„Jack is getting married, huh?” I mumbled from over the bottle of cold Bud Light. Not that I was shaken by the news. Jack liked to present himself as a family man. But it took him quite some time. “At last, I guess...”

”Indeed, Barry, indeed.” My interlocutor was looking at me with a suspiciously wide smile. 

“Who’s the lucky lady? Do I know her?”

I had lost touch with Jack shortly after sophomore year. Maybe if I hadn’t dropped out, things would’ve turned out differently, I thought. No… 

I eyed the cocky bastard I was facing. His hair was polished, beard meticulously trimmed, as if drawn with a ruler, a Gitman Bros. Shirt with rolled up sleeves was uncovering a silver hand watch shining proudly on his wrist. The guy had an aura of confidence I could only dream of. He was the type who could sell you your own pile of garbage and make you thank him for it. Real estate makes good money, but it doesn’t make you a decent person. At least not in Jared’s case.

Well, if Jared was the kind of friend Jack liked to keep close, there was never a place for someone like me in his inner circle. 

“Hell, you do!” Jared, pleased with himself, reached for an onion ring before continuing. “Mary. Virgin Mary Nelson herself, his high school sweetheart. You remember her, right?” 

“I’m pretty sure they didn’t start dating until college, you know?” I tried to keep a neutral face, when a sickening feeling clenched my stomach.

Mary was a good pick. One of those Mormon girls pairing up with well-behaved boys. Oh was she the one your best friend tells you not to worry about… The second she laid her eyes on Jack, I was jealous. They were a perfect match. 

“Damn the details, man. Damn the details.” He brushed it off, missing the change in my behavior. “The thing is,” he leaned over the table, as if he was about to reveal some secret, “we’ve got a bachelor party to make.”

“We?” I raised an eyebrow, suddenly realizing what he’d come to me for.

“Come on, won’t you help your old friend for once? You’re a private guide here in Grand Teton, aren’t you? Jack wants something small, something off-road. You know me.” He was gesticulating dynamically. “I’m a simple man. I can arrange a limo, go clubbing, invite the girls, but a mountain getaway? Come on...”

Jared wouldn't contact me for no reason. It had to be something only I could help with. And of all the things it was a bachelor party for my teenage crush... 

Why did I agree? I told myself I came for the paycheck, maybe the scenery. But the truth was, something in me still wanted to see him again. That reckless part. That aching part. The one I never managed to bury.

“Are you sure he won’t get mad?” I asked once more, as we left the bar, a few beers in, after hashing out the details.

”Why would he, really? He asked specifically about you.”

”Did he, though?” I wasn’t so sure…

Jared straightened up and put a hand on my shoulder in a reassuring manner.

“I don’t know why you guys cut off contact. But it doesn’t matter anymore. The past is past. A fresh start, okay? I’m confident Jack feels the same.”

It didn’t take me long to start kicking myself for the decision. Jack, of all people, asking for me? No way. Not after what he did. There are choices that cut the line for good. 

Still, I was curious about his reaction. What would he do, what would he say when he sees me again? What would I say? 

Would I roar him up for disappearing then? For vanishing, ghosting me for weeks, just to come back holding Mary’s hand, as if nothing ever happened between us? Maybe it really was nothing. Maybe it was just me overreacting. Exaggerating as usual…

So yeah, I should’ve really said “no” to Jared’s request. Should’ve let that part of my life stay buried. For the sake of my own peace. 

Yet here I was, prepping the site like we were still on good terms. Like my ex–best friend hadn’t gutted me in silence. 

I knew exactly what would make him happy: hiking, kayaking, drinks by the fire. The things we used to do together. The things we used to love. Before adulthood dulled everything.