I pull up at Jared’s and shut the car off, getting out and slamming the door shut. I see nothing has changed in the five years I’ve been gone. I see the office door open so I walk up, knocking on the door frame.

Jared looks exactly the same, as if five years hadn’t gone by since the last time I saw him. He’s still carrying too much weight around his middle (that I’m sure his wife is still on his case about). His hair is still buzzed close to his scalp. The Marines stuck with him, and I guess old habits die hard, oorah. Looking up from his paperwork, he notices me standing in the doorway, a look of shock sits on his face. This I expected. What would I think if I saw someone I believed was dead for the past three years standing in front of me? His face has gone white as a ghost, and he slowly stands from where he was sitting; the old rickety chair creaking as it moves.

“Hale?” He asks. I can hear the shock in his voice.

“Yeah Jared.” Walking into the office, I shut the old wooden door behind me.

“How are you sitting in my office? I put you in the ground boy, this can’t be real. I saw them hand her that flag right off the casket. They did the twenty one gun salute!” He shakes his head as if to bring him back to reality.

“I’m sorry to just come in here and throw this on you. I really am. It’s a long ass story, Jared. One I don’t much like repeating. I’m ready to leave it all behind and move on with what’s left of my life.” I tell him, taking my seat across from his desk. “I need a job. I’m fixin’ up my dad’s place and I need something to keep me busy. You know I’ll work hard and long for you.”

“You gotta give me something Hale. You walk right back into my office like you’re back from the fucking dead!” He looks at me like he still can’t quite believe what he’s seeing.

“We were ambushed by enemy forces. My brothers were killed. I was captured and they held me for over a year. Almost blew my fucking knee cap off and now I’ve got PTSD. A fucked up knee and I need this job to stop me from drowning myself in the bottom of a bottle.” Even saying it out loud sounds fucked up out of this world.

“Have you seen her?” He asks me softly, looking me in the eyes.

Fuck I don’t want to answer that. I hate myself enough for it. I don’t need everyone else’s bullshit too. “Yeah I have, Jared. Not something I really wanna talk about there either.” I feel antsy like a caged animal.

“You ruined her, Hale. That girl walked around this town like a zombie for months. The light left her eyes. It was hard for everyone to see.” Fuck. As if I really don’t hate myself enough; despise the man and the coward I am.

“It’s complicated. There’s nothing left I can offer her. I’m here for a job and that’s it. You gonna give me one?”

“Yeah boy, you know I’ll never turn you away. You wanna start tomorrow at seven? Be here when the shop opens.”

Standing, I stick my hand out, offering it to him. “I’ll be here. Thanks man.” Shaking my hand, he tells me, “I’m glad to see your face boy.Jesus, I still can’t believe you’re standing here. It seems like a dream or some shit! If you ever need someone to talk to, grab a six pack, and I’m here,” he says, sincerely.

“Trust me Jared, I’m the last person you wanna swap war stories with. I’m trying my best to live every day without reliving them. I appreciate it.” Turning towards the door, I open it and stroll towards the parking lot. I take a look around, seeing that the town hasn’t changed a bit, same ole houses and buildings. It brings some comfort knowing that even when the world is exploding around them, Crescent is the same place it’s always been.

The next few days are spent refreshing my memory of the newer model cars. Oil changes, tire rotations, and working on engines. It keeps my mind busy and off all of the shit floating around inside it. Apparently, everyone in town knows what happened, and I’ve had people walk by the shop and just stop and stare like I’m some fucking science experiment or a ghost. I guess when you see someone be buried it’s hard to forget; regardless of what you see standing in front of you. Thankfully, I haven’t seen Ember around. The last thing I need is another run in with her. I’m having a hard enough time keeping my ass at the house and away from her. Seeing her with that asshole walking from the movie a few weeks back was enough to throw me into a rage. I never said it was fair. I know it’s not. I have no right to feel this way. I’m the one pushing her away and treating her like shit. It just killed me to see him grab her hand like she was his. Obviously I'm more fucked up than I like to let on.

“Hey man, you wanna get some beers after work?” Nash asks. He’s the mechanic Jared hired a few weeks before I started. We’ve been working together at the shop the past few weeks and he’s asked a few times. I have no desire to pack inside a building with no direct sight of the door and a bunch of drunk fucks while listening to shitty ass music.

“C’mon dude you never do shit. yYou’ve gotta get out and live a little. Shit, you’re like 23 and you act like my grandma.” He throws a rag at me, laughing as it hits me in the face. “It’s just a few beers. Just us and the guys. Hopefully some pussy to cheer your mopey ass up. No tight spaces man. We’re going to do a bonfire out in the fields.”

If I go, maybe he’ll stop pestering the fuck out of me. It’s has been years since I saw anyone I grew up with.

“Yeah, I guess cocksucker. Now leave me the fuck alone and let me work.” I punch his shoulder, shoving him out of the way as I grab the jack and walk to the Chevy I’ve been doing an oil change on.

I pull up at the bonfire around eight and see twenty people or so milling around, beers in hand, and the girls standing in circles talking animatedly. It’s like right out of a movie. One about the small ass hick town with nothing better to do on a Saturday night. Parking my truck next to all the others, I cut the engine and get out. I walk over to where everyone is standing, and everyone just stops; staring at me like I’m an alien with two fucking heads. This is what drives me crazy. I hate being the center of attention and I prefer to keep to myself. Walking towards Chase, I see his arm thrown around a girl with platinum blonde hair. Her tits pressed against a tiny t-shirt, that’s obviously too tight for her. It’s like twenty degrees, so why the fuck doesn’t she have a jacket on? My response to tits is why she doesn’t have a jacket on. Fuck, I sound like a pussy. Chase is another guy I met while working at the shop. He comes up to hang out with the guys a lot. He’s an okay guy, but it’s not like I’m the poster child for happy friendships.

“Hey man. Glad you came. You already know our boy Nash. This is Jake, Tasha, and Dex.” He gestures to each person as he introduces them. The guys nod and shake my hand and the girls just giggle and don’t say a word. Shit, is this what guys like now a days? The only thing I’ve been acquainted with in the past three years is my hand. Fucking sad, but true. I don’t have any desire to try dating or even put in the effort it takes to fuck some random girl. It just doesn’t work for me. None of these girls do it for me. The fake tits, and plastic ass faces caked with makeup. My dick wants nothing to do with that.

Shaking my head, I leave them standing there and head for the ice chest that’s holding all the beer. Might as well drink a few while I’m here. I reach inside and pull a Bud Light can from the selection and pop the top, taking a long swallow. Looking over I notice headlights coming down the old dirt road, and a small black car comes into view. Sipping the beer, I watch as a blonde get out of the passenger seat. Blayr. Shit, how do they know Chase and Nash? I see the passenger door open and Ember climbs out, looking like a wet dream. Her hair falls in curls down her back, her cheeks are flushed from the heat of the car, and her jeans fit perfectly against her ass. I have to tell my dick to calm the fuck down before I embarrass myself in front of all these people. She walks into the crowd, greeting people as she goes and heads over to where Nashville is standing. He better not even fucking think of touching her. He pulls Blayr to him and I let out the breath I was holding. I didn’t want to have to beat the shit out of anyone tonight.