Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling

Ali and Kris pulled up to their apartment building and parked in the underground parkade. They chit chatted about work and stuff that was completely random. It was closer to eleven when they walked into the two bedroom apartment they shared. It was quaint, but the place worked for the two of them. It had just enough space for an easel in the back corner, with space for a couch, TV, chair, and dining table. It was painted a beautiful shade of beige. Well, it wasn't a beautiful shade. Really it was the color that came with the apartment when it was built.

"Is there any mail for me?" Kris asked as Ali shuffled through envelopes. Ali shook her head. They didn't ever get a lot of mail, but a thousand emails and IM's. Kris opened up her laptop and stared at the screen as she waited for it load. Kris walked into the kitchen and grabbed an apple, washed it off and cut it into even pieces. Ali swooped in and stole a slice off of Kris' plate.

As Kris sat down at her laptop and opened up her email, she saw one specific email from the Royal Hotel. It read:

Dear Ms. Dune-Lape,

It is our pleasure to inform you that your painting, "Sunshine's Daughter", has been given a place on the Juan Newchild Memorial wall. It will be on display for six weeks, at which time you may view it in the Royal Hotel.

Thank you,

Art Director, Hotel Manager,

Bray Braxton

Kris stared at the signature. As she looked at it longer, the face behind the name came back to her. Bray was her best friend in high school. Bray used to have dark hair, and bright blue eyes. He was an artist, like her, and in all of her art classes. He was a genuinely nice guy, or was. Kris reminded herself how people change since high school. Kris looked at the number in the contact information included at the bottom of the email. She called it immediately.

"Mr. Braxton's office," a female voice came through the phone receiver.

"Hello, this is Kristine Dune-Lape and I'm calling to speak with Mr. Braxton. Would it be possible to send me through?" Kris asked.

"Hold on one minute," the receptionist said. There was a moment of silence and a beep.

"Hello?" came a voice Kris hadn't heard since high school.

Kris could hardly believe it. "Hello, it's Kristine Dune-Lape. I was wondering if you went to Saint Bennett High School," Kris said. There was a pause.

"Yes, but how did-"

"I'm Kris; I was in your art class in every grade. Do you remember me?" Kris asked. "I had a thing for Picasso; I always wore a smock with a bluebird painted on the front, and my hair was absolutely always pulled up and back."

"Kris? Kris is that really you?" Bray asked, overjoyed.

"It really is. How are you? Aren't you the art director and the hotel manager? "

"Yeah, but only until I can find another job that pays better-it's only temporary," Bray explained. Kris laughed. Bray was always the person who never completely unpacked, who always waited for something to come around.

"Do you want to go grab a coffee? Catch up?" Kris asked her old friend.

"Absolutely," Bray answered. "How is tomorrow? Around two o'clock?"

"Perfect," Kris laughed. "I just can't even believe this. How unlikely that we'd ever see each other again after high school..."

"I know. It's always weird," Bray said.

"Alright, I'd better let you go," Kris said. "See you later, Bray."

"Bye Kris," Bray said, and they both hung up.

"Who was that?" Ali called as Kris set the phone down on the desk. Kris smiled a bright smile and looked at her best friend.

"A really old friend," Kris said with a giant smile on her face. Ali waggled her eyes and Kris rolled her eyes, lovingly chucking a pillow at her friend. "There is no way it's like that." Ali just laughed, hiding behind a pillow.

"For now," she muttered with a giant smile on her face.

She was sitting in the coffee place where she worked normally. She had switched shifts with one of her work friends, Jamie. She was sipping on her latte when an old face walked in the door. Bray was wearing glasses that looked like the kind that they gave you at the movie theatres. It was the same kind that Kris wished she could wear, except that she despised how her face looked in them. That and she'd have to pop out the lenses, 20-20 vision. He was wearing a suit, minus the jacket. It looked really hot outside so she didn't blame him. Kris was wearing a tank top and shorts; her sweater was draped lovingly across the back of her chair. She stood up to greet him, shaking his hand and exchanging warm pleasantries. He excused himself to buy a drink, and came back with and iced coffee. Kris smiled a smile that clearly read that she would burst out laughing at a moment's notice.

"What?" Bray asked. "What is it?" He looked around to find the source of amusement.

"An iced coffee? Really? You used to like it black," Kris told him. He looked at her.

"I can't even remember that you remember that," he said in disbelief. "Last I remember, you hated coffee." Kris laughed.

"I went to university. The late nights sure do make you a fan of anything that'll give you another hour of studying," Kris said as she took a sip of her coffee and a nibble of her cookie. Bray nodded.

"What are you doing? I mean, other than your art?" He asked. The death question. Kris had been preparing to answer with a lie. Say that she was a head hunter for some huge company, or the CEO of Apple.

"I work here to pay rent," she admitted. "My art hasn't taken off just yet, so I'm just waiting for something. Living for today," Kris' next thought was 'entering awkward silence that you always see building in movies. Like that awkward silence you get when you know someone is staring at you with a death stare, waiting for someone to leave.' But Kris was wrong.

"That sounds ideal," Bray said.

Kris could've sworn that her eyebrows were up in her hair line. "Ideal? Now, now, now, Bray, your life sounds ideal. Come on, you don't have to worry about cash, and you defiantly don't have to worry about living with your best friend," Kris said. Bray laughed.

"You know me better than that, K. I've lived out of a suitcase for most of my life. I'm always searching for the next biggest thing," Bray smiled. Kris was shocked that Bray even remembered his nickname for her.

"Sorry to say it, B, but you missed investing in the iPod," Kris joked and Bray laughed.

"Well, I missed that one," Bray said. "Did you ever hear what happened to Catlin Stewartly?" Kris shook her head. "Rumor at the reunion you missed, by the way, is that she went off and had an affair with a married man who then left his wife and children and moved in with her. See, she was screwing him for the money, but he left the money with his wife. So now Catlin is stuck with a broke man she doesn't even like. Can you say karma?" they both laughed. It was the kind of gossip that bottom feeders lived off of in high school to stay floating in the chaos. But back in high school, when Bray and Kris were bottom feeders, they heard it and laughed. Never spread it. They simply enjoyed other's failures.

It was two hours later. They caught up on gossip, on life stories, on places they'd lived, on where Bray had traveled in his year off after high school and they talked about Kris' art.

"I want to give your artwork a rotating place in the hotel. We'll pay to rent your paintings for three months at a time and cycle them out every three months for a new one. I've loved your artwork for a long time, even before I realized it was, well, you." Bray sat back and watched Kris' jaw hit the floor and bounce back up.

"I-I don't know what to say, Bray. I just I-" Kris said, shell-shocked.

"Then here's your answer: Yes. Come on, K. Come on, what do you have to lose?" Bray tempted. Then he flashed the Bray-smile that was the sole reason why Kris had her own, personal, private, and claimed desk in high school detention. Kris shook her head at the sky.

"Okay," She shook his hand tightly and smiled at him her Kris-smile that was the reason his desk in detention was next to hers.

"How soon can we get a painting?" He asked. "We've been meaning to replace ours for months."

"I can show you some of the finished paintings I have now if you'd like. They're just at my apartment. You can follow me in your car," Kris said. Bray nodded.

"Okay."

Kris opened her car door, waving Bray over. "You have to enter through the back! That door beeps!" she shouted. Bray jogged over.

"Why does it beep?" Bray asked.

"I have no idea," she said as she walked in the building and into the elevator. Bray followed her, obviously still concerned about the beeping door. "Relax, it only started beeping last week." It didn't help Bray's feeling of un-ease.

They reached the third floor where Kris' apartment was. She went to the last apartment on the left and fumbled with her keys. Suddenly the door flew open to her best friend in her workout pants and sports bra, hair thrown up on the top of her head in a lazy bun, liking a spoonful of ice cream. Her eyes flew open at the sight of a male accompanying her friend.

"KRIS! You could have told me that you were bringing over a GUY!" She held out her hand. "Alikae Mannings, please call me Ali. I hate my name. You are?"

"Bray Braxton. Nice to meet you," he said, shaking her hand.

"Ali this is my closest friend from high school. Can you believe it? I've been selling some art work to the hotel where he manages for a few months and totally didn't even realize it until I saw his name on an email I got. I'm showing him some of my new paintings for the hotel," Kris explained really fast. Ali stepped aside, letting them in and slipped into the kitchen, grabbing the ice cream container and slipping off silently to her room.

Kris showed Bray her corner of the room that acted as her studio, and showed him to the finished paintings that leaned against the wall. As he flipped through them, mentioning the ones he liked, as Kris scribbled down the names of the art pieces. He helped her move the paintings into another pile that she would deliver to the hotel next week.

She smiled at him and walked him to the door. Bray had an important meeting to get to, full of hotel mumbo-jumbo. She said good-bye to him and turned around after closing the door to see Ali standing in the threshold of her room, shaking her head with a very smug look on her face. Kris laughed and picked up a pillow from across the room, chucking it at her friend.

Please review, it would make me happy. I'll update as often as I can, or as soon as Ali, Bray, Kris, and Draco tell me what to write.