Sandcastles

Chapter Thirty-One

Even though Ben and I both have our driver's license, we still have to ride with Madeline to school and back. And, seeing on how Madeline has somehow managed to get detention every day and Ben is always hanging out with his loser friends, I usually just walk home from school. Unsurprisingly, today is another one of those days.

At least the weather here is always moderate. It's not too hot or too cold, so walking isn't too bad. Having to walk with an armful of textbooks is quite tiring, though. The walk is only two miles so it isn't bad at all. If anything, the worst part would be walking up the big hill right in front of our house.

Today, as I trudge up the steep hill, a gust of wind hits me and sends a few loose papers astray. I set my books down and collect them before walking back up to the top. When I reach the top of the hill right in front of our house, I notice a stange car parked outside. It must be some of Ben's friends, even though I don't recognize the old beat-up car. It looks like it's been sitting in a junkyard for a decade or two.

I walk on the sidewalk past the car, trying my best not to act like I even noticed it. But when I walk past, something catches my eye. The driver is holding up a map to cover their face, just a few strands of wild blond hair sticking out from the top of the paper. My heart literally skips a beat; there's no way. That's impossible. Somehow I manage to slow my walk enough to look more closely at the driver. Then, they slightly lower the map to glance at the street sign. I laugh lightly and smile when I see those all-too-familiar dark eyes.

This almost seems unreal, seeing him all the way up here in San Francisco. Especially in such a beat up car. I set my books down, shoving my hands in my pockets and walking up to the car. He's too buried in his map to even notice me. I knock on the window and grin when I see him jump in surprise. He then smiles that dimpled smile and rolls the window down.

"What're you doing here, J.T.?" I ask, my grin in no way masking my excitement. He sighs and just looks at me in amazement for a few seconds.

"I-you're-where's Madeline?" he stutters. His dark eyes get that gleam in them and he just smiles.

"She's in detention at the moment. Still having a rough time with the move and all." I tell him. He just nods his head.

"You still having a hard time? Missing the old creek?" John Tyler asks me with a grin.

"Yes." I groan. "A lot. I haven't even talked to Alexander in like a week."

"My God, you need to come back. I swear he is going mad. All of you need to come back. We really miss you guys." John Tyler says.

"We miss you too. Come inside, Madeline won't be back for another thirty minutes or so. She's the one you came to see anyways." I say.

He nods and climbs out of the old car. It must be borrowed or something; I never remembered him having a car. I lead him up to our house and we both walk inside. Once inside, we both talk about what's happened over the last month. I haven't talked to him at all since we left, and I now realize how much I missed John Tyler. He really was my friend, even if we won't admit that to each other.

The front door bursts open with a clatter right in the middle of our conversation. I hear the sound of skateboard wheels on the wooden floor and realize that Ben must be home. Immediately, he comes into the kitchen where John Tyler and I are. He looks from me to him, and then grins widely before throwing an arm around John Tyler.

"Johnny, good to see you man. Where's the food?" Ben asks before rummaging through the pantry.

John Tyler gets a confused look on his face. Ben was never this...social? Since the move, Ben has kind of been trying to make any friends that he can. And he has, but let's just say they aren't very "good" friends.