Photograph [Maya Hart]

01 ~ summer

"Come on," Auggie said. "Let's go."

Peter followed Auggie to his apartment to build the LEGO set.

"My friends are coming over later," Riley said. "Wanna come over and hang out with us?"

"Um, I'm busy," Harley lied. "Maybe some other time."

Riley nodded, understandingly. 

"I'll see you around, I guess," Harley said.

"Yeah, see ya," Riley smiled.

Riley waved goodbye and Harley closed the door as Riley went back to her apartment.

Harley went back to the living room to continue watching the movie he and Peter were watching for the rest of the day.

After dinner, Elizabeth came home.

"Hey, honey," Elizabeth said, greeting her oldest son.

She kissed his head as she put her bag down.

"Hi, Mom," Harley said.

"Where's your brother?"

"He's at the neighbors apartment," Harley said. "He's building a LEGO set with him."

"Which unit it?" 

"Um, the unit on the right," he said. "He's been there since lunch time."

"It seems like he's having a good time," Elizabeth said.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"I'm going to go and get him," Elizabeth said.

"Oh, let me," Harley said, jumping up from the couch. "I'll pick him up."

Elizabeth gave Harley a puzzled look but gave in.

Harley went over to the apartment and rang the door bell.

"Who is it?" he heard Riley's voice through the intercom.

He pressed the button. 

"Um, Harley, the neighbor," Harley said. "I came to get my brother."

"Come in!"

Harley opened the door to see the unit that was slightly bigger than his and his family.

"Who are you?" the man at the head of the table in the kitchen asked.

"Um, I'm Harley," he said. "Your new neighbor?"

"Oh, yeah, the new neighbors," he remembered. 

"Is Peter here?" Harley asked. "My mom wants him to come back."

"He's playing with Auggie in his bedroom," the woman answered.

"Wait," a boy with light brown, almost blonde, hair asked. "Aren't you Elizabeth Walker's son?"

"Um, yeah," Harley said.

"Oh, that's so cool!"

"Wait, your mom is an actress?" a blonde girl asked.

"Yeah," Harley nodded.

"What is it like?" she asked.

"Alright," Harley said.

"I'll get Peter," the woman Harley is assuming is Riley's mother got up from the table and went to call Peter.

"That's so cool that your mom is an actor," another boy said. 

"It's not as great you guys think it is," Harley shrugged. 

"Oh, come on," the boy said. "You get to go behind the scenes of movies and shows meet all these celebrities..."

"Dude, is one of your parents an actor?"

"No," he shook his head. 

"Exactly, I know what it's like," Harley said. 

"Here's Peter," Riley's mother reappeared with Peter.

"Hey," Harley said. "Mom's home."

"Oh, okay," Peter said, slightly disappointed.

"Come on," Harley said. "See you later, I guess."

Harley turned to the door and opened it. Peter crossed the living room and followed Harley out of the apartment and headed to their unit.

Peter closed the door behind him as they left Riley and Auggie's apartment and went back to theirs.

"Hey, honey," Elizabeth greeted Peter.

"Hi, Mom," Peter said.

"Did you have fun at the neighbors?"

"Yeah," Peter said. 

"What's your friends name?"

"Auggie," he said. "He's really nice."

Elizabeth smiled. "Good. Did you two eat dinner?"

"Yeah," Harley nodded."

"Uh - huh," Peter nodded.

"Okay. It's almost nine. Peter get ready for bed. I'll come in a bit."

"Mom, please, can I stay up a bit longer?" Peter begged.

"No," she shook her head as she took a bit from the leftover pasta. "Get ready for bed."

"Why can Harley stay up longer?" Peter questioned as Harley opened the fridge.

"He's older than you," Elizabeth reminded him. "He can stay up a bit longer."

"It's not fair," Peter whined.

"It is," Elizabeth said. "Go to your room and get ready for bed."

Peter groaned and went to his room.

"How was your day, Harls?"

"Alright," Harley shrugged. "I didn't do anything."

"You should join your schools football team," Elizabeth said.

"I don't know, Mom," Harley said. "I don't like football."

"Then baseball," she said. "There are try outs coming soon."

"I don't know," Harley said, uncertainly, closing the fridge door. "I don't know if I wanna play sports this year."

"Then what do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Harley shrugged. "Maybe join the yearbook club or something with photography."

"Oh, right, you like photography," Elizabeth remembered. 

"I'll think about the baseball team," Harley said. "But I know I wanna do something photography related."

Elizabeth smiled.