Why Don't We One Shots

Coldest Winter - Janiel

Jack opens his eyes, frustrated. He can't sleep. His clock shines brightly and he squints to make out the numbers. 4:07 AM. Jack rubs his hands over his face and sits up, forgetting about trying to drift off. He knows what's coming.

Today is the day he will be burying his best friend.

He wanders into the kitchen, leaning against the fridge. "Oh, Daniel," he sighs. "Daniel, Daniel, Daniel. How could this have happened?

About a month ago, it was a record winter - the coldest ever to hit New York where Jack and Daniel both lived. Daniel's flight to Oregon was cancelled because of all the snow there and Jack's flight back to Pennsylvania was cancelled too. They spent Christmas together at Jack's house, drinking hot chocolate and watching Christmas movies. And when Daniel decided to go, he noticed the piece of mistletoe in the wreath on Jack's door. So he took Jack's surprised face in his hands and gave him a Christmas kiss. "We weren't exactly under the mistletoe," Daniel had said, explaining himself. "But we were close enough."

Daniel Seavey was the one person Jack Avery ever loved. And Jack never even got to tell him. He was too afraid of ruining the greatest friendship he had.

Not long after Christmas, Daniel got into a crash on the highway. He lost control on black ice, and drove right into the highway divider. Two other cars lost control too and slammed into him. Daniel died on impact.

The hours fly by, and, sooner than he would've liked, Jack is sitting in the back of a funeral car, driving to the cemetery to remember and bury his best friend. He was asked to speak at Daniel's funeral, and he couldn't let the Seaveys down. With a nod from Daniel's mother, Jack gets up from his seat to lay a hand on the casket.

"Daniel," he says, trying to pretend that this isn't real, that it's all a dream. He isn't burying his best friend today. It can't be true. "It's true. You're gone. I keep trying to forget that it's you we're burying, I keep trying to forget that I lost you. But it all just keeps hitting me, over and over again. That's pain that I can never erase." Jack puts a white rose on top of Daniel's casket. "Goodbye, my friend. I will never love again. From meeting you in college to going sledding with you down that hill in your backyard, to working producing music with you every day, I will never forget a single thing about you. And I cherish every memory made in this season - the coldest winter."

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