Her giddy laugh filled the atmosphere, affecting everything it touched. I was affected the most, because I was closest to her. Her name was Ava, my name is Jones.
I watched as she danced through the long wheat fields, spinning in circles so her dress whirled around her legs. Subconsciously, a smile curled up my lips. She caught me looking and motioned for me to join in. It was too hard to say no. She would pick up my arms and twirl herself in and out of them, I let her. I always did.
Suddenly, she fell to the ground giggling, “Come on! The clouds are moving fast today!” So, I lay beside her, trying hard not to inch my fingers over to her open palm. She wasn’t like most girls; in fact she wasn’t like anyone I’d ever met. She let you get close, but she never let you in. Maybe that was why I loved her so much.
“Jones,” She said quietly after a moment. It was amazing how quickly she could become calm.
“What?” I asked, turning my head to see her. She was still watching the clouds.
“Do you ever think about how insignificant we are?”
I blinked and turned to see the clouds again, “There is nothing insignificant about you, Ava Sky.”
I felt her stare at me for a long moment, before in the smallest voice she said, “You know nothing about me.”
I wanted to tell her that I wanted to, that I’d tried for eighteen years, but she never let me. But before I could say anything, she got up, “Come with me.”
I didn’t even ask where, I just followed her wherever she wanted to go. We drove until Ava pulled up at an overview of the ocean. She got out and walked purposefully to the edge, where if you looked far enough, you could see the sky meeting the water. Down below the waves crashed forcefully against the rocks. She took a step, so her toes were wrapped around the edge of the cliff.
“Jump with me,” she commanded and I didn’t even think twice before I took her hand and stepped off the edge. It took 3.2 seconds.
But there was no way I could have ever said no.
