Tricky Keg Stands

I Need You (alternate ending)

Summer, 1983. In bare feet on wet grass we're jumping past puddles to the trampoline she got for her 10th birthday.

I hold her hand to help her onto the tramp. More worried about holding her skirt down than falling over, we flop over the edge. She lets out a cute yelp, laughing as we crawl to the middle. The mat is damp, but we don't care.

We lie on our backs, side-by-side, just like always. There's not a star in the sky and the street lights shine with orange halos through the thick air.

Stretching her hands toward the sky she says, "Do you think you'll have trouble remembering me someday?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I mean, we've been friends forever."

"yeah?"

"Next year we'll be so far apart. I'll be sad when you forget about me."

She turns over and starts bouncing. "I almost don't want to go."

She springs up and comes down hard. With that, the trampoline bounced me directly under her. Coming down on me in a flailing mess of arms and legs, she yells, "JACK!" She grabbed onto me hard to stop the bounce.

With her arms wound tightly around my waist she yells, "Oh my god, I need you!"

"Whaaaahh?" I tense up.

She looks up at me, "I need you!"

I push her away, "but..." my jaw drops.

"Oh my god, are you ok????" She's laughing.

"You need me?" I'm shaking my head. "But, we've been friends for..."

Still laughing she cuts me off, "No, I need you."

"I know. I heard what you said."

"No! No! No! I neeeeeeed you."

"But... But... What about..."

"No, dammit!" She points to her knee. "I kneed you. I kneed you in the balls. Are you ok?"

"oh... yeah, I'm fine... Are you?"

She nods, "yeah, I'm fine."

I hesitate for a second. "Isn't it funny how the highway always sounds further away on nights like this?"

"ummm... yeah."

(see the original here)