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1.
“Hey,” Xander texted Sky. “What are you wearing today?”
“Jeans, grey t-shirt,” Sky texted back. “Why?”
“I don’t want to match again!” Xander replied.
Xander could imagine her sigh from across the city. “We matched once. In fifth grade. I don’t think we even own any of the same clothes anymore!”
“But how do you know?” Xander asked. “What if we both showed up wearing our school mascot t-shirts!”
“Why would either of us decide to wear that?” Sky asked.
“I don’t know,” Xander texted. “But it’s good to check!”
“We aren’t matching,” Sky promised. “But we are going to be late to class, if you don’t stop texting me and catch your bus.”
“You don’t know me,” Xander texted. “Maybe I’m already at the bus stop. Maybe I’m on the early bus, and I’m gonna beat you to school.”
“You have never once, in ten years of knowing you,” Sky sent. “Beaten me to school.”
“Maybe today’s the day,” Xander texted, as he rushed to get out the door.
“Just don’t be late,” Sky sent.
“Hey,” Xander said, as they walked out of class. “How do you feel about tofu?”
“Tofu?” Sky asked. “I’ve never tried it. Why?”
“I’ve never tried it either,” Xander admitted. “And I was thinking maybe we could try it. But not if you think it’s scary, obviously, so-”
“I’m not scared of tofu, Xander,” Sky said.
“Okay, good,” Xander said. “Then we can try that next week. The 21st.”
“Are you- are you pencilling in a day for us to try tofu?” Sky asked.
“I don’t want us to forget,” Xander said. “And so- of course I’m putting it in my calendar. Why? Is the 21st not a good date?”
“Xander,” Sky started.
“We can always switch it to February,” Xander said. “Give us more time to cope with the idea of eating tofu.”
“How about we cope with the fact that we’re on the pretrial team?” Sky asked. “And we can deal with tofu later.”
“Yeah!” Xander said. “Tofu can wait. We’re on mock trial! And we’re pretrial, which are totally super important, and we’re totally going to rule.”
“Hell yes we are,” Sky said. She smiled at him. “Wanna go watch clouds as we eat lunch?”
“Always,” Xander said, and he meant it.
“Oh my god,” Sky said, as she walked out of the classroom and collapsed in front of their lockers. “That was the most awful test ever.”
“I know,” Xander said, unable to stop his pacing. “Totally awful. Totally terrible. Totally-”
“Do you wanna go over your answers?” Sky asked. “Like we always do?”
“Yes, please,” Xander said, quickly. He sat down next to Sky. “Number one was A, right? Please tell me it was A.”
“It was A,” Sky said. “At least- I think it was A. I don’t know everything, you know.”
“You totally do,” Xander replied. “You’re the smartest person you know.”
“You know like- five people, you loser,” Sky said. “Me, your parents-”
“I mean out of everyone,” Xander said. “Even Leonard Nimoy.”
“That’s big,” Sky admitted. “Wait- Spock, or Leonard Nimoy?”
“Both,” Xander said. “You are smarter than Spock and Leonard Nimoy combined.”
Sky laughed. “Thanks, Xander.”
“I mean it,” Xander said. “Okay, okay. Now what did you get for 2?”
“C,” Sky said. “I think.”
“Okay,” Xander said. “I put C. This is good. This is good. We’re doing good.”
“Or maybe we’re just idiots together,” Sky said.
“Would that be so bad?” Xander asked.
“No,” Sky said. She put her head on Sky’s shoulder. “It wouldn’t.”
4.
Xander lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Again.
“Dammit,” Xander said to himself.
He picked up his phone and called Sky.
“Hey,” Xander said.
“Hi,” Sky said, sounding as tired as Xander was. “It’s like, midnight. Why’re you still up?”
“Can’t sleep,” Xander said. “Again.”
“Neither can I,” Sky admitted. “But-”:
“I know your parents don’t want you calling this late,” Xander said. “And you can hang up on me-”
“I’m not going to hang up on you, Xander,” Sky said. “Just like I’m always going to pick up, when you call me. It’s what friends do.”
“Thanks,” Xander said. “I- It’s just hard to sleep, without hearing your voice.”
“I’m going to start recording you podcasts, just so you can sleep,” Sky said.
“Really?” Xander asked.
“No,” Sky said. “I was joking.”
“Right, right,” Xander said. “Obviously.”
“That would be weird,” Sky said.
“Yep,” Xander replied. “So weird. So totally weird.”
“Do you want me to tell you about our pretrial case so you can sleep?” Sky asked.
“Yes, please,” Xander said, with a soft sigh. “Thank you.”
“What are friends for?” Sky asked.
5.
“Jeeze, it’s cold out today,” Sky said.
“I know,” Xander said. He leaned on the bus stop, teeth chattering. “Gotta be a record, or something.”
“Maybe not that cold,” Sky said. “We literally had a blizzard last year.”
Xander laughed, shaking his head. “Okay, but it is cold.”
“So cold,” Sky agreed. “Way too cold to be the day I forgot my gloves.”
“What?” Xander asked. “You don’t have gloves?”
“I left them in my other jacket,” Sky said. Her sigh turned visible in the cold. “Dammit.”
“Okay, here,” Xander said. “We can share my gloves.”
“Share gloves?” Sky asked.
“You know,” Xander said. “Each of us gets one.”
“Right,” Sky said. “Yeah, okay. Thanks, Xander.”
“Of course,” Xander said.
He took off one of his gloves- And it fell right into the snowbank, disappearing into snow.
“Shit, shit,” Xander said. He moved to go grab it-
“You’re gonna get soaked looking for it,” Sky pointed out. “And the glove’s gonna be frozen anyway. Not much use.”
“I’m sorry,” Xander said. “I-”
“It’s fine,” Sky said. “My hands can be cold. It’s okay.”
“No, no,” Xander said. “We can- we can share my one glove!”
“What?” Sky asked.
“It’s a big glove,” Xander said. “We can put both our hands in and just- stay warm, that way.”
Sky laughed. “Seriously?”
“My other idea was a time share but for my glove, and that seems way more complicated,” Xander said.
“A time share for- do you mean sharing?” Sky asked.
“Yeah,” Xander said. “But the bus should be here in like, ten minutes, so we can just- wear the glove. At the same time.”
“Sure,” Sky said. “I’m cold enough not to care. Why not!”
+1
“This is some codependent bullshit,” Sky said, sadly.
“I think I can prove you wrong,” Xander said. “It’s easy, I fear.”
“How?” Sky asked.
“You just go stand over there,” Xander said, pointing. “And I’ll stay over here.”
Sky went and walked over, only a few feet away and-
“Where are you going right now?” Xander asked, rushing up towards Sky. He just couldn’t help himself. “Oh. I see.”
“Yeah,” Sky said.
“Goddammit,” Xander continued. “You’re right.”
“We can still be friends,” Sky said. “Just- maybe not friends like this?”
“Yeah,” Xander said, softly.
“I mean- if we keep going how we are now, this is going to be hard when we go to college,” Sky said.
“Are we not going to the same college?” Xander asked.
“See?” Sky said. “I love you, I do. But I want to be able to go to any college, and any club, and-”
“And not share gloves anymore?” Xander asked.
Sky laughed. “Exactly. And not share gloves anymore.”
“This is some codependent bullshit,” Xander admitted.
“Some really codependent bullshit,” Sky corrected.
And Xander knew that she was, in fact, right.