He decided to go walking by the river. Something about that river reminded him of Rae. He watched the calm waters, the fish. This was a fishing spot, meaning he would soon come across piers. And for some reason he was drawn that that idea of finding the pier. And he did. He stopped short of the pier, a memory was returning. Please God, let it be the last one he prayed.
"Mrs. Starr, where's Rae?" he asked Roger's mom.
"Oh, honey, she went down to the pier for some air." Roger and Rae's mom said. "She looked upset, and you always make her feel better, maybe you could go check on her?"
H-he made her feel better? He ran through the crowd and into the cold and piercing air. It cut his lungs like daggers. The river. Why in the world would the girl go there? He needed to face it, though. He loved her. Too much. He knew he was young, but he really did love her. He liked how she needed him to make the bad things and the monsters go away.
Speaking of badness and crying, he was her sitting under the pier. As he approached her he heard her sobbing. He saw her body shaking. Did she knew, by some horrible twist of fate, that he was leaving?
"Rae?" he asked.
"J-Jack?" she coughed, sobbing and coughing on her tears.
"Shhh, Rae." He tried to go calm her. "It's okay."
"N-no," she said, "we're getting evacuated b-because of the threats a-and we're headed t-to different places. I'll miss you s-so much."
She would miss him? "Rae, they'll fly us back."
"Th-that doesn't help wh-when I'll still miss you." She cried.
"Rae—"
"And you'll forget all about me and find some other girl a--" She stopped, because she'd said too much.
He pulled her head to his shoulder. "Rae, what if we make a pact?" he asked, "and when we get back, we'll meet down here, under this pier, and talk about us?"
"Really, Jack?" she asked, all her attention on him.
"Yeah."
She stood to leave and hugged him tightly. He loved how she felt when she was pressed against him, her warmth in the cold.