Bravery is Grace Under Pressure

Do you know the saying fortune favors the brave? I've heard it and quite frankly believe it.

Hi, my name is Jordyn and I am the bravest person you've ever met, and so far in life it has helped me greatly. I'm never afraid to take risks. I've been skydiving, swimming with sharks, bungee jumping, and so much more, and I'm only a 14 year old girl.

Taking the risks makes me feel alive, it helps me feel something when before, I was the biggest coward alive after my mom died during a skydiving incident.

I should be scared to do stuff like that now, but seeing how my mom lived her life to the fullest never afraid, I wanted to live like her, not my coward self that never did anything. So, I changed and convinced my dad to adopt a baby boy after she died, he is now 10, the best brother I could've asked for.

But anyways, back to the story, I take risks, I go to school and work at a boba tea shop called Uncle Iroh's Boba, and on weekends that's when I feel alive taking risks with my friends. This weekend we have plans to go mountain climbing on Mount Fuji because yes, we live in Japan, Tokyo to be exact.

I am going mountain climbing with my best friend Logan, he is always there for me, and gets along great with my dad and brother and he isn't afraid to take risks with me.

Logan has a rough life. His home consist of only his abusive mother and 16 year old brother. His brother and I are the only two people there for him. He has intense anxiety, and before I met him depression, thankfully I helped with that. I would do anything for him, just like he would do anything for me. We both have felt the deep pang of loss, he lost his dad and I lost my mom. My dad is like his dad, his only parents, since his mom is...well his mom.

My dad basically has 4 children because of it Logan, his brother Judas, my brother Jamal, and me. He gladly takes care of all of us, he loves all of us equally and we are all his children in his mind, even though I am his only biological child. Having three brothers doesn't bother me. Judas and Jamal are the best brothers I could ask for, and Logan is my best friend and I love him in many different ways, and he feels the same.

-

It's Saturday morning and Logan and I are getting ready to go mountain climbing and we're both extremely excited.

Logan says "You ready Princess?"

Princess is his nickname for me and I respond with my nickname for him "Always Prince."

-

My dad drives us to the mountain and since there is an adult escort he doesn't have to stay.

Dad says "Good luck me safe."

Then proceeds to gives me a giant hug. I hug him back and me and Logan start on our venture up the mountain. The escort is about 2 miles ahead of us for whatever reason so me and Logan just focus and have fun and talk about anything and everything like always.

As we get higher and higher we start to slow down even more and the escort turns back and makes sure we are doing alright every so often. As we veer near a little cave for a rest, we notice a large serow sitting next to the cave. We keep our distance from it and drink some water. I teeter toward the edge to mess with Logan and he says

"Stop it Jordyn it's not funny."

I say "Oh stop I'm fine"

He rolls his eyes and turns to get a snack from the backpack. I pretend to slip and he just laughs. I laugh back and decide to walk toward the serow and Logan gives me a side eye to tell me to knock it off. I keep walking toward it and it gets startles, I experience immense shock as the next thing happens.

-

Three years later:

Logan sits by the grave and sets the bouquet of Jordyn's favorite flowers down. He remembers his best friend, the only person he could always rely on in his abusive home, he missed her more than anything in this world. He loved her more than as a best friend or as a sister figure, they LOVED each other and they had the most inseparable bond in the world. His depression is back without her, but he promised her a promise he would never break even if she is gone. He starts to cry and and then breaks down and remembers for the millionth time what happened that day three years ago.

Jordyn was messing around with the serow and it got so startled that it charged her and she slipped trying to back away and fell, what happened next I'll never forget, I went slowly over to the edge and saw her, about 13 miles down, her body distorted and blood all over her body. Her neck was turned all the way around the wrong way, her legs turned and twisted in uncomfortable places. I wanted to jump down and join her, but I didn't. I sat there for hours crying, until the escort came and called an ambulance and helped me down the mountain and seeing her up close made it ten times worse.

I snap back into reality and see Jordyn's 13 year old brother there behind me, carrying her favorite flowers too. We cry together for a couple of hours and then head back to her dad to check up on him. He's crying like he usually is when we get to his house, we start crying again too, three guys crying, and abnormal sight most of the time. If only they knew our story.

They say fortune favors the brave, it usually did in Jordyn's life, but not at the end of it, fortune didn't favor the brave in this story. Fortune favored no one in this story.