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"Aubrey, I've been thinking."
Aubrey popped her bubble gum, a shade pinker than the color of her hair.
"What about, Kim?"
They sat on a park bench by the plaza, and Kim gestured out over the parking lot.
"Why don't we ditch this town, Aubrey?"
Aubrey thought for a moment, her blue gaze washing over Kim.
"How?"
"Now that school's done, we can get jobs and save up some dough. It would be easy.” Kim carried on, eyes wide open and wild. “Once we get enough, we could buy bus tickets to Nearby City and put down a deposit on an apartment together. We could be roomies!"
Aubrey curled her lip.
"Well, just for starters,” continued Kim. “There's opportunity there. We'd get you out of that house-" Aubrey flinched. She always hated when people brought up the house. It made her feel pitied, and there was nothing more pathetic than being pitied. "-and then we'd be rid of this godforsaken town!"
Aubrey raised a brow. "Alright," she replied. "What do we do once we're in the city?"
Kim answered with a wave of her hand. "We can figure it out then. You said you wanted to do cosmetology, right? They've got a school for it there, I think."
Aubrey had said that once, in passing, but was it still true?
"So, what do you think?" Asked Kim.
Aubrey’s voice trailed off. "I don't know, Kim."
"Come on," she pleaded. "We've been wanting out of this town for forever, and now’s our chance to finally do it! You know as well as anybody that there's nothing here for us in Faraway, so why not?"
Aubrey brushed her hair from her shoulder.
"At least think about it, okay?" Asked Kim. "Tell me that."
Aubrey smirked. "Alright, alright. I'll think about it."
"Great, that's all I ask!"
Aubrey hated to admit it, but it wasn't a bad idea. Now that high school was done, what else was she going to do? The two of them split up, and as Aubrey was walking home she got a text. She unlocked her phone.
Kel: hey aubs what's up
She squinted at the screen. What does Kel want?
Aubrey: not much. u?
Kel: oh, just the usual
Kel: i was wondering, you wanna meet up at Gino's later? Post graduation celebration
Aubrey: graduation was three weeks ago
Kel: :(
Kel had celebrated with his family after graduation, but Aubrey had hung out with the hooligans instead, drinking a few beers Charlie had managed to buy with a fake ID.
Aubrey: but sure
Kel: :)
Kel: I'll meet you there at 6, k?
Aubrey: k
Six rolled around, and Aubrey made her way over to Gino’s. Kel sat at a table with his back to the door, chatting. Across from him was-
No, no no nope. This wasn’t part of it. Kel, that son of a bitch. He hadn’t said anything about him being here. Kel must’ve known she wouldn’t have come otherwise.
The pair had been chatty, but Basil’s expression dropped as soon as he saw her. Tension overtook him; he must have been as excited to see her as she was to see him. Kel turned over his shoulder.
“Oh, hey Aubrey!” He greeted. “Come on over here, sit down.” Kel motioned to an open chair, and Aubrey stepped closer. “Me and Basil were just talking about what kind of pizza we want to get. How do you feel about pineapple?”
Pineapple was terrible on pizza, but priorities.
“So.” Aubrey clicked her lips. “I didn’t realize Basil was going to be here.” Her eyes pierced Basil’s, and he twitched. Basil spoke quickly. “I can leave if-”
He started to get out of his chair, but Kel interrupted. “Of course I invited Basil! We’re friends, and we’re all Class of 2000. Why wouldn’t I invite him?”
Aubrey stood by the empty chair. Why wouldn’t you invite him! Did that even need to be asked?
Kel smiled. “Come on, Aubrey, sit down!” She did, reluctantly. He continued.
“So I was trying to convince Basil that he should try Hawaiian-”
“No, absolutely not,” said Aubrey. She was not going to have pineapple pizza, especially not with fucking Basil. If she had to eat with him, she at least wanted a decent goddamn pizza. “We’re having pepperoni and sausage, okay?”
“Okay then,” responded Kel. “I’ll go order.” He stepped over to the counter.
Basil seemed relieved at this development, if only briefly. Aubrey’s glare landed back on him, and he fiddled with his hands, nervous as always. Kel returned.
“The guy at the counter said it would be a little bit,” he said, “so we have some time.” Kel paused, looking between his two guests. “So, what have you guys been up to? Whatcha gonna do, now that you’re out of school?”
Aubrey didn’t respond, and attention turned to Basil.
“Uh,” he chuckled nervously. “Well, I was planning on going to college.”
“That’s neat,” replied Kel. “What for?”
“Ah, I haven’t really decided yet.” Basil cocked his head and ran a hand through his blonde hair. “The state university has an extension office in town where I can take gen eds, so I’m just going to do that for now.”
Isn’t that cute, thought Aubrey. Live here in town, go to the local school, have Polly take care of you, and have your parents pay for it all. It’s all just perfect. Why do you get to be the one with the happy ending, Basil, after all that you’ve done? Why do you get to have your success mapped out for you? The thought made Aubrey almost sick.
“That’s great!” Kel beamed. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. How about you, Aubrey?”
“I’m not really sure yet.” She curled her lip. “What about you, Kel? What’s your big plans?”
Before he could answer, a ding and a call came from the counter. “Order 17!”
“That’s us!” Said Kel, and he went to grab the pizza, returning with it promptly.
“Tada!” He set the platter on the table, and they started grabbing the savory, pineapple-free slices. As they ate, the food quieted everybody and brought the lingering tension down, if only for a moment. A familiar tune echoed from the jukebox. The machine was turned down, and the song was soft, muted, and melancholy. It lingered awhile, invoking an uneasy nostalgia, and Aubrey didn’t care for it at all.
Basil broke the silence as the music faded out . “You know,” he said between bites. “I wonder what Sunny’s up to these days. I sent him a letter-” Basil paused for a moment, chewing, and his tone dropped. “but, uh, I never heard back.”
Of course Basil sent him a letter. That was such a Basil thing to do! Using snail mail, for one, and then trying to contact Sunny after everything. Of course, he was in it with him: the accomplice. How’d the two of them stay out of jail, anyway? Bum cops, had to be. Anyway, now the murderer’s ditched him, but he still tries to be all buddy-buddy. God, that fucking worm. It’s almost sad, if you ignore-
“It was one letter, okay?” Basil seemed to sense the energy off of Aubrey. “He was your friend, too! We’ve got to at least try and stay in touch.” He raised his voice, if only slightly. “He didn’t respond, so I left him alone. Have either of you two tried to contact him?”
Now why would she-
“No,” Kel hesitated. “No, I haven’t.” He frowned. “I don’t really know why, to be honest. I’ve thought about it now and then, but it just never seemed to be the right time.”
“Yeah.” Basil nodded. “I can’t blame him for not writing back. After everything, I’m sure he wants to move on.” Basil shifted in his seat. “And I haven’t been the best of friends.”
“No way!” Interjected Kel. “You’re a great friend!” Aubrey gave him the side eye, but he continued. “It’s just, things happen sometimes.”
That’s putting it lightly, thought Aubrey.
Quiet returned as they ate pizza. Gino’s was slow tonight, except for a few regulars. There were a couple carryout orders and that kid who always hung out by the arcade machines. The checkered tablecloths, the brown brick walls, the smell of pizza in the air: It was quaint, almost. It would have been if she could’ve ignored who she was sitting with.
Kel finished a slice, and a glimmer appeared in his eye. “Well,” he started. “There’s a reason I brought the two of you out here tonight. I’ve got some news.”
They paused, looking up at him. Basil still had half a slice of pizza in his mouth.
“I’ve been talking to the recruiter-” Great, he’s got some sports-
Kel grinned. “-and I’ve decided to join the marines!”
Basil coughed, nearly choking on his pizza. “You’re doing what? But why?”
“Basil, Faraway is a great town. I love it as much as the next guy, but-” Kel waved his hand. “-I just want more, you know? See the world? Serve my country? It’s only a couple years, and they’ll pay for college once I’m out, too.”
Aubrey watched as Basil swallowed. “That’s great and all, Kel,” he said, “but the marines? Isn’t there any other way?”
Aubrey spoke up. “Yeah, I thought you would have gotten a basketball scholarship or something.”
“Aubrey,” started Kel. “It’s not good enough to be the best kid on some small town team to get a scholarship.” He gestured with his hands, first holding one about chest-high. “You can’t just be here-” He moved his hand way overhead. “You’ve got to be up here!”
“I guess,” Basil trailed off. “But what about Hero?”
“Hero got a scholarship,” Kel replied flatly. “Several scholarships, actually. All those different clubs he was in, and a big one from the med school. Hell, he even got a scholarship for being tall. Can you imagine that? A scholarship exclusively for tall people? It’s amazing.”
Kel did not sound amazed. Basil pressed on.
“What about a loan? People take out student loans all the time!”
Kel smirked. “Yeah, if I want to be in debt forever. This way all that’s took care of.”
Basil paused, a concerned look on his face and a half-eaten pizza slice on his plate.
“So when do you head out?” Asked Aubrey.
“Two weeks.” Kel smiled. “On the twenty-fifth.”
“Two weeks!” Basil’s eyes widened. “This is all pretty sudden, Kel. Did you think this over? I mean, if it’s what you want to do-”
“It is!” Kel’s tone sharpened, then smoothed back out. “It is. I’ve talked it over with the recruiter, my folks, and it’s what I want to do.” There was a slight uneasiness in Kel’s voice, and he seemed to be trying to convince himself as much as anybody.
Basil was chastened. “Okay...” He picked right back up again. “But what if there’s a war? What if-”
“Ah, what’s the chances-”
Aubrey slapped her hand on the table, interrupting both of them. “Basil!” She snapped. “We don’t all get to live in a world of sunshine and flowers. Stuff just doesn’t work out sometimes, okay? You do what you need to do!”
The pair fell quiet.
“I guess.” Basil sighed. His eyes flicked up towards Kel. “But what if you have to kill somebody?” Kel scoffed, but Basil continued. “I mean, this is serious!”
“Oh, you’d know all about that now, wouldn’t you?” Aubrey quipped.
Basil stopped, and his expression sank. Silence fell over the table. Basil shook his head, then stood up. “I, I don’t know why I-” He started to walk away as he murmured.
Kel called after him. “Basil? Basil!” He stood up to follow. “Come on, Basil!” He took a few steps after him, but it was too late. Basil was out the door. Kel returned to the table and dropped back into his chair. Tiredly, he looked over at Aubrey.
“Fuck, Aubrey. I thought you said you forgave ‘em.”
She had said that, once. Had she meant it, though? Right now it seemed so hard to remember.
“I’m not trying to justify what they did,” continued Kel, “but how long are you going to hold onto this hate? When are you going to just get on with your life like the rest of us?“
Aubrey didn’t respond.
“I was hoping to leave on good terms,” remarked Kel. “But I guess you’re right. Stuff just doesn’t work out some times.”
Finally, Kel grabbed another piece of pizza and took a huge bite. He spoke as he chewed.
“And I know it sounds gross,” he swallowed. “But if you try it, pineapple pizza really isn’t that bad.”
Aubrey laughed. Kel would always be Kel, wouldn’t he? He’d always know what to do to make her laugh. She took another piece, leaving one slice left.
“So I guess this is it, then?” She asked.
Kel nodded. “Yeah, looks like it.” He snatched the piece and dove into it.
“Well,” Aubrey said. “For what it’s worth, I hope it works out for you.”
Kel swallowed, then showed a toothy grin. “Thanks.”
After the festivities died down, Sunny returned to his room, graduation cap and gown unceremoniously draped over a chair. It wasn’t easy, but he’d done it. He’d managed to catch up on his classes and graduate on schedule. He’d celebrated today with some of his new friends he made in the city, but afterward a thought crossed his mind.
Sunny turned on his lamp and took a seat at his desk. The sun set outside his apartment window, bathing an orange light on the busy city street a few levels below. He shuffled through some papers, knowing it was around here somewhere. Underneath a couple semester old report card, he found it: a letter.
It was from Basil, written about a year and a half ago. He looked it over. Everything was well, according to Basil, though a level of self-loathing ran through the text. What was telling, though, was what wasn’t there. There was no mention of Kel, Aubrey, or Hero.
Sunny had never gotten around to replying. Why hadn’t he? He wondered to himself. Was it fear? Fear of what impact his letter would have? No, that was silly. A letter is just a letter, no more or less. Did he want to leave Basil be when he said he was fine? Not get involved? Not mess it up? Maybe, but that would have meant that he believed Basil when he said he was things were okay. Sunny did believe him, of course. At least, he’d wanted to believe him. That’s basically the same.
Maybe it was just because he wasn’t much of a writer. Still, he could have at least sent him a thank you note if nothing else. Instead, he’d done nothing and let the paper languish on his desk. Sunny glanced out the window, watching the sun disappear from view. He wasn’t much of a friend, was he?
What were those guys up to nowadays, anyway? They’d be graduating this year, too. Sunny looked at the keys on his desk. That was the other thing that had happened today. Mom had gotten him a car: a beat-up Mercury Sable. Why doesn’t he head on down to Faraway Town to visit? Find out for himself what’s going on? He had wheels now, and some money tucked away for gas. Surely Basil or Kel would take him in, if only for a week or two. Mother wouldn’t mind. He’d tell her he’s going on a trip, and she’d probably be excited that he’s even leaving the house of his own accord.
It was a plan, a great plan, even. He’d get right to it tomorrow morning. Tonight, though, it was time to sleep. Sunny flicked off his lamp and went to bed.