When Rion left the principal’s office, he was both sore from his lunch hour beating and exhausted from the lecture he’d been forced to sit through. He’d lost count of the number of times Mr. Dupont told him he was ‘lucky he wasn’t being suspended’, and how his father was going to hear about this.

“Good fucking luck getting my dad to pick up a phone,” Rion grumbled under his breath.

There was still one final class for the day. History. Rion couldn’t care less. Mrs. Brown only wanted them to memorize dates and Rion was likely to fall asleep to the sound of her elderly, droning voice.

So, instead of going to class and napping until home time, he walked down the empty halls to the vending machine near the gym.

Rion bought himself a root beer, holding the cold bottle of pop to his bruised eye. He heaved a breath, standing there for a moment, letting himself zone out while it eased his stinging skin. He reminded himself that a teacher could show up any moment. He couldn’t stand around.

He stopped by his locker, grabbing his things, slinging his backpack over one shoulder. With one final glance at the empty halls, he turned for the main entrance and started to walk. The only sounds were his shoes on the linoleum and muffled noises of classes behind closed doors.

Grade twelve… Assuming Rion actually passed his classes, he’d never have to come back after graduation.

Good riddance.

Rion gave up on using the root beer to soothe his black eye, cracking it open and taking a long sip on his way out the front door. He was glad he did. It was still early September and walking outside, he immediately felt the heat of the afternoon prairie sun.

It was gross. He wished the weather would take a turn and start snowing already. This was the worst part of autumn, where the days were still hot and dry. Rion wanted everything cold and gloomy – the sooner, the better.

Rion took his time walking home, nursing his drink. It was quiet outside, no people around, no dirty looks thrown his way. Despite the heat beating down on him, it wasn’t a bad walk home. He took a shortcut he normally wouldn’t take, wandering through the empty park.

Eventually, he turned down his street. Rion didn’t know what to do when he got home. He contemplated his options, recalling that he’d downloaded some new shows last weekend…

His steps slowed as he neared his house. There was a giant moving truck parked at the end of the street. It was impossible to miss. Rion studied it with mild curiosity.

The house on the end had sold about a week ago, but this was the first time he’d seen anyone stop by. Rion wondered what sad person decided to move to Misty Meadows dreaming of an idyllic life on the prairie.

As Rion got closer, he thought that some of the people unloading the moving truck looked familiar. He came to a stop, realizing it wasn’t his imagination.

Was that really…?

A young man with a box in his arms spotted Rion. He handed it off to another mover and waved with both hands enthusiastically, grinning.

“Rion! Hey, Rion!” the young man called out. “Long time, no see!”

Rion was frozen, his breath caught. It wasn’t just shock but intense, painful nostalgia.

The young man came jogging down the sidewalk, someone calling out a sharp, “Danny!” from next to the truck. Grinning, the youth barrelled into Rion, pulling him into a tight, unprompted hug. It stung Rion’s bruises, but he returned the gesture reflexively.

“Am I ever glad to see you!” Danny said into his shoulder before pulling away with a bark of laughter. “How’s it going, man? It’s been ages!”

Rion fought hard to find his voice.

Daniel Fox hadn’t changed one bit. He was cheerful and warm, with energy enough to rival an excited army of puppies. His hair was neatly trimmed and as dark as his eyes, his complexion swarthy. He was stocky and short, so short that Rion wasn’t even sure he’d grown in the six years they’d been apart. Rion was one of the shortest in his grade and Danny was still looking up at him, despite being a year older.

“I… Hi…” Rion said. “You’re… Wow.”

“Right?” Danny laughed. “Bet you never thought you’d see me again, huh? Oh man, it’s so weird moving back! Like, we’re not even moving to the same house, so everything is different. But hey! We’re practically neighbours! Isn’t that great?”

“Yeah…” Rion said, searching for anything else to say.

His mind was still fighting to process the fact that Danny – an older, more mature Danny – was standing right in front of him.

“Danny, can you catch up later?” Mr. Fox, Danny’s dad, called from next to the moving truck. “These boxes aren’t going to move themselves!”

“Coming!” Danny called back before giving Rion an apologetic smile. “Sorry. We’ve got lots to unpack. We really need to catch up, though!”

Rion hesitated. He felt awkward and lost. His instinct told him he should walk away and go home. He should smile, say goodbye, and head into his own house. But Danny was such a strong reminder of how things used to be, what Rion used to have…

It was the first time in years that anyone had given Rion such a warm greeting. He couldn’t remember the last time someone was happy to see him, waved at him with a smile, or hugged him. His head felt fuzzy, and an unfamiliar weight settled in his chest.

He wanted more. Rion had an overwhelming desire to reconnect with Danny. The weight in his chest turned into an ache that kept him rooted to the spot.

“Why don’t I give you a hand unpacking?” Rion offered. “It looks like it’s just you, your dad, and the movers.”

“Mom’s here too, but she’s sorting things out inside,” Danny said. “My brothers are all busy in the city, doing university or college or whatever. So yeah, it couldn’t hurt to have an extra set of hands. That’s awesome of you to offer.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Rion told him. “I don’t have anything going on right now.”

“You’re the best!” Danny said, all smiles. “Come on. I bet Mom and Dad would love to say hi.”

Rion followed Danny back to the truck. He felt weird, each step he took strangely light. The whole situation was surreal, like some kind of dream.

Danny was moving back to Misty Meadows. He was going to be living here again. It was so strange. Rion hadn’t seen him since…

Since the funeral.

Rion suddenly felt cold despite the hot sun beating down on him.

“Hey,” Danny’s dad said as they came up. Rion was happy for the distraction, allowing himself to be drawn from his thoughts.

Mr. Fox was tall and fit, muscular with a sturdy build. Rion always felt small standing next to him and that hadn’t changed. It was hard to see the resemblance between him and Danny. Mr. Fox was a blue-eyed blond, pretty much the opposite of his son.

“Hello, Mr. Fox,” Rion said.

“Rion, I’ve known you since pre-school. You can call me Greg,” the man chuckled. “Good to see you again. You got taller!”

“I guess,” Rion said, glancing away.

“Rion offered to help us,” Danny said.

“Are you sure?” Mr. Fox asked, looking taken aback as he looked Rion over. “You… Is that a black eye? Are you okay?”

“I got into a fight at school,” Rion said, wanting to be direct and move on. In reality, he flailed uselessly while he’d taken a beating. Calling it a fight made it sound a lot less pathetic. “What needs to go where? I want to help.”

Mr. Fox hesitated, still looking concerned.

“If you’re sure you want to… We just need to get everything into the house for now,” Mr. Fox told him. “We can sort the rest out once it’s inside.”

“Sure thing,” Rion said with a smile. “It’s actually kind of cool that you’re moving back.”

“Ha, well, the construction job didn’t pan out the way I expected,” Mr. Fox said, handing him a box from the moving truck.

“Dad’s got plans to open up a business down at the lake,” Danny added as he grabbed a box himself. “We bought a place out there too. Mom’s on board with the whole thing and once Russ is done college, he might come help.”

“We’ll see how it works out,” Mr. Fox said. “Until then, we’re depending on my lovely wife and her return to commuting to her office in the city. Might be tough for a while.”

They headed in with the boxes and once Rion set down the one he was carrying, he dropped his backpack in a chair along with the bottle of root beer. The living room was filled with boxes already, some of the hired movers putting stuff down and grabbing more things from the truck. Rion recognized some of it, furniture and lamps and other stuff that had been around when they were kids.

Danny’s mom, Althea Fox, was there. She was a curvaceous woman and the cause of Danny’s shortness. She was the same height as her son. Her kids got all their genetics from her.

Rion had always liked Mrs. Fox. She was as friendly as Danny and treated most of her son’s friends like they were her own children. Rion liked to imagine that was what his own mother was like, since he couldn’t remember much about her.

“Rion!” Mrs. Fox gushed the moment she saw him. She hurried over to pull him into a tight hug, just like her son had.  He tried not to wince.  “Oh, look at you! You got so tall! It’s so good to see you again!”

Rion pulled back with a smile. “It’s really good to see you too, Mrs. Fox.”

“Oh, you silly. It’s Althea– What happened to your eye?!”

“I got into a fight at school,” Rion explained again. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

“Who would hit your pretty face! You poor thing!” Mrs. Fox continued. “I don’t have any ice right now…”

“It’s fine,” Rion tried to reassure her, holding up his hands. “Really.”

“He’s trying to help us unload the moving truck, Mom,” Danny said with a roll of his eyes. “You’re going to smother him and I’m going to die of embarrassment.”

“I’m not smothering him,” Mrs. Fox said. “Rion, if you’re hurt, you shouldn’t be working.”

“Thank you, really, but I’m okay,” Rion told her. “I mean it.”

Mrs. Fox reluctantly let Rion return to helping. It didn’t take too long with all of them and movers working together. Soon enough they were done, and Mr. Fox forced a twenty on him for his help. Rion tried to refuse but both of Danny’s parents insisted.

“I should get going,” Rion said, mostly because he was worried they would invite him over for supper. If they did, he wouldn’t be able to refuse. “I have homework and stuff to do, so…”

“Sure. Hey, I’ll walk you home,” Danny said.

“Danny, I’m practically across the street,” Rion said.

“I know but I want to maximize every second with you,” Danny said with a wide smile. “I have alllll the catching up to do.”

“Fine, if that’s really what you want,” Rion relented.

He said his goodbyes to Danny’s parents and headed across the road. Danny stuck with him and they walked over to Rion’s place. It was across the street and four doors down.

“So, how is everyone?” Danny asked.

Rion had relaxed, enjoying the company of Danny and his family. It was so sweet and familiar that it hurt, reminding him of the old days. What he wouldn’t give to have things be how they used to be back when they were kids…

But Danny’s question sobered him.

“I don’t know,” Rion said.

“What?” Danny laughed. “Come on, don’t joke around. How’s Sarina? And Noa… How’s he been?”

Rion stopped on his doorstep, pulling out his keys and playing with them in his hand. He stood there too long, not wanting to answer. Once he found his resolve, he turned back to Danny.

“Noa… He’s barely left his house since…you know…” Rion said, unable to say the words.

“Amber?” Danny asked, his expression becoming serious, mournful.

“Yeah,” Rion confirmed, swallowing hard. “I haven’t seen him since…then.”

“But you’re best friends,” Danny said.

Rion smiled bitterly and shrugged. “I hear he’s basically mute now. I don’t know. We haven’t seen each other in years.”

“Wow,” Danny said, both surprised and put out. “That… That’s crazy. You two were so close. I… Yeah… Uh… What about Peter? Or, you know, Celeste? Jesse? …Travis…?”

“We don’t talk either,” Rion said.

“Why?” Danny asked. “You must hang out with someone… Sarina, right? You guys were in the same grade with Noa. I know she can be annoying sometimes, but…”

“Sarina gave me this black eye,” Rion said. “She hangs out with Eric and Monique these days.”

Danny stared at him, wide-eyed in disbelief. Rion couldn’t meet his gaze for long before he turned away.

“Wh-why? Why would she do that?” Danny finally managed to ask. “It doesn’t make sense. How could she?”

“Things aren’t how they used to be,” Rion said. “When Amber… Everything changed. People went their separate ways.”

“I don’t get it…” Danny said, shaking his head. “I don’t…”

“It’s probably better for you to stay away from me,” Rion told him. “At least if you want to stay friends with everyone else.”

“What the hell…” Danny began then stopped. “Is that why you’re not wearing your friendship bracelet?”

The question was like a stab to the heart. It left a real, physical ache in Rion’s chest. His hand went to his bare wrist.

He hadn’t worn anything there, not even a watch, these past six years.

Even worse, now Rion realized that Danny still had his friendship bracelet. He was wearing it. The red and orange weave was old and worn but it seemed like Danny had never taken it off.

Rion was ashamed.

“If I don’t tell you, someone else will. Probably Sarina,” Rion said. “I cut up my friendship bracelet and threw it away.”

Danny was shocked into silence. He gaped at Rion, stunned. Rion couldn’t look at him, couldn’t meet his eye. It hurt too much.

“That… But Rion…” Danny finally said. “Amber… Amber made those bracelets for us…”

“Amber’s dead.”

With that said, Rion needed to get away. His heart was pounding in his chest. He felt hot – too hot. He needed to be somewhere else and fast.

Rion turned to his house, turning the key in the lock, and stepped inside without another word to Danny, who was left on his front step. He locked the door behind him and slid down to the floor, curling in on himself, covering his head with his hands.

He should have known better. He should have known that he couldn’t talk to Danny. Things weren’t how they used to be.

Rion sucked in a painful breath, closing his eyes tight.