It was their 10 year reunion. They ran into each other by chance. Ryder was the first to speak, "Wow Jake it's been a while. How have you been?" Jake responded "Wow, I haven't seen you since high school. It's good to see you're still beautiful." Ryder retorted "So how's that girl you got married to?" Jake shrugged "She left me and the girls..." Ryder asked "Wait you have kids?" Jake nodded "One that's 5 and one that's 3. It's been 2 years since she left me." Ryder patted him on the shoulder "Well it's good to know that you broke free. This town was keeping you down on your knees." Jake asked "So how's Miss Marley Lynn?" Ryder shook his head "Last I heard she's in Queens with the man of her dreams." Jake joked "Back then didn't she say that about you?" The man who still had sort of long chestnut brown locks spoke. "I was walking around. I managed to see a few people. Remember Sam?" Jake agreed "Of course. I remember how tight the three of us were sophomore year." Ryder continued "Well now it's Sam and Kitty Evans." The two of them laughed at the thought of the marriage between the two that were polar opposites way back when. Jake asked "So where has life taken you Ry?" The young man answered "Well, I'm living just outside of New York running a therapy practice." Jake asked "Wait of all the things you could be doing you're a therapist?" Ryder nodded "I like helping people. It's actually a pretty good job. Plus being just outside of Manhattan, I've got a pretty steady stream of clients. By the way, you're pretty quick to jump the gun, what have you been doing?" The young man answered "I'm a dance teacher. All I did was find a way to use what I'm good at for a career." The brunet swept his bangs out from in front of his dark brown eyes and inquired "Well, I have wanted to ask this since we were in high school, Jake Puckerman do you care to dance with me?" He outreached his left hand for the young man to grasp. Jake immediately took a hold of Ryder's hand and followed him onto the dance floor. The two danced along side each other awkwardly to REM's Superman. The two walked off side by side as soon as the song ended. Jake quirked "Well, it's good to let you in again after all this heartbreak." Ryder soothed "You're not alone in how you've been." Jake seemed downtrodden as he ran his fingers through his short black hair as he spoke "I guess everybody loses." Ryder cut off his sad remarks by connecting his lips to Jake's for the first of many times. He whispered "We've all got bruises."
