*Two Years Earlier*
The streets of NorthWade were busy this particular day. More tourists have come to this small Oregonian Town in search of the beauty that the nearby Evergreen forests and waterfalls had to offer. It was especially hot on this summer day, with the dry heat beating down on anyone unfortunate enough to not have a cap on their head. I saw Mr. Clint took out his little Ice Cream cart, venturing onto the streets in hope of gaining a few extra bucks attracting gullible tourists to overly priced cold drinks and deserts (Though it did have a reputation of being the best Ice Cream in all of town). I sat on a bench, one that was located in the central park of the town, which conveniently was also facing the town hall; small even by our standards, but warm and charming nonetheless. The short hand of the giant clock above the town hall struck 5, and the grandiose boom of the bells echoed throughout the small streets. I breathed in the warm air, and took another sip of my slushy.
“You really have some weird entertainment,” Lylia said, coming up behind me. I had a habit of occasionally sitting on this bench, and just gazing at the townhall, and any people that come and go, as I thought about life. Lylia scoffed, and grabbed the slushy from my hand, taking a very long sip of it. She knew I was irritated when she did that, but I let it go.
Lylia was my friend, and a reliable one at that. Ever since childhood, I remember we hung out. In my earlier years, my dad always tried to make sure I went to public schools, the reason being that he didn’t want me to become a spoiled son of a millionaire. “Being rich does not make you better than others Luci. If someone like me could become so successful in such a small time, so can someone be able to lose it all in a single instant. Always remember that.” I remember school wasn’t bad. I had classes, I ate lunch, I would talk with teachers and classmates… do everything expected of a regular student. But it always felt… fake. The teachers would give me A+ on everything, even though I felt I did not do tasks as well as I could. When I would do something good, the teachers would give me an extra lollipop for being a good boy. Walking down the cafeteria, every single group of students wanted me to sit by their table, being happy and even excited to see me, though I never stood out in anything. I knew they were not interested in me, but rather something I could give them, and I hated it.
As Hypocritical as it may sound, being rich is hard. Nobody is ever honest with you, and all use you as a sort of lottery ticket that could pay the problems away. Even in my early years, I knew this. This all changed when I met the new girl that moved from Idaho.
“Class, meet a new student that moved a couple of days ago from Idaho!” The English teacher pointed at the new student that sat in the very back of the classroom. “Young lady, would you give us the privilege of introducing yourself in front of the whole class?” The teacher smiled, but the girl looked agitated, especially when all the eyes of the students turned on her. She trudged to the front of the class, mumbling something about how she did not have to do anything unless she wanted to under her breath. When she turned back to the class, she made an exaggerated smile. “WELL HELLO FOLKS! LYLIA HERE! NICE TO MEET YOU! You leave me alone, and we will get along just fine!” she said the last part in a hushed tone. Everyone smiled, but any of the guys that were thinking of hitting her up decided it was better not to. It was not that she was that loud, but there was something about her voice, almost like a boom whenever she talked. She seemed like the type of person that would be heard no matter how quiet she got. The teacher covered up her ear with a pinky. “Thank you Lylia, please take your seat.” She marched back to her desk, happy to hear from the whispers that many students did not want to mess with her.
“—-y… hey… Earth to Luc, earth to Luc!” I snapped back into the present, and I saw a very impatient Lylia in front of me. “Don’t call me if you are gonna faze out on me, or else next time I will throw a slushie at you.” She was frowning, but her expression quickly turned into a smile seeing my confused face. “You are quite a character Luc.” She got up from the bench and through the now empty slushy cup into the trash can. “Are you ready for that party in two weeks? It is gonna be the biggest event any of us will ever experience here in Northwade! No adults, infinite amount of food, all the alcohol, and to mention a bunch of hotties out there!” she whispered. “A teenager’s dream come true!” In two weeks, Arnold, the most popular guy in school, was gonna host the biggest party ever. Like us, his family struck fortune by investing in the lumber industry here, eventually having all of Northwade lumber come solely from them.
“Eh, I would personally pass on it,” I shrugged. I did not like big parties, most of which were full of druggies and sluts looking for their next fun time. As much as everyone says it is just to drink some cola and watch football, we all knew that was a lie to get the adults from intervening. I knew Lylia strongly disagreed with my reasoning, so I didn’t say anything else. She sighed. “You need to live a little Lucio! You are the heir to one of the biggest mining corporations in America! There will come a time where you don’t even have the opportunity to sit on a bench for a few minutes without having to make sure some idiot doesn’t destroy your company! You should take your opportunities while you can!” “Maybe if you didn’t pressure me into one every single time, maybe I would go!” Lylia laughed. “Yeah right, like you would be able to do anything without me.” “Yeah, says the one who needed help getting out of the middle of Cascadia forest because she got one of her wheels flat and did not bring a spare,” I fired back. “Touché Lucio, Touché.”
I really enjoyed talking with her. We fit like a lock and key. We were obviously different, with her being more outgoing and aggressive while I usually stayed more calm, but we understood each other. Maybe because we were both the odd ones out we didn’t need a whole parade of “Besties”, but simply a few people who we would die for. Lylia was the girl I would die for… and maybe she was also someone I loved. “Well, I guess I can’t have poor Lylia going to a party by herself… alright I’m in.” Lylia jumped up on me, and gave me a hug. “See! That’s a little initiative I expect from a future big boss! I am glad I convinced you to come.” “Not that I had much choice in the matter,” I chuckled. We walked up to the end of the park, and she stepped out into the pedestrian crossing. I guess I will see you tomorrow! Maybe we can go hiking or something. Forecast says it won’t be as hot as today!” “Sure. I will see you tomorrow!” I said, starting to turn back to the park. Lylia continued walking backwards, waving to me a final goodbye. I waved back.
From the corner of my eye, I saw a vehicle coming onto the street. Driving crookedly, and definitely speeding. Lylia was still on the lane, unaware of the approaching vehicle. Behind the red semi truck I could hear the sirens of the sheriff. Something was wrong. “LYLIA WATCH OUT!!!”
