Never in my life did I think that losing a friend could simply come down to a small bucket filled with icy lake water. My adolescent mind was filled with smoky clouds of confusion as to why I had let my ponytailed partner in crime go that day. I met Megan on one of my infamous family vacations that took place in the heavy heated terrain of Osoyoos one summer weekend. As the car screeched to an abrupt stop, the anticipating click of my seat belt was heard as I sped towards the warm sand. My body was then met with the relaxing sun rays and soft silk between my toes. Letting out a sigh as I turned around, I heard a small yelp as I had bumped into a shy girl with silky brown hair like a stallion's mane. Through her big beady eyes, she intently stared up at me, a twinkle shone in her right eye like the blazing sun. I stretched my shaky hand towards her whilst apologizing profoundly, which she brushed off with a grin and laughed “Hey, don't worry about it. I'm a tough cookie.” My heart gracefully twisted and my toes curled as I knew the adventure of friendship had begun. Megan and I were two peas in a pod when the roosters croaked in the morning till the sun fell asleep at night. Always giggling as we would sculpt kingdoms on the shore using yellow pails and tiny shovels, while being covered in grainy sand as if it were clothes. We'd have our backs on damp towels while trying to peek up at the bright light through pink plastic sunglasses. Sometimes, Megan's brother would kick a rainbow patterned beachball around with us as if we were all star players in a soccer match. Our hearts filled with desire whenever we chased each other around like two wild cheetahs when playing tag in the cool lake water. Huge smirks and squeals were made when Megan or I suggested the astonishing game, yet a day came that summer where the fun ended like a train stopping at its final destination. During one round of tag, big droplets of sweat were appearing on my forehead while my ragged breath could be heard from a mile away, as I tried to catch up with my fast friend. I scurried on over to my red backpack perched on top of the old wooden bench and reached for my yellow bucket. Megan was circling around, yelling “Catch me if you can!” as I had a devilish smirk printed across my face. I sprinted to the shore where the icy water touched my hands as the bucket filled up to the point where it was spilling over the edges. “Watch out. Here I come.” I hollered back as I charged towards her, catching her off guard. After about five minutes, she hid behind her older brother, where she then placed her hands on her knees, breathing in and out deeply. “Okay, you've caught me. Now what are you gonna do about it?” My body lit up with satisfaction at her statement and my cloudy mind decided for me as I tossed that yellow bucket in her direction. The water splashed out immediately and as I watched the object in the air, it looked as if it were moving in slow motion. My smile quickly turned into a frown when I realized that I threw, not only the water, but the bucket too and that it wasn't aimed at Megan, but her brother, shielding her from our previous game of tag. The colour drained from my face, a chill running up my spine as I heard the ‘clunk' of the pail and the ‘splash' of the water hit his body. Megan and her brother both gasped in horror as his dry torso was now drenched in lake water. “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!” he screamed with a red face as he glared down at me. Trembling on the spot, my mouth opening and closing, tears rolling down my sun kissed cheeks and when I finally came to my senses, I whispered a quaky “Sorry”. My heart sunk deep like the Titanic as I watched her brother grasp her hand and pull her away from me towards their blue trailer. She glanced over her shoulder as I held my breath, waiting for her to speak, but to my dismay, her eyes wandered off of me as she walked through the door, leaving me behind. After cuddling my mom and wailing like a baby for hours, I understood what I had done and how I could've fixed it. Because ever since that day, I knew that I never wanted to lose another friend all because of a small bucket filled with icy lake water.