You found your daughter, Lilly, leaning back in the recliner in the living room. It was mapping out to be a good day; your boss let you home early, your husband wouldn’t be home for a while, it was just you and Lilly, an opportunity you never get. When you got closer, you noticed her turning the pages of an old photo album.
In the corner of the living room was a tall bookshelf, with the top being the usual spot for the album. When you saw Lilly, your first thought was, How did she reach that? But with how intently your daughter was looking through the pages, your next thought was What could she be looking at?
“Hey, sweetie!” You said, sitting on the arm of the chair.
“Hi Mama!” Lilly said. The album flopped back and forth as she bounced around in her seat.
“Whatcha looking at?” You asked.
“Well, Papa put something up on the top of bookshelf this morning. I asked Al what it was–” Al was the babysitter. “–and he wasn’t sure either. So he climbed up and pulled it down.”
You grimaced, avoiding saying anything negative as you peered at the bookshelf. It suddenly dawned on you that the vase towards the top of the structure had shifted and you became aware of the footprint on the chair’s armrest you had neglected to acknowledge before. You knew that you would have to speak with Al about this. Yes, your neighbor was still young, but you figured a seventeen-year-old was old enough to understand he shouldn’t be climbing on the furniture like a jungle-gym, leaving dirt on the furniture and possibly breaking the glass sitting on each shelf. Not to mention, you also figured he was old enough to know he shouldn’t be touching things without your’s or your husband’s permission. But there was nothing you could do now, so you smiled and continued talking with Lilly.
“So what do you think of the pictures?”
“I saw your and Papa’s wedding photos. You looked like a princess!” Lilly said.
“Aw, thank you, sweetheart!” You said.
“But, Mama…” Lilly said, flipping through the pages.
“What is it?” You asked.
She stopped and pounded her finger against another page. “Who is this?”
Your smile dropped when you looked at the picture that your young daughter was pointing at. You and another woman standing in a parking lot wearing caps and gowns. Both your arms were wrapped around each other, your head flailed back while the other woman made peace signs with her fingers. “Oh, that’s…um…that’s just an old friend of Mama’s.”
“Your best friend?” Lilly asked.
“Um…yeah, I guess.” You said.
“Can we see her?” She asked.
It was a valid question you didn’t want to address. “She doesn’t live close enough.” You fibbed, which diverted her enough for now.
You both spent the rest of the afternoon playing Monopoly until your husband came home; the minute he came through the door, Lilly ran into the kitchen to look for the daily Hershey’s bar your husband gives her. You laughed as your daughter ran past you, so you picked up the game and went to put it away, but as you did, you saw the open photo album still lying on the recliner. Gazing down at it, memories began flooding your head.
The page was open on a picture of three girls in a car; you, the woman Lilly asked about, and a different girl. You were all laughing while you chugged down some Slurpees, that night still clear in your head. It was your sophomore year of high school, you walked into a 7-11 with the woman Lilly asked about, Dana. Dana was giddy for what was to go down, but you were trembling. “Dana, we shouldn’t be doing this.” You said.
“Oh my goodness, Oly, don’t be such a buzz kill.” Dana said.
“We shouldn’t steal to begin with. Why would we steal Slurpees?” You asked. “We almost got caught last time. The only reason we haven’t been kicked out is because it’s a different employee behind the counter.”
“This’ll be different though. We’ll put up our hoods, Tia has the car running. We just need to walk around the back of the store, the long route to the exit. Won’t be suspicious because it’s cold outside. This employee is also distracted by the football game, so he’s not engaged in anything.
You took a deep breath and filled up your Slurpee cup. You followed Dana around the aisles for the detour to the front. Then you slipped out the front of the convenience store while the guy behind the counter screamed, “Go!…Go!…YES!!…Woo!”; Dana wasn’t kidding, the employee wasn’t paying attention at all.
After jumping into the car, Tia took off, sipping on her Slurpee as she pulled onto the busy road in front of her. You and Dana met Tia in a photography class at school, all three of you taking it to fulfill the bogus arts credit you needed to graduate. Though you and Dana were older than Tia, the three of you clicked easily while working on a project. Ever since then, she hung out with you two on the weekends, but she still never had the same chemistry you and Dana had.
The three of you were out so late, Dana’s extremely strict mom called the police since no one was answering their phone. Dana was grounded for three months, but that didn’t keep her from slipping out and spending time with you while her parents were at work.
You turned the page to a different picture, one of you and Dana showing off their college acceptance letters. With how rebellious Dana was, no one would’ve believed she was the better student between the two of you; Dana went on to be valedictorian of their class. Smirking at the significant difference between your’s and Dana’s success in high school, you remember opening the acceptance letters together. Dana practically filled a table with loads of options while you had three options available to you.
Dana had offers from many schools across the country, including a couple of her dream schools on the east coast. Harvard, Princeton, et cetera. However, instead of taking one of these many prestigious offers, she choice to stay close to home so she could go to a local school with you.
“Dana, do you not see the options available to you?” You asked.
“I looked through them.” Dana said.
“You obviously didn’t look through them very carefully, I mean, these are opportunities you may never get again.” You said.
“Oly, I know there’s a lot here, don’t take that wrong, but I’ve looked through them all. Twice.” Dana said. “Yes, some of these schools I’ve dreamed of attending since junior high. But the experience wouldn’t be the same without you there.”
“Okay…” You said. “I’ll just live in an apartment near campus and you can go anywhere you want. Then I won’t be an excuse.”
Dana laughed. “Oly, I’m really okay with this.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.” She said. “Let’s go to school together.”
You smirked, then the two of you started squealing and jumping around in excitement for the next phase of your lives. The trouble you both got into diminished with age, but the milestones you made increased with each year. The biggest was when your boyfriend, now your husband of fifteen years, proposed to you.
The summer after your second year of college, Dana and you planned a gorgeous wedding. You flipped to a picture of you and your fellow bridesmaids trying on dresses. Your wedding dress was simple, but elegant. The bridesmaid dresses were the same style, just a faint pink, one for Dana, Tia, and your two sisters. Though your mom wasn’t too pleased with your decision, Dana, of course, had been your maid-of-honor.
It was an outdoor wedding and the sun was bright on your and Robert’s big day. There was no breeze and the view had no clouds behind the altar, leaving just the pleasant blue sky hovering over freshly-mown green grass. When your dad gave you away, he managed to keep it together until you stood beside Robert, no tears streaking his face until he turned to sit down. Dana intervened before the minister could begin, adjusting your neckline before you handed her your bouquet. After everyone said “I do”, you and your newly-wed husband listened to the toasts from Dana and the best man, Jackson. Jackson had always been a man of few words, so his toast didn’t last much longer than a minute and a half, but Dana had plenty to say.
“Olympia Heatherford has been my best friend for six years and we have been inseparable ever since,” Dana said. “I remember, a couple weeks before we graduated from high school, when we set up the senior prank.” Immediately, you covered your face and started laughing. “See, the chemistry teacher never had an issue with me because I had always performed really well in his class. So when I went in there to steal a couple chemicals, he didn’t think anything of it. Oly and I then mixed these chemicals with dish soap and created an expanding foam that filled the entirety of the principal’s office the minute he walked in.” Everyone started laughing. You continued to cover your face while you chuckled while Robert rubbed your back, unsure if you were embarrassed or just trying to keep your cool. “Oly was nervous we would get caught; after all, she wasn’t the sneakiest kid around. She arrived to school early to take watch on when he was in his office. From what I hear, the mess Oly and I made in our principal’s office is still one of the most iconic senior pranks to date. I’ve been privileged to keep her close to me throughout college so far, but I also know I’ve never seen her happier than when she’s with Robert. Oly is the funniest, kindest, most remarkable person I know. Robert should consider himself lucky to find someone half as cool as Oly and blessed she decided to be apart of his life.” Both Dana and you started to tear up. Robert wrapped his arms around you, but you disregarded it entirely, focusing solely on Dana. “I wish you both a happy life together and I can’t wait to bear witness to what path you’re both led on.”
You devoted plenty of time to Robert outside of school, but a good chunk of your time still went to Dana. Flipping back to the page Lilly had pointed out earlier that day, the day of college commencement, you pressed a hand against the picture as a tear streaked your cheek.
No one was shocked when you sat together at graduation. Playing with some notecards in her hands, Dana leaned over while the Dean went on his generation-long monologue. She whispered in your ear, “You really think my speech is good?” She asked.
“Would you stop freaking out?” You’re gonna do great!” You said.
Dana smiled, still fiddling with the cards. “So what are we gonna do after graduation?” Dana asked.
“Maybe start our lives.” You chuckle.” I mean, Robert and I wanna have kids.”
“And I don’t wanna stop that at all.” Dana said. “I guess I mean, how are we gonna celebrate everything? The sun has set on this era of our lives. A new era is among us. I ain’t saying that we go demolish a building, but maybe do something fun.”
You smile and wrap your arm around your friend. “You won’t have to worry about that. We’re gonna have fun for the rest of our lives.” You said.
“Forever.” Dana said.
You grab her hand. “Forever.” You said.
“…and our valedictorian, Dana Lorriett!”
Dana smiled at you then made her way up to the stage. She set her notecards on the podium and took a deep breath.
Everything happened so fast, you weren’t sure if you were dreaming at the time. Dana hadn’t even gotten a word out yet, but a man in all black jumped out from somewhere in the crowd after sliding down a ski mask. A boom echoed in the commencement hall, followed by numerous screams. You weren’t harmed physically, but the sight of blood pouring through Dana’s gown made you weak in the knees. The shooter was found, but that woundn’t resolve that seven soon-to-be alumni were killed on their graduation day, including your best friend.
“Mama!”
You shook your head and looked up to see Lilly in the doorway. “Yes sweetie?”
“Why are you crying?” She asked.
“No reason.” You said, wiping your tears away. “Mama’s okay. You need something?”
“Papa said dinner’s done.” Lilly said. “He told me to find you.”
You nodded slowly. “I’ll be right there, okay?”
“Okay!” Lilly said, running back into the kitchen.
You looked back down at the graduation picture, trying to push out the image of Dana’s body. It made you loathe the degree you rightfully earned over those last four years; all you could think about when you looked at that accomplishment was your friend. You rarely took the album down since it was hard to look at these pictures of you and Dana; the snippets of those memories playing in your mind were difficult to bear. You hadn’t forgotten about Dana, but the incident from your graduation hadn’t traumatized you for a while.
Not until your daughter turned to the picture you and Dana took in your caps and gowns a few days before you walked.