I ran into Steve again. I was down at the bookstore, just hanging around when luck may have it that he stumbled in. He wasn't mad at me for not having met him for dinner, he never got mad easily when we were kids, and that definitely hadn't changed.
"Hey, Rusty-James." he smiled brightly at me, still looking like an innocent rabbit, like he always had. He definitely hadn't changed one bit. I couldn't help but laugh, even though Steve saw nothing funny. That was another way I had ended up like the Motorcycle Boy; he had always laughed at nothing, but that nothing had always been something that he could see and no one else could. I just saw the laughter in people, the funny things other people wouldn't or couldn't take the time to notice.
"Hey Steve." I nodded, laughing a bit more when he gave me a confused look.
"You forgot about our plans." he said, still panting from being outside. I guess he had come running when he saw me, for his eyes were watery and his face was red and here he was, trying to catch his breath. I laughed all the more at the thought that someone would run to see me, except my girlfriend Linda; she had never run to me, but she would walk gracefully instead, which was just as good, I suppose.
"I didn't forget," I shrugged, looking through a magazine, 'I wanted to forget, that's why I didn't come." he seemed to understand what I was talking about because he looked down at his shoes with a real uncomfortable look on his face and nodded.
"Let's go out sometime though." I told him, "I've been doing some thinking, and I suppose I won't be able to forget this crap, so let's catch up on stuff." I was slightly happy, but I didn't smile; I rarely smiled at all.
"Okay, as long as ya don't ditch out again." Steve laughed, looking up from the ground. I shook my head with a bit of the old smile of mine. "Well, I'll get Carissa and we can run out for dinner sometime."
"How 'bout tonight?" I suggested to him, losing the smile. I hadn't made a real grin in about six years, after all. "I can get my girl Linda to come along."
"Yeah, yeah, that sound good." Steve said, looking at me closely again. "God, but you look so much like him, it's almost scary. I remember you used to always hope to be like him, and sure enough, here ya are in the last place I'd expect to find ya, a book store!"
"Well," I drawled, 'readin' is okay, but I still blow in math. Always have, always will. Some things just never change."
"No, they don't." he said in almost a whisper, looking out of the window. He was looking down at the beach, watching the waves churn just like I always loved to do. He turned back after a few minutes, a grin on his face again. "Hey, Rusty-James, I'll catch ya tonight then? Carlson's, down along the boardwalk?"
"Yeah," I said to him, putting the magaizine back and opening the door. 'I'll actually be there this time too, I swear." with that and a quick wave, I walked back towards my apartment. Hopefully Alex would be drunk and Linda without any plans for the night.