"Tommy?"

Her words— so fragile, tender— made his heart cringe. He could turn around and mend the cuts and watch the scars heal at the sake of them, or he could continue walking— running— away from the pieces already broken. However, his thoughts had worn him out weeks ago, and for the sake of his sanity, turning back was his last option, besides the one that he constantly overlooked. He could hurt them this way, yet the other was unimaginable. He to get away— he had too.

Letting his head hang lower, he stared at the floor, as the other kids, who were crowded around him, assured him that this was the right decision. He really hoped it was, because if he were them, he wouldn't forgive himself either.

"C'mon, dude, forget about all of them. You were meant to hang out with us."

An older boy, Jaxson, grinned down at him, as he put an arm around Tommy's shoulder to guide him in the direction they were heading, knowing the younger boy's mind was drifting off.

Pulling him closer to him, Jaxson leaned over and whispered in Tommy's ear:

"They were lame anyway."

Glimpsing up from the floor, Tommy looked at the other boy, and slowly nodded, as he attempted to make himself believe the words spoken to him. He didn't want anything more than to get himself to see it in that light, but his conscious refused to let him have the peace of mind; it hadn't since that night— the one he was determined to escape from.

"You'll regret this in the end Tommy Pickles. And I know you know, you will."

Her voice sounded miles away, but sliced him deep enough to make him stop in his tracks. The voices in his head argued about whom was right, even though his heart already knew who was: Kimi.

Timidly, he glimpsed over his shoulder at the girl a couple of feet behind. Her eyes, which resembled a lightly creamed cup of coffee, had a pleading gloss to them, but had a sparking fire ignited within them, as well. He cursed himself for not realizing how angelic she was, because if he had, maybe then this outcome would have never been written out and he would've never had to choose this path. But he had to get away.

"Forget her, Pickles. She'll only hold you back."

He felt a hand grasp and squeeze his shoulder, and he figured Jaxson was trying to stir him back into focus. After all, he was the new cub, while Jaxson was the king of the pack.

With a deep breath, he permitted his eyes to gaze upon hers, before turning away with an apologetic semblance and letting the emotions that were stirred up to settle, as he prayed she, as well as the others, would understand his reasoning behind this mess he had made.

A single sincere look from his new companions, then they were off again making their way down the street, as they plowed through the passing crowd. When he caught a smug, sly smirk on Jaxson's lips, his stomach twisted, but it was too late to quit. His decision had been made.

"This isn't you Tommy! You are a leader, not a follow. Don't do this."

Only one thought dared to fabricate in his mind, and he couldn't help but quietly and delicately whisper it out loud:

"People change."

He felt Jaxson's gaze settle upon him, before hearing the older boy— his new leader— sigh, and then smile:

"Yeah, they do… and you, for the better. You're not bad, kid. Not bad at all… anymore."

If so, why did he feel worse than ever before?

Glimpsing behind, a raw, sharp prick of agony struck him when Kimi Finister, the newest one to join the original gang and the one, who always greeted him with a smile and prepared for a daring adventure, had vanished within the bystanders.

Even after the incident, she had stayed by him and tried to guide him in her direction— the right direction, but he didn't feel as though he belonged there anymore. The others had attempted as well, but nothing to the extent of Kimi. She even found out about today, how he was going with them, and she came. She was always there for him, but now he had to get used to not seeing her face, which always warmed him, around anymore.

Everything felt so different now, but he had to get used to the dreaded concept:

Nothing stays the same, it all changes— feelings change, people change, and lives change— and that was all there was too it.

Forcing his countenance to morph more optimistic, he stared up at the leader and wondered:

"So, where we off too, Jax?"

A cunning crystal glistened in the boy's dark, lightless eyes, as he took a second to communicate mentally with the rest of the group, before speaking with a crooked grin:

"Were off to have the most fun you've had in your life. It'll be some fun times, indeed."

It may have been the cold, cruel tone of his voice, or maybe the mischievous appearance on his face, but Tommy was developing the feeling that their meaning of fun, was different than his.

Author's Note: Yes, I know, it's another short one. However, I'm trying to find the perfect beginning to my Tommy and Kimi fanfic I'm planning on writing, so this was an idea to help get my thoughts in line. It was going to be the prologue, but then I noticed if this was, I wouldn't have much for the rest of the story, so I'm writing another prologue, which will be cute and about the two laying awake in bed, cause they sneaked up to Kimi's room at a sleepover cause they were bored and everyone else was asleep. Then, it'll be present time and Tommy will not be hanging out with them. And yeah, it'll be about the struggles the friends go through without Tommy, and then Kimi having a plan to get him back to knock some sense back into him and what not. I think when I finish polishing the entire idea and begin writing it, it'll end up being cute.

Oh, and thank you Matthew, for reviewing my poem Superboy and Invisible Girl, I don't know if you will read this or not, but its what motivated me to start writing the fic. Hopefully, other people out there shares your thoughts and like my writing as well. (:

Remember, reviews are the cherries on top of my sundae. They make me very happy. xD

-Alright, thank you all, whether you read it or not,

xXxLasting-MemoriesxxX