Chapter 1

River

“It’s so muggy out here!” I whined as I carried a box full of my junk to my Dad’s Toyota 4Runner.

Texas was the worst state to live in during the summer, in my opinion. The humidity was gross and sticky, and the inferno-like temperatures only made it worse. Even with a tank top and shorts on, I was sweating like a pig.

“God, whatever you’re baking in the oven, I think it’s done!” I yelled out to the four winds.

Dad chuckled behind me.

“How many more boxes do you still have left, Smalls?” he asked, handing me a bottle of water.

“Thanks! About two more, and I’m done,” I replied, wiping the sweat off my forehead with my shirt.

I opened the bottle and gulped the water down, almost choking when it went down the wrong pipe. I coughed hard.

“That’s what you get for chugging it down like that.” He laughed, patting my back.

I gave him a death glare.

We walked back into the house, heading to my room. Picking up a box, I stopped and gave my room one last glance.

“Nope, I won’t miss it.”

“You’re not going to miss home? Not even me?” he asked, acting as though I had wounded him.

“Of course I’ll miss you. I’ll miss my home too... It’s just that I want to see what’s out there. You know, the adult life you tried protecting me from.” I paused and sighed. “Dad, this house has so many beautiful memories, but also sad ones.”

I frowned. I missed my Mom so much.

There were many times when I found Dad looking at her pictures, tears silently streaming down his face. Hard nights were difficult to avoid when I could hear him crying for her. Saying he missed her was an understatement. It must have been so hard to lose the love of his life in the blink of an eye because that’s exactly how it happened.

I blinked for what seemed like a millisecond, and she was gone.

She was taken from us during a hot summer twelve years ago. I live close to the San Jacinto River here in a small town called Crosby, a suburb of Houston. I was swimming in the river at a private beach reserved for homeowners in my neighborhood.

I had already been warned by my parents to stay close to the edge, but that day, the undercurrent was strong. I screamed the second I felt myself being pulled under. Mom happened to be watching me from the shore while Dad was getting something out of the car a couple of yards away.

She screamed his name before diving into the water.

He turned around to see what the commotion was about, but the scene before him struck fear deep into his soul. He ran so fast and jumped in. Mom managed to push me toward him, but it was too late for her.

It took only seconds for the current to drag her under. She never came back up.

My dad roared, begging people to help, but it was no use. No one wanted to take the risk, and there weren’t many people around. People with jet skis and boats were flagged down to help search, but it was useless. The water was murky, a dirty brown color that made it impossible to see through.

What was supposed to be an enjoyable day for the three of us turned into a nightmare we could never escape from. Only two of us came home that night.

For many decades, the San Jacinto River has claimed countless lives, young and old alike.

She was only thirty-three years old when the river claimed her life. Two days later, her body was found close to the ship channel. It was the hardest day of our lives.

On the day of her funeral, I remember looking up at the sky and asking God to take good care of her. I never once blamed Him for what happened. I just couldn’t understand why it happened to us, but then again, I was too young to understand that freak accidents happened anywhere, anytime, and on any given day. We’ll never know why or how to prevent it.

As the saying goes, ‘Tomorrow is never promised’.

I felt Dad’s thumb wipe my cheek.

I hadn’t realized I was crying.

At least I know that when I’m gone, he won’t be alone. He started dating this cute, sexy Latina from work. He works in the refineries close to home. They looked like they were really hitting it off, and honestly, they meshed well together.

My father is handsome. Even at the age of 45, women gawked and winked at him everywhere we went. He has light brown hair, blue eyes, and a muscular body. He’s 5’11” and loves to work out — and I mean almost every day.

What started out as a way to keep me busy and wear me out eventually worked. He had me enrolled in self-defense classes, and soon I became fit and toned, eating whatever I wanted because going to the gym helped me maintain my figure.

I became one of those gym rats.

“Okay, so are you all set?” Dad asked.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Dad, take care of my baby, please. If you harm her or scratch her in any way... I’ll take it out on your Roadrunner.” I glared before cackling.

He hated it whenever I called his Toyota that.

On my sixteenth birthday, my only request was that he buy me a motorcycle. No parties or anything — just a motorcycle. I loved dirt bike riding and going out on buggies, and here in Crosby, we had plenty of mud, dirt, trees, and nature to keep us busy.

If you weren’t dirt bike riding, then you were on buggies, driving through mud and giant puddles of water.

I wanted to upgrade from my dirt bike to a motorcycle instead, so Dad bought me a Kawasaki 600.

She was a beauty to begin with.

After riding her for almost two years, I decided to upgrade to an even faster bike. I traded her in for a Kawasaki H2R. She was matte black, and I was completely in love.

She made me feel free, and her speed was an addictive, hedonistic experience.

Dad was upset at first, but who was he trying to kid? The man was itching to ride her, too.

I got envious glances from girls and side-eyed approval from boys. I rode her to school whenever I could, except on rainy days or during icy temperatures, which Houston only really gets in January or February.

The icy weather lasted one to three days at most.

Not like I could ride anyway. A little ice or any temperature dropping below 35 degrees, and schools would shut down.

Yup, that’s Houston for you.

And don’t even get me started on the rain. That’s a whole different topic.

Either way, who am I kidding? When schools close, I get to sleep in.

We exchanged vehicles in the meantime because Dad was worried about me riding that far on my bike. It was only three and a half hours to get to Austin, but still.

Not to mention... where the heck would I put all my stuff?

Two weeks ago, we went over there to buy furniture for my apartment. It felt amazing when the lady handed me the keys to my new place. It was a milestone in my life that I will always remember.

All I needed to do now was add my own personal touch and essentials.

“I will, Smalls. Abby loves your bike.” He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows.

I stoically glared at him.

I arched an eyebrow. “Don’t be doing nasty things on my bike, Dad. Anyways, Zach is already on his way. I’m gonna head out now. We’re meeting at the Buc-ee’s in Waller.”

If you haven’t been to Texas, Buc-ee’s is basically a Texas-sized gas station. It’s more than just a convenience store. They have everything you can think of.

Look it up. You’ll see.

They ain’t lying when they say everything in Texas is big.

“Your boyfriend? You might as well stop hiding that from me, Smalls. I don’t believe you two could stay friends for that long without feeling something for each other. I can tell he likes you — and not just likes you, but L-I-K-E-S you.”

I jeered at him for making that statement.

“Eww! What is wrong with you? No, he doesn’t — you know what, never mind. Sometimes I really don’t understand the stuff that comes out of your mouth, old man.”

He cackled and slapped his knee.

“Okay, okay, sorry, honey. Come here and give your old man a hug, Smalls.”

I reached out and hugged him tightly.

“I’m gonna miss you, kiddo. Have fun, but not too much fun. Also, make sure whoever you meet wraps it before they tap it!”

My face paled instantly.

“LALALALALA! I can’t hear you, Dad!” I yelled, covering my ears.

“Okay, okay...” He chuckled. “Stop before all the neighbors come out and hear you yelling like a crazy chick.”

He pulled me into his embrace and hugged me tightly.

“I love you. Be careful, baby girl. You are all I have left. Kick butt if you have to, and don’t you ‘turn the other cheek’ like Jesus said if someone tries to hurt you. I want you back in one piece.”

He said it in such a serious tone that I couldn’t help but laugh.

“You know I will, Dad. What’s the point of all those years of training if I don’t put it to good use? I can take care of myself, and you know it. Besides, playing basketball had to man me up. Those girls are tough.”

He chuckled.

“I love you, old man, but this chick has to go.”

I kissed his cheek and got into the vehicle.

“By the way, don’t forget to bring my baby soon. I’ll be waiting for my girl!” I shouted as I rolled out of the driveway.

He nodded and blew me a kiss.

I’m going to miss him so much.

I was listening to my Christian station, but had to switch it when the signal went out of range. So, I played Standing Still by Jewel. I loved romantic, girly songs about love, breakups, and heartbreak, which is why I played Torn by Natalie Imbruglia right after. Those songs were exactly my style.

An hour and a few minutes later, I arrived at the Buc-ee’s gas station. I found an unoccupied pump and parked right next to it. The plan was to trail behind Zach so we could arrive at the same time.

Zach Grey is my cute best friend. I always wondered why he had such short relationships throughout high school, even though he definitely had the looks. Smart, funny, and good-looking was a great combination.

He reminded me of a younger, sexy Charlie Hunnam.

He had short, light brown hair and green eyes with hints of brown. He was lean, not bulky, but fit with just the right amount of muscle. He was also taller than me, around 6’1”, while I’m only 5’5”.

He was overprotective, so we did almost everything together. Our friends always told me he liked me, but I never believed them because he never said anything to me about it.

They would tell me that I was the reason his girlfriends broke up with him, but whenever I questioned him about it, he always gave me a completely different story.

I picked up my phone and dialed his number.

“Hey, you! Where you at, Zachy? Oh wait... is that you? Dang, you got out of the car like a freaking celebrity.” I cackled.

“Shut up. Come here, babe.”

He always called me babe, and the girls hated it. You know, the ones who faked liking me. My friends always gave me the ‘uh-huh, I’m telling you’ look.

I got out and headed toward him, but then I noticed him frown.

“Why are you dressed like that?” he questioned, giving me an impassive look.

“Wha—what’s wrong with my clothes?”

I looked down at myself, confused. I had on light denim shorts, a black tank top, and my black-and-white Converse. My hair was up in a messy bun, and I wore my oversized glasses instead of my contact lenses. Everyone thought they were chic and cute.

“River...” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “You are showing too much skin.”

He growled when a guy whistled at me.

“Umm... hello!? You do know we live in Texas, and it just so happens to be August — the hottest month of the year!? It’s an oven out here, Z!” I whisper-yelled, ignoring the guy catcalling me.

“Whatever. Let’s get some snacks and some food, babe.”

He pulled me in front of him so I could lead the way while he stayed close behind me.

“Umm, possessive much?” I giggled, shaking my head even though I secretly liked it.

“Yes. Men are idiots, babe, and I can’t help it, especially when my best friend looks hot.” He winked. He told me once I looked like Elizabeth Lail’s twin, but with light brown hair. She’s beautiful. Maybe I should dye my hair blonde. Suddenly, I remembered Dad’s comment earlier, making me doubt. Could he… Nah, he always says things like that.

I hit his chest, and I winced when my hand hit his hard chest. Yup, he’s attractive and fit, yet he couldn’t keep a girl for long. Anywho, I grabbed some Trolli gummies, Sour Patch Watermelon, Dr Pepper, and Hot Flamin’ Cheetos. I also picked up a jalapeño cheese kolache and coffee.

“Hey, don’t forget your cheese dip,” Zach yelled out, making heads turn in my direction.

I blushed.

He knew everything about me. Maybe I should marry him and just skip out on love and all that mushy stuff in between…Nah! I mentally slapped myself. It probably would get weird later on.

After using the loo and paying, we headed back to our vehicles. We pumped gas, and I followed him the rest of the way. The entire time, we were on the phone on our Bluetooth speaker, just yapping and laughing along. I could never tire of talking to him, and that was something I loved about us.

Zach and I will always be best friends until one of us takes our last breath.