Compassion and Oblivion

Chapter Four: First Friend

"(Y/N)!" Sam calls out to you. He jogs up to meet you in front of your house, Robin lagging a few feet behind him. "Wow, look at you! How long's it been now, like, ten years?"

"I think so, maybe longer!" you say with a huge smile. "It's so good to see you! I can't believe how tall you've gotten, last time I saw you, I was the taller one!"

"I finally caught up to you, and then some!" Sam says proudly, standing up a little taller and puffing his chest out. You laugh at how silly he looks, and he chuckles with you as he starts standing normally again.

"I take it you two know each other, then?" Robin says with a small grin on her face.

"Absolutely!" Sam chimes, "(Y/N) and I used to hang out in the summers when she would visit her grandparents. We were buddies back in the day."

"Wonderful!" Robin exclaims, giving you a wink. So, this was her mischievous plan. Did she know that Sam and I used to know each other? "Well, Sam, I trust you to help (Y/N) finish unloading that truck." Robin continues, sounding almost like a mother talking to one of her own kids. "I need to get back to my cabin so I can get my work done for today. Once she is situated, maybe take her around town and introduce her to some folks if you've got the time?"

"Yes ma'am, I don't have a shift at Joja-Mart today, so I'd be happy to," he says and turns to you, "as long as you're okay with that?"

Introducing yourself to complete strangers sounds a lot less daunting if someone else is with you. You honestly wouldn't even know where to start. "That sounds perfect. Thank you so much for all your help today, Robin! I'll be sure to stop by sometime soon to meet your family and check out that catalog."

Robin bids you a cheerful farewell and takes the path that leads behind your house as she heads back to her home. Funny, I don't remember there being any houses back that way.

You turn back to Sam. You have so many questions for him. You want to know so badly how the past decade has treated him, and you're curious if you two will become fast friends again, just like you had when you were kids. First, there is one question burning at the back of your mind that just can't wait.

"Ma'am?" you tease him.

"Shut up," he laughs as he playfully nudges your shoulder. "Robin is my best friend's mom. I hang out at their house a lot, so she's kind of like a second mom to me."

"Aw, well that's nice, which of her kids are you friends with?" you ask.

"Well, I'm friends with both of them-..." Sam starts.

"Of course you are," you interject, "you always were Mr. Outgoing."

"BUT," Sam continues, over your interruption, "Sebastian is my best friend. He and I are thinking about starting a band. You should listen to us play sometime!"

"I'd love to, Sam. That sounds great." You say with a casual smile. You take a second to look him over to see how much he's changed. He's taller than you now, probably 6'2" if you were to guess. Though, he might actually look a little shorter if it weren't for his spiked up, blonde hair. Honestly, you just want to ruffle his hair to make it do anything other than what it's doing right now...but in a way, it kind of suits him. He's wearing a red shirt, covered up by a tattered denim jacket. His dark, khaki pants are a slim-straight cut, slightly covering a pair of green Converse high tops. He has a sharper jawline and more prominent cheekbones than he did at thirteen. He's actually kind of...handsome.

"Ya know," Sam says, rubbing the back of his neck shyly, "when I heard that you were moving back here, I wondered if you would even remember me."

"Of course I remember you," you reply earnestly, "how could I forget all the times I skinned my knees or elbows while riding your skateboard?"