River Black stared at her phone’s screen through tear-filled eyes, the last text she’d received a watery haze. It wasn’t a surprise, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. And it couldn’t have come at a worse time. She fought the urge to hurl her phone into the ravine, and tucked it into the back pocket of her jeans, wiping her face.

At least the view was nice. She could see so many stars, so many more than when she was sitting on her roof at night at home in the city. River hadn’t wanted to go on the camping trip with her parents, but they’d begged and pleaded, and she just didn’t have the heart to tell them no. Now, she wasn’t sure if she was glad or not that she came.

It was nice to get away from everything. She didn’t even have cell signal. But as they had pulled into the campground, the sun setting, she received one last text before all her bars dropped to one, then to no signal. All she wanted to do was respond.

Jason, her boyfriend of two years, had just broken up with her. Over text. She didn’t want to respond to beg him not to, but something. Anything. Now, she was stuck here for three days with no signal, no way of telling him what she really thought. River wanted to tell him she already knew he was cheating. She wanted to have the last word.

Her parents, tired after driving for three hours and after putting up their tents, had already gone to sleep. Their campfire barely smoldered and it was coffin dark outside. River liked it though. She sat on a big, flat rock overlooking a deep ravine that sat at the edge of the woods. There was a soft, cool breeze that carried the scent of coming autumn, dead leaves and wet earth. Closing her eyes, she tried to let it go, let the tension bleed out of her neck and shoulders.