Cuddle Application

29 - Cheers to Forever

"There is no real ending. It's just the place where you stop the story."

~Frank Herbert

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The last day of school is one that every student, kindergarten through high school, celebrated. The sun was always warm, a breeze dancing through long hair and thin t-shirts. It was like standing on the edge of spring, a hairsbreadth away from jumping into summer — into relaxation.

This day in Brewer, Oregon was no different. The sun couldn't dry away the blue feeling in my chest over the loss of my little sister. The breeze couldn't carry away my sorrow. But today — under a shady tree overlooking an empty baseball field — today I felt okay. It was hard not to.

"Someone's eager to lose."

I glance up, bringing a hand to my face to shade the sun. Park stands smiling, the sun's yellow rays crowning him Helaci High's kickball champion. For decades, the Juniors and Seniors of Helaci High ended the year with a game of Kickball. It was supposed to be a fun way to celebrate the seniors leaving and the juniors taking over, and finally it was my turn to play. I'd verse Park and James, Lina and Cora on my team with the rest of the juniors — if Cora came. Senator Creevy worked out a deal with the principle that Cora could get her homework delivered at home without having to attend school. It only cost him a pretty donation to the sports wing.

I shake my head at Park, smiling. "Just relaxing knowing I have the win in the bag."

He plops into the space next to me, leaning his strong shoulders back against the trunk of the tree. I do the same, sitting close enough that our arms touch. A surge of warmth spreads through my chest.

Park. My Park, who'd been my friend since childhood, who stood up for those he loved, and who's smile lit up the world.

"How's Oliver?" He asks, face closed to me. Park and I had talked in the past weeks about his confession over memorial weekend — when he said he loved me.

"Does he make you happy?" Park ultimately asked. I could barely answer for the tightness in my chest. I'd been sick for weeks thinking about what I'd say in that conversation.

"Yes," I finally said. "I love him."

Park respected Oliver for what he did for his sister, barging in during the attack. The two didn't quite like each other yet, but I'd forced them into multiple family-fun activities since then, most of them Oliver's idea and most of them to help take my mind off things. Oliver frequently invited me to the Manning Estate for movies and popcorn (because the massive house had it's own small movie theater), swimming in Hess's Cove, going for a special treat at Peaches and Creamery, or simply walking on the shore of Helaci Lake.

Oliver liked to kiss almost as much as he liked to talk, which tended to be a lot. I laughed every time he brought up Manning Estate's horses, because his eyes would light up and I'd almost get a glimpse of what he must've looked like as an excitable little boy. Oliver promised he'd have me jumping hurdles on my horse by the end of the summer.

According to Oliver's younger brother, Theodore, if Oliver had a horse, I had to have one too. Mr. Manning agreed, telling me to pick out any one I wanted. Of course, I didn't own it, but it was to be mine to ride, groom, and feed whenever I saw fit. After a full day of detailed observation, I picked a mare that looked, to me, like a dalmation. Mr. Manning called it a Knabstrupper with an impressive lineage, but I only cared that it liked Oliver's horse, Speed. They were often grazing next to each other in the fields. Theodore joked that they were girlfriend and boyfriend.