Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness, death, and addiction.

When Charlie and Garrett meet, Charlie experiences an event immediately afterward that cements their friendship and becomes a moment that sticks with him throughout his life: In a moment of horseplay with Garrett, Charlie slips on the icy ground and then, losing control, slides into traffic and is nearly struck by an oncoming car. Garrett pulls Charlie by the arm to safety, and Charlie credits him with saving his life. As Garrett takes Charlie to the hospital, the bond between them is cemented at an unusually fast pace, and both young men are certain that they will remain committed friends for life. This action leaves Charlie feeling indebted to Garrett until Garrett “steals” Cece from Charlie. That Garrett successfully prevents Charlie from becoming seriously hurt contrasts with the events of Elias’s death: In this case, though Garrett is both the expert skier of the group and the one with knowledge of avalanches, his efforts to dig Elias out of the snow drift are futile. These two early incidents stick with Garrett for the rest of his life, constantly informing his adult sense of self: the friend he saved and the friend he could not save.