Page 7 of Four Simple Rules
I grunt, taking off toward the tall trees situated behind our houses. They’re thick, lush, and green, devouring over an acre. Smack dab in the middle of the fallen limbs, leaves, and bushes holds our special place—a giant tree with a hole in the trunk, big enough for us to huddle inside.
Grunting, I undo my tie, angrily throwing it into the dirt. Gavin. My best friend. He’s gone. Died. And he left me behind. We’ve been neighbors since birth and best friends since we were eight. Blake. My Blake. She’s been by our side for all of it. Sometimes the third wheel, but always my best friend—my girl.
“Take care of my sister, okay? I need you to watch over her,” Gavin rasps, sucking in a breath from the depths of his hospital bed that he’s been bound to for weeks. He’s so weak and pale I barely recognize him. “Really, watch her, Jesse. She’ll need you more than ever. My mom is....” Yeah, she’s been falling apart right before our eyes. Even he can see it from where he sits. The alcohol on her breath stinks up the room from the chair she’s passed out in. I’m surprised they let her in here to visit. Let alone bring me when only family is allowed.
“I know, man.” I grip his hand in mine, lightly squeezing so I don’t hurt him. “I’ll miss you…”
“Don’t talk like that, bro. Just take care of my sister and hit some home runs, okay?” I smirk when he lightly chuckles, knowing my struggles at the plate. I’m more of a pitcher, and he knows that.
“Anything for you, man,” I choke out.
Those familiar hazel eyes glare into mine, leaving no room for arguments. His voice may not be strong, but his gaze sends shivers down my spine. I'd be stupid to ever defy him even when he’s gone.
His last words ring through my mind on repeat. Watch over her. I’ll always watch over her. No matter what. Especially now.
“Tulip!” I shout, marching through the woods to the only place I can think of that she’d run off to.
We just buried her fucking brother. Her mom’s a drunken nightmare. And her father is so lost in grief he hasn’t spoken in forty-eight hours. The entire Reynolds family is falling apart at the seams, and I’m left to watch it all happen.
I need to find her.
“Blake!” I shout again, shoving through the lower branches.
“I’m here,” her soft voice says as she exits the large hole in our favorite oak tree.
Her black dress hangs past her knees. Dirt cakes to her face. And her blonde hair stands on end. Tears stream down her reddened cheeks.
“What’s that?” I ask, stopping dead at the bright cylinder decorated with stickers resting in her hands.
Blake’s face falls, and she sniffles. “Notes,” she chokes out.
Fuck. I lurch forward, taking her into my arms.
“I’m so sorry, Tulip,” I say, swallowing hard. “I can’t believe…” I can’t believe he died. He was my age. Thirteen. And cancer took him before the chemo and radiation could kill it.
“Me either,” she sniffles into my chest, clinging tight. “Gavin is gone…” she trails off, pulling away. “But he left a note in our tree.”
I swallow hard, letting the tears fall when she pulls out a folded-up note from the cylinder.
“It says goodbye,” Blake chokes out. “I don’t know when he did this. Why would he leave notes here?”
“Because he loves you, Tulip. Gavin was afraid to leave you alone.” I roll my lips in, holding back the hiccup in my throat. Someone must be strong for her, and that person will be me. I may only be thirteen, but she’s my responsibility.
Coming back from the past, I stop dead in my tracks right in front of the familiar oak waving in the slight breeze in the middle of the forest. It's inconspicuous to some. An eyesore to most. But to us? It was our saving grace. Our secret.
A large, human-sized hole eats away at the trunk, giving way to a small cave-like structure on the inside. As kids, we could all fit inside, squished together shoulder to shoulder. Now, only one of us could manage to squeeze in there.
My eyes fall to the bright cylinder nestled in the dirt of the hole, hidden from plain sight. The only protruding piece is a bright green, sparkly plant sticker Blake added to it years before, giving it her flare.
I swallow hard. She hasn't hidden something for me in ages. Not since we were kids. Our talks happen in her room. I know it's hidden just for me. Our spot. Our notes.
This location is where I fell in love with Blake Reynolds. And I have a feeling this is where my heart will shatter into a million pieces.
“What’s this?” Blake asks, picking up the cylinder and dusting it off. “I thought I put this up?” She swallows hard at the memory of Gavin.
Just a month ago, we came out here and read his last note to us. He loved us. He told us to take care of each other. And that was his dying wish, which we’ve honored. We’ve been inseparable ever since.
I smirk, kicking at the leaves. “Dunno.” I did, of course. It was a letter I’d written to her, describing my day and telling her how much I missed her when I had to go to school because her mom still homeschooled her. For eight hours a day, I didn’t lay eyes on her, and it killed me a little bit on the inside.
