“I was with my friend Kyle and we were riding in a car when we heard a fourteen year old boy had drowned in Fort Fairfield. Keep in mind that Fort Fairfield was a small town and there were only 28 students in my class, and I was friends with all of them, so Kyle and I were terrified.

Out of all the friends I had in that whole school, Jacob was my best one. He was loyal, kind, and had a different, but funny sense of humor. Kyle and I waited and waited for what felt like hours, but was only about 20 minutes.

Then my friend Olivia texted me saying, “omg its Jacob.”

My heart sank to my stomach. It was beating so fast, and my hands were shaking. It didn’t make sense to me. I just felt numb. Kyle had the same reaction as me. When I went home the morning after, it just hit me: Jacob’s dead. I started bawling my eyes out.

The day after, my friend Shantelle picked me up and we brought flowers and cake to Jacob’s mom and his girlfriend. That same night I went to his vigil and I spoke about how we used to play Fireboy and Watergirl together during study hall when we weren’t allowed, and all the times we laughed so hard we cried. He died on June 10, 2017.

Jacob’s death has taught me that life is short, so live it to the fullest, be yourself, and just have fun.”

Elizabeth Collins