Never Loved - an Excerpt

We were on the road at this point. It took about a an hour to get to the opening and another ten minutes to get to the viewpoint. As we drove along the main road, we talked about the memories we shared together. Our friend group had been together since the sophomore year of high school. Now, it was just a matter of time until we all went our separate ways. Ella, because she was new to the group, stayed quiet but laughed every now and again when we’d tell embarrassing stories about each other.

One time Mica ate a slug on a dare. Cru said he'd give him five dollars and with that, the slug was devoured. Cru never gave him the money, and instead just laughed and told Mica that he recorded the whole thing. A few days later Cru found a slug in his salad. He unknowingly stabbed it with his fork and was about to put it in his mouth before he looked down and realized what it was. We don't allow either of them near slugs anymore.

“Man, how could you eat a slug for only five dollars!” said Sam.

“I needed the money.” Mica shrugged. “Plus, now I can say that I've eaten a slug. Makes a cool story, dude.”

The car was filled with the sounds of disgusted teenagers. Everyone laughed in disbelief, mostly beca

use there wasn't much else they could do.

“Hey, that kinda reminds me of how Sam and I got together.” Sarah said, grinning from ear to ear.

“How do slugs being eaten remind you of your relationship?” Allison said, a look of disbelief sitting smugly on her face.

Sarah and Sam were inseparable. If Sam was around, then you could bet that Sarah wasn't too far away. They were perfect for each other, and still are. They both now go to The University of Syracuse and living happy, perfect lives. The slug video, being the classic that it is, is what brought them together. When it first went around, they would watch it and laugh at the fact that their friends were idiots. They were best friends at the time of the video’s heightened popularity. They'd sit together and laugh at Mica for being the idiot that ate a slug, and at Cru for being the idiot that let him do it. The slug video was one of many things that led to their budding relationship. As they spent more time together, their relationship grew into more than just friendly. There isn't a better couple I can think of.

With the gross and unusual stories behind us, we finally got to the trail. Cru and Sam grabbed the backpacks and everyone else grabbed the blankets and water bottles. The trail was made of dirt and rock. Bushes encompassed the edges and wildflowers grew behind them; the light blues and yellows offset nicely with the colors of the sky. It was as if everything was set up to be the perfect day. Every now and then, a deer would poke its head out from behind a tree and then run off as the trail took us closer to it. Being a bunch of loud, excited teenagers didn't help either. Not much wildlife was seen that day, but we didn't care.

When we finally got to the viewpoint, everyone set up the blankets and pulled out their phones to get pictures; selfies with the trees and mountains as if they were our friends, too. We were so high up, the birds were at eye level. Ella, though, looked as if she was lost. She wasn't like us in the sense that we have known each other for so long, and now that I think about it, she probably felt like she didn’t fit in at all. I walked up to her, my hands fidgeting as my feet moved forward.

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