I Missed You- Kleinsen (deh)

Evan

"Oh shut up, asshole. You're just as lame as I am."

"Nuh-uh! Do you have fucking light-up Heelys?" Jared asks in the voice of a seven-year-old as he turns down a road with a huge sign pointing down it leading us to the orchard.

"Do you actually?" I laugh.

"Yep," He replies with a smug look, totally proud of himself.

"Okay, that officially makes you the lamest person on the planet." He scoffs and frowns childishly the rest of the way down the road, trying to make a feel bad. I don't give in, however, and just stick my tongue out at him every time he looked at me.

We quickly got to the parking lot of the orchard and parked the car. We both got out of the car and looked at the scene ahead of us. The orchard was huge, bigger than any park in the town. The lake was right in the middle where ducks were swimming around and little kids were throwing bread at them, despite the signs advising not to. There were many bigger trees in the distance leftover from when it got shut down, but they were far away from the public paths. Little baby trees were planted everywhere, different types around the whole park. Benches were placed for people to rest and take in the scenery. Besides an abandoned water bottle or two littered on the ground, it was clean and pretty.

"Wow, this is quite nice, actually," Jared said next to me.

"What did you think it was going to be like?" I ask as I lead him to the entrance.

"I don't know, I just thought it was just, ya know, trees."

"What's not nice about trees?"

"You are the biggest fucking nerd Evan I swear to God."

We bicker as we walk into the orchard. There was a plague at the entrance waiting to be read, explaining the history of the park and why it was re-opened. We just walked past it, though- we already knew that story.

We find a picnic table in the shade that was away from anyone else. I open the bag that I had brought with me and start unloading our lunch.

"Yay! Food!" Jared exclaims and snatches that sandwich I was holding out of my hands.

"Okay, rude."

Jared sloppily takes off the wrapping around the sandwich and goes in to take a bite, but stops and suddenly gasps.

"What?" I ask, scared there was something in the sandwich that wasn't supposed to be.

"Oh my god Even, look at the corgi!" I turn my head to where his eyes were looking, and sure enough, there was a middle-aged woman walking a dark brown corgi around the lake. It has its tongue out and was padding its way along the sidewalk as fast as it could without running so that it could catch up with the woman. I turn back at Jared, who was giggling with excitement. His eyes were filled with so much joy just from watching the happy little doggie.

"You really do have a soft spot for dogs, huh?" I ask, sliding him chips I forgot to give him.

"Do you blame me? Look at it's face!" I laugh at his enthusiasm and unwrap my own sandwich. Jared ignores me and continues to watch the dog. I turn back around to watch it, too. As the corgi and its owner walk away, my gaze shifts from them to the other people around the lake, and then to tress and to the sky.

"It's really nice here, calming. Thanks for suggesting we come here, I needed a break from stress." I say, biting into my food. Jared finally looks away from the dog and back at me.

"What were you stressed about?" He asks.

"Just college, I guess."

"Oh yeah, forgot about that. When do classes start?"