Fall from Love

more, we made the decision together and haven’t looked back since. There hasn’t been one second that I’ve regretted, and I’m glad I got the chance to tell my mom how right she was... how starting out as friends has given us so much more than I could’ve asked for. I’ll always be thankful that my mom got to meet Holly; that she got to meet the girl that has her son’s heart.
    Holly was there for me when my mom passed away and I’m not sure what I would’ve done without her. It wasn’t like it was with my dad and my brother; I didn’t have enough strength to be the strong one—the rock for my sister to lean on. I was a complete mess, but I had Holly there and she was my rock. The two of us have been through so much over the last few months and she single-handedly brought me back from the depths of darkness. She showed me forgiveness, which I’m still not sure why, but I still needed it from her.
    We pull up to her apartment and I’m excited as hell to see her, but I’m also nervous for her. What she’s planning to do tonight is something she has been struggling with for months, and I just want it to be everything she hopes it will be.
    When we turn the corner and head into her apartment building, I stop abruptly when I see Travis jogging down the stairs in front of us. The last thing I want right now is to get into anything with him. I’m past fighting and arguing; I don’t want anything to spoil Holly’s night. He stops abruptly when he sees me, too.
    “Hey, man,” I say. Josh is standing beside me and I can feel the tension build in the small space we’re standing in as Travis eyes us both.
    “Gotta minute?” Travis asks, looking directly at me.
    “Sure.” Josh still doesn’t move from my side. “I’ll see you up there, man,” I say, slapping Josh on the back, letting him know that I’ve got this. From the look on Travis’s face, it doesn’t look like there’s any need to worry.
    Josh doesn’t say a word as he moves around Travis and jogs up the stairs.
    “Guess I deserve that,” Travis says, clearing his throat. “I just came by to see Holly before I left town, I couldn’t find her at the graduation ceremony earlier.” He looks down at his feet and then says, “I’m actually glad I ran into you. I owe you an apology for being such a jerk. The last year has been tough and I was still dealing with stuff, but I went about it the wrong way. I had no right to say some of the things I said to you. I know what happened that night wasn’t your fault. I know you did everything you could and it was just an accident.”
    As I look at him, even though a part of me wants to hate him for all the shit he did and how he treated Holly that one afternoon, I can’t. The guy lost his best friend and he dealt with it the only way he knew how.
    “Hey, man, don’t worry about it,” I tell him.
    He swallows hard and nods. “Holly seems to be doing well. I’m happy for her, she’s a great girl.”
    “Yeah, she is,” I say, knowing how lucky I am to have her.
     
    HOLLY
    The four of us are on our way to Sterling’s. Carter is driving and I’m sitting in the passenger seat, scared out of my freaking mind. In between shifting the gears, Carter’s hand finds mine and strokes it slowly, trying to reassure me, reminding me that he is here for me.
    Tonight I am going to keep my end of the deal that I made with Jenna many months ago. Not only is a bet, a bet, but this is something that I have to do for myself.
    “Holly, we’re here,” Carter’s voice pulls me from my thoughts.
    Carter meets me in front of the car and grabs my hand. It’s weird, but I swear he looks even more nervous than I do right now. We walk in, hand in hand, and I’m repeating lyrics over in my head, hoping my mind doesn’t go blank when I get up on stage.
    “You ready for this?” Jenna asks me.
    “As ready as I’ll ever be.” I give her a smile. I’m trying not to let my nerves get to me, or hide them so no one else can see them.
    “You’re gonna be great. Just relax and enjoy the moment,” Carter whispers in my ear as Joe hops up on stage to introduce me. Taking a deep breath in, I try to push away all my fears.
    “It’s been a while, but let’s welcome back one of our favorite singers… Holly Treadwell, everyone.” Joe turns to me and claps, welcoming me onstage. I walk up the few steps and hug him tight, thanking him for continuing to believe in me.
    “Hi, everyone. Thanks so much for coming