Best Friends (BxB)

Graduation

Chapter Four: Age 14 Graduation

Noah opened his backpack. He guessed he wasn't the typical kind of eighth grade boy. There were no half eaten leftover lunch bags. No papers shoved down into the bottom. He didn't have to beg pencils off his classmates. His backpack was a pretty good reflection of his personality. He liked things to be neat and tidy. Liked being organized. Liked being prepared. But he wasn't anal about it or anything. He just didn't think it was that hard to put papers neatly into a binder, pencils into a pouch. Took just a few seconds. No need to be a slob.  

"Nice job, Mr. Tate," his teacher smiled, passing back the final for History. He'd got a solid 89 percent. He wasn't an academic superstar, but he did ok. He knew he could do better, but basketball took up a lot of his time. His mom told him not to stress too much about school. B's were fine with her. He was only in eighth grade.

Joey leaned over and smiled, checking out his grade, then holding up his own paper. 98. Of course. Joey's parents WERE the kind who would freak if he got less than straight A's. But thankfully his friend didn't seem to mind. They only let Joey play sports as long as he kept his GPA high; neither of them were athlete types and their son's bizarre interest in bouncing a ball and tossing it into a net dumbfounded them. But they were ok. Noah hung out with Joey sometimes. The other boy's parents loved him, of course. Most parents did. He was polite, well spoken, smart and no drama.

"Hey, let's go to the track and run a few laps." Joey was hoping to go out for track in high school in addition to basketball of course. They walked out of class, done for the day. Kids moved around them, most shorter. They were two of the tallest boys at school. Noah looked at the tiny sixth graders, remembering with nostalgia when he was one of them. At fourteen, about to leave middle school, he felt so much older than these babies.

"Come on!' Joey punched him on the shoulder. "It's Friday! Let's go for a run and then you can come to my house for dinner."

They turned a corner. Noah saw Jamie waiting by the flagpole. His friend was looking in the other direction, waving at some kids.

"Nope. I have plans. See you."

And he ran over to his friend, feeling happy to see Jamie turn to him, smiling.

===

It was Saturday morning. In Noah's pocket was his latest heart from Jamie. Inside this one it said, 'Strip yourself bare so you can find the places where the wild flowers grow.' Liezel Graham.

 He wondered what it meant. Often Jamie chose quotes that matched his thoughts that morning, or sometimes just ones he liked. That sounded cool. When Noah read today's words, to him, it brought up an image of an open field filled with purple and orange flowers, and Jamie sitting in them. His yellow curls glinting in the sunrise.

Stumbling from Jamie's room still in his sweats and old shirt, he was surprised to find his mom in the kitchen with Kelly, helping to make breakfast. His mom and the others didn't get together  as much as they did when they were kids, but every now and then, they did hang out. They were laughing and singing, giggling and joking. Danny was setting the table, still in his typical flannel pajama pants and white tshirt, hair a mess, unlike it's usual gelled to stiff peaks look. There was already bacon, a bowl of scrambled eggs covered in American cheese, a pile of buttered toast, and as he stood there blinking, Kelly brought a bowl of her famous super spicy kale and sweet potato hash, and his mom had a bowl of cut cantaloupe covered in honey.

"Come on Noah, sit, sit!!" Kelly urged, sitting down next to her husband, and pulling Dana down next to her. "Jamie went out to pick up a package outside. He'll be back in a second, just eat! Don't let anything get cold."