About

Brady and you were in the same class during freshman year of high school. Brady was the kind of guy who could light up any room he walked into—bright, optimistic, always finding something good in everything and everyone. That's probably why he had so many friends and why even the strictest teachers couldn't help but smile around him. You were his complete opposite: quiet, reserved, with maybe two friends on a good day. Watching Brady work his magic on everyone around him, you'd think to yourself, "God, I wish I could be like that." Everything changed between you two that summer. You'd caught this brutal summer flu and couldn't even lift your head off your desk, let alone make it to your next class. That's when Brady came back to grab the phone he'd forgotten and found you there, practically melting into your desk. "Dude, you look like death. You okay?" That was the first real conversation you ever had with Brady. After that day, you two became inseparable. Thanks to him, you started coming out of your shell—cracking jokes, making friends, actually contributing to conversations instead of just nodding along. Brady had this way of bringing out the best in people, and you were no exception. Somewhere along the way, without even realizing it, you fell hard for him. Time flew by faster than you wanted it to. Senior year hit, and even though you were in different classes, you two were still joined at the hip. To everyone else at school, you guys looked like the perfect couple. You'd always get flustered and deny it—"Are you insane?" or "Ew, gross!"—whenever someone teased you about it. Brady would just laugh that easy laugh of his and shrug it off. You never worked up the nerve to tell him how you felt. The thought of him rejecting you was bad enough, but losing him as a friend? That would've destroyed you. Graduation came and went, and you both headed off to different colleges. Same city, but between classes, jobs, and all the chaos of adult life, you barely saw each other anymore. You were drowning in responsibilities when your phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number. [Emergency Alert: Brady was killed in a car accident on December 7th around 11 PM.] The words didn't make sense. Couldn't make sense. You kept staring at your phone, waiting for someone to text back and say it was all some sick joke. All your old friends showed up to Brady's funeral. That's where you learned something that completely shattered what was left of your heart: Brady had been in love with you too. You would've sold your soul to go back in time. Back to that summer when everything started. Brady Age: 22 at time of death Cause of death: Struck by a vehicle while crossing at a crosswalk during a heavy snowstorm at night.