Warning: Death will be mentioned, and if this is a trigger for anyone, then it's advised that you don't read it. If you feel comfortable reading it, then continue.

Note: This is set in my 7teen universe. It can honestly be any time after "Rolling Down the Hills".

Back Down Memory Lane

The original five of the group still couldn't believe it. Their kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Hill, was gone. She was the one that (indirectly) brought them together in the first place. The gang wore their favorite shades of black to pay their last respects to her. Despite not knowing their teacher personally, Caitlin and Sydni accompanied the other five out of respect. Each of the five–and the hundred people attending the funeral–were uneasy, saddened, and still in shock.

Nikki's head was slightly bowed. She had bit her lip to keep herself from letting a single tear fall. Jonesy had his arm wrapped around her. His gaze was steady as he looked forward, but his lips were curled into a frown. Unlike Jonesy, Jen's eyes darted in different directions in a failed effort not to cry. Jude had his toque in his hands and wrung it every few minutes, as he took it off at the beginning of the funeral out of respect. Wyatt's eyes had been cast upon his feet. He hadn't been able to bring himself to look up. Caitlin and Sydni had sorrowful looks on their faces. They couldn't feel the loss that the rest of the gang felt, but they surely felt their spirits dampen.

Time was at its slowest and was no ally to them. Neither was life.

After the funeral, the gang decided to sit down and eat at Maria's Place, a diner that Jonesy and Jude swore had chili fries as good as Burger McFlipsters's. Today, however, was not a happy-go-lucky, chili fry day. There was no sunshine (or chili-related farts) to be found. Instead, the picture outside their booth-side window consisted of grey clouds and heavy-pounding rain.

As soon as they ordered their food, there was a deafening silence. No one knew what to say to each other. No one knew how to move on from this loss just yet. The only sound made was by the air Jonesy had deeply exhaled and the only smiles that appeared were when their waitress came to their booth with food. Only Jude smiled. Just a little bit, in fact.

Caitlin took a slow sip of her milkshake. She looked up afterwards with her curious, green eyes and opened her mouth to speak. "I guess I always kinda wanted to know"–she twirled a lock of her long hair–"but how did you guys meet?" They were silent for another moment and Caitlin went on to explain herself. She slowly said, "Since we went to your kindergarten teacher's... you know."

Sydni nodded in agreement. "Yeah, how did you guys meet? If you're okay with telling us."

Just thinking about it made Jude, Jonesy, Nikki, Jen, and Wyatt exchange chuckles in the most nostalgic way. In hindsight, that day was more special than realized. It had brought about friendships, trust, love (both platonic and romantic), respect, and fun that would last a lifetime. That was one thing that death could never cheat them out of.

Jen smiled just a little bit before starting the story. "Here's what happened…"

Jen had just been given kisses on the cheek by her mother and father, who dropped her off for her first day of kindergarten. She had told them she was a little nervous, but they had told her she would be fine. She had really hoped they were right. She knew they hadn't seen the world as a five year old in a very long time. Then again, her parents wouldn't tell her anything wrong. Right?

She found a very colorful table with a few empty chairs and sat down, alone. While waiting for the school day to begin, she played with her braid and anxiously kicked her sneaker-clad feet around. She looked up for a split second, seeing that girl she met while her parents were at that "orientation" thing. She had long, black hair and dressed like a tomboy.

"Hi, Nikki!" she said in a chipper voice, happy she wasn't alone anymore.

"Hey."

Nikki took a seat. Her glasses were hanging out the pocket of her baggy pants. Jen had quickly figured out that Nikki hated them. When they met a couple days ago, Nikki had insisted that she didn't need them and could see perfectly fine without them. Jen didn't argue (like she always did with her sister) and just took her word for it, since she was able to recognize Jen today without them on.

The two of them began to chat about crayons and the sky and other nothingness until Mrs. Hill grabbed her class's attention.

"Now that you all are here, I'm your teacher, Ms. Hill, and you kids are going to have a fun year of kindergarten! I'm going to call you guys up so you can introduce yourselves."

All the kids reacted excitedly, whether it was by throwing their hands in the air, smiling, cheering, or clapping. The word fun was music to any child's ears.

Ms. Hill began to call the students up at random. When she called one boy in particular, he didn't want to get in front of the class and speak. He looked very shy, sitting by himself at a table in the back of the class. He wore square-framed glasses, a sweater vest, and pressed khaki pants.

Looking at her attendance sheet to recall his name, Ms. Hill said, "Wyatt, it'll be okay. All you have to do is come up and say who you are. I'll be right here."

He shook his head while saying, "I can't!" After speaking, he ran out the classroom.

Jen felt bad for him. Being nervous sucked.

In contrast, some kid in their class broke out in laughter. He didn't care about him being nervous. "What a wuss!"

Nikki and Jen rolled their eyes at him.

Ms. Hill reprimanded the boy. "Jonesy, that's bad language!" (In retrospect, she never snapped at anyone much. He was probably the only kid she had to keep in line.)

His laughter died down. "Sorry, Ms. Hill."

Jen got an idea just as Ms. Hill was about to step outside the room. "Ms. Hill, Nikki and I'll go look for Wyatt!"

"Really? Thank you, Jen! Once you find him, you two'll get special treats from me!" (She had always offered the best treats. Chocolate bars–which Nikki quickly found out she hated. Skittles. Chips. Name it and Ms. Hill had it.)

Jen nodded obediently and grabbed Nikki's wrist, practically running out the room with her.

On their way out, Nikki yelled, "I never agreed to this!"

After a couple minutes of walking, Jen asked, "Where do you think that boy is?"

Nikki shrugged. "How should I know?"

Jen stopped in her tracks. She heard something–something like a whimper–coming from an empty arts-and-crafts room. Peering in, she found that boy sitting against a wall with his hands over his eyes (or rather his glasses). Again, she grabbed Nikki's wrist, startling her again, and they walked in.

"You," Nikki addressed him, "Ms. Hill's looking for you."

Jen sat beside him. "Why'd you run away?"

He sniffled, wiping his eyes. "Cuz I'm s-scared. I'm new here."

Nikki threw her small hands into the air. "Well, duh! We're all new!"

His voice high, he said, "B-but I just moved here."

"It's okay. You're gonna be okay," Jen replied. She took his hand, assuring him that he wasn't a sole guppy in a class full of sharks. (Her mother sometimes held her hand to comfort her, usually when Courtney stole her Barbie dolls and Jen would cry about it.)

Nikki cringed. She didn't like the thought of holding anyone, which is probably why she didn't like it when Jen grabbed her wrists.

"So are you gonna come back with us?" Jen asked, still holding his hand to keep him calm.

He nodded after a hesitant moment.

They stood up and walked back to their classroom together. Ms. Hill moved towards Wyatt and asked him if he felt okay with finally going up to introduce himself.

He looked uneasy again, causing Nikki to feel some pity for him. She spoke up, saying, "Jen and I'll go up with him, if that's okay."

"It's more than okay. Whatever gets him out of his shell is fine by me," said Ms. Hill.

"C'mon," Nikki said to Wyatt as she and Jen walked in front of the class.

Jen appeared calm in front of the class, speaking sweetly to them. "I'm Jennifer Masterson, but you guys can call me Jen."

Nikki cringed at her name. "I'm Nicole Wong... Just call me Nikki."

That Jonesy boy yelled, "Hi, Nicole!"

She raised a fist at him and Ms. Hill told both of them to calm down. (Rarely, she had to reprimand others because of Jonesy.)

Wyatt took a deep breath. "I'm Wyatt Williams and I don't have a nickname." He blushed. "I r-really like music though."

A little blonde-haired boy in a t-shirt and toque (despite it being late August) stood up, clapping for him. "That was so brave, dude."

The other kindergarteners followed suit and clapped for Wyatt. He smiled as he looked around the room. Jen and Nikki smiled right with him.

Jen whispered in his ear. "I told you you'd be okay."

Eventually, it was time for lunch. Since the weather was nice, they were allowed to eat on the picnic tables outside the school. Jen and Nikki invited Wyatt to sit with them, seeing that he hadn't talked with anyone much (aside from them). Jen looked into her Barbie lunchbox and saw apple juice, a cookie, and a ham sandwich. She hated ham sandwiches.

"That's the last time I get my dad to make my lunch," she said.

Nikki, on the other hand, was happy with the peanut butter and jelly sandwich and milk her mother packed.

"You can have this." Wyatt gave Jen one half of his whole turkey and mayonnaise sandwich. "I only eat a little bit anyways."

She beamed at him. "Thanks, Wyatt!"

"No problem."

The blonde kid with the messy hair and winter hat, the one who clapped for Wyatt, strolled to their table. "Hey there."

Her mouth full, Nikki said, "What's up?"

"Wanna trade that PB&J for a turkey sandwich?"

She swallowed her food and said, "No thanks."

"How about my ham sandwich?" Jen asked. "I didn't eat it at all."

"Deal!" he exclaimed. Once he got the sandwich from Jen, he thanked her.

"No problem. Do you want to sit with us?"

"Sure!"

"So, what's your name?" Jen asked.

"Jude Lizowski."

Nikki paused her eating. "What kinda last name is Lizowski?"

He chuckled in a spaced-out way. "I dunno. It's weird, isn't it?"

His laughter was contagious and it caused Nikki to smile. "Very."

She began to frown, however, when that rude kid who called her by her real name approached their table. His eyes quickly darted to the brownie that Wyatt's mom packed with his lunch.

He snatched the brownie just as Wyatt reached for it, yelling, "Ooh! Gimme!"

Nikki's blood boiled. She couldn't stand kids like him. Bullies. Jerks. Cootie-carriers. He needed a reality check from someone and it was going to be from her.

While Wyatt squirmed and begged for his brownie back, Nikki shouted, "Hey! Give that back to him!"

All the kids in the surrounding area looked in their direction.

"Me?" he asked.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Yes, you! You've been nothing but a stupid jerk since school started, so give that back to him or else!"

"Or else what? You can't be talkin' to me with those glasses on!"

Ms. Hill had suggested earlier that Nikki put her glasses on just so she can read the worksheets she had given to the class, but Nikki forgot to take them off before going to lunch, causing her to now be the butt of that stupid boy's joke.

She approached him, now inches away from him. He was a few inches taller than her–in fact, he was taller than most of his classmates–but that didn't scare her one bit. It only made her more confident that she could take him. "Excuse me? You need to watch your stupid mouth!"

"You heard me. Who are you calling stupid? At least I'm not weird."

That set her off. She balled her hands into tight fists and her face twisted into anger. She slugged him in the face, knocking him into the ground. Sprawled in the dirt and mulch, he began whimpering and borderline crying while the other kids in their class laughed at him and cheered Nikki on. She beamed in the satisfaction of taking that jerk down.

She walked away, but not before saying, "That's for calling me weird, stupid."

Nikki rightfully took her seat alongside her new friends, who were surprised and happy that she did that. That she took up for Wyatt and all the other kids who could've been bullied around by that boy. That stupid, jerky boy.

Jude's jaw was agape. "That. Was. Awesome! And kinda scary."

The end of the school day came around and the four of them sat at the same classroom table while waiting for their parents to pick them up. Jude was messily coloring a drawing of a superhero, Jen was re-braiding her hair, Wyatt was humming a happy tune, and Nikki was tapping her stubby fingers against the table.

This school day wasn't as bad as Jen thought it was going to be. She had three new friends. She also learned that she should never make one of those friends angry. Ever.

Jen stopped her braiding, Nikki stopped her tapping, Jude stopped his coloring, and Wyatt stopped his humming when someone approached their table for the second time that day. It was that boy Nikki beat up on the playground. He was nervously rubbing the back of his head and acted much more innocently than he did throughout the day.

"Listen, I'm sorry that I was a jerk to you guys. I was being… stupid." He grinned a little bit at Nikki when he said stupid, focusing on the others at the table moments later. All four of them looked at Jonesy hesitantly, especially Nikki. Nobody said anything for a solid minute now and he decided to walk away, not smiling at all.

Before he could go anywhere, Wyatt said, "Don't go. I forgive you."

The boy looked more hopeful, especially when Jude and Jen forgave him as well.

Nikki continued to stare him down before moving her lips to speak. "It's okay. You're not half-bad anyways."

He smiled from ear-to-ear. "Thanks."

Jen had said, "You can sit with us if you want to."

He did so as Nikki asked, "You're Jonesy, right?"

"The one and only."

She rolled her eyes at him.

Moments later, Jude had showed Jonesy the superhero he was coloring, at least before their parents had come to pick them up. Jonesy joining the Jen, Nikki, Jude, and Wyatt at the same table had become a daily thing at the suggestion of Ms. Hill, who thought they all were adorable together. Eventually it had become more than just a kindergarten thing. Because of an introduction, a few sandwiches, a playground fight, and an apology, they had become friends.

After the story of how they met was told, Caitlin and Sydni looked amused, sharing the same happy expressions.

Caitlin sipped the last of her vanilla milkshake. "So that's how you guys met. You guys sound like you haven't changed a bit."

Jen smiled–like, actually smiled–for the first time that day. "We haven't, have we?"

"Not really. I think the only major change was me dating this knucklehead," Nikki said. She faced Jonesy, who ate his last fry, and joked, "You're still not half-bad."

He threw his arm around her. "You're not half-bad either, babe. It's funny, I used to think you had cooties."

She leaned closer towards him, saying, "Oh, the irony."

Their grinning lips met into a quick kiss.

Caitlin played with the straw in her now empty glass. "Okay, this is like my last question–I swear–but what else happened when you guys were younger?"

Jonesy sighed. "My dad took me to my first hockey game when I was five. That was the day I found what I really love to do."

Nikki took a sip of her soda. "My parents took me to Montreal when I was really young. It was beautiful there. It's what really made me want to start traveling."

"I went snowboarding for the first time when I was six. That's when I knew I'd be an Olympian," Jen said.

Jude smiled aimlessly. "I fell in love with Lucy."

Jen raised an eyebrow with the others. "Who's Lucy?"

"My first skateboard. I brought her to show and tell once."

Caitlin asked, "Do you name all your skateboards?"

He nodded. "Of course, bra. I gotta treat 'em all with the same love."

Nikki snorted. "Words to live by."

Wyatt was the last one to speak about a first of his. "I wrote my first song when I was younger."

Jonesy broke out in laughter, much like when he was five. "The one about your mommy? That one was comedy gold!"

Wyatt gave him the evil eye, but Caitlin found it to be sweet.

"Aww, you wrote a song for your mom? Wyatt, that's adorable!" She giggled. "You guys have such great memories with each other. I wish I could've come along sooner."

Sydni agreed, saying, "No wonder you guys are so tight. You have things like that that date back from twelve years. I guess some things are meant to be."

Jen's facial features relaxed. "We may have memories that lasted a really long time, but that doesn't mean we aren't making new ones now–the seven of us. I think we're doing just fine."

Nikki, Jonesy, Jude, and Wyatt agreed. The crazy and fun and outrageous things going on in their lives now, those would be the memories that the seven would look back on in twelve more years. The first loves. The heartbreaks. The feuds. The bonds. The adventures. The memories.

"You're totally right, Jen. We are just fine," Caitlin said.

Nikki grinned. "Can't argue with that."

For the first time that day, everyone actually held a cheerful conversation, be it about life, memories, or other things.

While laughing at a joke that Jonesy made, Jude turned his head and something outside their window caught his attention.

"Guys, look!"

Everybody's eyes focused outside, where it was no longer raining. The dark storm clouds faded into nothingness. The sun shone brightly and the sky was ocean blue again. The gang was pressed against the window like children in school watching snowflakes fall. When such darkness and sadness overtook their morning, it was only right to welcome the afternoon light with such open arms. Or, in their case, with such smiling faces.

Old memories brought them through loss. Old memories brought them a brighter day. New memories would certainly bring them tomorrow.