I like to leave the house and go to the most magical place in the whole world, to forget everything and think about my mom. I try to leave my house as much as possible with my best friend Shannon, who is so amazing, she can do just about everything. We live in Marysville Washington and it is pretty much always mucky and groggy, but at this place the sun always shines like a lemon that’s as ripe as it can be.

To get to this magical place Shannon and I run down the dirt road till we get to the little opening in the trees, we follow the trail we made ourselves till we get to a little stream of water flowing north, then we cross the little fallen trees we made into a bridge to cross, after we have crossed the bridge we get to a little hill made entirely of mud. Every time we climb the hill we try not to slip or get stuck. After we get across the mud hill we follow the fallen orange and brown leaves till we get to a field with about five trees that no matter what season it is their leaves are always green.

“Hurry up Carrie, or we will be late.” Shannon yelled back to me.

“I’m trying we all can’t go 15 miles an hour like you.” I yelled at her panting.

“Ha!” Shannon mocked.

Every day after school and on the weekends we come down to the creek (That’s what we call it) and we sit under the middle tree and play checkers, but only once a day and we keep tallies, it’s our favorite game. Shannon has 348 wins and I have 56, but I let her win. We’ve been keeping tallies for just a little over a year now.

“Finally I have been waiting here for decades, come on let’s set up so I can win once again.” Shannon bragged.

“Yeah, yeah whatever.” I replied.

I pulled the beat up, torn, cardboard box out of my back pack that had the letter of H, E, K, R still on it but badly worn out. I put the box down in the shade of the tree and took out the board that had scratches all over it, but you could still make out the colors. I placed all of the red and black pieces in their correct spots on the board while Shannon climbed up the tree and picked a ripe apple to bite into.

“Thanks for the Help.” I said sarcastically.

“You are very welcome.” She said back adding a little chuckle.

Shannon jumped down from the top of a 30ft tree and stuck the landing; I didn’t think much of it then. Shannon went first and moved her black Checker diagonally to the left and I wasn’t paying attention and the next thing I know is I have three pieces left on the board and Shannon bragging her brains out.

“King me, triple king!” Shannon said with confidence

We played; she won; again, what else is new.

“Now bring out the cooler baby! Winners choice!” Shannon screamed. She took the little cooler out of the back pack and took out two popsicles and chose the red one, which is my favorite, I guess green will have to do.

We climbed to the top of the tree and we sat there, looked out at the landscape and talked about life, boys, cars, family, and whatever else we could think of.

“How is Adrian doing?” I said.

“He is great our relationship couldn’t be more perfect.” Shannon said.

“Lucky, Steven broke up with me a while ago; he said something about me needing help or something, whatever that means. I stated.

“What, why didn’t you tell me I would have knocked some sense into to him or at least beat the crap out of him, I’m sorry you will find someone soon; someone better, but anyway not to change the subject, but what are you going to get me for my birthday on Friday?” Shannon asked.

“I’m not going to tell you it would ruin the surprise.” I explained.

“What! Please, please, please.” Shannon begged.

“What are you two years old I’m not going to cave in this time?” I said.

“Fine, but if I do not like it then that’s your fault because I warned you.” Shannon stated.

“Ok, then let’s just go home now. I Said.

I got home, heated up dinner, ate, did Physics homework, and went straight to bed. Dad has to work on Thursday so it’s usually just me at home alone.

The next day at school I spotted Steven chatting it up with Rebecca and with confidence I walked straight up to him pushed her out of the way, not too hard though just enough to get her to move a little bit and said to Steven “we need to talk.” He looked at me with anger in his eyes and said “What the hell Carrie you just can’t come over here and act like a b****, we are over! You are crazy and you need help, I cannot help you. Go get help Carrie.” With his deep soothing voice which brought back a whole bunch of wonderful moments I knew were gone forever.

I turned and walked away as tear by tear rolled down my face and as I walked away I heard Rebecca whisper to Steven “Geez her brain must be really screwed up if she thought there was any chance of you getting back together with her, ha!”

Right after that I left school (ditched as some people would say), drove to the creek, and cried. I called up Shannon with my cell to come down here because I was upset and needed her here so she ditched school to come down and comfort me.

“Hey, are you ok, what happened?” Shannon said in a soft sweet soothing voice

“Steven called me a b**** and Rebecca said I was crazy and that just rips me apart inside how people can be that mean, but I’m glad that I have you here. My only friend, the only one who really gets me.” I hugged her tears now racing down my face one by one.

“I broke up Adrian.” She told me.

I brought my head up and looked at her “Why?” I said with a concerned tone in my voice.

“I thought that if you didn’t have someone I don’t either, because we are best friends and I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t around.” Shannon said.

“That’s so nice, but I’m still not telling you what I got for you for your birthday, you will find out later tonight when I give it to you.” I said.

“Damn it, it was worth a try. Shannon Replied.

We both burst out into laughter and stayed laughing for about five minutes straight. We stayed at the creek a little bit longer, she told me jokes and made me laugh and cheered me up and I wished it could last forever.

Later that night, Shannon walked me home we ate the dinner dad left out for us and she went home herself eventually. Since it was Friday I stayed up and waited for dad, Friday is our movie and game night since dad gets off early. Dad came home and I could smell the beer on him; I wondered why he was a half an hour late and now I know why. Dad isn’t much of a drinker, but when he does it gets pretty ugly.
“Hey dad I got three hours to watch Death Race and kill some zombies, because today is Shannon’s birthday and I am giving her her gift so let’s get started.”

“Huh, what the hell are you talking about and why does everything have to be about you, you little brat, I don’t give a s*** about movie night! I just got fired and you want me to play silly little games! Just get out of my sight!” He yelled at me, but I knew that was the beer talking so I let it go.

I left the house and went to the creek and waited for Shannon to show up. When she did I was up at the top of the tree holding her present. I finally saw her coming down the trail.

“I have been waiting for you to come; I hope you love my present I worked really hard on it; just for you.” I said sincerely.

Shannon climbed up the tree and sat on the branch next to me. “Ok, I’m ready bring out the present.” Shannon said excitedly.

“Ok, close your eyes and hold out your hands.” I said.

Shannon held out her hands and I put the bracelet down in them. “Ok you can open your eyes now.” I said.

Shannon opened her eyes and her face went from happy to confused and angry. “What the hell is this?” She Shouted.

“What do you mean, it is your present; don’t you like it; I worked on it for hours; what is the problem?” I said concerned and afraid.

What do you mean what’s the problem, you gave me a freaking bracelet for my birthday!” She Argued.

“But that’s a best friend bracelet I have a matching one I made it myself.” I said.

“It’s a bracelet; you put no thought into it at all.” She Assumed.

“I put a bunch of thought into it, and you have no right to be yelling at me like this, my dad just got fired and his job wasn’t a good job anyways.” I argued back. I stood up and at that moment I felt it; my right foot slipped and down I fell hitting branches and wind scrapping my face. Fear ran through and through my veins. My life did not flash before my eyes necessarily but I did see a kind of white light and the blackness, all blackness.

Beep, beep, beep. “She is stable now, but we are going to keep a good eye on her just in case. She has a concussion that could be really serious, her right arm is completely broken and her left shoulder is fractured as well as her wrist and hand on her left side. She has three broken ribs, sprained neck, a fractured right knee and her left leg is badly sprained it will take a long time for her to heal so I need you to be extremely patient with her.” I heard someone say to my dad.

“Ok, but when is she going to wake up?” I heard Dad ask.

Then my eyes began to open, it was blurry, but I made out to tall images standing in front of me. “Daddy?” I managed to mutter under my breath.

The darker figure ran over to my side and I heard my dad’s wonderful voice “Yes, Sweetheart?”

“Where is Shannon, did she fall too?” I asked.

I heard the other man; who I assume was the doctor, and he said “Wait, there was another girl out there, did she push you, is she the one that called the police?”

“Maybe.” I said.

“Don’t listen to her; she does not know what she is saying. Sweetheart, I don’t know how to tell you this, but Shannon died a little over a year ago in a bad car accident with her brother Mark.” Dad said concern and worry in his voice.
“What! What are you talking about she was just at the creek with me.” I Stated.
And all of a sudden it hit me when Shannon and I were playing checkers for over a year I remembered she was not really there. When we sat and talked about boys, cars, life, and everything in between; she was not really there. Whenever I was talking to her by our lockers at school; she was not really there. When we ate lunch, breakfast, or dinner together; she was not really there. When she came over to my house to keep me company when dad had to work late; she was not really there. When I got in that fight with Steven and I called her up and she ditched school to come and comfort me; she was not really there. There were never really red popsicles in the cooler. When we were up in the tree tonight and I was giving her her birthday present; she was not really there; we never had that fight. She never broke up with Adrian for me. Steven was right I am crazy, I do need help.

The doctor looked at us and said “Well, then who called the police, because she said her name was Shannon.”