"This song sucks," Ryder commented. Where the Boys Are by Connie Francis played out of the transistor radio.

"Yeah, this song sucks," Ren agreed.

"I hate it. It sucks."

Now that it was summer, conversations such as this ensued, products of complete boredom. The heat didn't help because it made everyone sluggish and lethargic. At the moment, Ren and Ryder were eating mostly melted ice cream in a corner booth at Blue Point Diner, surrounded by old people, not really having anything to say to each other and not really looking at each other. They were just together because there was no one else to pass the time with.

"Hey," a familiar voice called, making the two of them fall out of their daydreams.

Ren turned around to see Chris, and her heart palpitated. "Chris--hi," she said, hoping she didn't sound too eager.

"How are you doing?" He glanced nervously at Ryder, keeping his distance. He was still wary around him, even though Ren had promised him that he was cool now.

"I'm fine. I'm sweating like a pig, but I'm all right, thanks. Do you want to sit down?"

"Sure," he said, and she scooted over so he could sit next to her. "Your ice cream looks like Cream of Lump."

Smiling reservedly, Ren nodded. "Ice cream doesn't handle high temperatures very well. Umm…so what are you doing here alone?"

Chris' shrug wasn't as indifferent as he'd intended it to be. "I just wanted to go for a walk. I had to get away from the house for awhile."

That was when Ren noticed the welt across the back of his neck. She lowered her eyes uncomfortably. It killed her to know that anyone would want to hurt Chris. He was gentle and he was a peacekeeper. He would never hurt someone, so it pissed her off to think that his own father would beat the crap out of him and not even care about the sort of person he was battering. If only that bastard knew who Chris was…If only anyone knew who Chris really was, he wouldn't have had to endure the continual abuse that had scarred every bit of him.

Knowing Ren knew, a blush flowered over his cheeks, and he tried to change the subject. "I'm leaving in two days."

Suddenly Ren was immersed in a tidal wave of dizziness. She knew he was going to leave, but why did it have to be now? She already missed him and he was sitting right next to her; she couldn't comprehend how bad the desolation was going to be when he was in a different city. "Oh?" she managed to say.

"Yeah. University of Portland. I'm leaving early because I want to get settled."

Either that or he just wanted to break free of any ties to Castle Rock that he was burdened with.

"What are you gonna study?" Ryder asked. He wouldn't be furthering the minimal education he had barely obtained. He would stay in Castle Rock and work for their father.

"I'm going into Pre-Law," Chris replied quietly. Evidently, he didn't enjoy Ryder talking to him.

"You wanna be a judge or something?"

"No, not a judge," Chris said, not offering anymore information than he had to. He turned back to Ren. "Would you mind if I left my dorm number with you?"

"Chris…" Her voice faltered. She wanted to tell him that it was stupid to want to keep up a relationship with an ex-girlfriend when he was going to meet a lot of hot sorority girls. But she still wanted him, and so she just nodded soundlessly.

Pulling a stub of a pencil from his pocket, he grabbed an unused napkin and began to scrawl down his room number and whatnot for her.

Laughing, she asked, "You carry a pencil around with you in your pocket?"

Folding the napkin in half, he put it in her hand. "Hmm…no, not really. I saw it on the sidewalk on the way here."

"FATE," Ryder said.

"Ryder, shush," Ren laughed. "Your hopeless romantic point of view is not wanted."

"Uh, well, I'm gonna head off, see if Gordie's around."

"Okay," she murmured, wishing he'd invite her along.

In an awkward rush, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "See you, Ren."

When Chris had walked out of the Blue Point Diner, the place where they had spoken for the first time not even a year earlier, Ryder smacked her across the head. "What is wrong with you, you damn idiot?"

"I'm a damn idiot," she muttered.

Only a damn idiot could get to know Chris Chambers and just watch him walk away.

[author's note: hehehe I just re-read this, and I'm like holy crap this is boring so I'm sorry you had to sit through this chapter!]