So, He's back. He took off at the beginning of the summer without a word to anyone. Okay, so he told his mom he was going to the City to work or something. But he didn't say jack shit to me, his best friend since, God, kindergarten. We met on the monkey bars for christssake. I showed up at his house after he didn't return my calls for two whole days and his drunk-ass mom smoked her endless cigarette and told me, "he went to the City." Then she took a long, bored drag and added, "he didn't tell you?" Yeah, thanks for that Mrs. Conlon.

So I wake up this morning, first day of school, terrible summer, which I spent agonizing over today. Would he come back? Was he gone for good? I've got goddamn knots in my stomach.

And then I see him from across the hall. And he sees me, and he smiles his trademark smug smile and walks over like it's any other day of our lives and he didn't just disappear on me. No phone calls. No note. Like he'd dropped off the face of the planet and wasn't just four hours away, living his life as if we were never friends. As if our friendship didn't matter.

So he's in my face again, grinning from ear to ear like he's just pulled the most fantastic joke. I know I look shocked, excited, relieved and he's just eating it up. And it pisses me off. I just spent the summer bussing tables at an Italian Restaurant and Bar without my best friend to bitch too. I mean, sure I have other friends, Skittery, Bumlets, Snitch and whatnot. But when you've had someone on your side since before you can remember, and all the sudden their gone, well, it kind of sucks.

And it's more then that. He looks different. Like he's got all these wonderful secrets, this whole other life that he decided to leave me out of. And he looks good, too. I don't know quite what it is, but there's this whole new energy about him. I hesitate to say this, but he's got some kind of glow. Something's changed. This isn't the Spot Conlon I knew from before this summer, restless and pissed off and confused. He's always been cocky but now he looks as if he's just floating above the rest of us, superior. I am insanely jealous of this new Spot Conlon.

But I'm going to play it off. He wants me to acknowledge him somehow, what he's done, how I'm pissed, how I'm jealous. I refuse to give him the satisfaction. "So," I start off, my voice is casual, calm. I'm doing good, "how was your summer?" Perfect. We're strangers. Casual friends. I don't give a shit about him.

He keeps right on grinning, and I realize he knows me too well. He's changed, I haven't. "It was fucking amazing," he responds, playing along, gloating. And then he adds, "you really need to get down to the city, Race." This comment burns. I try to stop the thought but I can't, maybe if you had invited me…

I try to find something else to say, something else to latch on to. "You look different." Shit. Here it comes.

"I had sex," he says, hushed and confidential. And I thought I was burned before. Thank God the bell rings. Thank God I offer up a lame good bye and find my way to my classroom. Thank God I don't give a shit that my best friend has grown out of me.

So what is in store for our star-crossed couple?

Can they revive their friendship with all the secrets and jealousy? With all that's been left unsaid?

What is Spot's secret anyway? And is he the only one with secrets?

Who exactly did Spot have sex with?

All this will be revealed with a lot of angst, pain and possibly l-o-v-e…

So, this is my first Sprace fanfic. I've read a few and they're always so awesome so I was like, fuck it, I wanna write one, too. Please review because I am very unsure on this one and it would help to have support. Sniff sniff, I sound so desperate! Just like Race, except he doesn't know it yet! But seriously, I can't write without some feedback, and I love it so, yeah!