So I like playing with kid Zach. So I'm gonna linger a bit longer before the growing up montage. XD

Never Go Home Again
Chapter 3: Walk Me Home

It had been many more fingers since Zach had seen Owen. Every day when daddy would pick him up from school, he would ask Zach if he'd talked to Owen. And Zach would shake his head and say no. He hadn't seen Owen. And he'd be sad and quiet.

"He must be really sick." Daddy said one day in the car. He looked over the seat at Zach. "I'm sure he'll get better and be back soon."

Zach nodded and looked down at his hands in his lap. He blinked and looked back up. "Like when I had the chicken disease?" He asked, remembering when he'd been really sick.

Daddy smiled and nodded. "Yes, just like that. You were in bed for a whole week. That was before you started school. If you get sick like that when you go to school, you have to stay home. You can't be sick and go to school because you'll get other people sick. You understand?"

Zach nodded. And he did understand being sick. Maybe Owen was really sick. Maybe that's why they met in the hospital. Maybe Owen was there a lot.

Zach kicked at the pavement again and let out a sigh. Daddy was late again. Really late this time. He'd been getting later and later the past few fingers. Mommy had had to pick him up yesterday. And the baby had cried the whole time. Gray didn't like being in the car. And Zach didn't like having to sit beside him.

"Zach."

He turned and his teacher was walking towards him. Zach sighed and looked at the ground again. She was a nice lady. But Zach didn't want to talk to her.

"You're dad's late again." She said softly.

Zach nodded and just wanted her to leave him alone.

She held her hand out to him. "Why don't we go back inside and wait for him there? You can start your homework and I'll give your mom a call." Zach breathed out and nodded. He grabbed her hand and followed her inside. She got him settled in her classroom and then smiled. "I'll be right back." She said and left.

And Zach was alone. He sniffed and rubbed at his eyes. Daddy was always late and mommy was always with the stupid baby and the stupid baby was always crying and Owen didn't wanna play with him anymore. Zach had no one. He pulled his backpack off and dropped it on the floor and sat down at the table. And he couldn't stop it. Tears spilled down his face and he ducked his head on his arms.

"Zach..."

Zach stopped at the voice. He lifted his head and wiped his sleeve over his eyes. He turned and blinked. And Owen was standing in the doorway, looking worried. Zach sniffed and wiped at his eyes again. Then he jumped up. He ran towards Owen and threw himself at the older kid. He wrapped his arms around Owen's waist and started crying again, harder this time. Owen bent forward and hugged Zach against him. "Hey, hey Zach." Owen whispered against him. "It's okay."

Zach hiccupped and rubbed his head against Owen. And he felt worse. He was crying all over Owen and that was bad. Because he wasn't sure if Owen was even his friend anymore.

"Zach..." Owen said his name softly again.

Zach pulled away and rubbed at his eyes again. "Sorry." The kid mumbled.

Owen smiled. "It's okay."

Zach sniffed again and looked at the ground. He closed his eyes tightly and tried hard not to cry again.

"Zach, are you okay?" Owen sat down on the floor in front of him. He dipped his head down, trying to get the kid to looka t him. "What's wrong?"

Zach shook his head.

"Zach, talk to me."

Zach took a breath and opened his eyes. He blinked as more tears collected in his eyes. "Daddy's always late and mommy only likes the baby and the baby's too little to play and he's still broken and you don't like me anymore and I gots no one."

Owen let out a sigh. He reached up and touched Zach's face. He gently brushed the tears away and smiled. "Your parents love you." He said softly. "Sometimes... they just... get busy. And babies are a lot of work. But they still love you, just as much as they always did."

Zach sniffed. "Really?" His bottom lip trembled a bit as he spoke.

Owen nodded.

"You sure?"

Owen nodded again and smiled.

"What bout you?"

Owen let his arm fall and sighed. He leaned back slightly and nodded. "Yeah, I like you."

Zach blinked and looked down at the floor. "So we're still friends?" He asked softly.

Owen nodded. "Yeah, we're still friends.

Zach looked back up at Owen. He slowly smiled and rubbed at his eyes. "Okay."

Owen laughed softly. "Feel better?"

Zach nodded. Then he turned and grabbed his backpack. He slipped it on and turned back to Owen. "Can you walk me home?"

Owen tilted his head. "You want me to walk you home?"

Zach nodded. "I know the way but I can't cross the street."

Owen nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess so..."

"Daddy forgot and mommy has the baby." Zach said.

Owen stood up and nodded. "Okay."

Zach smiled and grabbed Owen's hand. Owen glanced down. "You have to hold my hand." Zach explained. "That's how it works when you cross the street."

Owen let out a laugh and squeezed Zach's hand. "I can do that."

Zach smiled again and tugged Owen towards the door. The teenager followed him out the door and out the front doors of the school. They hurried across the parking lot and turned down the street. Zach was taking big steps and pulling Owen as hard as he could.

After a few minutes, Owen let out a laugh. "What's the hurry?"

Zach looked back at him. "Don't want the teacher to see."

Owen glanced back at the school. "Your teacher?"

"You're not on the list."

Owen turned back and looked down at Zach. "List?"

Zach nodded. "You have to be on the list to pick me up."

Owen stopped and pulled Zach back a step. "What? Zach, we have to go back then!"

"No!" Zach whined loudly and pulled his hand away from Owen. He took a step back and crossed his arms. "I want you to walk me home now! I don't want to wait for daddy. He's always late! And I don't want mommy to come because then I'll have to sit next to the crying baby!"

Owen bit his lip and looked back at the school. "But Zach..."

Zach turned and took off down the street, running as fast as he could.

Owen spun around and his mouth dropped open. "Zach!" He called out. "Stop it!" He said as he ran after him. Owen caught up quickly and grabbed Zack from behind. "Okay, okay!" Owen snapped, holding onto the flailing kid. "I'll walk you home."

Zach stopped as Owen set him down. He turned slightly and looked back at Owen. "You promise?"

Owen nodded quickly.

Zach spun around to him and pointed a finger at him. "You can't break your promises anymore!"

Owen held up his hands. "I promise... I won't... break my promises..." He laughed.

"Okay." Zach held out his hand. Owen took it and they started walking down the sidewalk again. "Do you have a phone number?" Zach asked.

"Uh..." Owen tilted his head. "I don't know."

Zach breathed out loudly. "Well daddy said if you did, he would call your parents and ask them if you could come over to my house and play with my legos."

Owen looked away. "I... I can't... remember my parents." He said softly.

"You can't?" Zach said loudly and shook his head. "Did you forget them, too?"

Owen looked back at Zach and frowned at him. "Too?"

Zach tilted his head and blinked at him. "You're brother."

Owen's mouth opened slowly. "My brother..." He repeated.

Zach nodded. "His name is Peter."

Owen lifted his gaze and looked ahead. He let out a sigh.

"I won't forget for you." Zach said. "I promise."

Owen looked back down at him and smiled. "Thanks." He said softly.

Zach smiled at him. And then his smile fell and he let out a loud sigh. "I don't know what to do."

"About what?" Owen asked.

"You don't have a phone so daddy can't call your parents."

"What?"

"Daddy said you can come over and play if he can call you."

"Oh... right..." Owen smiled. "Your dad said I could come over?"

Zach nodded. "So I have to show you where I live before you disappear so you can come over and play."

"Yeah." Owen breathed out.

"Do you like legos?"

Owen smiled and nodded. "I like legos."

"Good." Zach said with a nod. Then he looked back up at Owen. "Daddy said you broke your promise because you mighta been sick or grounded."

Owen shook his head. "No, I'm not sick or grounded."

Zach frowned. "So you just broke it then?" He mumbled.

"I'm sorry Zach." Owen said with a sigh. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't know..." He shook his head. "What's happening... I don't know... how to explain..."

"You can try." Zach said bluntly. "I'm pretty smart. Mommy and Daddy explain stuff to me all the time."

Owen smiled and nodded. "Okay. I'll try. I remember being at the hospital with you, but I don't remember anything before that... and then... I tried to follow you... but suddenly I was in the park with you... and then you left... and I was alone..."

Zach squeezed his hand.

Owen smiled again and continued. "And then I was at your school and you were mad and I didn't know what happened... I feel... alone and... lost... when I'm not with you." He said softly.

Zach was silent for a moment. And then he nodded his head. "I'll tell mommy and daddy you have Dory Disease and you have to stay."

Owen looked down at him. "With you?"

Zach nodded. "With me."

Owen breathed out and his smile widened. "So... who's your favorite Spiderman villain?"

Zach's eyes lit up. "I like Doctor Octo! Because he's got all those umm... arm things!"

Owen laughed and they continued down the street, talking about Spiderman and how he was so much better than Batman. Batman was silly. He didn't have any superpowers. And then suddenly Zach stopped. His mouth dropped open and his eyes widened. Owen frowned and looked around.

They were standing in front of a small house. There was a cop car in the driveway. And a very panicked woman holding a baby on the porch, talking to an officer.

"Shit..." Owen breathed out. "That's your house?"

Zach nodded. "You said a bad word."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Author's Notes: The same thing almost sorta happened to me. XD When I was like... 8 or 9, I was walking home from school. The school's like 3 blocks away. But I walked to and from by myself. So did a lot of kids. And I always walked the same way. But one day, I walked a different way with a couple friends. And it took longer. Like waaaaay longer. Or it must have been waaaay longer. Because when I got home, a cop car had pulled in like at the same time and I mom was outside crying and then started screaming at me. XD She'd thought I'd been kidnapped. She said she drove to pick me up and I wasn't there. Which she'd never done before because of baby brothers. 8D