Move

     Scott stuffs his mouth with a fresh red apple from the cafeteria. Lunch had just ended, and now would have been his P.E. period if he weren't skipping for Kenny.

     He jogs down the hallway and down the stairs to the fire exit leading to the back fields of the school, where the oak tree stood not but about a block's distance from the door.

     Sure enough, Ken was sitting underneath the tree with his nose in a novel. Stephen King's Pet Semetary. Scott never read it but he knew that Kenny liked Stephen King's horror novels and often read them. He barely looked up when he heard Scott approaching.

     He plops down beside Kenny and waits for him to finish the paragraph he was reading before Kenny closed the book with the makeshift shoelace bookmark poking out.

     "So... What was so important that I'm skipping P.E. for?" But Scott received no answer. Kenny kept staring off into the field, the piercing green of the sun hitting the grass reflecting perfectly in his dark brown eyes.

     The autumn breeze felt good against Scott's neck, and Kenny sighed softly as he picked up an orange leaf from beside him," you remember Jerry Yonkshire? The kid we played with when we were little?"

     Scott felt it a weird thing to bring up, but he nods. He distinctly remembered Jerry; black hair, freckles, shrimpier than Scott at the time and he was obsessed with superhero comic books.

     "Yea, what about him...?"

     Scott and Kenny were younger when they were friends with Jerry, maybe around 4 or 5 years of age. Jerry was a friend of theirs who probably would have been a fellow childhood friend if not for him moving. He had the love of books like Kenny but the love of action and sports like Scott.

     "Well... What if I was the one who moved instead of Jerry? Would... Would you guys be best friends and me somewhere in Jerry's place?"

     Scott thought about Kenny's question before scoffing. "Of course not."

     Kenny raises a brow and chuckles," But realistically? He might have been the me of that timeline and you'd be talking to him right now about me. And you know it."

     Scott bites his lip. He hated that Kenny was right, despite not wanting him to be. He couldn't imagine being Jerry Yonkshire's best friend rather than Ken's. "Why did you suddenly bring Jerry up anyway?"

     Kenny shook his head and let out a slight chuckle, looking down at his book and dropping the leaf on it," I don't know... I guess I just needed an easy segway. I'm moving, Scott."

     Moving?

     "Oh, I see...", Scott starts laughing. " You're messing with me, huh? That's not funny, Ken."

     But Kenny wasn't laughing. His expression was stoic as his eyes locked with Scott's. Scott's face immediately drops," wait you were serious?"

     Kenny sighs and leans against the thick trunk of the tree, crossing his arms. He nods," yea... Yea Scott. I'm serious. After graduation my parents are moving us to Princeville for college."

     He couldn't believe his ears. And Kenny didn't seem to be lying or joking around.

     "So... We won't be able to see each other again? Where's Princeville?"

     Kenny scoffs," California."

     Scott's jaw dropped. They lived in Pennsylvania, and to know that Kenny would be all the way across the country was a devastating blow. He couldn't imagine not having Kenny with him, they were inseparable since they were little and now this sudden news was too much for Scott to wrap his brain around.

     He looks out into the field behind the school, sighing to himself and trying to let the information sink in. The sunny skies were finally starting to get cloudy, the puffy light grey clouds beginning to cover up the sun as a breeze comes in and ruffles Scott's brown hair.

     "Hey Ken... Will we still be able to be friends from that far away?"

     Sitting up, Kenny doesn't reply. But it's clear he didn't think so given the intense distance between Princeville in California and Rainton in Pennsylvania.

     Scott looks down and picks at the grass, curling and twisting a blade around his index finger. He was going to lose his best friend. He couldn't fathom the thought, but the dread of losing Kenny was already setting in as he tries to distract himself with the grass and fallen leaves.

     Neither of them said another word. Kenny leans back against the trunk once more and picks his book back up. He often did this when trying to conceal his emotions, Scott knew Kenny better. Kenny often used books and silence to cope.

     Scott follows suit against the tree, leaning his head on the dark man's left shoulder. He silently reads with Kenny, even stealing quick glances at his calm face every so often as he admires his best friend's features and focus on the story. They stay like this until the period ends.

                  ╞═════⨳۝⨳═════╡

     Last class of the day, he couldn't focus. His eyes kept wandering back to where he and Kenny sat against the tree, the teacher droning on mindlessly with the lesson.

     How could this happen, he felt dramatic for being so internally worked up about it but how could Kenny be leaving? Of all the best friends in the world, why did Scott's have to go?

     Chewing on his pen, he let's his mind wander it's own depths with eyes analysing the view outside. The entirety of class, he was swallowed by his stress and thoughts of losing Kenny until the bell rung, ripping him from his internal whereabouts.

     He didn't want Kenny to leave... He couldn't imagine not having Kenny. Like... Kenny was the only reason he went out and did anything he liked. He would've never joined the baseball team or went out to the mall every weekend if it weren't for Kenny. He brought out more from inside Scott, he made him comfortable to be out and about.

     And...

     Who would he confide in when he gets a terror? Kenny is always there for Scott, even when they were little Kenny would always comfort Scott or do something to distract him and make him forget all about the nightmares.

     Scott and Kenny were the dynamic duo, you can't have Tweedle Dum without Tweedle Dee.

     "I have to do something...!" He mutters to himself incoherently, fully enraptured in his thoughts again and without watching where he was going he collides with another and looks up in bewilderment.

     "Hey! Watch where you're-", the other stops mid sentence as they analyse Scott. Once the other realises who Scott was, his enraged demeanor twists into a cocky and grotesque grin," Hey there, Scotty Boy~".

     Scott takes a step back, eyes locking with Richard's," u-uh, hey... Rich..."

     Scott shivers slight at the proximity of Richard, he hated the uncomfortable and cold energy the taller man radiated.

     Richard leans down and furrows his brows, his wicked grin widening," why weren't you in P.E.?"