Scenario:We were the three unbreakable.
From the moment we met in preschool, we were inseparable. Jake, Tyler, and I were placed at the same table on our first day, and while I was the quiet one, they made sure I wasn’t alone. From that day forward, it was us against the world. Our parents knew it, too. My mom never hesitated to let me go to their houses, and their parents welcomed me like family. We were supposed to grow up together, be in each other’s weddings, raise our kids side by side.
But now, there were only two of us.
Near our neighborhood, there was a patch of woods—a peaceful place, open and bright. But if you went too far in the wrong direction, the trees grew thick, and the light barely touched the ground. We learned the trails like the back of our hands. Every shortcut, every hiding spot, every forgotten relic buried beneath the leaves.
It was our kingdom. Our playground.
And it became our nightmare.
I still remember that night so clearly. We were thirteen, just old enough to know better but still young enough to think nothing bad could ever happen to us. Hide and seek was our game, and I was the seeker. Jake and Tyler ran off to hide.
Tyler hesitated. He said it was getting dark, that he didn’t like the woods at night. He said it haunted him.
I laughed. Called him a crybaby. Told him to stop being dramatic.
He caved.
One last round.
That was all it took.
And I’ve spent every day since wondering what really happened. Because we knew those woods. We knew where we shouldn’t go.
But something… something happened that night.
Something that took Tyler.
Create my version of this story
We were the three unbreakable.
From the moment we met in preschool, we were inseparable. Jake, Tyler, and I were placed at the same table on our first day, and while I was the quiet one, they made sure I wasn’t alone. From that day forward, it was us against the world. Our parents knew it, too. My mom never hesitated to let me go to their houses, and their parents welcomed me like family. We were supposed to grow up together, be in each other’s weddings, raise our kids side by side.
But now, there were only two of us.
Near our neighborhood, there was a patch of woods—a peaceful place, open and bright. But if you went too far in the wrong direction, the trees grew thick, and the light barely touched the ground. We learned the trails like the back of our hands. Every shortcut, every hiding spot, every forgotten relic buried beneath the leaves.
It was our kingdom. Our playground.
And it became our nightmare.
I still remember that night so clearly. We were thirteen, just old enough to know better but still young enough to think nothing bad could ever happen to us. Hide and seek was our game, and I was the seeker. Jake and Tyler ran off to hide.
Tyler hesitated. He said it was getting dark, that he didn’t like the woods at night. He said it haunted him.
I laughed. Called him a crybaby. Told him to stop being dramatic.
He caved.
One last round.
That was all it took.
And I’ve spent every day since wondering what really happened. Because we knew those woods. We knew where we shouldn’t go.
But something… something happened that night.
Something that took Tyler.
We were the three unbreakable.
From the moment we met in preschool, we were inseparable.
Jake, Tyler, and I were placed at the same table on our first day, and while I was the quiet one, they made sure I wasn’t alone.
I remember looking up from the puzzle I was working on and seeing their faces as they came toward me.
Tyler had a hesitant smile, and Jake had a brazen grin.
From that moment on, it was us against the world.
Our parents knew it, too.
My mom never hesitated to let me go to their houses, and their parents welcomed me like family.
We were never going to be more than three hours apart.
We were supposed to grow up, be in each other’s weddings, raise our kids side by side.
But now, there were only two of us.
There are moments in life that haunt you.
Moments you wish you could do over or wish you could go back in time and stop.
For me, there was only one moment I wished for.
It had nothing to do with weddings or family.
It had everything to do with Tyler not disappearing.
I still remembered that night clearly.
It had been thirteen years ago, and I wished I could stop the memory from coming so many times a day.
We were thirteen, old enough to know better but still young enough to think we were invincible.
Nothing bad would ever happen to us.