I couldn't help but feel better, until I heard voices off in the distance, "Chris!" and a more questioning, "Gordie?" Chris and I pulled apart, listening as branches broke, "I think they went down there."

"Oh don't be stupid, there must be a million snakes down there."

"I'm serious."

"Chris! Hey guys are you down there!" Judy shouted. More breaking branches, footsteps on grass, "Don't go down there, Jenny!"

"Why the heck not?"

"Because you have no idea what is in that grass!" More movement, and rustling,

"Chris! Gordie!"

Chris looked over at me; he wasn't too far away from me. His eyes gleamed with apology, "We're down here!"

It had to be done, I turned my eyes to where the noisy girls were coming, and they were huffing and puffing with red faces. It was still so hot out. Almost as hot as the day when we went to the creek. Every event since then wanted to rush over my brain but I wouldn't allow it.

Judy was picking a twig out of her hair, "Why the interruption?" She frowned, Chris didn't answer her, and Jenny looked around innocently, like I had dragged her into the woods. I spoke up.

"Jenny and I felt abandoned, I mean we all had a great time at the movies together didn't we?" I tried to smile. Jenny nodded quickly as her sister looked to her for a conformation.

"Well, I for one like my alone time." Judy started playing with the end of her hair, and before Jenny or I could respond Chris grabbed my arm and began tugging me up the embankment, I motioned for Jenny to follow and we all three tried to scurry up the crumbling soil back to the path. "Where on earth are you going!"

"Giving you your alone time." Chris said, he smiled over his shoulder at me. Jenny laughed.

Back at the picnic he sat next to me on the bench, Jenny across from us chattering away about how cool it was for us to just blow her sister off. She really was a nice kid, but I couldn't focus on a word that was falling out of her mouth because Chris had his thigh pressed against mine. The heat was surely getting to my head.

A familiar face came into view beside us, "Have you seen your sister? We're about to leave." It was the girl's aunt. Jenny nodded and motioned over to the food table. Where Judy had been stalking around ever since she emerged from the woods alone, five minutes after us. "Oh good, come on." Jenny smiled, and said good-bye to us, and we watched as they crossed the lawn to retrieve the angry sister.

Chris started to chuckle, I looked over at him, his hand on his mouth and eyes squinted shut. God, I missed that face, it felt like I hadn't seen it in years. "I haven't seen you laugh in forever." I smiled.

He stopped laughing and looked at me seriously, people all around us, sun beating down, music from a cheap radio, the sound of adults bickering, the grill crackling, in that moment I thought he was going to be crazy, almost suicidal with the look in his eyes. I thought he was going to lean close the (very-unbelievably-no-normal-boys-faces-would-ever-be-so-close) space, and kiss me. I was equally as crazy to if he would've done it I would've kissed him back.

But he didn't kiss me, he stuck his tongue out and I started to laugh at the immaturity, "Well, I haven't seen you laugh in forever either." I missed my best friend.

We were in the backseat of the family car. It was so dark you couldn't make out anything but the headlights on the road. His hand was on my knee. "That was a wonderful picnic don't you think, darling?" My mother asked my father, he nodded and make a statement about the way the food was grilled. She laughed and agreed. Both unaware that my knee was being groped, unaware about the heat in my stomach, and very unaware that I had to bite my tongue when the hand groping my knee slowly moved up my leg to mid-thigh, I was thankful for the dark.

My mom had invited Chris to spend the night; it was so late she didn't want to disturb his folks. If she wouldn't have asked, I would've, I just couldn't task it any longer. When we reached my house, the car keys were left in the bowl by the front door, my dad went upstairs to bed, and my mom came over and gave me a hug, she gave Chris one as well. Seeing as he'd been over a lot but him and I didn't speak much, I guess she felt sorry for him. She told us goodnight and went upstairs as well. We'd been left there before, in the darkness of my house. I began to climb to my room, and he followed.

In my room we discarded our own shirts, shoes, and socks. I didn't both with pajamas, and he didn't have any, and we sat on my bed and prepared ourselves to watch the clock, but neither of us knew that's what the other one was doing.

"I at least feel welcome now." He sighed laying back.

"You were always welcome."

"Gordo, you and me both know that's not true."

I looked down at him, he was right; I just wanted to forget about everything. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged, "We're both stubborn." I switched on my radio, and he lip-synched the words at me with exaggerated motions from my bed. I couldn't help but laugh and remember when we were a little bit younger. It was like I hadn't witnessed silliness. It at least lightened the mood.

We heard snoring, and both looked to the clock. It hadn't been too long since we'd gotten upstairs. I rejoined him on my bed. "Chris, why did you kiss me?"

"I-I can't explain."

"How the fuck can you not explain?" I rose up on my elbow.

"Gordie, I wanted to for a long time, and I thought you of all people would at least understand. Then you looked sick, and I thought maybe you were just going a long with it because we were friends." He looked away, "I couldn't help myself anymore, I just had to."

"I can't believe this all happened." I laid back down.

He sighed again, "I told you I was sorry."

"I didn't mean it like that, Chris." I touched his arm lightly. It was impossible for use not to step on each other's toes. A few more minutes passed, and he looked up to check the clock, he smiled at me.

That was no doubt the smile I was getting in the back seat, which I couldn't see. My heart beat accelerated, I knew what was coming.