117

The night sky flickers with stars and passing satellites as it swells above you, seemingly just holding back from swallowing the earth. You and Tobias watch it quietly for a while, sitting side by side on the swings, neither of you entirely sure what to say. It feels good to dwell on something a little bigger than you for a few moments.

"You're not cold, are you?" Tobias asks after a minute. "Sorry—I wasn't really thinking about if someone would have to follow me."

You shake your head; thankfully, it's not a cold night.

"So, um…" he goes on, swinging just a little in his seat. "Anyway. It's all kind of been about me. What's been going on with you?"

Tobias raises his eyebrows, slightly surprised.

"Oh, yeah—I kind of forgot about all that. It's weird…I was only away for a day, but it kind of made me realize how small this place is. There's a lot of stuff going on outside. I'm not saying what's happening here isn't important, but it's easy to think you live in this little bubble where nothing else even exists. I think I've felt like that for a long time; like I'm just kind of trapped. Even if I don't go to college, I think I'd still go visit some other places—and maybe move away eventually."

He nods to himself, as if making up his mind.

Seeing that, you feel: