Point of Retreat

 
     
     
     
     
    Prologue
     
     
     
     
     
    January 1 st , 2012
     
    "Resolutions"
     
    I’m confident 2012 will be our year. Mine and Lake’s year.
     
    The last few years have definitely not been in our favor. At the end of 2008, my parent's both passed away unexpectedly, leaving me to raise my little brother all on my own. It didn’t help that Vaughn decided to end our two-year relationship on the heels of their death. To top it off, I ended up having to drop my scholarship. Leaving the University and moving back to Ypsilanti to become Caulder’s guardian was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made…but also one of the best decisions.
     
    I spent every single day of the next year learning how to adjust. How to adjust to heartbreak, how to adjust to having no parents, how to adjust to essentially becoming a parent myself and the sole provider of a family. Looking back on it, I don't think I could have made it through 2009 without Caulder. He’s the only thing that kept me going…
     
    I don’t even remember the entire first half of 2010. That year didn't start for me until September 22 nd , the day I first laid eyes on Lake. Of course, 2010 turned out to be just as difficult as the previous years, but in a completely different way. I'd never felt more alive than when I was with her…but considering our circumstances, I couldn’t be with her. So, I guess I didn’t spend a lot of time feeling alive.
     
    2011 was better in its own way. There was a lot of falling in love, a lot of grief, a lot of healing and even more adjusting. Julia passed away in September of that year. I didn't expect her death to be as hard on me as it was. It was almost like losing my mother all over again.
     
    I miss my mother. And I miss Julia. Thank god I have Lake.
     
    Like me, my father loved to write. He always used to tell me that writing his daily thoughts down was therapeutic for his soul. Maybe one of the reasons I’ve had such a difficult time adjusting during the past three years is because I didn't take his advice. I assumed slamming a few times a year was enough ‘therapy’ for me. Maybe I was wrong. I want 2012 to be everything I have planned for it to be…perfect. With all that said (or written, rather) writing is my resolution for 2012. Even if it's just one word a day, I'm going to write it down….get it out of me.
     

 
     
     
    Part One
     
     
     
    Thursday, January 5 th , 2012.
     
    I registered for classes today. I didn’t get the days I wanted, but I only have two semesters left so it’s getting harder to be picky about my schedule. I’m thinking about applying to local schools for another teaching job after next semester. Hopefully by this time next year I’ll be teaching again. For right now, though…I’m still living off student loans. Luckily my grandparents have been supportive while I work on my Master’s degree. I wouldn’t be able to do it without them, that’s for sure.
     
    We’re having dinner with Gavin and Eddie tonight. I think I’ll make cheeseburgers. Cheeseburgers sound good. That’s all I really have to say right now…
     

 
     
     
    Chapter One
     
    “Is Layken over here or over there?” Eddie asks, peering her head in the front door.
     
    “Over there,” I say from the kitchen.
     
    Is there a sign on my house instructing people not to knock? Of course Lake never knocks anymore, but her comfort here has apparently extended to Eddie as well. Eddie heads across the street to Lake’s house and Gavin walks inside, tapping his knuckles against the front door. It’s not an official knock, but at least he makes an attempt.
     
    “What are we eating?” he asks. He slips his shoes off at the door and makes his way into the kitchen.
     
    “Burgers.” I hand him a spatula and point to the stove, instructing him to flip the burgers while I pull the fries out of the oven.
     
    “Will, do you ever notice how we somehow always get stuck cooking?”
     
    “It’s probably not a bad thing,” I say as I loosen the fries from the pan. “Remember Eddie’s alfredo?”
     
    He grimaces when he remembers the alfredo. “Good point,” he says.
     
    I call Kel and Caulder into the kitchen to have them set the table. For the past year, since Lake and I have been together, Gavin and Eddie have been eating with us at least twice a week. I finally had to invest in a dining room table because the bar was getting a little too crowded.
     
    “Hey, Gavin,” Kel says. He