The snow underneath his feet crunched rhythmically as Ephram made his way to the rink. There were only three people skating on the ice, a fact Ephram attributed to the angry, gray clouds above. As he approached the ticket counter, one of the skaters glided smoothly towards him.

"Ephram!" Amy's smile was enhanced by the rosy glow on her cheeks. She looked like an angel. The absurdness of the thought made Ephram's emotional defenses prick at his conscience.

She's no angel, Eph, he told himself firmly. Always remember that.

He managed to smile and wave. "Hey. Where's Colin?"

"Out there with Bright," Amy said, gesturing wildly with her hands. Her eyes seemed to shine as she looked at him. Stepping off the ice, she grabbed Ephram's shoulder for security. "If you'll help me like so, I'll go with you to get some skates."

"That's not entirely necessary," Ephram kept his polite smile plastered on his face as he and Amy hobbled along. He looked out at the ice and saw Colin staring darkly at them. Resisting the urge to smile tauntingly, Ephram looked away. "Haven't you heard? I'm a big boy now."

Amy laughed. It was a real and true laugh, not the false kind to prevent feelings from being hurt. The sound made Ephram warm inside, making him feel like Amy was within his reach.

"Oh, I think you'll find you need me," Amy laid a hand on Ephram's arm. "The rink's officially closed today, but I have a way in to get your skates."

"Will wonders never cease?" Ephram asked, and they both shared a quick laugh.

After Amy saw Ephram settled with his skates, she left him on the bench to rejoin Colin on the ice. Ephram watched curiously as she skated up to Colin and Bright. Bright rolled his eyes and said something Amy didn't agree with. After a few moments of intense conversation, Bright skated back to the bench.

"Ephram." Bright nodded to acknowledge Ephram. Ephram knew it was a courtesy, so he nodded back.

"Bright." Ephram bent over, lacing his skates tightly. Bright sat down on the other end of the bench, his hands playing nervously in his lap. An uncomfortable silence passed between the two young men, and Ephram found his thoughts drifting. His thoughts seemed to be focusing on Laynie.

That's logical, Ephram reassured himself. She's the reason you came last time. A pain ran through him as he thought of the way she'd skated circles around him, the way she'd kiss him, and the way she'd look at him when she thought he wasn't looking. He remembered their other times together, seemingly so few and far between. But they were good times, some of the only good times that shined through the miserable year following his mother's death. The other times, good or bad seemed to align themselves around Amy. A sudden realization struck Ephram at that particular moment.

He loved Amy.

That in and of itself wasn't particularly shocking to Ephram, but the thought that he'd always love Amy. No matter where he went or who he was with, he'd always care for Amy in a special way. Why, he could never be sure of, but he knew it was a fact. The rest of his life, he'd have Amy on his mind. She might fade for awhile, but she'd never fully be gone. That much was apparent when Laynie had told him goodbye. She had known it then; no matter how much she'd care for Ephram, he'd always reserve part of himself for Amy… or, more accurately, the hope that Amy would be his.

"Hey, Ephram?" Bright seemed unusually agitated. Ephram broke off his train of thought to look Bright squarely in the face.

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to be here, you don't want to be here: am I right?"

"Wait, why are you here?" Ephram asked, raising an eyebrow. Bright waved the thought away.

"Yes or no: do you want to be here? With Colin and Amy?"

"No," Ephram answered, quickly and honestly. Bright half-grinned.

"How 'bout I pretend to seize, you make sure I don't swallow my tongue, and we all get home in time to watch primetime?"

"Sounds like a plan," Ephram said, not able to suppress a laugh. The motion made him feel better until Bright sighed heavily.

"You know, we really should go out there. Amy's expecting us."

"I know," Ephram said, exhaling forcefully. Across the ice, he could see Amy's bright pink parka, her hand upraised and waving them over. "I'll make you a deal, Bright."

"Yeah, and what would that be?" Bright stood up.

"If they decide to riot, you take Amy and I'll take Colin."

"Deal," Bright said, with a short, barkish sort of laugh. The two managed to skate their way over to Amy and Colin. Amy was smiling as she balanced herself on Colin. Colin stood unmoving on the ice, staring coldly at both Bright and Ephram.

"Took you guys long enough," Amy said with the right amount of playfulness in her voice. Ephram bit his tongue to prevent him from saying something that might hurt Amy. It was obvious she was enjoying herself, even though it was just as obvious everyone else wasn't.

Amy seemed to realize she was the only person skating, so she stopped and put her hands on her hips. "Guys! The whole purpose of this is to be fun."

"Fun, right. Like ripping off my toenails on Saturday night," Bright said, giving his sister a "look." Amy stiffened.

"Fine. We'll leave."

"No, we'll not leave," Colin said, catching Amy's hand and pulling her back beside him. He eyed Bright. "This is fun, right Bright?"

"Whatever, dude," Bright frowned at his childhood friend. "I want to go get something to eat."

"You're always hungry, Bright," Amy said, clearly annoyed. She looked at Ephram, who was standing a few feet away, silently observing the whole conversation. "What do you think, Ephram?"

Ephram looked at each member of the group, silently assessing their attitudes by their body language. Bright, as stated, clearly didn't want to be here. He still had issues with Colin, not to mention Ephram. Colin definitely didn't want to be here; he only wanted to stay because Amy wished it, and he thought it disturbed Ephram. Amy truly wanted them all to get along.

Probably so she can have all her toys all around her at once… and not worry about pissing anyone off, Ephram thought, immediately chastising himself. He took a deep breath as he decided to tell the truth.

"I personally would rather be licking fungus off of unknown rocks in the rainforest," Ephram stated, keeping his voice purposely at a low, monotone. Colin's jaw tightened and Amy looked like she might cry. Ephram continued, "But if Amy wants me here, I'll be here." Ephram shrugged. "Simple as that."

"Simple as that, my foot!" Colin pushed Amy aside. The anger blazed forth from his eyes, but even Colin could not decide what made him angrier. Was it the fact another young man was competing for his girlfriends affections? Or maybe the fact his girlfriend didn't immediately turn those affections away? Or was it simply that Ephram so blatantly hurt Amy's feelings?

Whatever the reason, Colin was ready to fight. Rather than skating, he stepped in quick, choppy strides over to Ephram. Before any words could be said, Colin's fist met Ephram's chin, sending Ephram head over heels.

Not again, Ephram thought, as he laid on the ground, staring at the darkening sky above him. I'm getting tired of being Colin's punching bag.

"Colin!" Amy screamed, temporarily immobilized. She watched in morbid fascination as Colin leapt on Ephram and began flinging his fists. It seemed he had no real target area; first he would hit Ephram's head, then his body. Ephram put his hands on Colin's wrists and jerked them sideways, sending Colin across the ice.

Amy, regaining her mobility, glared at Ephram as she started towards Colin. Before she reached him, however, a low whine cracked through the air. Bright opened his mouth to warn Colin, but he was too late. The ice below Colin shattered almost instantly, plunging Colin into the freezing waters below.