Five
Ric was always certain of everything. He always had it in him to check the facts, make sure everything was correct. That was one of the reasons he had become a lawyer. He always wanted to be certain of things. But now it wasn't true. Everything in his life had become uncertain, unreliable. Even Elizabeth. He had his arm around her as they lay in bed. She slept soundly. She probably never woke up in a cold sweat from a nightmare. He smiled, knowing that at least she had peace in her life. Kendra's face flashed in his mind. He frowned.
*
Port Charles was a nice town. Kendra had heard rumors. Mobsters and vampires. She didn't know which one was more absurd. She was out taking a walk at night. The rain had stopped for a moment—a clean fresh scent lingered in the air.
She wrapped her arms around herself as she entered the docks. A misty fog lay upon the dark waters. She suddenly remembered a night much like tonight. Senior year in high school. Ric had dared her to toilet paper Principal Kalish's home. She could vaguely hear their laughter and whispers as they threw rolls and rolls of toilet paper over Principal Kalish's front yard, over the his nice BMW, and when the lights came on from inside the house, they ran down the street to Ric's car, laughing all the way until tears appeared in their eyes. It rained later that night and all they talked about was how upset Principal Kalish was going to be with all the wet toilet paper decorating his property.
Kendra wanted that again. Ric's careless whispers taunting her to take a risk. Ric holding her hand tightly as they ran down the dark street. A tear rolled down her cheek. She touched it and realized it was just a raindrop.
*
Jake tossed and turned in bed. He could hear about thunderstorm coming from a distance. He sat up in bed; sleep was something he would not be getting tonight. He reached for his bag and took out a picture. It was the last picture of him and Ric. Ric had his arm around Jake's shoulders. They both looked relaxed, like brothers. Things had changed.
*
When the brothers met again, the older one asked, "Why did you find me?" The younger one said, "Why didn't you find me?"