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Holidays Circa 2014

Emery tilted his head curiously. "Like you and Mom?"

"Like me and Mom."

"Why?"

"Taxes," his dad answered. Emery liked hearing answers. And not once did he question them when it came from his parents. "Like me and Mom."

"Taxes?"

Michael's shoulder shook as he laughed, his soiled hands painting brown on his son's face when he pinched Emery's chin lightly. "No. Love, solnyshko. It's always love," he said as he stood up. "And sometimes taxes. But mostly love."

Emery looked at Mr. Walsh's distant figure as his dad walked to empty the bin. He didn't always understand his father, but he's the smartest man in the world. Emery had no reason not to trust him. "Okay," he mumbled before going back to pulling weeds.

He understood years later, that he and Mr. Walsh shared more in common than he thought.

"Hey!"

Emery stumbled as he yelped and jumped away from the sudden voice. At first, he thought it was one of those annoying kids playing a prank on him again. When he turned around and saw who it was, the prospect of being pranked wasn't out of question yet, although, with the cheery smile that greeted him, it was highly unlikely.

The boy was merely an inch taller than him, with no hair darker than his and no skin fairer, not even Emery's.

The second he saw his face, Emery knew who it was. Blake Yeun, one of Cameron's friends. This wasn't the first time that they were meeting each other, but he doubted Blake knows his name the way Emery knows his.

"Emery, right?"

Emery's eyes widened a little in surprise. Before he could say yes, a burly boy wearing a Santa hat – Emery recognized him from his English class – Henry bumped against his back harshly, and Emery knew it wasn't unintentional.

"Hi, Blake," Henry said, completely ignoring the other boy in front of him who was shooting daggers at his face. "You hang with losers now?"

'Hey, I'm right here!' Emery wanted to scream at him, but instead, all he could do was walk away, or at least attempt to before Blake caught his arm.

There was a slight frown on his face, and a glare directed at Henry. "I thought you knew. I hang out with you."

Henry returned the favor and scoffed. "Lame..." he muttered as he walked away immediately, not without 'accidentally' shoving Emery on his way before disappearing.

"I'm sorry about that. He can be really mean for no reason," Blake said, eyes still following Henry. "He really shouldn't be dressed as Santa with that attitude."

"It's okay," Emery hid his face as he spoke. "It may have been a little my fault anyway."

"You talk!" Blake's excitement faded when he saw the way Emery's lips clamped shut. "I'm sorry. It's just I noticed you standing alone in here and couldn't help but... anyway, it's not. Henry's an ass."

Emery figured there was no harm in telling this person. Blake didn't strike him as the kind of guy who spreads information just for the fun of it, unlike literally everyone in his school. "I told Ms. Day that he wouldn't stop looking at my paper during our quiz earlier."

Blake gasped. "Snitch!"

Emery frowned.

"I was joking!" Blake let out, frantically waving his hand in panic. This boy is something else, Emery can give him that. He still thinks he sometimes tries a little too hard and is a little too loud for Emery's liking, but he's not an ass, which Emery hasn't seen a lot of these days. "You were being kind. I would have thrown my chair at him."