Joey left his house in a rather excited mood then usual. Walking to his car he noticed he was whistling and had some big stupid grin on his face since breakfast. Sure enough his mother gave him hell about yesterday and swore to him that the next fight he got himself into she would give him his next black eye. Brushing it off like always his father didn't even seem to mind. In fact when he got home around six he took Joey into the kitchen and sat him down seeing his bruised eye in better light.

"That sure is gonna be a swell up, better put more ice on it kid."

And with a slap on the shoulder that was it.

He knew that the fight was yesterday's news, and maybe Jim or Mark might try to start something later next week, but something about last night stuck to him. He had noticed Alice only a few times before. She hung with Kristen's crowd and was that asshole Rick's sister. She worked at the diner and was kind of shy since whenever they were in English together she stuck close to her brother or was spacing out not talking at all.

He had only thought of her a few times, really not taking the time of day to focus on it, but the last few months he had the chance to say hi every now and then, and saw her more in gym then usual. Once she ditched those granny dresses she still seemed to think was in style, and put back her hair she wasn't half bad. Yesterday seemed to set him off, he was a good enough kid when it came to school, other then skipping a few classes and getting into a few little pushes with some kids on his sport's team. But something about yesterday filled with such an anger he couldn't think straight.

Maybe he had over reacted.

What shocked him the most was her coming over, he never expected that to happen.

She was only over for about a half an hour, she seemed pretty distant, and kind of shy. He tried to get her talking and making her relax by asking some questions but she never seemed to wanna make eye contact.

He knew where she was coming from, that sort of thing was tough. But it did show something had happened…right?

He smiled, thinking back on how nervous he really was, and how much he hated his mother for letting her see his room, God there were still dirty clothes on the floor. Laughing to himself as he drove down the street he thought back on making her laugh herself…he knew there at to be something going on there, something.

Maybe this feeling was the right one, maybe today he would go up to her at lunch and ask for her number…maybe.

He turned into the next block, today he was picking up Kincaid for school like every other Friday. Somehow he couldn't wait to tell Kincaid what had happened with Alice in person. All ready yesterday afternoon after he had been sent home from school and right after Alice had visited he called him.

"Yeah she seems like a cool chick."

He remembered Kincaid saying over the phone and how he shouldn't be such a pussy and maybe ask her out.

He knew Kincaid was right.

Then it caught his eye.

He turned his car slowly into the driveway and his heart sank all the way down into his stomach.

An ambulance and two police cars were parked outside Kincaid's house.

Parking he got out and headed towards the front porch, not having a chance to think of anything. Had something happened?

He rang the doorbell and felt his palms began to sweat.

The door opened and Kincaid's mother Lucy stood there. Joey and Kincaid were best friends and really did spend almost 99 of their time other each other's houses. Lucy was very much like Kincaid, big and had her own point of view when it came to talking her mind. Now the strong woman who used to stand in the kitchen as Kincaid and him played cars and joke about the neighbors, now stood there with bloodshot raw looking eyes.

"Joey…"

"Mrs. Kin…"

"He's gone Joey…my boy is gone…"

She started to cry, Joey just stood there in shock.

What?

She looked down at her shoes for a second and then looked back at him.

"What seventeen year old has heart failure…who?"

Joey's mouth opened without him even knowing, he stared for a long time before he started to feel light headed.

A little while later he watched the sheet covered stretcher be placed into the back of the ambulance. The sirens turned off it slowly backed out and drove away. How could this happen, he had just talked to him.

Kincaid dead?

No, it was a lie.

So many memories of this past year came back to Joey, they had been best friends and promised to stick together after being released from the hospital. They shared the same interests, and talked about girls and each other's problems. The kid who he thought of as a brother had died…just died?

After everything that had happened, no…it wasn't true.

Kincaid's father spoke to him a little while later after the police left, saying their last words of condoles and left by nine. Joey just sat there as Kincaid's father put his arm around his shoulder and asked him one on one if something was going on again.

Joey then began to cry, he had just lost his best friend.

At the exact time in school as Alice day dreamed of yesterday's experiences she smiled to herself as Kristen asked around in a nervous tone where Joey and Kincaid were.

Alice hoped she would see Joey again.

Kristen saw that look in Alice's face and didn't like it…she knew something was wrong, and if she didn't see the two of them by third period she was leaving.

She felt her heart began to skip just as Joey only a few blocks away broke down crying in front of Kincaid's father.

One down…two to go.