Chapter 1
"Surprise!" James said. "Oh James," I replied, "You shouldn't have. Actually, you should've. I love this!" James, my ex-boyfriend, had just gotten me the greatest gift I had ever received. I was going to go skydiving, just like I had always wanted. "Only a trip for one?" I asked. "Well sure, Casey. What did you expect?" he questioned. "I wished that Tommy would be there," I replied in sorrow. I then made a cute little puppy face. "Well Casey, if you're gonna do this, you're gonna do it without Tommy. You know I am extremely angry with him for betraying me. He was best friend, and he just stole you away from me!" he demanded. "Yes James, I know the whole story, obviously. And let's get one thing straight. I went to him, he didn't steal me away from you. Don't get all mad at him," I explained. "Whatever, Casey. Just once again, I want to spend time with you," he pleaded. "Wait a sec! You aren't using this advantage to steal me back, are you?" I demanded, this time. "I thought you said you went to him and he didn't steal you away," he argued. "Whatever, I'm not going to argue with you. Fine, I'll go, but I am talking to Tommy about this first," I replied to his selfish attitude. James left my house in his silver Toyota Eclipse. He tramped through my muddy yard on his way to the car, and he left strange footprints that I would notice anywhere. I watched him drive away from my home in Houston, Texas. Then I turned around and walked back into my house. I called Tommy and demanded that he come over. He did as I expected he would. "I don't think so!" Tommy yelled. "C'mon Tommy. Yeah, so he's a jerk, but he's the only chance of me doing this. I want to live out my dream of flying in the air," I begged. "He just started doing this job. Do you really think he's a safe prop- plane pilot yet? Do you really trust him with your life?" he interrogated. "Yes," I replied, sternly. "Well sweetie, I'm not with you on this, but go ahead and do what you want to do. I don't want to be the guy who stops you from living out your dreams," he replied, caring. I walked him to the door as he gave me a light kiss. "I'll meet you at the ground tomorrow," he said as he brushed away my blonde hair from my face to gaze into my tranced blue eyes. He got into his blue Mercedes Benz convertible, which was parked next to my red Mustang Cobra convertible. Tommy drove away as a wet tear ran down my rosy cheeks. Why should I cry? I would see Tommy tomorrow, at the ground. I was still standing at the door when my parents pulled into the driveway. I was still in a daze when they got out of the Lincoln Continental. My mom then said, "Honey, why are you outside?" I then snapped out of it. "Oh, I just needed some fresh air," I lied. My parents didn't really approve of Tommy. That's why I didn't tell them I had just walked him out. I was seventeen years old. I could live my own life. I didn't need my parents eavesdropping on my life. "Come on in, Mom, Dad. I have some incredible news," I said. They came inside. I fixed them some iced tea and then sat down in the loveseat as I told them about the amazing gift. "Oh honey, that's wonderful!" my mom shouted, joyfully. She had always approved of James. I think she wanted me to fall madly in love with him. I guess that's why she didn't approve of Tommy since I went to him instead of staying with James. "So when does this happen.?" my dad asked, "Tomorrow!" I excitedly replied. That night, I didn't sleep. I was so excited. I kept picturing myself doing this, but still, it seemed unreal. I really could believe that all of this was happening. I was overjoyed. I was still curious as to why I had a deep, dark feeling of trouble. I had cried when Tommy left. Now, that was unusual. Just thing about Tommy driving away from me made me burst into tears. I heavily cried myself to sleep. I awoke still very tired the next morning. The scent of pancakes filled the air. I then remembered what would happen today. A rush of excitement flowed through my entire body. I immediately rushed to the phone to call Tommy. "Hello?" Tommy answered. "Tommy! It is so comforting to hear your soothing voice," I anxiously told him. "Okay. so what's up this early in the morning?" he rushed. "Well, if it's too early." I replied. "No, go ahead Casey," he said in a relaxing way. "This may sound really stupid," I replied, "I have a bad feeling about today and not seeing you before I reach the ground." There was a long moment of silence. My mom broke the silence by shouting, "Casey! Get up! Come downstairs! Breakfast is ready!" "Tommy, sorry, but I gotta go. I'll call later. I promise. See ya, bye," I hurriedly said. "Yeah, see ya. Bye," he said as he clicked off the phone. I gently put down the phone. That didn't help very much. Did I have to see him? I didn't know. My mom hollered once more. My door flew open as I pushed it. It banged against the wall as I fleeted down the stairs. My mother plopped a plate of hot mouth-watering pancakes in front of me as I sat down at the kitchen table. My dad was reading the newspaper, as usual, and my mom sipped at her black coffee. "Good morning, sweetie," my mom greeted me. "Good morning to you guys, too," I replied, "Dad? Earth to Dad." "Oh, Casey. Sorry. interesting article. good morning, honey." My dad had always seen himself as an important superior man. He was, of course, to me, since he was my dad, but he thought he was the powerful one in everyone's eye. I guess you could say he was a little self-involved, but I loved him anyway. My mom was a very typical mother. She always joins committees, drinks coffee, and always tries to act like your best friend. "So sweetie, are you excited about skydiving today?" my father asked. "Oh yeah, I really am! How could I not be? Just thinking about it makes me really excited," I fibbed. I wasn't as excited about jumping anymore, like I first was. My feelings only factored in with bad things and not good things. This wasn't supposed to be good. This was supposed to be great! I had already made my decision though, and I would look really dumb if I backed out now. After all, skydiving was my dream. As soon as I finished eating my steaming-hot pancakes, I climbed the stairs and went into my bedroom. I hurriedly put on a long-sleeve shirt that said "GIRL" on it and some long blue jeans. I figured that I should dress warmly. I suddenly remembered my promise to call Tommy back. I picked up the phone and pressed "Speed Dial" one. I got a busy signal. Darn it! Oh well, I'll try back later, I thought to myself. I jumped out of my thoughts and back into reality as the ring of the phone startled me. "Hello?" I asked in a shaky tone. "Casey. it's James. Are you okay?" he asked, concerned. "Yeah, the phone just startled me," I replied. "Oh, okay. Look, can you meet me in the airport by security at Terminal A?" James questioned. "I can walk all the way to the prop-plane," I stated. "Uhh. I just don't want you to walk that far alone," he said in a weird tone. "Well, I will walk that far alone! Where do you want Tommy to meet me? He will meet me on the ground, of course, but where am I landing?" I asked excitedly. "You will land in that field, uhh. Gary's Cross, yeah, that's right," he replied. "Okay, what time should I be at the airport, and what time should Tommy be at Gary's Cross?" I asked. "Meet me at 10:30 this morning and you should tell Tommy to be at Gary's Cross at 11:40," James replied. "That soon? Well, okay. I'd better call Tommy and tell him. Bye," I said quickly and hung up with giving him a chance to answer. I dialed Tommy's number and this time there was a ring. "Hello?" Tommy greeted. "Hi Tommy, I gotta make this quick. Go to Gary's Cross, be there by 11:40 A.M. That's where I will land when I jump," I said hurriedly. "Okay, I'll be there," he replied. "Okay, bye," I replied with a yelp. "Bye," he managed to say. Click! This was so confusing. By the tone of Tommy's "Bye", it sounded like he had a fear, too. I glanced at my baby blue wristwatch. 9:40! I have to leave right now. I grabbed my car keys and breezed down the steps. "I'm leaving!" I yelled to my parents. "Okay!" I heard a replying call. I unlocked my front door and stepped outside. It was a beautiful day! I walked over to my Mustang Cobra, unlocked it, got in, and then started the engine. I carefully put it in reverse and backed off into the street. "James!" I said as I greeted him at the prop-plane. "We gotta go," he said as he tugged me into the plane. There was a long silence as he put my skydiving equipment on. He then cautiously told me what to do. He told me that when I jump to wait about ten seconds after the fall and then to pull the cord that would let out my parachute. He checked over me to make sure that everything was in order and then that it would work right. He assured me that it would. He then took my watch so I wouldn't "accidentally" loose any valuables. At last, he went to the pilot's seat. We then lifted off. I was in a daze the whole flight until James shouted over the loud noise,
"Are you ready?" "Yes," I replied as I stood up. He gave me no reminder of what to do, which I thought was unusual. "Anytime, you can jump anytime, but just hurry. we're. uhh. burning gas," he stammered. I walked to the edge of the plane where the door had been opened for me. and. I was flying! One. two. three. four. five. six. seven. eight. nine. ten! I pulled the cord. No parachute! I looked down below me and saw a grassy death.
"Surprise!" James said. "Oh James," I replied, "You shouldn't have. Actually, you should've. I love this!" James, my ex-boyfriend, had just gotten me the greatest gift I had ever received. I was going to go skydiving, just like I had always wanted. "Only a trip for one?" I asked. "Well sure, Casey. What did you expect?" he questioned. "I wished that Tommy would be there," I replied in sorrow. I then made a cute little puppy face. "Well Casey, if you're gonna do this, you're gonna do it without Tommy. You know I am extremely angry with him for betraying me. He was best friend, and he just stole you away from me!" he demanded. "Yes James, I know the whole story, obviously. And let's get one thing straight. I went to him, he didn't steal me away from you. Don't get all mad at him," I explained. "Whatever, Casey. Just once again, I want to spend time with you," he pleaded. "Wait a sec! You aren't using this advantage to steal me back, are you?" I demanded, this time. "I thought you said you went to him and he didn't steal you away," he argued. "Whatever, I'm not going to argue with you. Fine, I'll go, but I am talking to Tommy about this first," I replied to his selfish attitude. James left my house in his silver Toyota Eclipse. He tramped through my muddy yard on his way to the car, and he left strange footprints that I would notice anywhere. I watched him drive away from my home in Houston, Texas. Then I turned around and walked back into my house. I called Tommy and demanded that he come over. He did as I expected he would. "I don't think so!" Tommy yelled. "C'mon Tommy. Yeah, so he's a jerk, but he's the only chance of me doing this. I want to live out my dream of flying in the air," I begged. "He just started doing this job. Do you really think he's a safe prop- plane pilot yet? Do you really trust him with your life?" he interrogated. "Yes," I replied, sternly. "Well sweetie, I'm not with you on this, but go ahead and do what you want to do. I don't want to be the guy who stops you from living out your dreams," he replied, caring. I walked him to the door as he gave me a light kiss. "I'll meet you at the ground tomorrow," he said as he brushed away my blonde hair from my face to gaze into my tranced blue eyes. He got into his blue Mercedes Benz convertible, which was parked next to my red Mustang Cobra convertible. Tommy drove away as a wet tear ran down my rosy cheeks. Why should I cry? I would see Tommy tomorrow, at the ground. I was still standing at the door when my parents pulled into the driveway. I was still in a daze when they got out of the Lincoln Continental. My mom then said, "Honey, why are you outside?" I then snapped out of it. "Oh, I just needed some fresh air," I lied. My parents didn't really approve of Tommy. That's why I didn't tell them I had just walked him out. I was seventeen years old. I could live my own life. I didn't need my parents eavesdropping on my life. "Come on in, Mom, Dad. I have some incredible news," I said. They came inside. I fixed them some iced tea and then sat down in the loveseat as I told them about the amazing gift. "Oh honey, that's wonderful!" my mom shouted, joyfully. She had always approved of James. I think she wanted me to fall madly in love with him. I guess that's why she didn't approve of Tommy since I went to him instead of staying with James. "So when does this happen.?" my dad asked, "Tomorrow!" I excitedly replied. That night, I didn't sleep. I was so excited. I kept picturing myself doing this, but still, it seemed unreal. I really could believe that all of this was happening. I was overjoyed. I was still curious as to why I had a deep, dark feeling of trouble. I had cried when Tommy left. Now, that was unusual. Just thing about Tommy driving away from me made me burst into tears. I heavily cried myself to sleep. I awoke still very tired the next morning. The scent of pancakes filled the air. I then remembered what would happen today. A rush of excitement flowed through my entire body. I immediately rushed to the phone to call Tommy. "Hello?" Tommy answered. "Tommy! It is so comforting to hear your soothing voice," I anxiously told him. "Okay. so what's up this early in the morning?" he rushed. "Well, if it's too early." I replied. "No, go ahead Casey," he said in a relaxing way. "This may sound really stupid," I replied, "I have a bad feeling about today and not seeing you before I reach the ground." There was a long moment of silence. My mom broke the silence by shouting, "Casey! Get up! Come downstairs! Breakfast is ready!" "Tommy, sorry, but I gotta go. I'll call later. I promise. See ya, bye," I hurriedly said. "Yeah, see ya. Bye," he said as he clicked off the phone. I gently put down the phone. That didn't help very much. Did I have to see him? I didn't know. My mom hollered once more. My door flew open as I pushed it. It banged against the wall as I fleeted down the stairs. My mother plopped a plate of hot mouth-watering pancakes in front of me as I sat down at the kitchen table. My dad was reading the newspaper, as usual, and my mom sipped at her black coffee. "Good morning, sweetie," my mom greeted me. "Good morning to you guys, too," I replied, "Dad? Earth to Dad." "Oh, Casey. Sorry. interesting article. good morning, honey." My dad had always seen himself as an important superior man. He was, of course, to me, since he was my dad, but he thought he was the powerful one in everyone's eye. I guess you could say he was a little self-involved, but I loved him anyway. My mom was a very typical mother. She always joins committees, drinks coffee, and always tries to act like your best friend. "So sweetie, are you excited about skydiving today?" my father asked. "Oh yeah, I really am! How could I not be? Just thinking about it makes me really excited," I fibbed. I wasn't as excited about jumping anymore, like I first was. My feelings only factored in with bad things and not good things. This wasn't supposed to be good. This was supposed to be great! I had already made my decision though, and I would look really dumb if I backed out now. After all, skydiving was my dream. As soon as I finished eating my steaming-hot pancakes, I climbed the stairs and went into my bedroom. I hurriedly put on a long-sleeve shirt that said "GIRL" on it and some long blue jeans. I figured that I should dress warmly. I suddenly remembered my promise to call Tommy back. I picked up the phone and pressed "Speed Dial" one. I got a busy signal. Darn it! Oh well, I'll try back later, I thought to myself. I jumped out of my thoughts and back into reality as the ring of the phone startled me. "Hello?" I asked in a shaky tone. "Casey. it's James. Are you okay?" he asked, concerned. "Yeah, the phone just startled me," I replied. "Oh, okay. Look, can you meet me in the airport by security at Terminal A?" James questioned. "I can walk all the way to the prop-plane," I stated. "Uhh. I just don't want you to walk that far alone," he said in a weird tone. "Well, I will walk that far alone! Where do you want Tommy to meet me? He will meet me on the ground, of course, but where am I landing?" I asked excitedly. "You will land in that field, uhh. Gary's Cross, yeah, that's right," he replied. "Okay, what time should I be at the airport, and what time should Tommy be at Gary's Cross?" I asked. "Meet me at 10:30 this morning and you should tell Tommy to be at Gary's Cross at 11:40," James replied. "That soon? Well, okay. I'd better call Tommy and tell him. Bye," I said quickly and hung up with giving him a chance to answer. I dialed Tommy's number and this time there was a ring. "Hello?" Tommy greeted. "Hi Tommy, I gotta make this quick. Go to Gary's Cross, be there by 11:40 A.M. That's where I will land when I jump," I said hurriedly. "Okay, I'll be there," he replied. "Okay, bye," I replied with a yelp. "Bye," he managed to say. Click! This was so confusing. By the tone of Tommy's "Bye", it sounded like he had a fear, too. I glanced at my baby blue wristwatch. 9:40! I have to leave right now. I grabbed my car keys and breezed down the steps. "I'm leaving!" I yelled to my parents. "Okay!" I heard a replying call. I unlocked my front door and stepped outside. It was a beautiful day! I walked over to my Mustang Cobra, unlocked it, got in, and then started the engine. I carefully put it in reverse and backed off into the street. "James!" I said as I greeted him at the prop-plane. "We gotta go," he said as he tugged me into the plane. There was a long silence as he put my skydiving equipment on. He then cautiously told me what to do. He told me that when I jump to wait about ten seconds after the fall and then to pull the cord that would let out my parachute. He checked over me to make sure that everything was in order and then that it would work right. He assured me that it would. He then took my watch so I wouldn't "accidentally" loose any valuables. At last, he went to the pilot's seat. We then lifted off. I was in a daze the whole flight until James shouted over the loud noise,
"Are you ready?" "Yes," I replied as I stood up. He gave me no reminder of what to do, which I thought was unusual. "Anytime, you can jump anytime, but just hurry. we're. uhh. burning gas," he stammered. I walked to the edge of the plane where the door had been opened for me. and. I was flying! One. two. three. four. five. six. seven. eight. nine. ten! I pulled the cord. No parachute! I looked down below me and saw a grassy death.