3/6

The next day when Seth went by the motel a room was available. He paid in cash and gave the woman at the desk a bogus name. The room was plain. A chair and small table in the corner. A television that only worked half the time. A bed with a floral print comforter and threadbare sheets. His new home was a twelve by nine inch room in a seedy motel in town and he liked it; liked the freedom, at least.

The towel he used to dry off after a much needed shower was scratchy and thin. The face that looked back at him in the mirror as he shaved off three days worth of growth was red and blotchy. He'd been getting too much sun and he could just hear Summer's voice in his ear warning him about premature aging and skin damage from its rays. When his skin started to itch he decided he was allergic to the cheap soap he'd used to clean and made a mental note to buy something neutral when he went out. More pressing was the need for some type of antihistamine to prevent hives from forming over his body.

He threw on some clothes and grabbed the keys from on top of the television and was out the door. The streets were nearly empty save for some kids on bikes and a few joggers out for a run. He knew from his earlier travels that there was a drugstore three blocks away and headed out that way, grimacing as his clothes brushed his skin and made the itch worse. As he passed the boat supply store, he remembered that he needed some things and decided to stop by later.

He still hadn't fixed the boat. He hadn't done much of anything. Moping took up much of his time.

The store was quiet. A bored-looking woman flipped through a magazine at the register, looking up to smile at him as he entered. He smiled back and headed down the medical aisle. Box after box of antihistamine was flipped over and carefully read. After ten minutes he'd finally narrowed his selection down to two different brands when he felt something wing his shoulder. When he turned to find the culprit no one was there. Looking down at the floor, he saw a round yellow gum ball between his feet. A second later a blue one hit him on the shoulder.

"What the hell?" he said and turned around. A guy-obviously unconcerned about drawing attention to himself in a bright orange button-down barely done up and Hawaiian-print board shorts-sprang up from the candy aisle and came around to greet him.

"Remember me?" he asked, half of a chewed gum ball plumping out his cheek.

Seth stared at him, searching for a name. Finally it came to him. "Uh, Tyler, right?"

"Good memory," he replied and offered him a green gum ball. Seth declined.

"Like an elephant," Seth dead-panned before going back to reading the back of the antihistamine boxes.

Tyler took a box from his hand and pointed to the other one. "Get that one, this one'll put you to sleep," he said as he put the second box back on its proper shelf.

Seth looked from the box to Tyler. "'kay...thanks," he said slowly and started back down the aisle to pick up some soap. Checking the rest of the store for things he might need, Seth lost track of the other teen. He made his way to the register and paid.

The next stop he made was at the local supermarket. It was a small family run business -a rare sight to see. He'd had a craving for pudding since he'd arrived. There was nothing like pudding to drown his sorrows. The place hosted a wide variety of pudding. Plain. Chocolate. Vanilla. Strawberry, even. They were out of tapioca. Of course. Just his luck.

A flash of orange caught his eye as he exited the store, a few purchases in a brown paper bag under his arm. He looked to his left. Tyler was leaning against the building waiting for him, eating a pudding cup. Seth blinked, stared and then blinked again.

"Is that pudding?" Seth asked before he could stop himself.

Tyler straightened, reached into his own brown paper bag and produced another. "Yeah, you want some?"

Seth could do nothing but nod and accept the pudding.

In the light Tyler looked different. Honey skin and strong limbs and something that couldn't be pinned down with words. His eyes were smiling, they were a little blue and a little green and grey and when he moved into the sun they changed again like a mood ring. It reminded Seth of Megan Flask, a neighbour that he vaguely remembered from when his family lived in Berkeley.

"Thanks." Seth settled down beside him and opened the package, using the flimsy lid to scoop out the contents.

"What are you doing for the rest of the day?"

Seth swallowed his mouthful of pudding before speaking. "I was hoping to pick up some parts for the Summer Breeze."

"Summer Breeze? that's cute." Tyler chuckled, teasingly.

Seth flushed. "Yeah, it's named after my girlfriend."

"You have a girlfriend?" he asked, surprised.

"Probably not anymore," Seth answered, wounded.

"What'd you do?"

Seth didn't speak for a minute. He silently ate his pudding and contemplated making up a lie. In the end, the truth seemed easier. "I just took off and left her a note telling her not to worry." He resisted the urge to go into it, leaving out all the sordid details and Ryan's departure.

"Ouch," he laughed, shaking his head slowly.

Seth bobbed his head, licking the remaining pudding from the sides of the plastic. "Yeah, I know. Thanks for the sympathy by the way."

"You made your own bed," he pointed out.

"I guess so." Seth shrugged, sheepishly smiling. "Well, like I said: I've got to pick up those parts so I'd better get going. Thanks for the pudding."

Seth got to his feet and checked his watch. As easy as it was to sit with Tyler and talk over pudding, it was not going to make things go away. He was still on the run, hiding from everything and everyone. And fixing the boat was his guarantee for escape if someone did happen to find him.

"Sure you can handle that on your own?" he challenged, amused.

No, he was not sure. The last time he'd tried anything to do with repairs he'd wound up stapling his fingers together and had to be rushed to the hospital to have them separated. He still had the scars. "I think I can manage," he squeaked out, hoping to sound more confident than he felt.

Tyler took a step forward, his broad shoulders blocking out the sun and casting Seth in shadow. "Tell you what, come by the marina at about four-that's when I get off-and I'll give you a hand with it and then we can get a bite to eat. Sound good?"

He extended his hand and Seth accepted it. Seth was not a macho guy, he didn't understand the whole 'guy code' thing, what with all the handshakes and half-hug/handshake combos and he'd never had many friends, so he wasn't really up to date on how one attained a friend...but he felt like he'd just made one. And this time it was all on his own. It wasn't because his dad had brought home some stray kid from Chino and forced them to be friends. This time it was because Tyler wanted to be his friend. And it felt good. "Yeah, sounds great, man. See you later."