The Remaining Read Free

moment in the house while the rest of the crew was out on the beach.
    “Yeah, I’m fine,” I told her.
    “It seems like something’s going on.”
    “I’m just tired.”
    “That’s what you said yesterday,” Allie said. “Seriously   —what’s going on?”
    By now I’d made a promise to myself: don’t tell anybody until after the wedding. Nobody needed to know I saw the wedding party dead on the floor before the groom had even proposed to the bride.
    “Laur?”
    “Tell me something,” I said, not deciding to tell her but simply taking another route. “What would you do if you knew tomorrow didn’t exist? If this was the last day of your life?”
    “Sounds like a soap opera,” Allie replied with a giggle.
    “Serious.”
    Allie came and sat by me, then put an arm around me and gave me a half squeeze. “That’s what this is about,” she said.
    “What?”
    “This. The last outing. The final hurrah. Then one by one, we’re going to go our own ways. Some together, but not all together, not like this.”
    I smiled. “Yeah, I guess that’s it.”
    “We’ll always be friends,” Allie said.
    “How do you know that? A bit idealistic, isn’t it?”
    “I think friendships or any relationships take work. And I know you, Laur. I know how hardworking you are. You’re tenacious. Kinda like Skylar but in a different way. Sky’s tenacity is in getting her own way. Yours is in making sure others do.”
    Now she was genuinely starting to make me tear up. “That’s one of the nicest things I’ve ever heard.”
    “Well, I’ve been around the boys, so I haven’t had a lot of nice things to say.”
    We both burst out laughing.
    “I’m going to miss this,” I told her.
    “What? This place? The beach? Me? ”
    “You, of course. Always. But no   —this place in life. I keep looking ahead and all I see are responsibilities and burdens and weights. Some good. But all weighing me down.”
    “You’ll always have me to come lighten your load,” Allie said.
    I forced a carefree smile. Something told me I wouldn’t.
    Something told me Allison wasn’t going to be around much longer.
    And this feeling baffled me, and even made me feel a bit guilty inside for thinking such a crazy thought.
10
    Each day during the week, Dan did something special for Skylar. Nothing over the top that would cause her to think something was happening. He was always being sweet to her, so this wasn’t anything new. But each thing somehow involved the rest of us. One evening we went through snapshots of the last half decade when all of us knew each other. Another was an evening out with just us girls (paid for by Dan). Another centered around watching Skylar’s favoritemovie, My Best Friend’s Wedding (complete with matching dinner and sing-along from the scene we all knew).
    Little by little, Dan was giving Skylar gifts. And they were smaller and smaller items until the last, which would be a tiny box with a ring inside.
    But really, it wasn’t gifts Dan was giving to Skylar. He was ultimately giving her   —and the rest of us   —something we’d never let go of.
    Memories.
    That final night, we were all tired and giddy and both ready to go back home to normal lives and sad to leave this place behind. We did the nightly routine around the fire pit on the beach.
    And that was when Dan finally paved the way to asking the big question. We didn’t know how he was going to do it, but we did know we would be there.
    “Okay   —I have a game I want us all to play,” Dan said. “I want to know one question you’re burning to ask. The number one question.”
    “Questions we’re wanting to ask each other?” Jack asked.
    “No   —just questions you have.”
    “About what?”
    Dan shook his head at his friend. “About anything. Life in general. You can ask anything to anybody.”
    “What if you don’t have any questions?” Jack asked.
    We laughed and mocked him and he was amused with our response.
    “What? I’m