Remember Us
Miles set the dumbbells on the ground and let out one last deep breath. He plucked his headphones from his ears and listened to the silence of
the house. He wanted to stand still and never disrupt the silence. In a world that moves so fast, Miles savored the moments where silence fell. He was a quiet guy, but he rarely had those moments of silence that held so much meaning. But
at some point, he would have to move on with his
day
He didn’t have time to waste dwelling on the silence. He tiptoed
from his room, down the hall, and into the bathroom. He washed off and changed
into a simple outfit. When he left the bathroom, like every other day, he
paused. Glancing up to the family portrait hanging on the wall, a small smile
crept to his face. The photo was from the early days of summer. Everything was
the same now as it was then. He was the same seventeen year old boy with the
same short brown hair. His dark brown eyes were staring back at him, and the
smile on his face was real. In the picture, he was wearing his favorite blue
polo with a pair of khaki shorts.
Looking at the photo made memories flood to his mind. The night
before that photo was taken was the party of the year to celebrate the beginning
of summer. Typically, Miles wasn’t interested in parties, but his best friend
Carter pulled him along anyways. It was a night full of partying, until the cops
showed up. Miles spent the second half of the night hiding in a bush outside of
the local park while the police patrolled the streets. The smell of liquor on
his breath wasn’t helping his cause.
Miles didn’t have time to stare at the memory hanging on the
wall. He needed to find his football practice gear, grab something for
breakfast, and run to school in hopes of making it on time. Regardless, he took
his time placing his cleats in his bag and making a full breakfast. As he
grabbed the cereal off the top shelf in the kitchen, he glanced over to the
broken window covered in duct tape. It broke nearly nine years ago. Miles
accidentally threw a baseball at it one time when Carter was teaching him to
pitch.
Miles recalled those memories as if they happened only moments
before. It was midsummer when the
baseball flew through the window. His older brother was supposed to be watching
them. His family moved in only a year earlier, and Miles met Carter on the
football team. Both his parents were at work. Miles and Carter did their best to
hide it, but Miles was the worst liar. Even though it happened so long ago, it
was never repaired. I served as a memory of their long lasting
friendship.
As the clock in the dining room continued to tick, Miles left
the house and headed for the school. It was within walking distance, but Miles’
was running late as usual so he took the car. He sat down his in Calculus class
moments before the late bell rang overhead. He tossed his binder onto his desk
and flipped through the disorganized papers. Carter, who was also the star of
the football team, ran into class moments after the bell. The teacher smiled as
he sat down behind Miles. It was just another typical day.
“What are your plans tonight?” Carter asked, the two boys walked
out of class. Miles shrugged. “Typical answer, you never say much. I, on the
other hand, am going to the best party of the year, and you should
come.”
“Maybe,” Miles said, without giving it much thought. He was more
focused on football practice after school and passing his English test seventh
period.
“We both know what maybe means,” Carter said, continuing the conversation
as he bounced a rubber ball in his hand. “Don’t you ever want to go a little
crazy, or at least speak up? Most of the school doesn’t even know you! You need
to speak up! It’s senior year! Enjoy it. Don’t you want to be remembered? I know
I do.”
“Remembered?” Miles questioned, as he opened his locker and
threw his book onto the top shelf. He glanced down to the tinny bouncy ball
clutched in Carter’s hand. “Why do you always carry that ball
anyways?”
“I snagged it from my first party, but that’s beside the point.
I want to plan the craziest senior prank ever, but I need your help. You are the
one with all the planning skills.” Miles nodded. He didn’t have much time to
think about it. He was late for English. Before Miles reached the end of the
hallways, Carter called out, “Even if you don’t want to come to the party, we
still need to stop at the store after practice.”
In science class, Miles couldn’t focus. Instead, he pulled out a
clean sheet of paper and started writing ideas down for the perfect senior
prank. Thirty minutes later, the bell rang and Miles had a whole piece a paper
filled to the brim. Later that day at practice, everyone was too focused on the
party to practice. When the coach cut practice short, Miles raced to the locker
room. Before he could even change, Carter was already all over him about driving
to the store. Miles finally gave in, even though he would much rather go home
and eat dinner.
“Did you think of prank yet?” Carter asked casually, as he
hopped into the passenger seat and cranked up the radio.
“I did, but I left it on the top shelf of my locker. I’ll show it to you
tomorrow,” Miles said, as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.
The got in the car and drove off down the road. The town was
busy today. The light was green. Miles released his foot from the brake and
pulled into the intersection. As he was about to make his turn, Miles saw
something white out of the corner of my eye. He glanced over in time to see a
large van zooming through the intersection. The next few seconds were in slow
motion. Mile’s head jerked to the side as the car began to spin. The air bag
inflated, and knocked out the little air Miles’ had left. He tried screaming
Carters’ name, but nothing came out. The car tipped up onto two wheels and
plunged back to the ground. Miles pulled himself out of the door, but the pain
in his knees made him fall to the ground. His vision was blurry, but he saw the
totaled car. People were everywhere in the matter of seconds.
Miles tried to catch his breath as he waited for Carter to pull
himself from the car. One man in a large red truck ran toward the accident. He
looked at the passenger side door and let out a soft cry. He glanced up and met
Miles’ eyes. Without a single word, Miles knew. He crumbled onto the pavement
and let out one long sob. Then everything fell
silent.
After the funeral, he joined his parents in the kitchen. Nobody
said a word. Nobody knew how to make him feel any better. He glanced up to the
window and it felt like someone punched him in the stomach. The wind was knocked
out of him as he recalled the memory of that summer day. But he couldn’t cry.
Carter wouldn’t want that.
The next day at school, the students looked at him with a
mixture of pity and blame. They had every right to. He was to blame. He was
driving. He was the reason Carter no longer came running in late to Calculus
class. Carter wanted to be remembered, but not this way. It was pure agony as
the days passed on. Miles barely spoke.
But days passed quickly and the pain turned to numbness. Before
he knew it, June was days away. Graduation was at the doorstep and Miles would
escape this town full of bad memories, memories of Carter. He held off cleaning
out his locker until the last moment. Some of Carters papers and drawings were
still mixed in with the mess. But when Miles grabbed papers off the top shelf,
he found his old notebook sitting in the same place he put it earlier that year.
He took a deep breath as he opened it and looked at all the plans he threw
together.
Miles couldn’t break a promise, so that night he snuck back into
the school around midnight. He knew it would take all night, but it was worth
it.
The next morning, bouncy balls were pouring from every crack and
crevasse of the school. They fell out of vents and lockers. The zoomed down the
ball way and through the classrooms. Everyone was smiling and laughing, aside
from the principals. All day long, the principal was doing everything possible
to catch the person behind the prank. Nobody knew who is was, but they
remembered Carter always running through the hallways with that small blue
bouncy ball in his hand. Some guys in the senior class tried to take credit, but
everyone knew they weren’t smart enough to pull off the elaborate prank. All
through the last week of school, people questioned who it could’ve
been.
Then, graduation day came. Miles received his diploma while his
family sat in the stands and cheered. The principal shook his hand, and in
return, Miles handed him a small rubber bouncy ball.
About this Story: For this story, I had to make a long list of 100 character traits. After going through the list three times, I finally settled on my character Miles. From there, the story was easy, aside from making it under five pages.
Miles set the dumbbells on the ground and let out one last deep breath. He plucked his headphones from his ears and listened to the silence of
the house. He wanted to stand still and never disrupt the silence. In a world that moves so fast, Miles savored the moments where silence fell. He was a quiet guy, but he rarely had those moments of silence that held so much meaning. But
at some point, he would have to move on with his
day
He didn’t have time to waste dwelling on the silence. He tiptoed
from his room, down the hall, and into the bathroom. He washed off and changed
into a simple outfit. When he left the bathroom, like every other day, he
paused. Glancing up to the family portrait hanging on the wall, a small smile
crept to his face. The photo was from the early days of summer. Everything was
the same now as it was then. He was the same seventeen year old boy with the
same short brown hair. His dark brown eyes were staring back at him, and the
smile on his face was real. In the picture, he was wearing his favorite blue
polo with a pair of khaki shorts.
Looking at the photo made memories flood to his mind. The night
before that photo was taken was the party of the year to celebrate the beginning
of summer. Typically, Miles wasn’t interested in parties, but his best friend
Carter pulled him along anyways. It was a night full of partying, until the cops
showed up. Miles spent the second half of the night hiding in a bush outside of
the local park while the police patrolled the streets. The smell of liquor on
his breath wasn’t helping his cause.
Miles didn’t have time to stare at the memory hanging on the
wall. He needed to find his football practice gear, grab something for
breakfast, and run to school in hopes of making it on time. Regardless, he took
his time placing his cleats in his bag and making a full breakfast. As he
grabbed the cereal off the top shelf in the kitchen, he glanced over to the
broken window covered in duct tape. It broke nearly nine years ago. Miles
accidentally threw a baseball at it one time when Carter was teaching him to
pitch.
Miles recalled those memories as if they happened only moments
before. It was midsummer when the
baseball flew through the window. His older brother was supposed to be watching
them. His family moved in only a year earlier, and Miles met Carter on the
football team. Both his parents were at work. Miles and Carter did their best to
hide it, but Miles was the worst liar. Even though it happened so long ago, it
was never repaired. I served as a memory of their long lasting
friendship.
As the clock in the dining room continued to tick, Miles left
the house and headed for the school. It was within walking distance, but Miles’
was running late as usual so he took the car. He sat down his in Calculus class
moments before the late bell rang overhead. He tossed his binder onto his desk
and flipped through the disorganized papers. Carter, who was also the star of
the football team, ran into class moments after the bell. The teacher smiled as
he sat down behind Miles. It was just another typical day.
“What are your plans tonight?” Carter asked, the two boys walked
out of class. Miles shrugged. “Typical answer, you never say much. I, on the
other hand, am going to the best party of the year, and you should
come.”
“Maybe,” Miles said, without giving it much thought. He was more
focused on football practice after school and passing his English test seventh
period.
“We both know what maybe means,” Carter said, continuing the conversation
as he bounced a rubber ball in his hand. “Don’t you ever want to go a little
crazy, or at least speak up? Most of the school doesn’t even know you! You need
to speak up! It’s senior year! Enjoy it. Don’t you want to be remembered? I know
I do.”
“Remembered?” Miles questioned, as he opened his locker and
threw his book onto the top shelf. He glanced down to the tinny bouncy ball
clutched in Carter’s hand. “Why do you always carry that ball
anyways?”
“I snagged it from my first party, but that’s beside the point.
I want to plan the craziest senior prank ever, but I need your help. You are the
one with all the planning skills.” Miles nodded. He didn’t have much time to
think about it. He was late for English. Before Miles reached the end of the
hallways, Carter called out, “Even if you don’t want to come to the party, we
still need to stop at the store after practice.”
In science class, Miles couldn’t focus. Instead, he pulled out a
clean sheet of paper and started writing ideas down for the perfect senior
prank. Thirty minutes later, the bell rang and Miles had a whole piece a paper
filled to the brim. Later that day at practice, everyone was too focused on the
party to practice. When the coach cut practice short, Miles raced to the locker
room. Before he could even change, Carter was already all over him about driving
to the store. Miles finally gave in, even though he would much rather go home
and eat dinner.
“Did you think of prank yet?” Carter asked casually, as he
hopped into the passenger seat and cranked up the radio.
“I did, but I left it on the top shelf of my locker. I’ll show it to you
tomorrow,” Miles said, as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.
The got in the car and drove off down the road. The town was
busy today. The light was green. Miles released his foot from the brake and
pulled into the intersection. As he was about to make his turn, Miles saw
something white out of the corner of my eye. He glanced over in time to see a
large van zooming through the intersection. The next few seconds were in slow
motion. Mile’s head jerked to the side as the car began to spin. The air bag
inflated, and knocked out the little air Miles’ had left. He tried screaming
Carters’ name, but nothing came out. The car tipped up onto two wheels and
plunged back to the ground. Miles pulled himself out of the door, but the pain
in his knees made him fall to the ground. His vision was blurry, but he saw the
totaled car. People were everywhere in the matter of seconds.
Miles tried to catch his breath as he waited for Carter to pull
himself from the car. One man in a large red truck ran toward the accident. He
looked at the passenger side door and let out a soft cry. He glanced up and met
Miles’ eyes. Without a single word, Miles knew. He crumbled onto the pavement
and let out one long sob. Then everything fell
silent.
After the funeral, he joined his parents in the kitchen. Nobody
said a word. Nobody knew how to make him feel any better. He glanced up to the
window and it felt like someone punched him in the stomach. The wind was knocked
out of him as he recalled the memory of that summer day. But he couldn’t cry.
Carter wouldn’t want that.
The next day at school, the students looked at him with a
mixture of pity and blame. They had every right to. He was to blame. He was
driving. He was the reason Carter no longer came running in late to Calculus
class. Carter wanted to be remembered, but not this way. It was pure agony as
the days passed on. Miles barely spoke.
But days passed quickly and the pain turned to numbness. Before
he knew it, June was days away. Graduation was at the doorstep and Miles would
escape this town full of bad memories, memories of Carter. He held off cleaning
out his locker until the last moment. Some of Carters papers and drawings were
still mixed in with the mess. But when Miles grabbed papers off the top shelf,
he found his old notebook sitting in the same place he put it earlier that year.
He took a deep breath as he opened it and looked at all the plans he threw
together.
Miles couldn’t break a promise, so that night he snuck back into
the school around midnight. He knew it would take all night, but it was worth
it.
The next morning, bouncy balls were pouring from every crack and
crevasse of the school. They fell out of vents and lockers. The zoomed down the
ball way and through the classrooms. Everyone was smiling and laughing, aside
from the principals. All day long, the principal was doing everything possible
to catch the person behind the prank. Nobody knew who is was, but they
remembered Carter always running through the hallways with that small blue
bouncy ball in his hand. Some guys in the senior class tried to take credit, but
everyone knew they weren’t smart enough to pull off the elaborate prank. All
through the last week of school, people questioned who it could’ve
been.
Then, graduation day came. Miles received his diploma while his
family sat in the stands and cheered. The principal shook his hand, and in
return, Miles handed him a small rubber bouncy ball.
About this Story: For this story, I had to make a long list of 100 character traits. After going through the list three times, I finally settled on my character Miles. From there, the story was easy, aside from making it under five pages.