Colorful Love

The Boy Who Broke My Heart

"Gray or darker gray?" Rhidian asks me jokingly. There are so many different shades of the same color. Only people who have found their soulmate can see the varying colors.

"I think that we should just get both," I reply seriously after lengthy consideration.

He threw them both into the basket as we moved through the craft store. When we were finished, we walked to the front. An automated person, which people in the old days called a "robot", was at the counter. They looked awfully like humans, but they were often stumped when you asked them particularly hard questions.

Rhidian tried to be smooth and hand two of his credits to the automan, but I wasn't having that. I shook my head and handed him one of my credits. He didn't push it. It was only one credit. I mean, everyone got ninety of them every month. I often didn't even use all of my chips most of the time.

If we had a real cashier, they might get suspicious. What would kids use wood, paint, and rope for? A school project, I suppose. But there is an automan, so no point in wondering.

***

"So?" I asked, "What're we going to do first?"

"We need a break," Rhidian said, laying back on the grass near the creek.

"We don't need a break. You're just lazy." I sat down next to Rhidian in the grass. "So, what're we going to do to this place?"

"Well," he said, "First, we're going to build a rope swing. Rope swings scream fun, don't they? Then we're going to fix the bridge. It might actually support a person after we're done. Then, we're going to paint those things. With you and me together, we can make this place beautiful."

"That sounds good, but it sounds like a lot of work."

"We can handle it," he smirked.

"I never said that we couldn't." I didn't want him twisting everything that I said.

"This place- You know what?" Rhidian asked, "this place needs a name."

We sat for a moment in silence, both of us considering what our place should be called.

I spoke first. "What about the Riverbed? It just seems to fit."

He nodded his head. "Yeah, it think that fits perfectly."

We start walking back to the school in awkward silence. I try to start a conversation. "So... How do you like it here in Liphora?"

"Well... To be honest, I liked Flox better, no offense to you. I had more friends there, and better grades. Here, I only have two friends."

"Two? Who's the other one?" I ask, hoping that I was included in that number.

"Leosky."

I didn't get why boys called each other by their last names. It didn't make any sense. "You mean Asher?"

"Yeah, him."

"Why would you be friends with him?" I asked. "He's not a good kid."

"We have the same Chemistry class. We were partners. We became friends."