After Cook-Out

I turned onto the dirt road leading up to the tower. I took Gabby's hand and smiled at her. Every second she gets more beautiful, not a single flaw to her. Like that song, her looks, laugh, the way she loves with all she has, there's nothin' bout her that don't do somethin' for me.

She smiled back at me and bit her lip while she squeezed my hand. "So is there a reason you wanted to skip today? I mean its Friday. We could've gone out tomorrow. You know I was looking forward to the Superman assembly; I wanted to at least see him if not only just drool at the idea. Do you just not want to be there?"

She'd brought that up again. Of course I already dislike him enough, but when my girl gets eyes for him it makes me straight up pissed. "Baby, I just wanted to have today with you. For us."

She leaned over and kissed my hand, "And you also don't want my attention towards another man. John, you know I prefer my own big brown eyed guy, even to the man of steel. He's hot and all but he's got nothin' on you. I promise."

That's my girl. Always makin' me feel like I'm number one. "Gabs, that is one of the last things I'm worried about. I just don't like the guy. Couldn't tell you why but there's just something about him like that." I pulled up to the tower, finally. It's pretty secluded. Just Carolina mud and woods for at least a mile. Gabby loved it ever since I first brought her, here. I put my truck in park just before my girl dashed out the door and over to the ladder. Gosh I love her. I got out and started to climb after her as fast as I could. Then I stopped and looked down, big mistake. The water tower might only be about 60ft tall and I might only be 20ft up, but that doesn't stop my phobia. I almost lose my grip when I saw the ground start spinning, but that cute laugh brings me back to where I am. I keep climbing up to where she's already sitting swinging her tan little legs. The way the early afternoon sun fell over her face and the hair that cascaded over her shoulder, you'd think she's a goddess. I feel sorry that I'd ever hurt her, or put her through what I did. Someone this beautiful doesn't deserve to cry over pain like that. I don't know if she still thinks about it, or falls asleep crying over it, but I'd do anything to take it back. Anything, as long as she knows I love her and won't ever hurt her again. I'm not gonna treat her like he did; no more bruises on her arms or thighs. She's mine and nothing will hurt her or take her from me. I'll make damn sure of it.

I sat down, careful to look only at her and not the ground. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her head. It felt like a year before she spoke. "Baby? I need to tell you something."

"Can I say something first? Please?" My pocket got heavy all of a sudden, I got nervous. Could I do it and not look like an idiot?

"Sure. Say whatever you need to." She pulled her legs up, which she crossed while she faced me. Those green eyes, I want to look in them every morning from now on.

"I cannot stand to be apart from you. I know my parents get in the way, but you're my girl. You're the one for me. The only one, and I know I'm the only one for you. And I want it to be this way for a long, long time. So please, baby-" I pulled it out of my pocket while I took her hand, it was silver with emeralds like her eyes and diamonds that shined almost as bright as her smile, "Will you be my wife? My high school wife, for now if that's enough for you?"

I couldn't say anything else as she lunged at me, "Baby of course I will! Yes yes yes yes!" She nailed me with kisses all over, but then she slowed.

"John I need to talk now." She bit her lip and I could tell she wasn't sure.

"Alright baby tell me, you can trust me. I promise."

She still lay on top of me and started to cuddle down, putting her head on my chest and looking into my eyes. We didn't have much room; the ledge was only about three feet wide with one thin railing. "Well you know that my family is kind of…weird but-"

She stopped; both of us felt the shaking of the ground below us, as it grew steadier the tower shook. The metal started to creak and what sounded like popping screws started up. I grabbed her and held her to my body while her nails dug into my arms. Then it stopped almost as soon as it started, but then something happened. The ground had stopped shaking but the tower hadn't. Suddenly we shifted, one of the support beams had broken, the one closest to us. She screamed my name as she started to fall over the side, clinging to my arm.

The fall wouldn't be enough to kill us, maybe break a bone, but if the tower fell to, there'd be more than one or two bones. The tower continued to shift and I heard a final large creak and turned my head to see a part of the top break and water start spurting out all over, soaking me completely. It made it harder for me to see while the water covered me as it poured out. I couldn't register anything, nothing except that she began to slip. The tower fell again, this time more so, this time her arm slipped out of my hand and her grip on my arm slipped. I was able to grab her hand and began to pull her up into my arms but with the water rushing down and the metal slick, I lost my footing and then both of us were falling, she was still in my arms and I gripped tighter as we fell. I heard her scream in my ear – glass shattering scream, but we never hit the ground. And the tower never fell. I couldn't do anything but hold her in my arms and keep my eyes shut for fear of anything happening. Then I heard her whisper "John….john, how are you doing this" I opened my eyes and saw we were sideways, three feet from the ground. But we weren't touching it; we were above it in the air. I turned to look up and saw that tower was being held up and pushed back into place. By Superman. Great.