The bus was silent. Only the occasional shuffling of clothes when Sam moved, or the driver's rare sneeze or cough disrupted the hum of the motor. We were the only ones on, waiting to get to the last stop at Blackwood Pines. I looked at the aisle and at the empty shadows the seats casted, making me a little anxious. I pushed the feeling away and looked at Sam instead as she heard the only radio station that worked.
Sam and I had really connected after what happened last year. She was always there when I needed and I tried to do the same for her. She and Josh also grew extremely close and I often teased her about it, making her blush furiously most of the time. Losing Hannah and Beth really affected us all and drew us apart, but out of nowhere Josh got in contact with Chris and the others with his plan. Most of us were hesitant at first, but Josh seemed to really want this so we all gave in eventually.
Sam must have noticed me zoning out because she elbowed me playfully and smiled reassuringly. I gave her a weak smile back and put on the headphone she was handing me, happy she was there with me. We listened to music for a while in comfortable silence, looking out at the darkening sky. I'm not sure how long we were like that, either looking out the window or making random comments on whatever we saw, when the music faded away and a radio show started. The signal was starting to get worse and we weren't able to clearly hear what was being said, but we knew it was about Hannah and Beth.
"One year ago, tonight... One individual we're considering as a person of interest... Whereabouts... Unknown... Warned against, construction project... Land was sacred to his forefathers... Old sanatorium on the mountain... Girls themselves couldn't have made it that far... The anniversary of the mysterious dissapearance of Hannah and Beth Washington."
The interview ended and Sam hastily pushed a button, going to Josh's video about this weekend. It was fun watching as he struggled with the focus on his camera and just being able to see him and how excited he was about this weekend distracted me a little from the interview. I busied myself with my book as he started talking, only catching bits and pieces of what he was saying.
"It means so much to me that we're doing this. And I... I know it would mean so much to Hannah and Beth that we're all still here together... I really want to spend some quality time with each and every one of you, and share some moments that we'll never forget... For the sake of my sisters, you know? Let's party like we're fucking pornstars!"
After laughing hysterically at Josh's last statement for a couple of minutes, we arrived at Blackwood Pines. As we walked the little trail to the cable car station I reminded myself of essential things I should avoid or at the least change. Definitely keep Emily and Ashley away from my immediate sight, after the little scene we caused when we all met up to hang out before distancing our relationship is pretty much nonexistent. Don't go into Hannah's room, no matter the circumstances. Help Sam finally confess to Josh, it's so obvious they love eachother it hurts. Try to be better friends with Matt, Ash, and Chris.
Mike. After he saved me and the funeral happened I barely ever heard from him. He was there when the argument with Em and Jess happened, he sided with me. Mike was sweet and tried to be there for me the same way Sam was, but I just couldn't do it. It felt wrong to allow myself to be close to him, to allow myself to feel what Hannah had wanted just as badly. I purposefully cut him off from my life, and this is the first time I'll be seeing him in almost a year. Nothing in our relationship was going to change, I would make sure.
We reached a gate and Sam groaned loudly as she read the little note attached to it. "The gate is busted, guess we'll just have to climb it."
After boosting me up and pulling her up we sat at the top of the wall, laughing at our mocking of eachother's weight. For a moment it felt like things were going to be alright, like this weekend will actually be fun. We got down and kept walking the trail, stopping only once when Sam fed a tiny squirrel and I took a silent picture of the moment.
When we got there Chris' backpack was on the bench with the absence of the actual person. I sat down next to it and watched as Sam called out for him. I was zoning out again when I heard a buzzing. Glancing over at the backpack, I noticed chris' phone hanging out the open pocket and was tempted to see what it was. Instead, I zipped the bag closed and pulled my book out and read. After a bit I heard him approach the bench with Sam and smiled knowing a hug was coming. I put my book down and jumped up, hugging Chris tightly. We never really were close, but after what happened we just connected. It wasnt a brotherly connection like the one I had with Josh, but it was strong enough that I trusted him more than the average friend.
"You guys need to come check this out, come on." He said, as soon as he let go and walked around the station, and Sam and I followed close behind.
"It can't be that great." Sam playfully mocked, since Chris looked really excited.
"Trust me, it's gonna blow your mind." Sam rolled her eyes at him and I couldn't help but chuckle at their exchange.
It turned out that the thing we "needed to see" was a shooting range. Sam muttered something along the lines of "boys will be boys" and I just nodded in agreement. As I watched Chris, I took pictures, wanting to have memories of everything that happened. I took pictures of him, Sam, the scenery, and the wildlife that peeked through it all. Before we even knew it, the cable car was here and we were making our way up the mountain, to a weekend we were never going to forget.
