So, I’ve had this story tucked away for awhile and just never typed a detailed recount of the events… so I hope y’all enjoy! **Skip to the bold section if you just want the good stuff.**
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It was the fall semester of my senior year in college, two years back from present day. I had just finished a particularly rough semester of Biochemistry and A&P, and had several daunting finals looming. My university had a few “dead days” in between the end of classes and the start of finals, intended for intense cram-sessions and fervent studying.
I, however, decided I needed to decompress and not study. So I called my friend Susie to see if she wanted to take a quick backpacking trip with me.
Susie and I had a… complicated relationship. We were never that interested in dating each other, but we were very close friends and flirted constantly. She was always that girl that I just never pictured being with in any meaningful way, but we always meshed really well and were comfortable around each other. She let me know that she was down for a few days backpacking with me.