𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 [𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙞 𝙖𝙪]

Chapter Four

THREE WEEKS LATER

Red, Ricky, and Annie were all sitting on the swing set in the playground of their old elementary school, reminiscing on the memories they have made in the past 10 years.

"Remember when we had nap time in first grade, and everyone was quiet, laying in the dark," Red starts to bring up the memory of the two small boys side by side in a classroom full of students. "And then out of nowhere, everyone just started hearing loud snoring, so we all looked up to see you sleeping on the ground," he couldn't stop himself from laughing at the memory.

"Oh my god," Ricky starts, his face reddening out of embarrassment, "don't remind me. Ms Smith said it was nap time, so I fell asleep, I didn't know everyone was just going to sit in silence," he defended himself.

"Poor kids. Your snoring must have been really loud," Annie says, while Ricky gives her an angered look, causing her to laugh.

"Yea, I almost considered kicking you out of your slumber, but you were my best friend and I wanted you to enjoy your sleep," the red head smiles.

"Gee, thanks Red," Ricky laughed off. "Man, we have some good memories, don't we?"

"Yea, they were good, until this chick started hanging out with us," Red sarcastically says, pointing to the girl beside him.

"Ha ha," she fake laughs, you know you love me Redonovich," the girl says, getting up to hug her friend.

Ricky watched as Annie went in for the hug but Red denied it, pushing her away, making Annie set on hugging him, so she kept trying by putting her arms in different positions, finally getting to hug him and Red giving up, hugging her back.

"I'm really going to miss you guys," he says to his best friends, looking down at his lap to stop the tears from pouring down.

"Don't get all soft on us now, Richard, come here," the short girl says, reaching an arm out so he could join in on the hug.

"Thank you guys or being my best friends, I'll never forget you," the curly headed boy sniffles, going in for the hug.

"Well, we still got today!" Red pulls away from the hug, "you don't leave until tomorrow morning, so let's do a year's worth of activities tonight!"

"Yes!" Annie exclaimed, "let's start with a race. Race you guys to the skatepark!" She yells, grabbing her skateboard and riding away.

"Good luck Chambers! You're gonna need it!" Red shouts to the girl, who is now a couple feet ahead of him.

Ricky stays back, looking behind him at his elementary school building. More memories rushing to his head: meeting red on the first day of first grade, spending recess with him everyday, meeting his first crush, Justine, on the swing set he had just been sitting on, and meeting Annie on the first day of fifth grade.

To say he was going to miss leaving everything behind, would be an understatement. But maybe it was a good thing, he's stayed in the same city, same house, for the past ten years. Now was the time for a fresh start.

He faces forward again in the direction his two friends were at, revealing that they were almost out of sight. He grabs his skateboard and sets it on the ground, beginning to skate away from the first place he had felt welcome.

And now onto another, the skatepark.