Rion had a good time the other day with Noa.

There was still some tension because of their conversation about the friendship bracelet and Sarina. Still, Rion enjoyed the rest of his time playing games with Noa and Peter. He even talked with Mr. and Mrs. Murphy. It was nostalgic.

Rion hadn’t realized how much he missed it. He knew he missed Noa every day, but being there at the Murphys’… It wasn’t quite the same without Amber, but it was nice. Rion felt a sense of belonging, of rightness, that he couldn’t put into proper words.

He had relaxed so much that, before he knew it, time had flown by and he needed to head home. The Murphys told him he could sleep over, but he wanted to get ready for the get-together tomorrow morning. So he had said his goodbyes and headed out.

And then his dad had been there when he got home. They’d both surprised each other, but it was a pleasant surprise. They shared a rare evening where they had supper and watched TV together. It made the day even better and Rion turned in for the night feeling relaxed, falling into a dreamless sleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

The next morning, his dad was already gone when he came down for breakfast. The house felt too empty and those warm feelings from yesterday dimmed. Rion grabbed one of his dad’s coats and headed out, not wanting to be home alone stewing in his thoughts in the heavy silence of the house.

Peter called everyone up last night to make plans and they all agreed to meet up at the park. Rion was there early so he stuffed his hands in his pockets and sat in one of the old swings, rocking himself with his feet.

The air was taking on a cold, winter chill. Most of the leaves had already fallen and Rion had seen traces of frost in the shade on his walk over. It would probably snow before his birthday this year.

Speaking of birthdays, Jesse’s was coming up. Rion remembered that it was at the end of September. If they were all going to start hanging out again, Rion realized he should start thinking about presents…

While Rion was musing to himself, Peter showed up. He didn’t come alone either. Noa was trailing behind him, curling into his scarf and jacket. He perked up when he saw Rion. Noa waved. Rion waved back.

“Hey,” he said when they came over.

“Good morning,” Peter said. “Kinda chilly out. Winter’s on its way.”

“Yeah. But it’s not too bad,” Rion said. “We could all head back to my place if it’s too cold. There’s snacks and stuff and Dad’s not home.”

“I would like to see your game collection but…we’ll see,” Peter said. “Let’s wait for everyone else before we decide anything.”

Noa sat on the swing next to Rion and pulled a Game Boy Advance out of his pocket. He flicked it on, kicking his feet as he tapped away at the buttons before holding it out to Rion.

“Check out my team,” he said.

Rion accepted the GBA and found himself browsing through Noa’s copy of Pokémon Ruby.

“Gardevoir. Nice. I have one too,” Rion said, flashing Noa a smile. “I nicknamed mine Solace after your character from our comic. It seemed to fit.”

Noa smiled. It was that familiar, small, flattered smile that Rion hadn’t seen in years.

He had really missed those micro expressions of Noa’s. Sometimes, he felt like he was the only person who could read Noa. He wasn’t super expressive and people misunderstood him when he was being more reserved.

“I don’t do nicknames,” Noa said. “If I name one, I have to name them all.”

“Yeah. I feel the same,” Rion said. “But naming them is kind of fun.”

“You’ve beat the game, right?” Noa asked.

“Oh yeah,” Rion said. “It’s great. I mean, I wasn’t a fan of all the surfing and diving or the big storm that happens near the end, but I still liked the story and all the new Pokémon. The secret base stuff is cool. It’s just too bad that I don’t have anyone to trade with or whatever. I’d almost like to start my game over.”

He handed the GBA back to Noa, who flicked it off.

“I have Sapphire and a Game Link Cable,” Peter said. “We could trade with you if you want.”

“That would be really cool, actually,” Rion said to him. “I’d appreciate that. I have Yellow, Gold, Crystal, and Ruby. And I have a Game Link Cable and my old Game Boys so I can trade between games. But since Ruby is the only new game that I have, I can’t really trade the new Pokémon.”

“I’m so jealous,” Peter said. “Being able to trade with yourself…”

“You say that but it’s kind of lonely,” Rion said with a little laugh. “I’d rather have more people to play with.”

“Well, you’ve got me and Noa,” Peter told him. “Noa’s pretty good when it comes to games. Don’t take him too lightly.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Rion said.

The others began to arrive as they were talking. Danny was first, but not far behind him was Jesse.

“Hey, guys!” Danny said with an enthusiastic wave. “Morning!”

They smiled and waved back, but Rion began to shrink down. He was in a pretty good mood until he started thinking about why they were all here. The fact that everyone knew about the bracelets now… He began to feel unsure about everything.

“Oh! Hey, Noa!” Jesse said when he and Danny joined them. “It’s good to see you. It’s great that you could join us.”

“Hello, Jesse,” Noa said.

His tone was different. Rion glanced over and found that Noa looked closed off and distant, sitting stiff in the swing seat. His Game Boy was back in his pocket and his hands were firmly gripping the swing.

Rion wasn’t the only person who was uncomfortable, it seemed.

“Yeah, it’s great that you could come,” Danny added. “It’s good to get some fresh air, right?”

Noa shrugged and glanced down at his feet, scuffing at the cold dirt. It was a completely different reaction from before.

“We were just talking about Pokémon,” Rion said. “Noa was showing me his team.”

“Nice!” Danny said. “I haven’t played anything like that in ages. You know, Josh took our N64 when he moved out? Apparently, Dad said he could have it and I’m soannoyed. Ocarina of Time belonged to me and he took it!”

Danny let out a frustrated huff and Rion smiled sympathetically.

“If you want to play Zelda, you can come over to my place,” he offered.

“Thanks, Rion, but it’s not the same,” he sighed. “You don’t get it, being an only child. It sucks when your brothers steal your stuff.”

“I’d say he probably didn’t mean to take it…but he absolutely did,” Peter said. “I bet he didn’t mention anything to you until he was moved out, right?”

“He didn’t mention anything at all!” Danny said. “Nate was pissed too because Josh took his Star Fox. He packed up all the games with the console and we didn’t find out what happened until we were looking for it and asked Dad if he knew where everything was. And you know what Josh said when we called him up? ‘Looks like you guys will just have to visit me if you want to play your old games!’ What a dick…”

“Sounds like he just wants you to visit him,” Jesse said.

“No. Nope. He’s a dick,” Danny said.

At that moment, Celeste arrived. She waved at them, hurrying over.

“Hi!” she said, cheeks rosy. She had either forgotten or chosen to not wear a scarf. “It’s pretty brisk this morning, isn’t it?”

Rion looked away. He wondered if she’d had time to tell Sarina about the bracelets. Probably not, right? But if she had…

Wait. If Celeste hadn’t told Sarina yet, then maybe he could convince her to keep quiet. Probably not, but…

“Winter’s on the way for sure,” Danny said. “Seems kind of early.”

“Not really,” Peter said. “Late September is when it usually starts to get cold.”

“I’d like a few more weeks of warm weather, personally,” Danny said. “Like, no snow until after Halloween.”

“Well, either way…” Peter began with a small shrug, “…what now? Do we want to head out for a coffee or hang around here…?”

“We could go to my place,” Rion said. “I already offered, but Peter wanted to wait until everyone got here before we agreed on anything. I have snacks and stuff so it would be fine.”

“Oh, that would be cool!” Danny said, brightening. “I like that idea.”

“Would it really be okay?” Celeste asked. “We wouldn’t want to impose or anything.”

“I wouldn’t offer if it bothered me,” Rion said. “I don’t mind.”

“I’d like to go over to Rion’s,” Noa said.

“Sounds like everyone’s in agreement,” Jesse said. “Why don’t we go?”

“All right then,” Peter said.

Rion got to his feet and Noa did the same. They all started walking together, everyone chatting as they went.

Rion was sure he’d never had everyone over at once like this. Noa had been a regular guest, but Danny and Peter had only come over a few times. Jesse might have stopped by once or twice, but Rion was sure Celeste had never visited. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her, but she had been Amber’s friend and she was older than him. It would have been weird to have her over.

The walk was pretty short and soon Rion was showing them inside. They took off their shoes and outerwear and came into the living room.

“So, we have chips and pop and…pretty much whatever,” Rion said.

“We should maybe start with some hot drinks,” Peter said. “Want some help, Rion?”

“Sure.”

He asked everyone what they wanted. Peter helped him get drinks and snacks ready, but the others ended up joining them in the kitchen anyway. Noa hovered close to Rion the entire time and he almost bumped into him twice.

Finally, they piled into the living room together, snacks and drinks on the coffee table, everyone getting comfortable and picking out seats.

“So, what do you guys want to do?” Danny asked.

“We could watch TV or put on a movie…” Rion said, but he could see Peter eyeing up all the games with a hawkeyed look. “Or we could play some games.”

“I’m not big into games but I would be happy to watch you play,” Celeste said.

“Maybe,” Peter said. “Wow, Rion. You really have a lot. Danny wasn’t kidding.”

“There’s some multiplayer ones,” Jesse said, looking over their options.

“Yeah. There’s lots of choices,” Rion said. “Whatever you guys want.”

“We could just talk for a bit too,” Danny suggested. “I mean, it’s been a while since we all caught up, right?”

“Yeah,” Peter said, tearing his eyes away from the games. “Actually, that might be a good idea. There’s stuff to talk about.”

Rion sat down in his dad’s chair, sinking into it. He picked at the armrests, dreading what was coming next. After his talk with Danny and Peter, Rion was sure he already knew where this was going.

“Yeah…um… Rion, Peter told us what really happened. With the friendship bracelets,” Jesse said.

And there it was. Rion wished he could vanish into the chair entirely.

“Yeah?” he said.

“Yeah,” Jesse said. “I’m…really sorry about everything that happened.”

“Me too,” Celeste said. “Rion, we… I’m really sorry.”

Rion shook his head. “Don’t. Don’t be. It’s fine. I get it. It was years ago. It doesn’t matter.”

“It was my fault.”

Noa had spoken up. He was sitting in the seat nearest to Rion, the one on the edge of the couch. He was tense, back stiff, hands balled up into fists in his lap.

“I cut up my bracelet,” Noa said. “Rion didn’t do anything wrong. He was lying to protect me.”

Rion bit the inside of his cheek, desperately wanting to contradict the statement. But there wasn’t any point. He couldn’t do anything about it. Everyone knew the truth.

“I don’t understand why you did it,” Jesse said, looking away and rubbing his arm. He looked distinctly uncomfortable. “But… It’s said and done. It was a long time ago.”

“That’s right,” Celeste added. “It was a long time ago, and…it’s not like we can fix it. There’s no point in being upset anymore.”

Rion doubted every word, even though they sounded sincere. He was more focused on Noa and his reaction.

Noa didn’t look happy. There was a small line of tension in his jaw; one Rion was familiar with. He knew that look all too well. It was one of frustration, something that could easily turn into full blown anger.

“I understand if you’re upset,” Noa said. “You should be.”

“No, Noa,” Danny said. “You were just feeling a lot, right? We all were. Amber’s death… That was really hard on everyone.”

“But I destroyed something that Amber made,” Noa said. “And I hurt Rion.”

Rion felt a sliver of fear pierce through his insides.

“No, you didn’t,” he said. “You didn’t hurt me.”

Noa shook his head. “You tried to save the bracelet and I stabbed you and then told you I didn’t want you around. I yelled at you, and… It was bad.”

Now everyone’s focus was on them. The pause, the hesitation was deafening.

“Wait. Noa, you stabbed Rion?” Peter said in disbelief.

“No!” Rion said quickly. “It was… It was just a little cut. He had the scissors in his hand. I butted in. It was nothing, just a small nick. It was an accident.”

“I still hurt you,” Noa said.

“I was the stupid one grabbing at the bracelet when you were cutting it up with scissors,” Rion hissed through his teeth and then tried to ease up on his tone. “That wasn’t your fault. It was mine.”

“You were bleeding,” Noa said. “I had to get you one of those big Band-Aids.”

“I remember that!” Danny said suddenly. “At Amber’s funeral! You had one of those big square ones on the back of your hand and it’d bled through. I asked you about it, Rion. Remember? I was worried…”

Rion remembered, but he would rather ignore the remark entirely. Noa was making everything impossible to deny and it was frustrating. Part of him wished Noa would keep his mouth shut and another part of him hated that he wanted that at all. He couldn’t control Noa and he should be free to speak his mind…

“Look,” Rion said, raising the backs of his hands to show them. “No scars. It was just a little cut and it went away in no time. I was being stupid and hurt myself. I should have known better.”

“But it was still my fault,” Noa said.

“Would you please stop blaming yourself?” Rion snapped at him.

“Okay… Okay, let’s cool down,” Jesse said, raising his hands.

“Yes,” Peter was quick to agree. “It sounds like it was an accident… There was a lot going on back then.”

“I was a dumb kid. That’s all there is to it,” Rion said.

Noa flashed him a look, lips pressed firmly together and his brows drawn tight. He was upset with him and Rion was fine with that.

Noa could be as mad as he wanted. Rion would still do everything he could to protect him. Noa could hate him as long as he stayed safe.

“Either way, what’s done is done,” Peter said. “Noa wrecked his bracelet. Rion was trying to protect him. That much is all clear and out in the open now.”

“Honestly, I’d rather just forget about it,” Celeste said. “Things were really hard back then. I know I did stupid things. We were all kids and we were all upset.”

“Yeah. Celeste is right,” Danny chipped in. “Things happened and a lot of it sucked. I know I was really upset back then. I did stupid stuff and argued with my family a lot. But, you know, we worked things out and forgave each other and…I think we should all do that too.”

“I forgive Noa,” Rion was eager to say. “Everything that happened back then… It was really hard. And that bracelet is still causing us problems so maybe he was right to cut it up.”

That earned him some looks but he didn’t care. It was true. He’d had more than enough of this friendship bracelet drama.

“I forgive Rion,” Noa added, but he sounded unhappy with the words, “because nothing was his fault and he was just being a good friend.”

“Well, that’s… That’s good,” Peter said. He was glancing between them as if he knew something was missing.

“I forgive you both too,” Jesse said.

“Same here,” Celeste added. “There was a lot going on back then. We should put it all behind us.”

“Yeah,” Danny said, smiling. “We should all be friends again, you know? Things are way different now that we’re older. Times have changed and things are a lot better than they used to be…right?”

“Right,” Peter agreed. “I think it’s a good idea. I want to reconnect, as long as everyone is willing.”

Rion knew he was meant to agree. And he wanted to. He wanted things to go back to the way they used to be. He wanted to spend time with the others again and for things to be good.

But too much had changed. He’d done so many things wrong and he’d lied and lied and lied. He was still lying. Amber was gone and for six years everyone had either abandoned him or turned on him because of the friendship bracelets. His best friend didn’t even want him around until now.

Rion had been alone for so long. The idea of everything working out… It seemed impossible.

He turned to Noa and he could tell he was thinking the same thing. His eyes were downcast, his lips twisted in bitterness.

“I want things to work out,” Rion said, turning back to Danny and the others. “But a lot has changed. I don’t know if it’s possible.”

“You don’t have to know if things will work out,” Danny said. “You just have to be willing to try.”

It sounded too optimistic to Rion. He felt obligated to nod, some small part of him wanting Danny to be right, but he didn’t agree.

“Okay,” Noa said, but his tone was flat, his expression unimpressed.

“Guys! Why do you look so defeated?” Danny said. “Come on! This is a good thing.”

“I’m in,” Jesse said. “I think it’s a great idea.”

“Me too,” Celeste added. “I want it to work out. I mean…it won’t be the same without Sarina, but… I want to reconnect with all of you. I miss Amber and all of you knew her and miss her too. We have that in common, and…other people don’t understand.”

“Yeah,” Jesse said. “Yeah, I know what you mean. That’s a really good way of putting it.”

Oh, but it wasn’t the same at all. Looking around the room, Rion could tell that there was a big disconnect between how everyone felt compared to how he and Noa felt. And he knew – he was absolutely sure – that it was because he and Noa had been there when Amber died.

They were there that day. Everything that happened back then, that nightmare… It was as fresh as if it happened yesterday. Thinking about it brought back every thought and feeling and that pounding fear…

Things would never be the same again. Rion and Noa would never connect with the others the same way again.

But he couldn’t say that.

It made him feel even more like a liar. He was completely dishonest at his core. But he didn’t want to snuff out their hope. And what could he do about it, really?

There wasn’t a right answer and Rion was exhausted.

“Yeah. Sure,” Rion found himself saying, the words coming out of him. They felt hollow and meaningless. “Um…since we’re talking about this… Can I add something?”

“What is it?” Peter said.

He shouldn’t be asking this in front of everyone. But Rion didn’t want to wait until a good moment. He didn’t have the energy to look for opportunities anymore and he didn’t know how long they would all be hanging out. He needed to make it through the day so it was better to ask and get it over with.

“Celeste, have you told Sarina about the bracelets yet?” he asked.

“No,” she admitted. “I was going to make plans to see her, but we haven’t talked yet.”

“Don’t tell her,” Rion said. “Please. Just leave her out of this.”

“That’s not a good idea,” Peter said right away.

“Yeah, I already know what you think,” Rion said, trying not to sound bitter. He knew he failed. “Look, I don’t want her to know. I don’t want her to get upset with Noa. If we’re really going to be friends again and try to work this out…can’t we all forget about Sarina and leave her out of the loop?”

“Nuh uh. No way,” Danny said, crossing his arms. “That’s a bad idea. Sarina needs to know the truth. She’s going to find out anyway.”

“We already talked a bit about Sarina,” Jesse added. “We aren’t going to let her do whatever she wants. She’s not going to hurt Noa.”

“You can’t know that,” Rion said.

“I’m okay with her knowing the truth,” Noa said. “Actually, I want her to know. If she’s mad, that’s okay. I don’t care if she hurts me.”

“She’s not going to hurt you,” Peter said. “We’re not going to let her.”

“I don’t think she would hurt Noa,” Celeste spoke up, raising her hand as if she was worried about her voice getting lost in the discussion. “I mean…she’s had a crush on him since they were kids.”

There was a pause. Everyone stared at her.

“She what?” Noa said, horror creeping into his voice.

“It…wasn’t obvious?” Celeste said, glancing around.

“I… Well… Yeah,” Danny said, glancing away. “Kind of… Well, Mom clued me in because she made comments, but… Yeah.”

“She did?” Jesse said. “I never… That explains a lot, actually.”

“I had no idea,” Peter said, blinking. “Really?”

Rion raised a hand too, waving a little. “I knew.”

He hadn’t figured it out right away, but it clicked over time. There was something about the way Sarina talked about Noa, even after he’d stopped coming to school. She was weird about him and somehow, Rion had pieced it together.

It made sense, kind of. Rion thought it was gross and creepy and hoped it was a shallow crush. He’d assumed it would disappear if she learned something about Noa that she didn’t like.

“No,” Noa said firmly. “That’s… No. Never. She hurt my best friend. I hate her. That’s disgusting.”

“I’d say you shouldn’t be so mean, but…” Peter fumbled, trying to find the right words. “All things considered; I can’t blame you for reacting that way.”

“Just because Sarina has a crush on Noa doesn’t mean she wouldn’t hurt him,” Rion said, trying to keep them on track. “It doesn’t mean anything. She barely sees Noa. She doesn’t even know him. If she had a reason to turn on him, I think she would.”

“I disagree,” Celeste said, voice small. But she stuck by her opinion. “She’s always really liked Noa. I think she would forgive him for wrecking his bracelet.”

“Would she really, though?” Danny asked.

“Girls go easier on boys they like,” Celeste said. “I mean, it’s hard to be angry at your crush, right? I don’t think she’d hurt Noa. She might even feel bad about hurting Rion because she was wrong… So, I think I have to tell her the truth.”

And there was Rion’s last chance – slipping between his fingers. All because Sarina had a crush on Noa.

He wanted to cry.

“But if you’re wrong…” Rion said.

“If I’m wrong, we’ll all protect Noa together,” Celeste said, turning to the others for support. “Right?”

“Right,” Jesse said. “If we have to call the police on her, we’ll even go that far. We all agreed.”

Rion opened his mouth and then closed it. He looked down, defeated.

That was it. His last chance. It was gone.

“I’m happy with that,” Noa said. “I want Sarina to know.”

“Then we’re pretty much all in agreement,” Danny said.

“I’m sorry, Rion. But this is for the best,” Peter said. “Sarina is bound to find out. The sooner it happens, the better.”

“I hope you’re right,” was all Rion could say.