"I've been an asshole." Donnie glared at his feet and stood awkwardly next to the concrete bench Ricky sat on.
They were outside on their break time. It was a cool day. There was a crispness to the air that made Donnie's throat ache, or maybe that was the guilt. He'd been avoiding the other boy since they'd talked about Gretchen. Memories, his and hers alone, spoken by someone else who shouldn't know. It was too wrong. He'd been waiting for a sign from Frank but his dreams had remained colorless and empty for two weeks.
Ricky was still as houses, his face unnecessarily close to the book he was reading.
Donnie shoved his hands deeper into his red jacket and sighed softly as he plunked down on the bench next to him. "I'm sorry." He faced away from Ricky and blankly watched as some of the other boys played a disorganized game of football.
Ricky itched his chin.
"You freaked me out and I wasn't sure how to handle it. I've been an asshole." Donnie scuffed his shoes into the half frozen mud and waited for an answer. After the silence stretched out between them for too long he gave up. "You wanna be alone now?" He guessed and made a move as if too leave.
Ricky's finally pulled his face out of his book and let an annoyed huff of breath flutter his shaggy bangs. "You were a being an asshole but I accept your apology. I actually need your help."
"My help? For what?" Donnie furrowed his brow and then sat slowly back down on the bench. "You've been planning?" He said it like a question but suddenly he knew for sure that he had been. There was a slip of paper, like a bookmark in the fold of Ricky's book. The paper had mathematical equations with random arrows coming out that read 'portal' and 'timeline structure.'
Ricky followed his gaze to the bookmark and their eyes caught each other somewhere in between. "She told me how to find it. It's not very far. I can get to it."
Donnie felt chills crawling up and down his spine. Ricky's eyes looked totally dark and bottomless. "A portal? You found a portal?" He heard himself ask.
Ricky's eyes darted away from him as he nodded at one of the approaching nurses and stood up. "Yes." He whispered. "I'm breaking out."