You Were Always on My Mind

I lounge outside enjoying my last morning in sunny San Diego for three months. I sit with my cup of tea and my mom's cat, Smokey, listening to the waves crashing on the shore.

"Are you ready to go Samantha?" My mom asks. She probably just finished checking through my bags again to make sure I have everything. Her blonde hair is pulled back into a short ponytail today and her blue eyes pop against her scrubs, all ready for work.

"Yes mom, and I already checked through my bags last night," I answer, getting up with my empty cup. "I'm only going to be gone for the summer."

"I know, but you might change your mind about staying with your dad," she worries, following me back inside the house as I put my cup away. She is much more worried about this than usual.

"Even if I did stay with dad for the school year, I would visit a lot more than Alex does," I assure her. Alex is my older brother who left for college last summer. He lives with my dad in La Push, Washington when he's not in school and he's visited only once since he left.

"I'd hope so," my mom replies then looks out the front window, "I think your taxi just pulled up."

We take the luggage from the foyer to the taxi and hug each other for the last time. My mom squeezes me to her and there is a feeling of finality in the hug.

"Bye sweetheart, I love you!" She says pulling away and I see the tears in her bright blue eyes.

"Bye mom, I love you too!"

I get in the taxi for my short trip to the airport. When I was 8, my parents got divorced. My mom got the house in San Diego, and my dad got the vacation house in La Push. Luckily, we had two houses and my dad decided that he would take the one in Washington since that's where most of his family lived. My mom always described it as a simple divorce; no battles over custody, money, or residency. My parents were doctors with stable jobs that allowed them to provide easily for two kids. They agreed that Alex and I should continue to attend school in San Diego, and we both loved going over to our dad's house during the summer. The divorce didn't end with a bitter note, and my parents still get along.

After twenty minutes in the taxi, the driver announces that we have reached the airport. Usually, I have Alex here to assist me with bags and keep me company, but the taxi driver is very helpful. She helps me get my suitcases onto the luggage cart and even wishes me a safe trip. After I pay her with a little bonus, I check the time on my phone and notice I still have an hour before I have to board. I decide to go to the gift shop and I get a little present for my dad, brother, and Jacob. After I pay for the gifts, I check-in my bags and ticket then board when flight 891 is called, ready to depart.

While on the plane, all of my memories from the last few summers flood back, especially the ones from last year. Throughout the school year, my friends Amy, Becka, and Nicole kept me up to date on what was going on in the group or in their personal life. Amy especially liked to ask me relationship advice, although I was the least experienced. Nick, Adam, and Johnny are usually the main stars of the show in the group updates and are highly entertaining. We've all known each other since the third grade when my dad permanently moved there and made more friends within the community. I was always sad to have missed out on so much time with them throughout the years since I lived so far. Jacob Black, my best friend since we were in diapers, somethings hung out with them since he played football with the guys. Nicole would always tell me how he's doing whenever he spent time with them. She was the only one that truly knew my feelings for Jacob, although I've never confirmed her suspicions.

Last year, Jacob and I spent practically the whole summer together. Alex was busy preparing for college and my friends had a lot going on throughout the last summer. Jake took me to all of my favorite spots having gotten his license much earlier than me, and came over almost every day with his dad Billy. We would usually all eat dinner together as a happy family. Afterwards, my dad and Billy would watch a game while Jake and I either watched a movie in our little"'cinema" or play old games from childhood. Out of everyone, besides my dad and brother, I missed Jacob the most. He had a smile that brightened up the whole room and he has one of the kindest souls. Last summer, he became closer with my friends so that we could spend more time together. Sadly, Nick liked me last year and didn't try very hard to hide his feelings. Luckily, I always had an excuse at hand, choosing instead to spend time with my family or Jacob. Becka still claims that Nick can't keep a long distance relationship anymore because he's too in love with me. I, on the other hand, do not believe a single word she says about it.

"Please put on your seatbelt, we will be landing soon in Port Angeles," the flight attendant announces. I follow the flight attendants instructions and clear my mind awaiting my arrival in La Push.

Once we board off the plane, I rush through the airport procedures in a hurry to see my family. Quickly, I grab my bags and head toward the exit my dad always waits for me at. My dad, Alex, my cousin Sam, his beautiful fiancée Emily, Billy and a tall guy with familiar eyes stand waiting for me. I drop my bags next to my dad then hug everyone, except for the guy next to Billy. Jacob's kind eyes stare back at me, but that's where the familiarity stops. His face is chiseled like a male model's, with a perfect jaw line, but a nose that is slightly crooked. Last year, we were the same height, but now he towers over me by a few inches and his once lanky build, is now strong and muscular. He smiles down at me and it's just as familiar as those big brown eyes.

"Sammy," my dad states after a moment, interrupting my thoughts, "this is Jacob, Billy's son."

"Oh, sorry Jacob I didn't really recognize you for a minute," I quickly apologize chagrined by my stupid mistake, "you've changed a lot since last year."

"So have you," he replies chuckling. It was the husky laugh that I've always loved so much, it was just so contagious. I quickly wrap my arms around him. He doesn't move at first, but quickly embraces me in one of his warm hugs that I always look forward to.

"I have a surprise for you today," my dad informs me as he leads me to his car. I'm not expecting too much since he's not the best at surprises.

"You'll actually like this one a lot sis," Alex whispers into my ear before I get into the car. Now I'm curious. Everyone heads toward my house for the welcoming party that my dad throws every year. This year, it was all for me instead of Alex and I. Once we reach the house, my dad and Alex insist on taking my bags upstairs while I freshen up; they've always treated me like a princess. I go to the bathroom and notice that my hair has somehow stayed perfectly in place, falling just past my elbow. My navy blue dress makes my blue eyes pop out just as my mom's dark blue scrubs had done for her.

I start hearing people accumulate downstairs so I rush down to greet everyone. I immediately spot my friends gather at the bottom of the stairway. I hug each of them individually. Nick hugs me a bit longer than everyone else, and I wonder if Becka was really telling the truth about him. I excuse myself for a minute to greet some relatives and family friends. They all comment on how much I've grown and how beautiful I was getting, just as older people always do.

Once I finish greeting everyone, I search for my friends and find them sitting outside on the benches my dad made for big events. Jacob had joined the group, but he's sitting on a bench all by himself. I join him on his bench and he smiles down at me.

"So how was life here without me?" I ask hoping to hear some embarrassing stories. My friends are some of the goofiest and clumsiest people.

"Johnny fell in the ocean!" Adam quickly responds. He was always first to throw anyone under the bus.

"Adam!" Johnny exclaims then punches him while everyone watches and laughs. Jacob's husky laugh stands out most to me.

"Johnny, I already knew! Amy sent me pictures," I inform him. He blushes, embarrassed, then joins in on the laughing, reflecting on the memory.

"What can I say, I'm hopeless without you Sammy," he claims coming up to me and getting down on one knee, "Sammy will you be mine?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way," I tease back, winking at him with a smile on my face. He picks me up and spins me around.

"She said yes!!" Johnny exclaims then kisses my cheek and sets me down. Everyone within a ten foot radius looks over with a confused look on their face, but I see my dad just shake his head with a smile on his face, not wanting to know what's going on.

After we get too hungry to carry on a conversation, we get some hamburgers and hot dogs that my dad and Billy grilled, then continue to catch up on the past year. The girls talk about the dances and boyfriends and ask me about what dates and dances are like in California. The boys talk about sports, primarily football, all trying to one up each other and claim that they could beat any guy in San Diego. Jacob shockingly stays pretty quiet, not even trying to impress me with any football stories.

"Sammy your surprise is here," my dad informs me as he passes by with another tray of hot dogs. Jacob gets up first and leads me to the driveway as everyone else in my group trails along. I hear two car doors close as I round the corner.

"Bella! Charlie!" I exclaim a little too loudly. I quickly hug Charlie, one of my dad's best friends, and then tightly squeeze Bella. "I finally see some color on your skin besides white! Even in California, you didn't seem to get tan!"

"Maybe my skin likes the rain and overcast more," Bella replies laughing.

"Hey Belles, it's been a while," Jacob greets as he gives her a bear hug.

"You've grown a few inches Jake," Bella comments, looking him up and down. "And much more muscular."

"So I'm not the only one that noticed," I point out laughing then turn toward my friends. "Bella, this is Amy, Becka, Nicole, Johnny, and Nick. You guys, this is Bella."

They all greet Bella like an old friend as we turn to head back to our benches.

"We have another surprise with us," Bella informs me as she goes to the back of the truck. She picks up something and brings it over to me. A husky!

"Are you serious? This is mine?" I ask in awe and shock.

"All yours," my dad responds placing a hand on my shoulder, "what are you going to name her?"

"Shadow," I quickly decide after I watch as she follows me around in circles.

My dad and Alex had put out some blankets and lanterns since it was quickly getting dark. Everyone goes to their same bench, and Bella joins Jacob and I on ours. We continue to talk about the randomest stuff as the night progresses. As the clock nears 10, I'm now spending more time saying goodbye to the guests than chatting with my friends. Shadow follows me around as I go back and forth between family and friends to say goodbye. She even gives them a farewell bark. All of the adults except my dad, Billy, Emily, and Sam had to leave due to work and kids that needed sleep. Becka had left with her uncle, claiming she didn't feel well, but everyone else in the group is spending the night. Alex joined us a while back when his friends had left.

"Hey Jake, we should take them to the old campsite," Alex suggests after the last few adults leave.

"Emily and I will join you guys," Sam offers as he approaches us, fingers interlocked with Emily's.

"We know all of the stories," Emily chimes in with an eager smile. Sam and Emily lead all of my friends to the campsite while Alex, Jacob, and I go get the camping gear. I quickly change into a pair of old jeans and a flannel so I won't freeze out there. I head over to Jake's since he has more camping gear than we do. We quickly head to the campsite, hoping we didn't miss the best of the stories, even though we know them all by heart. As we enter the campsite, memories flash back to childhood when I helped my dad and Alex build this. Jacob had also joined halfway through the process. Every year we would all camp out here, but when I turned 13 my dad stopped joining us unless I begged him to come with us. Last year, Jacob and I came here a lot and just gazed at the stars in peace. I never wanted to go alone so he always offered to tag along.

We all quickly decide on tent arrangements, three people per tent. Everyone wants to be with me, but I decide to be with Jacob and Bella since she doesn't really know anyone else. Amy and Nicole choose to be with Emily, since they want someone older in the tent. Nick, Adam and Johnny always insist that they stay together and Alex and Sam end up in a tent together. We quickly set up our tents since everyone except Bella grew up outdoors. Afterwards, we gather around the fire in the same groups we had at the benches. Alex, Sam and Emily sit at the largest log since they are the storytellers. I sit between Bella and Jacob, but I'm shaking from the cold even in my blanket. Shadow keeps my feet warm and Jacob shares his blanket with me then wraps an arm around my shoulders while scooting closer to me. I lean into my personal heater, resting my head against his shoulder.

"Thanks Jake," I whisper. I look up and spot Nick staring at Jacob menacingly, but I quickly redirect my attention toward Alex.

"No problem." he whispers back.

We listen to the stories of the Quileutes and Makah. Both tribes have shapeshifters that protected them. The Quileutes turned into wolves and killed any cold ones that entered their land. The Makah turned into bears and looked out for the people, informing the Quileutes when there was danger. The Makah were capable of killing the cold ones, but the Quileutes were especially built to destroy them. Some Makah were extraordinary healers, the elders claimed it was a special talent passed on through the generations and that very few Makah get this ability. Legend says that the Quileutes only transform if the Makah spot danger. The Makah transform every generation, boys at the age of 18 and girls at the age of 17. They were the protectors. Everyone except Bella, Amy, and Nick in the group had Makah or Quileute blood in them. We grew up listening to the stories, but no one actually believes them.

As the fire starts to die down, one by one, people start heading to their tents. Jacob and I are the last ones out, chatting about what we could do this summer.

"I will get you to go cliff diving this year," Jake whispers smiling, "you do gymnastics! This can't be that much scarier!"

"Jake, gymnastics is completely different. I'm not cliff diving," I whisper back.

"Just do a back tuck or front layout into the water," he suggests teasingly.

"Do you even know what a layout is?"

"I've been to a few of your competitions. Also, whenever you would practice, Alex would tell me the name of the move you were doing."

"I'll think about it."

"Finally!" Jake grins down at me. When the fire finally dies, we head to our tent. I sleep next to Bella, while Jacob sleeps at the entrance of the tent to protect us from any danger. Shadow curls up next to me making herself comfortable before quickly falling asleep.

As I doze off, dreams of gymnastics overtake my mind. I watch as the girls and guys practice stunts, working overtime to perfect them. Once they stick the move, their face is overwhelmed with effervescent. I look up and Jake's in the stands watching; I'm doing a roundoff back handspring, back layout. Somehow, I end up in the ocean, but it feels so nice in the water, up above everyone's cheering as if I just landed a stunt.

***

After a week of settling in and hanging out with friends, Jacob has convinced everyone to go cliff diving, except me. I have spent most of my time with Jacob and Alex this past week, but whenever I'm with all of my friends Nick would always try to be next to me. It was getting pretty annoying, but Amy thought it was sweet.

Everyone has agreed that Friday will be the best day to go cliff diving. We have decided on doing a potluck for lunch and everyone is going to bring delectable food. Sam, Emily, and I set up the table for the food while everyone goes to the ledge they always dive off of. Sam joined us for adult supervision and Emily tagged along to get some more color on her skin, although she's quite tan. We all chat while Emily and I work on our tans. After a while, I decide to watch the others from the edge of the cliff as my friends jump from the third lowest ledge. Eventually, I decide to join Emily and Sam again.

Out of nowhere, wet arms wrap around me and carry me off. Sam and Emily are laughing, so I just play along until I realize that he's taking me to the edge of the cliff.

"Put me down," I beg and try and wiggle my way out of their grip.

"You've thought about it, now it's time to actually jump," Jacob declares. I could tell he was smiling at this. He carries me to the lowest ledge and traps me against the cliff wall. His hands are on either side of my head and I swear it seems like he might just kiss me. I stare at his full lips for a second to long. "We can do this the easy way where you jump on your own. Or we can do this the hard way where I pick you up and throw you in."

"What's my third option?" I ask hoping for a way out.

"Well, I guess you could give me a quick kiss and then I'll leave you alone, but that doesn't mean the other guys won't drag you down here. Just be lucky it was me and not Alex. He said he was going to just toss you in."

"I'll choose the first option, ready to jump?"

"I've been ready to jump," he answers taking my hand in his. We run to the edge of the cliff and jump off. It's terrifying, but a total adrenaline rush! We continue to jump off the lowest ledge together while everyone else continues to jump off two ledges above us.

"Go Samantha!" Amy and Nicole shout down as they watch me jump off the ledge all by myself and do a simple front tuck. I feel comfortable enough to join the others on the higher ledge so Jake takes me up there.

"Oooooo, I think we've got ourselves a new couple here," Johnny declares before jumping off the ledge. At first, I don't understand who he's talking about until I look down and notice that Jake and I are holding hands. We both let go and step a little farther away from each other. This time, I jump off the ledge with Amy and Nicole. I jump with everyone in the group so that they wouldn't say anything about Jake and I anymore. Nick convinces me to go with him twice, but after I had gone with everyone twice, I continue to jump off with Jake. When I finally decide to go by myself off of this ledge, I do a back tuck, front layout and dive straight into the water. When I emerge from the water, everyone is clapping for me.

"Thank you, thank you," I say bowing once I reach the makeshift steps. After about another hour, we head up to the cliff to eat lunch. Everyone crowds around the table getting a little bit of everything then head to the cooler Emily and Sam brought and grab a drink. I sit with Amy and Nicole and we talk about how fun today has been so far.

"I'm so glad Jacob came up with the idea about cliff diving," Nicole gushes after swallowing a mouth full of food. She eats as much as the guys, but manages to be only half their weight.

"Speaking of Jacob, are you two... together?" Amy whispers.

"No! Why would you even think so?" I ask, my mouth hanging wide open.

"Because he obviously likes you and well, so does Nick," Nicole points out.

"So, you've got two amazing and gorgeous guys going after you, who are you going to choose?" Amy demands to know.

"I don't know, I haven't thought about it," I respond feeling the heat rush to my face.

"I think you and Nick would be really cute," Amy comments.

"Really? Not even a little?" Nicole asks ignoring Amy's comment.

"Maybe a little... Anyways can we just change the subject already?" I plead. Barely a second later, Nick comes up behind me and scares me. I hop up and chase Nick hoping to tackle him. "I will get you!"

Everyone watches and laughs as I chase Nick around the cliff. I finally tackle him to the ground, thankful that I decided to do track last year.

"Now you have to be my slave since I caught you," I declare smiling.

"Anything for you," he replies with a goofy grin. I get off of him quickly and go to sit with the girls.

"Stay with the boys, and we'll be fine," I respond with a wink. He puts on a pouty face, but I turn my back and continue to talk to the girls.

An hour later, I make my way down the makeshift steps to the little cave on the second lowest ledge. I discover that the cave is deep enough for me to try some gymnastics moves into the water. As I prepare to do a roundoff back tuck, I hear footsteps on the stairs. When I exit the cave, I see Jacob descending the steps toward me, smiling.

"I thought you might like some company," he answers before I have a chance to ask, "I promise I won't be a distraction."

"I like company," I reply smiling back at him then walk back into the cave. I see Jake sit at the end of the ledge, his feet dangling in the air. I attempt my roundoff back tuck and successfully dive through the water afterwards. I try some other flips as Jake supervises to make sure I don't get hurt.

"You're amazing," Jacob stammers, his mouth wide open after doing two tucks in a row. He realizes his wording and blushes a little. "I mean that was an amazing move..."

"Thanks," I reply blushing a little too. I'm not used to getting compliments on my gymnastics.

"By the way, was the one before that a roundoff, back tuck, back layout?" He asks. Now it's my turn for my jaw to drop.

"You really did pay attention," I say and nod my head, completely shocked. He gets up, walking toward me, and closes my mouth.

"We don't want any flies getting in there now, do we?" He jokes with a goofy grin. I stare down at his smile, I could easily fill in the gap between our lips.

"Sammy! Where are you?" I hear Nick and Johnny call out. I quickly step back and trip over a rock. Jacob catches my arm before I could fall, but instantly lets go.

"In here!" I answer. I see Nick's face first. Once he notices Jacob in the cave with me, his smile turns into a frown and his eyebrows knit together.

"What are you two doing in here silly gooses?" Johnny asks coming up behind Nick with a mischievous smile.

"I was just doing some gymnastics stunts and Jacob was making sure that I wouldn't accidentally hurt myself." I quickly answer.

"Do you think you could do it on the top ledge?! I want to watch!" Johnny begs, bouncing around with joy.

"If I hurt myself, you better dive off the top and save me!" I warn him. I walk to the boys, and Johnny loops his arm through mine.

"So you agreed to be mine and now you can never leave," Johnny informs me smiling at me.

"What happens if I fall in love?" I ask with my best puppy dog eyes.

"Oh sweetie, that's a part of it. We're supposed to fall in love with each other!" He tells me patting my hand on his arm. Once we reach the top, Johnny let's go of my arm. "It's time to work your magic!"

I do most of the flips that I do in the cave, but it takes me a while to readjust to spacing. Alex spots me a few times on harder stuff since he's done it before. Everyone claps every time I emerge from the water and Johnny always asks for encores. Since I'm on the top ledge, I decide to try and see how many flips I can do in a row. I hit the water sooner than expected and get the wind knocked out of me. Someone dives into the water near me and takes me to the makeshift steps where I see Alex and Sam waiting. I cough up a bunch of water and tears sting my eyes. Someone's rubbing my back trying to help me breath and I turn to see Jacob soaking wet and looking very concerned.

"Put your hands on top of your head and sit straight to help with breathing," Alex instructs me. As I try and sit straight, my back hurts and Jacob leans me against the rock wall. I cough a few more times and feel better.

"Are you okay?" Sam asks looking me in the eyes. I nod my head still trying to steady my breathing. He turns toward the others at the top of the cliff and calls out to them. "She's fine!"

After a minute, Sam heads up to the others and I lean my head against the wall and close my eyes.

"Do you want to go up yet?" I hear Alex ask. I shake my head no.

"You can go," I tell him. I hear him get up and climb the steps.

"Take your time," Jacob tells me. I open my eyes and he's leaning against the opposite wall still looking at me with worried eyes.

"Thanks for diving in for me," I say. I can breathe now, but my back is especially sore.

"I happened to be closest and I was first to notice something was wrong," he replies modestly. We sit at the bottom step for a few minutes and then I decide to get up and head to the others. Jacob wraps his arm around me gently since I'm still a little light headed. I grab a pepsi then sit on the truck bed and sip it as everyone watches me. Jacob sits next to me with his own pepsi can trying not to look over at me. After a minute, everyone stops staring and quietly begin to talk about other things. After a while, they decide to go cliff diving again. Sam and Emily decide to sit on the ledge below them just in case anything like that happens again.

"Can we go for a walk?" I ask Jacob. He nods his head and helps me off the truck bed. We walk in peace for a while and I enjoy the peace and quiet of the woods around me. Eventually, we come across the place where the bonfire is held every year.

I take a seat on the Elder's log and close my eyes thinking of the past summer. Both my dad and Alex were too busy to make it, so I tagged along with Jake and Billy. We rode with Henry Clearwater and his family to help set up. The Quileute and Makah Elders would tell the stories of their tribes every year, and every year I would sit and listen in awe with Jake next to me. Last summer, I convinced Jake to walk home with me since the bonfire was held a few days after I had returned to La Push and I hadn't been able to explore much. We crossed through the beach on the way to our houses feeling the soft sand curling in between our toes. I ran through the ocean since I had decided to wear shorts that night, but somehow I ended up drenched from head to toe. It may or may not have involved tripping over my own feet... Jacob took me down a quick path from the beach to our houses after offering me his jacket. I thanked Jake then ran to the warmth of my house. I could hear his husky laugh behind me as I entered the warmth of my house. My dad had stayed up after his shift, worried something had happened to me. After I explained that I wasn't alone, but with Jake, he called down.

"I hope you know I'm not walking home with you again this year," Jake says as if on cue.

"It's okay, I wasn't planning on walking," I reply laughing, "or going in the ocean that late at night again. I was freezing my ass off."

"You were shaking like a chihuahua the whole way home," he said laughing.

"Not everyone is smart enough to stay out of the ocean at midnight. It seemed like an amazing idea at the time and I missed the ocean here. It missed me too, that's why it splashed me," I defend my stupidity, but I end up laughing at my own reasoning.

"Did it whisper in your ear: 'Sammy come to me, I need you!'?" Jake asks whispering into my ear and a small shiver goes down my spine. I try and ignore the feeling I get in my stomach.

"Yes! I didn't know you spoke ocean!" I exclaim giggling. Jake just shakes his head laughing at me. I stare out over the cliff at the sparkling ocean and we just sit here in peace. After a few minutes of sitting out here, we head back to the others. Everyone is packing up and enjoying some more food. I grab a cookie and Sunny-D then sit back down in the truck bed.

"How are you feeling?" Nicole asks me.

"Fine, but my back's really sore," I tell her. I lean against the cold cooler and it feels a bit better.

"So where were you two?" Amy asks nodding toward Jake.

"We just went for a walk," I reply rolling my eyes. Nicole has a look of curiosity on her face, but she doesn't say anything.

"No kissing? No holding hands?" Amy teases, but she is completely serious.

"Nothing happened," I retort with a sigh.

"Well I still think you and Nick would be great together," Amy states . I see Nicole roll her eyes behind Amy's back and I stifle a laugh.

"Drop by anytime sweetie and I'll make sure to have something for you to eat," Emily says giving me a hug before leaving.

"We'll give your dad an invitation for dinner some time this week so you can all come over," Sam informs Alex and I then hugs me too. "Jacob, I'll invite your dad too."

Sam and Emily leave with the cooler after saying goodbye to everyone. The guys finish packing up then Alex drops off everyone at their houses first before parking at ours. I immediately head upstairs and take a cold shower then change into a pair of running shorts and an old shirt. As I head to the kitchen, I see Billy, Charlie and my dad watching basketball. I give them a quick greeting then continue onto my destination. I make a cup of noodles, take two Advils, then head outside to the porch swing, Shadow trailing behind me. We sit on the porch swing and I eat my food as I watch the boys play basketball.

"Aren't you hungry?" I ask them finishing the last of my noodles.

"We ate while you were in the shower," Alex informs me as he attempts to dunk. I continue to watch the boys play as I pet Shadow. After Alex wins, attaining the necessary twenty-one points, they join me on the porch. "What shall we do next?"

"Watch movies?" I suggest.

"Nah," Jacob replies, "we need to save that for when we can't go outside."

"Baseball? I'll pitch," I offer. Pitching was the only thing I could do in baseball.

"Only if you're feeling up to it," Alex says and I nod, "okay then, we have to head out to the park because we don't want another incident with the Clearwaters."

I head inside to wash my fork and toss the cup of noodles while the boys go to grab the equipment.

"Hey dad, we're heading to the park to play baseball," I inform him before heading out.

"Don't break anything," he warns, but I hear all of the men in the living room laugh.

"We'll try not to," I reply grabbing a jacket then heading back outside. "Let's go!"

We walk to the park that's next to the high school. I've heard lots of stories about my friends doing stupid things after school here. There's a little area to play baseball in the far corner, but it's meant for younger kids. I end up pitching in between second base and the pitching mound to give myself and the boys a good amount of space. One of the guys bat, while the other is in outfield attempting to catch the balls. Alex once again wins, being more accustomed to my pitches.

"It's your turn to bat," Alex informs me handing over the bat.

"I'll pass," I reply.

"I insist."

I know he'll be persistent, so I take the bat and head to home base. The bat is a little heavier than I expected since it's our old metal one. Jacob comes behind me to take place as catcher since he knows I can't hit far. The first ball I hit is a foul, but I don't realize until I reach first base and notice both Jacob and Alex on the ground. Jacob is clutching his stomach in pain while Alex is laughing his head off.

"Jake! What happened?" I demand running toward him. I know I didn't hit him on the swing, I would've felt it.

"You threw the bat and it hit him right in the stomach," Alex explains still holding his stomach and laughing.

"You're such a great friend," Jake retorts, slowly yet surely getting into a sitting position. I try and help him, but he lightly shoves me off. Two injuries in one day.

"And this why they don't trust me with a bat," I reply glaring at Alex.

"What did I do?" He whines.

"You brought the stupid metal bat and made me use it!"

"I'll be fine, Sammy," Jake reassures me standing up, "see all better."

"We should head home," I state keeping an eye on Jacob. He is still clutching his stomach. Stupid metal bat.

"How's your back?" Jacob asks me trying to direct the attention away from him.

"Better than your stomach," I answer with a worried look.

"I'm fine, there might be some bruising," he admits, "you sure have a strong arm."

"Sorry, just please come over tomorrow so I can check on it," I say, "and ice it tonight."

"Sammy, you worry too much. I'm a guy, I'll be fine," Jacob declares trying to calm me down. He puts his hands at his sides and stands straight up trying to prove he's fine. We continue walking to the house and I notice him wincing out of the corner of my eye. Once we reach our driveway, we head our separate ways.

"Don't forget to ice your stomach," I remind Jacob.

"I won't," he calls back then disappears into his house. I head upstairs and change into my pajamas. I search through my bookcase and decide on reading A Thousand Splendid Suns. I grab a blanket and head out to my deck. Shadow walks out in front of me and plants herself on top of my footrest. I sit down on my plush circular chair and get comfortable before I start reading. I get halfway through the second chapter when I hear the door open behind me.

"Hey Sammy. How's the deck?" I hear my dad ask.

"Everything's good, the furniture still feels new," I answer turning away from the book and toward him.

"How are you feeling? Alex told me what happened."

"I'm fine, but my back is a bit sore."

"Just take some pain killers every four hours and you'll feel better in no time."

"Thanks dad."

"Well, I'll leave you in peace," my dad states kissing the top of my head then going back into the house.

"Night dad, love you."

"Love you too, Sammy."

I stay outside for another hour or so until it gets too dark to read. I grab my things and head back into my room. I go downstairs for water, a quick snack, and some more Advil. Alex is sitting on the couch watching TV. I quietly tip toe to the couch then pinch the back of Alex's neck making him jump a few feet into the air.

"Sammy!" He whispers loudly.

"You were so vulnerable," I defend myself then head to the kitchen. When I walk back out, I barely take any notice to Alex.

"Hey Sammy?" He asks before I head up the stairs. He's looking at me over the back of the couch.

"Yeah Alex?"

"Never mind, it's not important."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Night, Sammy."

"Goodnight, Alex."