Quiet Boys.

And so, now it was no longer May. It was June. June first to be exact.
School, well, goodbye. In five days you will no longer be a part of my life.
Allison and skipped out of school, arm in arm. Today marked the last weekend of junior year.
Smile, smile, smile was all we could do.
I looked from cheerleaders and football players to little gothic kiddies with hair in their eyes, blocking views of reality. Everyone knew it was approaching.
Summer weather was what prevented it from being my favorite season, but the feel of it was my favorite.
So much time, to have so much freedom. To have so many adventures, to explore so many lands; foreign or not. It’s a childhood dream, like snow days and ice cream. I thought maybe I could make this the best summer yet, if I really tried.
“Remember, next Friday. You should invite Ivan,” Allison said, wiggling her eyebrows. I giggled into my hand.
“Oh, I will. But you shouldn’t think of him like that! You should see him, he’s terrified of human contact,” I said, kind of feeling strange to talk about Ivan, not knowing if it was negative or not.
“Well, invite him, and we’ll show him he doesn’t need to be so afraid all the time,” Allison replied. I nodded.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to do for the past month.”

________

I called Awkward Ivan right after school, eager to begin. He answered on the first ring, which made me kind of smug.
“Parker?” Ivan asked, but not in a usual way. Basically, it sounded like he was shattered. All from one word.
“Ivan, what’s wrong?” I said, and realized my voice was very quiet. My heart was pounding heavily, very afraid for the answer.
“My dad isn’t coming back. They actually are divorced now. I had no idea papers were already signed.”
He sounded like hell. He sounded like he was crying. He sounded like I needed to be with him right this very instant or I would go insane myself.
“Where is he?” I asked.
“Apparently, he was really upset after it was finalized. He went to Colorado with some family,” He said, and his voice was shaking so badly.
“Where’s your mom?”
“At my aunts. I don’t think she cares, or she’s trying not to show it.”
“What’s your address? I’m coming over.”

________

It didn’t actually take horribly long to make it to Ivan’s house, but it did seem like much longer. I thought it strange how much I felt this boy’s pain after a month. But that was okay with me. He needed someone to.
It was sunny, and absolutely perfect outside. So, when I pulled up in his driveway and saw Ivan wiping his eyes on his front steps, nothing really seemed correct.
Though he was so sad, I couldn’t help but think of how beautiful he looked. He choked on a quiet sob when he saw me walking towards him. He was just sitting there, and I ran over and sat next to him, putting an arm around him and placing his head on my shoulder.
“Thank you,” he whispered, and he was biting his fingers, reminding me of a toddler. His face was red and tear stained. I had never seen something so adorable and devastating.
“Everything will be fine. And perfect. It’s really not as bad as it seems right now. With time, everything is better. Like roads after it snows. Or, how wine is improved over the years.”
“Do you have a metaphor for everything?” Ivan asked. I laughed, probably harder than I should have. I wasn’t entirely sure if he was being serious or not.
“Of course not everything, I just think they make life a little better.”
“You merely existing makes life a lot better.”
I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. His emotions let him be brave, and so he said the things he really wanted to say. Except, for some reason, I wasn’t expecting that. I swallowed hard, thinking I just might cry myself. I did. Oh, I imagined we were quite a sight. Two little kids crying, holding each other. Crying for the same reason and different reasons and no reasons at all. It was okay that we were making a spectacle on Ivan’s front steps. We had reason enough to. Then, Ivan realized that he wasn’t the only one crying.
“Why are you crying?” He asked, confusion in his watery eyes.
“Cause you are too,” I replied.