Welcome home Cora

The truth

When we got back the fair we set up the booth and started selling lemonade and cookies half the profit went to the tennis team that I was on, or hoped to be on I made the team at my old school but I worry tryouts here are more intense Ayla's raising money for the drama club she has been practicing her lines all summer for the lead as Veronica in mean girls. "Hey where's Stella?" Milo says putting cups on the table. "Yea isn't she in drama club?" Nash ask looking up from the blanket he was sitting on. "Yes she is, but the poor girl got sick and couldn't come" Ayla says poring auger in a cup. As Ayla continues to serve customers I can't help but get get distracted looking at the hiking trail on the mountain behind us. I couldn't read the sign very well but the big red x on it suggested that trail was off limits. Milo and a customer catch me looking at the mountain "hey Cora what are you looking at?" Milo says concerned "ain't that the hill that little girl fell off of and died or was it a rock slide I don't know, see you later" the customer says walking away with his lemonade. My heart was in my throat as the word repeated in my mine died, died, died a look of fear and sorrow came over me and I guess Milo noticed. "Cora are you ok?" He says putting a hand on my shoulder. I push him away and run to the park near by taking breaths between sobs. My heart raising I can here milo calling for me as I sit on an old bench. "Cora!" Milo yells turning a corner as he sees me. He slowly walks over to me and sits "Cora what's going on?" "Did you know willow?" " yes!" I yell in an aggravated tone "see was my best friend milo, I took her up that mountain I told her that it didn't matter if the area was off limits I told her nothing would happen!" I say more tears filling my eyes " I thought I was ready to come back here, but I'm not; I'm not ready to face that fact that she is dead because of me" I cry my voice breaking "it's not your fault Cora" he says as I lay my head on his shoulder. "You didn't know" he says wiping my tears with the sleeve of his flannel. I begin to calm down and we start to walk back to the fair. "Does Ayla know you were there" milo asks "she doesn't even know I was friends with her i tried to get willow to talk to Ayla all the time but she was to introverted" I say with a little giggle. As we walk up the the fair gates I see Ayla and Nash looking around worried and then she she's me a flood of relief washes over her "oh my god Cora are you ok" Ayla asks in a panic "im fine but I need to tell you something I say leading the group back to the booth as we sit in a circle I explain everything to them somehow managing to get it out without another break down, and the rest of the festival went smoothly.