by Tracey Smith
I grabbed her face and made her stop thrashing and look at me. I saw the terror in her eyes and knew I had to stay calm. I brought my mouth to hers and blew the last of my air into her mouth, then left her at the bottom as I pushed to the surface for more air.
I swam back to her as quickly as I could trying not to panic, she needed me to help her. I needed to be strong I couldn’t let myself panic. When I reached her the second time she wasn’t thrashing anymore. Her hands were quickly working at the tangled mass of hair that was twisted around the branch. I started pulling at the hair with her ripping strands loose. I could feel myself running out of air and knew that meant she was too. I grabbed her face again and this time she grabbed mine too as I blew the last of my air into her lungs and again left her on the bottom.
It was so hard to leave her. To swim to the top and leave her down there, but we both needed air, and I was the only one who could reach it. I tried to take the biggest breath I could as fast as I could and began to dive to her again. This time she met me half way. She was free but swimming weakly.
I found her mouth and blew all of my air into hers before wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her to the surface. She kicked her feet feebly as she tried to help.
It seemed to take forever but we finally reached the surface, both of us gasping for air. I pulled Destiny to the shore where we both lay silently for several long minutes as we caught our breaths.
My heart was pounding in my ears and the danger of the situation finally began to hit me. Destiny could have died. In that moment I realized how very much she meant to me.
“You saved my life.” She whispered in between pants.
“Don’t tell my mom.” I whispered back “She’ll never let me leave her side again.” We both laughed softly and I felt an immense amount of relief at being able to laugh with her.
We lay there for a long time side by side, neither of us speaking, allowing the panic to subside and the relief to wash over us. Eventually our breathing had slowed and our clothes were mostly dry.
“We should probably get back before my mom sends out a search party.” I said standing and I reached down to take her hand and help her up. When she got to her feet she didn’t let go of my hand.
We walked back to the cabin silently holding hands, it was nearly dark when we got there. Our parents were all sitting outside on lawn chairs and I heard my mom exhale loudly as we came into view. I stiffened prepared for a showdown if she said anything, but Mom didn’t say anything as we passed by.
“You kids have fun?” Uncle Mike asked.
“Yep.” Destiny said keeping her tone casual as we both hurried into the house to change before our parents realized that our clothes were still a little wet.
After we’d changed we joined our parents outside. The sun had gone down and they had a campfire going. Little Chance was chasing Jaime and Kenzie around the outer circle made by chairs and the girls were squealing with delight. It reminded me of when I used to chase Destiny that way. The tension of our dangerous afternoon faded into a familiar comfortable evening.
We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and stayed up late into the night watching the stars take over the black sky. Eventually the younger kids wore themselves out. Chance was curled up asleep on Aunt Katherine’s lap and for the first time I noticed how much he resembled his mother. At first glance he looked exactly like Uncle Mike, but sleeping on his mom’s lap I noticed that he had her full mouth and narrow chin. Each of the twins were also on their parents lap’s sleeping. It was hard to say who the girls resembled more since Aunt Amy and Uncle Dan looked so much alike.
Destiny and I were staring up at the stars, playing a game we’d invented when we were little.
“I see a hippo.” Destiny declared.
“You always see a hippo.” I laughed.
I hadn’t really been paying any attention to our parent’s conversation until I heard my Aunt Amy speak up a little louder than usual.
“Los Angeles!” she exclaimed and I realized my parents must have just broke the horrible news to their friends.
The reminder reignited my anger from that morning and now there was a new edge to it. I was not only leaving behind the only life I’d ever known, I was leaving Destiny the best friend I’d ever had. I got up and went inside without saying anything. I went to my room and sat on the edge of the bed looking out the window at the star filled sky.
Probably couldn’t even see stars in Los Angeles, I thought resentfully. I didn’t hear the door open behind me.
“You’re moving?” I heard Destiny whisper.
I turned around to face her. The moonlight coming in through the window lit her face and I could see tears in her eyes. I just nodded my head. She sat down on the other side of the bed.
“That really sucks!” she said.
I nodded again. I didn’t trust my voice. I could feel a lump in my throat but I was too old to cry.
“I’m going to miss you.” She said.
“I’m going to miss you too.” I realized out loud and my voice cracked.
Chapter 3: The Recital
I stood in my room facing the full-length mirror not sure if I could believe my eyes. My whole life I’d been told how much I looked like my mother tonight was the first night I believed it.
“You look beautiful Destiny.” Mom said walking up next to me.
As her reflection came into view next to mine I realized that even though I might look more like her now that I was seventeen years old, I still paled in comparison. My mother was effortlessly stunning with long waves of dark hair and tall slender curves. I may have been tall with dark hair but she moved with a willowy gracefulness that I couldn’t imagine ever possessing.
“Credit goes to Aunt Amy.” I said turning to face my mom.
“I just supplied the dress.” Amy corrected walking over to stand next to us.
“And the make-over.” I reminded her.
“It was my pleasure.” Aunt Amy told me fussing with my hair again “I remember when your mom used to let me play dress up with her.”
Both my mom and Aunt Amy laughed at a memory that I was not a part of. I looked back to the mirror and felt the butterflies return as I realized what was ahead of me tonight.
Just then Amy’s twins Jaime and Kenzie came running into the room. They both came to a stop simultaneously as if they’d planned the move perfectly. Their blond curls bounced in unison. They were as identical as identical twins could get. The whole family looked like they had been cloned.
Aunt Amy and Uncle Dan were almost the exact same height, they both had blonde hair and light blue eyes and looked like they could have been related. Now with the twins in tow, both with matching blonde hair and blue eyes it really emphasized their similarities.
“Daddy said to tell you you’re beautiful enough.” Jaime said.
“And if you don’t hurry up we’re going to be late.” Kenzie finished.
“Tell Daddy we’re on our way down.” Aunt Amy said and they both turned and skipped out of the room.
“Are you ready Sweetheart?” Mom asked as she wrapped her arm around me comfortingly.
“I think so.” I said, my voice was shaking I was so nervous.
“You’re going to be fantastic!” Mom assured me. “Just think of it as another recital. No pressure.”
Sure, no pressure. Just my entire future on the line! Tonight was not just another violin recital. If it were I would have no reason to be this nervous. I’d been playing the violin since I was 5 years old. I could play the violin in my sleep.
No, tonight I was being judged. My music instructor had called in some favors. Tonight the musical director for the American Youth Symphony would be attending my performance. If he liked what he saw I could be spending the summer in Los Angeles training with one of the best youth orchestra’s in the state. Tonight all my dreams could come true… or my worst nightmare.
My stomach hurt as we drove to the concert hall. I imagined the piece I woul
d be playing, I had played it a hundred times. I knew it well. I was still nervous. What if I made a mistake? Everything rested on this one performance. I could hardly breathe as we pulled the car into the parking lot. I was so caught up with my nerves that I wasn’t paying any attention to my surroundings as we got out of the car.
“You made it!” I heard Mom exclaim and that snapped me out of my delirium.
I looked over to see my Aunt Claire, Uncle Charlie and Tyler walking across the parking lot towards us. At first I wasn’t sure if it actually was Tyler, but I figured it was safe to assume the tall lanky teenage boy walking with my aunt and uncle was probably their son. I hadn’t seen any of them for almost three years, ever since they moved away from San Diego.
I couldn’t believe how much Tyler had changed in three short years. He was at least as tall as I was now. Last time I’d seen him he had been several inches shorter. He was really starting to look like his dad. Uncle Charlie was tall with dark red skin and jet-black hair. My Aunt Claire on the other hand was short, shorter than me now, with light red hair and a fair complexion.
Tyler had always been a pretty even blend between the two of them. His skin wasn’t as dark as his dad’s, more of a golden brown, like a suntan that never faded. His hair was dark too, but it wasn’t black and it had streaks of red that came out more in the summer time.
To that extent he still looked like the boy I remembered, except that his hair was kind of long now and hung down over his eyes. He was also much taller now and his shoulders were broader. His arms looked leanly muscular and his facial features weren’t as soft as I remembered.
“You didn’t think we’d miss the big night did you?” Aunt Claire asked as she hugged my mom and then turned to hug me.
“We’ve missed you guys so much! Oh my gosh it that Chance?” Aunt Claire exclaimed as my little brother came bounding out of the car and ran to our mother’s side, he stopped suddenly and flashed his infamous smile up at Aunt Claire.
“I can’t believe how much he’s grown!”
“I’m 7 now.” Chance beamed proudly and smiled his award-winning smile that had won every woman’s heart that’d ever seen it.
“And as handsome as your father.” Aunt Claire said smiling back.
Everyone hugged and talked about how long it had been since we’d all been together. Claire and Charlie were also shocked with how big the twins had gotten. Claire couldn’t believe I was taller than her now. During the whole reunion I couldn’t take my eyes off Tyler. He didn’t say anything, he just kind of stood off to the side trying to avoid as many hugs as possible and only nodded in response to anything said to him. He wasn’t anything like the boy I remembered growing up with.
“Ok, we better make our way inside before we’re late.” Dad reminded everyone and so we all headed for the concert hall.
Despite all my nerves leading up to the big moment my performance was flawless. Once I started playing I relaxed and just let the music take over. It flowed effortlessly and several times I even closed my eyes and allowed myself to get lost in the music the way I often did when I was alone.
I received a standing ovation after the finale. It couldn’t have gone better. The hard part was over now. All there was left to do was wait to find out if I’d earned a spot in the orchestra. My instructor assured me that he would call me as soon as he heard something.
After the recital we all went to dinner. My parents were so excited to see Uncle Charlie and Aunt Claire it was nearly impossible to get a word in. They caught up on everything that had gone on in the last three years. Apparently my mom had already asked if I could spend the summer with them in the event I did make it into the orchestra since they performed at UCLA where Uncle Charlie worked. That’s how they knew about my performance tonight.
Tyler didn’t say a word all through dinner, he just sat at the far end of the table looking like he’d rather be just about anywhere else. Every now and then when I would look at him I would catch him looking at me, but he would quickly look away.
After dinner my mom invited everyone to come back to our house, but Aunt Amy and Uncle Dan said they had to get the girls home and into bed. Aunt Claire, Uncle Charlie and Tyler were staying the night.
Once we got back to the house my mom set up a couple guest bedrooms for them and I went into my room to change out of the formal evening gown I had worn to the recital. When I came back downstairs my parents were sitting with Claire and Charlie in the living room talking. Chance had already been put to bed. I noticed that Tyler wasn’t with them either and figured he’d gone to bed already too.
It was weird how awkward I felt around him. Like I didn’t even know him. We had been best friends for the last couple years that they’d lived here and now it was like he was a total stranger. I eventually got bored listening to my parents talk and decided I’d go to bed too.
I climbed the stairs to my room and looked down the dark hallway toward the guest bedroom that I knew Tyler was sleeping in. My feelings were a little hurt that he hadn’t really said anything to me all night. He used to follow me around like a little puppy dog and now he couldn’t even say Hi. So much had changed. I turned back toward my room.
“You were good tonight.” The sound of his voice made me jump, it was deeper than I would have expected.
I spun around and was shocked to see Tyler standing in the shadows of the dark hallway near my bedroom.
“Thanks.” I said, not sure why I was so nervous all of a sudden.
We both just stood there for a minute and I wasn’t sure if he was going to say anything else. I started to wonder if I should say something, but I couldn’t think of anything to say. Why did this feel so weird?
“Mom said you might come stay with us this summer.” He finally said.
“Yeah, if I get the seat in the orchestra.” I told him
“I’m sure you will, you’re really good.” I blushed at his compliment. Why was he making me blush?
“It’d be cool if you came to stay. Nice to have a friend around again.” He sounded sad when he said that and it made me wonder what the last couple years had been like for him.
“Yeah, just like old times.” I said starting to feel a little more relaxed around him. It was nice to know he still thought of me as a friend.
It was quiet for a few more uncomfortable minutes and I wondered if he was trying to think of something to say just as hard as I was. It had never been this hard to talk to Tyler before.
“Well I guess I’ll see you in the morning.” He finally said
“Okay, goodnight.” I said as I opened the door to my room.
“Night.” He said as he walked passed me back towards the guest rooms.
“Destiny?” I heard him say just before I shut my door.
“Yeah?” I asked poking my head back out into the hallway.
“I really have missed you.” He whispered, he was standing in the shadows again and I couldn’t see him anymore.
“I’ve missed you too.” I said to the darkness.
He didn’t say anything else so after another minute I closed the door and went to bed wondering why my heart was racing. I couldn’t fall asleep so finally I got up and went downstairs to get a glass of water.
“I just don’t know what to do.” I heard Aunt Claire saying from the living room. I stopped at the foot of the steps and listened.
“He’ll come around.” My mom told her.
“It’s been three years Katherine, he should have come around by now.” Aunt Claire continued “He doesn’t go out, he has no friends, he doesn’t play sports anymore. I can’t get him to do anything. He just sits in his room. He hardly talks.”
Aunt Claire sounded so upset. I knew they were talking about Tyler. It made me so sad to picture Tyler like that, sitting alone in his room. Tyler used to love baseball I couldn’t believe he wasn’t playing anymore. I had figured the move would be hard on him, but I never imagined it would be so bad.
“Maybe it will be good for hi
m to have Destiny come up for the summer.” My mom said
“I hope so.” Aunt Claire sounded like she wanted to cry.
I knew I shouldn’t be listening, so I quietly went back upstairs to my room. As I lay in bed trying to fall asleep I thought of the happy boy I remembered and the sullen teenager I had seen today. They were like two different people. I felt so sad for Tyler. I hoped I would be able to go spend the summer with them, I hoped I could help.
Chapter 4: Friends Again
I hated Los Angeles. I hated my school. I hated our crappy little apartment, and I hated my parents for bringing me here. When they first told me we were moving I had decided to be angry. It had been easier than I thought, after a while it didn’t even take effort, I was just angry.
I went to school every day because I had to, but I didn’t talk to anyone. It was a huge school and people left me alone. I didn’t try out for any sports, mostly just to aggravate my dad. I came home every day and went straight to my room. I listened to music, lifted weights and watched TV to pass the time. Mom finally quit bugging me after a couple months. After the first year I guess my parents just accepted that this was who I was now, and I’d forgotten how to be anyone else.
Every now and then Mom would start in about how I needed some friends. Then I would remind her that I had friends, they lived in San Diego. That’s usually all it took to get her off my back. Dad didn’t bother me too much. He was too busy with his new job. That’s all he cared about anymore. We hardly saw him.
After a while it felt like I forgot how to be happy, forgot how to smile, how to laugh. Until the trip we took to San Diego. Destiny was having some sort of big violin recital that was supposed to be real important. Mom begged Dad to take the weekend off so we could go down for it. I was surprised that he actually did. Dad never took the weekends off anymore. This was our first trip back to San Diego in nearly three years.
