Prologue
Ever since that terrible week, I can never look at things the same way. I can’t take back what happened and I can’t rewind the days counting up to this, no matter how hard I try. That unforgettable experience has forced me to not trust anyone new that ventures into my already hectic life. I’ve doubted any relationship I’ve had, on top of the myriad of problems I already have, because of the horrifying summer forever embedded in my memories. I’ve slowly been able to overcome what happened, but the memory still haunts me every day, even when I’m sleeping.
There’s one person in my life that’s been with me through all of the long and troubled days. My best friend, Danny, has shared his whole life with me, from splashing around sloppily in the cool water of my pool to the day his mom passed away. He never cared to talk about what happened. It was obviously a hard time for him and his dad, so I never pushed him to find out how he really felt about his mother’s death. Anyway, ever since Danny and I were old enough to name all fifty states, we started to plan a road trip. The destination we chose wasn’t really a hard decision because I had my mind set on one state in particular. Danny didn’t really have a say in the matter, guys never do. After persuading him to venture northwest from Arkansas to Colorado, there was still some convincing that needed to be done. We yearned to leave the second we graduated, but our parents still weren’t okay with the thought of us leaving. They all felt like they had to hang on to every last bit of us or they would lose us forever in a world of gangs and drugs.
Danny and I were only ten years old when we figured out what state we wanted to visit, so our idea of planning was a tad bit misconstrued. We had it all arranged that we were going to be presented with a magic genie lamp by the time we were eighteen. Of course, we were going to receive three wishes and Danny and I had all three wishes figured out as well. Wish number one would satisfy the need of transportation. We were going to wish for a magic carpet, exactly like the one from Aladdin that would get us to Colorado quicker than any other form of transportation. Our second wish, surprisingly, turned out to be true in a way. We wished to be equipped with enough money to provide food, drinks, fun, and shelter throughout our whole trip. Now, when we were kids, our brains were racing every nanosecond of every day trying to figure out ways that we could have a large sum of money. We thought we would win the lottery, become famous, or possibly our parents would pass away before we were eighteen and we would get money from their wills. Granted, none of these things ever happened and by the time I was eighteen, I was very thankful that my parents didn’t pass away. Danny and I found other ways to make money, from lemonade stands set up outside in the burning sun or working at a real, legitimate job that pays minimum wage. Our third and final wish was simply that we would be safe on the trip. We thought of wishing for the normal thing that most people would (three more wishes), but decided we were going to act more grown up.
The trip we had dreamed about ever since we could speak shortly turned into an occasion no one would ever care to endure. Let’s just say that our third wish did not ring true. I remember the morning I left like it was yesterday.
