My classmate survived the crash but his brother didn’t

 The Unstoppable Chain Reaction

So Eugene just showed up at my door 10 minutes ago with a suit and a journal full of reasons to stay in town. He asked me to winter formal as if he wasn’t planning to leave everything behind three weeks ago. As if I hadn’t spent 30 days desperately trying to change his mind.

I’m standing here in my sweats trying to figure out if this is real or if I’m dreaming. But let me start with the day I picked up the note that fell out of his backpack.

Because those 10 seconds set off a chain reaction neither of us could stop. The bell rang and everyone practically sprinted out of chemistry like Mr. Withers had been holding us hostage.

I was shoving my disaster of a notebook into my bag when this folded paper fell out of Eugene’s backpack right in front of my desk. Eugene, who’d said maybe 10 words all semester, and always looked like someone had just told him his dog died.

I grabbed it, thinking maybe I’d get some good gossip about him having actual human emotions or something. Yeah, that was stupid of me.

The first line made my entire body go cold. This wasn’t some love note or homework answers.

This was a letter saying he was leaving town next Tuesday. He already had a one-way train ticket purchased.

There was no forwarding address, no coming back. He was planning on disappearing in the middle of the night.

I stuffed the note in my pocket and followed him out while my heart was basically exploding.

He turned into the empty music room and I counted to 10 before following him in. Then I shut the door and locked it, which definitely wasn’t dramatic at all.

What the hell? He spun around and stared at me like I’d lost my mind. I held up the note.

This fell out of your bag. The color drained from his face so fast I thought he might pass out.

“Give it back.” “No, that’s mine.” “Give it back now.”

His voice was deadly quiet, but I could hear something underneath it. Fear maybe, or anger, probably both.

I said, “No.” “You want to explain this?” I waved the paper at him.

“I don’t owe you an explanation. You don’t know me. We’ve never even talked before.”

“Well, we’re talking now.” My voice came out louder than I meant it to.

You can’t just disappear. You can’t just leave everything behind like your life here means nothing.

This is dangerous. You get that right?

He laughed and it was the ugliest sound I’d ever heard. “Wow. Really? It’s dangerous?”

“I had no idea. Thank god some random girl from chemistry informed me.”

“Don’t be an [ __ ] Then don’t be an idiot. What’s your plan here?”

“Tell the counselor. Call my parents. Go ahead.” “They won’t stop you.”

That stopped me cold. “What?”

“Just give me the note and pretend you never saw it.” “I can’t do that. I found it for a reason.”

“You found it because I dropped it and you’re nosy. That’s not fate.”

But I wasn’t giving up. Something about the way he said I wasn’t the first made me push harder.

“Give me 30 days.” “What? 30 days?” “Let me show you 30 reasons to stay in town.” “One per day until winter formal.”

“You’re actually insane.” He shook his head.

“You think what? We’ll go get coffee and watch sunsets and suddenly I’ll realize this town is perfect. You watch too many movies, Heather.”

“I think you’ve already made up your mind. So, what’s 30 more days?”

I was making this up as I went, but he didn’t need to know that.

“Unless you’re scared you might actually change your mind.”

“I’m not scared of your Hallmark card [ __ ]”. He stepped closer and for a second I thought he might try to grab the note. “You know what?”

“Fine. You want to waste your time? Go ahead.” “But when this doesn’t work,” “it might not, but at least try.”

“Fine,” he pouted.

I held out the note, and when he reached for it, I tore it in half, then in half again.

He looked at me all shocked, then got furious. “That was mine,” he said quietly. “Not anymore.”

I dropped the pieces in the trash can by the door. “We start tomorrow.”

“Don’t make me hunt you down because I absolutely will, and it’ll be embarrassing for both of us.”

I unlocked the door and left before he could respond.

My hands were shaking so bad I could barely open my locker, but I’d done it. I’d bought 30 days.

Now I just had to figure out what the hell to do with them.

So here I am with 30 days to convince someone that staying in this town was worth it when honestly some days I’m not even sure myself.

Eugene thinks I’m going to drag him to some inspirational sunrise or make him volunteer at an animal shelter like this is some feelood movie.

He has no idea what I actually have planned.

Because the thing about showing someone reasons to stay when they’ve already decided running away is the only option is that you can’t play it safe. You have to get creative.

You have to get uncomfortable. And sometimes you have to be willing to break a few rules.

Tomorrow is day one and I already know exactly where we’re starting.

Let’s just say Eugene’s about to learn that I don’t do anything halfway.

Update. I’m writing this from a train station and I need to get this out before I lose my mind.

So remember how I promised Eugene 30 days? We made it to 8.

8 days before I found him at the train station with a duffel bag about to board.

8 days before he left me a note that said I was just playing savior to feel better about myself.

I had to tell him things about my mom that I’ve never told anyone just to make him understand I wasn’t playing around.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me start with day one when I thought I could actually do this.

I made Eugene meet at school at 10 p.m. the next day, which he complained about for 20 minutes straight through text.

When he finally showed up in the parking lot, I was sitting on the hood of my car swinging a janitor’s key ring I’d borrowed from Mr. Asales’s desk when he wasn’t looking.

“We’re going swimming?” I announced.

“No.” He looked at me like I was crazy and started walking back to his car.

He shouted, “Heather, it’s October and also nighttime and also the pool’s closed and also I don’t swim and also number.”

Yes. I hopped off the hood and blocked his path. That’s what makes it fun.

“Your definition of fun is concerning.” He tried to step around me, but I moved with him like some kind of annoying basketball defender.

“Get out of my way.” “Nope. Day one, remember?” “You agreed to 30 days.”

“I agreed to let you waste your time. Not commit felonies. Not freeze to death.”

“We’re just entering enthusiastically.” “Besides, do you want to stand here debating the legal system, or do you want to get your day one over with?”

He stared at me for like a full 30 seconds trying to win some kind of mental standoff.

I knew he would follow, so I started walking toward the gym doors.

And after a moment of probably contemplating my death, he followed.

“If we get caught, I’m telling them you forced me.” He muttered.

“Sure, Eugene. Tell them the 5’4 girl forced you. You’re like 411.”

“I am 5’4 and a half, [ __ ]”.

The pool room was creepy as hell in the dark. Just the emergency lights making everything look green and weird.

“Okay, I’m here, but I’m not swimming,” Eugene said, standing at the edge like the water might bite him.

“Yes, you are.” I was already taking my shoes off.

“Why?” “Because you’re so busy planning your escape, you forgot what it feels like to actually exist in the moment.”

“That’s the stupidest thing.” I pushed him in before he could finish his sentence.

He hit the water with this massive splash and came up gasping and cursing my entire family line.

“What the [ __ ] is wrong with you?” He sputtered, pushing his soaked hair out of his eyes.

I jumped in after him, fully clothed because honestly, why not at this point?

“I hate you,” he sputtered. But he was almost laughing.

“Good. Hates a feeling. We’re making progress.”

We floated there in the stolen silence of the place. Two idiots in their clothes in the dark.

And for just a second, neither of us were thinking about running away from our problems.