Page 35 of Our Final Encore

I had always planned on going to college since I was a little girl, I knew it was part of my future. But now that it’s actually here, I’m afraid. Maybe it’s because so many things in my life are changing all at once. Maybe I just want to grasp onto the familiar because I know deep down that once Alex leaves, everything will change drastically.

And that terrifies me.

TWENTY-THREE

Opal

It’s almost August.

The cicadas are buzzing loudly, and the grass in the field is up to my knees. All the wildflowers have dried up and died, though. We’re going through a drought.

“You’re beautiful,” Alex says before he moves a piece of my hair out of my face. He tells me that every day. Some days I even believe it.

I smile in return, my eyes closed, as I lay on my favorite quilt wearing my favorite bikini. At some point tanning became a slight addiction for me. I guess I decided to embrace the Texas heat rather than complain about it. It’s not like I’ll be leaving it any time soon.

“I was thinking…” he pauses, and I crack one eye open to see him staring down at me. “Maybe I could drop you off at school. I don’t have to leave until the twenty-first. Your classes start on the fifteenth, right?”

A nervous feeling stirs in my stomach and I roll over onto my belly to evade his stare. “I meant to tell you, I’m taking a gap year.”

He’s silent, and I’m afraid to look at him, so I keep my face turned the other way.

“What? A gap year?”

“Yeah.”

“Why would you do that, Opal?”

I finally twist my head to look at him. “My grandma still isn’t doing well, she needs me here to take care of her.”

He knows about her hip replacement, but I don’t expect him to understand what rheumatoid arthritis is like, or how it can cause someone to have trouble taking care of themselves. I don’t bother going into details about my mom’s move. I know that’ll only make him more upset.

“You’re staying in Willow Grove?” He arches his eyebrows and holds up a hand to shield his face from the harsh sun. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s not a big deal,” I lie.

“Yeah, it is.” He runs a hand through his sun-streaked hair and a frown forms on his lips. “I feel like shit now.”

“What? Why?”

“I mean, I already did. But at least I thought you’d be off at college, doing what you’ve always planned. Now I’m just…” He blinks a few times, his shoulders slumped. “Leaving you here. I don’t want to.”

I was afraid this might happen, and that’s part of why I didn’t say anything. I sit up and place my hand on his knee. “Don’t feel bad, please. I want you to go.”

“Are you sure?” His eyes meet mine again, and I can see the resignation in them. I know how badly he wants this. Music is his entire life, it was even before we met.

I could never take that away from him, no matter how hard it may be to let him go.

“Yes.” I press a kiss on his lips, and he grips the back of my neck, deepening the kiss and making my body heat from the inside out.

“I love you,” he whispers in between kisses. “I promise I’ll make this work.”

TWENTY-FOUR

Alex

September

“How are we feeling tonight, Tulsa?” I speak into the mic, my fingers dancing over the strings of my guitar.

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