For Reid, summer was when everything changed. His mother died of breast cancer. He had spent the past he-didn't-know-how-long sat beside her hospital bed, holding her hand. Then, at one oh four in the morning, her hand, which had previously been holding onto his, went limp and he knew. He didn't want to believe it, but he knew and he hated the feeling of helplessness that then arrived.
For Aaron, everything changed in the autumn, when he saw Reid again. He had known before summer that he felt different about him; he no longer wanted to piss him off. On the first day back at school, his stomach was churning. He passed it off as nervousness, although the reason why he should be nervous defeated him. He walked past Reid in the corridor at 8:23 and his heart skipped.
For Reid, spending time with anyone was hell. Even his best friends. He hadn't told anyone – he didn't feel able to. He still couldn't come to terms with it. The one person he had left in the world, the only family member still alive, was dead. He walked around in a trance. Numb. He walked around, eyes to the floor. At 12:18, he went to his locker, put his books inside and trudged down the corridor. He wasn't looking up. Neither was Aaron.
For Aaron, the butterflies were still fluttering. He took his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his inbox. He wasn't looking up when Reid walked into him. "Sorry." Reid mumbled. Aaron grabbed his arm as he made to walk past. "Hey," he said, gently, "You ok?" Reid looked up, surprised, and then shook his head, slightly. Aaron frowned. "Tell me about it. Might make it better."