CHAPTER 2

Mrs. Thomason slowly pulled up in front of Alexa's home. She mumbled a word of thanks and walked toward the gravel path that led to her door.She entered her home slowly to find her mom waiting at the door.

"Where were you?" she asked. Her voice sounded harsh, but she had panicked look on her face.

"Just out," Alexa said kicking off her shoes.

Her mom looked out and saw Mrs. Thomason's car in the drive. She invited her in and soon they were all sitting by the fire. Alexa's dad came home shortly after and joined them in the den. He sat with Alexa's mom on the couch and Mrs. Thomason sat in a small chair that was closest to the fire. Alexa's mom had prepared tea for her and Mrs. Thomason and coffee for her father. Alexa was sitting on the rug sipping slowly at hot cocoa.

"We've planned to have him cremated like his sister," Mrs. Thomason said taking a quick sip of the tea Alexa's mom had prepared. "We've asked everyone to give an item, sentimental of course, as a- a-"

"Tribute?" Alexa's mom offered to complete the thought.

"Yes," she said nodding. "A bit like a tribute I suppose...What do you plan to give Alexa?"

Alexa turned and looked at her but could not speak. What would she give?

Later that day Alexa was sitting on her bed wondering what she would give. 'There has to be something," she thought. 'He was my best friend. More than that actually, but it must be something special.' Her thoughts were interrupted by her cell phone.

"Summer has come and passed, the innocent can never last. Wake me up, when September ends. Like my father's come to pass-"

Alexa hurriedly answered to avoid hearing the rest of the song.

"Hey, Alexa!" It was Jesse.

"Hi," Alexa mumbled. "How are you doing?"

"Okay I guess," she said. "Just, you know, a little bored."

Bored? Bored? Bored? Roger's died and all she can say is that she's bored?

"Jesse, you're bored? That's all you can say? That you're bored?"

"W-what do you want me to say?"

"That you feel bad or something sympathetic!"

"Why?"

"WHY?"

"Yes, why? And what's got you so mad?"

Wait a minute. She doesn't know. Can't get mad at her for that.

"Jesse."

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry. It's just that- no one's told you, right? I mean, you don't know?"

"Know what Alexa?" Jesse sounded annoyed. "Why don't you tell me?"

"Roger."

"What about him?"

"He's- he's gone."

"So why do you sound so sad, Alexa? If he's on vacation or something he'll be back."

"NO! He's gone! As in- you know."

"No, I don't know. And I'm about to hang up on you Alexa because-"

"He's dead! Are you happy?"

"What?"

"He's dead! A d-drunk driver h-hit him. H-head-on co-collision. The car flipped over a-and it's all my fault!"

"How could it be your fault?"

"We had a fight a-and he j-just left and it w-was raining a-and-"

"That doesn't make it your fault," Jesse said softly. "I'll call you back in a little while and don't be too hard yourself. You didn't do anything wrong. You'll be fine. Stay strong for yourself and for him, Alexa. You promise?"

"Yeah," Alexa said. It was nearly a whisper. "Thanks."

She hung up and started searching for something to offer for Roger. After looking through photos, she found a comic book. Her old friend, Elizabeth, had given to her before she moved to Denver. It was a good-bye-and-use-this-to-remember-me-incase-we-never-see-each-other-again present. It was an Avatar comic.

'Whoa. I remember this show. I used to watch it all the time. Wasn't cancelled a few years ago though? Me and Elizabeth would laugh for hours. Man, I miss her.'

She started reading it and, for the first time in a while, was laughing. She eagerly turned the pages, waiting to see what would happen next. On one page, she couldn't see what was written in one of the speech bubbles. Zuko was about to shoot a fire blast and his speech bubble was to blurry to be read. Alexa scratched at it, yet she still couldn't read it. She leaned closer to the page to read it and the next thing she knew-