close to a low growl emerged from Wes’s throat. “What? You’re going to follow me now?”

“Orders.” David sighed and shrugged. “I’m sorry, Wes. My job’s at stake. You know how it is.”

“I do.” Wes muttered a vulgar curse under his breath and turned to me. “I’m sorry, Kiersten. I need to go. My father, it seems, is concerned about my priorities.” His smile was tense. “Can I see you tonight? Seems like we have some things we still gotta take care of.”

“I don’t know.” I looked at David’s disapproving glare and back at the ground. “I, uh, I think I’m busy.”

Wes frowned in frustration.

“Come on, Wes.” David reached for his arm.

“No.” Wes didn’t move. “Not until she says yes.”

“Wes, just stop. Parents are important. If your father wants—”

“What he wants is two healthy sons,” Wes said in an icy voice. “What he has is me. He’ll take what he can get. I’ll be at your dorm tonight at seven.”

“Not tonight,” I said. “But tomorrow’s Friday. Date night, okay?”

“Okay.” He swallowed, the color returning to his cheeks as his jaw seemed to relax. Why did he suddenly look so weak? “I’ll see you then.”