When Oscar rolled over in bed the covers fell from over his head, exposing his eyes to the light of day. He clumsily felt around for his phone until grasped the cool metal rectangle. Squinting, he held the screen up to his face, and read the time - 7:30 AM.

"Shit," he whispered under his breath. Nudging the warm mass lying next to him he said, "Noah get up, we gotta get to school."

Noah slightly adjusted the blanket, covering his head and the small tuft of blond hair that was visible and said, "I don't think I'm going, my side still hurts pretty bad."

Oscar leaned over the other boy and moved the cover so that one of his eyes was visible. "You want me to stay with you?" he asked, suggestively.

Noah cracked a smile and said, "No I think I'll be okay."

Oscar sat up and sighed, "Ugh fine, I didn't want to spend the day with you anyway."

Noah laughed and said, "You better get going, Mrs. Nelson is gonna organize a search party if you're late for AP chem."

"I know, I know." Oscar quickly brushed out his hair and slid on his shoes, then making his way downstairs. Before getting to the kitchen he was welcomed by the aroma of sizzling bacon and powdered sugar.

Oscar rounds a corner and sees Noah's mom standing at the oven, wielding a wooden spoon, and Noah's brother standing at the kitchen island, fork-deep in a plate of french toast.

Oscar pauses next to Nathan and quietly says, "Uhhh..."

This catches Jessie's attention and her eyes light up, she enthuses, "Hey, Oscar! I was just about to wake you two up. Are you hungry?"

"She made enough to feed a whole village," Nathan butts in, wiping maple syrup from his face.

Oscar stops walking and says, "Oh... I'm not big on breakfast, but thanks anyway, and thanks for letting me stay here last night."

"Of course honey, you're welcome here anytime," she says.

Oscar continues, "Noah's up but I don't think he's going to school today. He's still kinda sore..."

"Oh yeah, I heard he got into a fight," Nathan started, "Did the other guy at least get his ass kicked? I wish I had been there..." he trailed off.

"Yeah, he got it way worse than Noah."

"Good," Nathan said, dropping his fork onto his now empty plate. He looked at his mom and said, "I gotta get going."

He turned to Oscar and said, "Catch you later man," before awkwardly dapping him up and walking out of the kitchen.

He and Jessie now standing alone in the kitchen, Oscar said, "I should probably get going too. When Noah comes down later will you tell him I'll text him tonight?"

"Yeah of course," Jessie said. She gestured down to the food on the stove top and asked, "You sure you don't want to take something to go?"

"No thanks. Next time for sure though," he said, and with a half-hearted smile he walked out of the kitchen and towards the front door.

Once outside and sitting in the driver's seat of his car, Oscar took a second to breathe, and looked at his phone. He was met with 2 missed calls and a text from his dad.

Dad: Oscar, where are you?? Are you okay?

Oscar stops and thinks, before quickly texting him back.

Oscar: I'm going to school rn. I'll be home tonight.

Without another thought he started the car and began the mind-numbing drive to school.

With only an hour left in the school day, Oscar blankly walked down a bustling hallway, somberly making his way to his last class, when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Shaken from his trance-like state, he pulled out his phone to see that he had a text from Kim.

Kim: Hey Os, do you wanna skip the rest of the day? Maybe grab a coffee or something?

Oscar paused in his tracks and considered his options before replying.

Oscar: Yeah sure

Kim: Sick meet me outside in 5 :)

Oscar slid his phone back into his pocket and started walking in the opposite direction of his class, toward the doors that led out into the quad. By the time he made it outside Kim was already there, sitting on a bench waiting for him. As he neared closer she looked up from her phone and stood.

"Hey!" she exclaimed and gave him a light hug. "You ready to go?"

"Uh huh," he answered.

"Do you wanna take my car or should we just meet there?" She asked.

"Well, I drove today. So we should probably just meet," he said.

"Oh, okay..." she said, visibly disappointed.

The two friends made their way across the grass and each got into their own cars, and began the short drive downtown. Oscar breathed a sigh of relief and thought to himself, "Why is this so awkward. Kim has been my best friend for ages..."

Before he had time to answer his own question, Oscar pulled in to the parking lot of a small brick establishment with floor to ceiling windows facing the street, and "Newport Coffee House" etched on the glass in cursive letters.

A second later Kim parked next to him and they both got out of their cars, walking towards the building. Oscar held the door open while Kim walked in and headed straight for the order line. His senses were hit with a wave of roasted coffee beans and quiet jazz music.

He made his way next to her and she asked, "So what are you thinking about getting?"

"Uh, probably just a green tea, I'm trying to watch my caffeine."

"How do you do that? I'd be useless without my triple shot of espresso every morning," Kim joked.

Oscar nodded along and waited in silence to move to the front of the line. When it was finally their turn they ordered and stepped to the side to wait on their drinks. "Soooo..." Oscar began.

"Green tea and an iced latte!" shouted a pony-tailed barista at the end of the bar, cutting him off.

"That's us," Kim said, pulling a card from her wallet, "don't worry, I've got it."

Oscar grabbed their drinks from the counter and scanned the room for an empty table to sit at. He spotted one in a back corner, nestled under a hanging plant.

Oscar hung his backpack on his chair and they sat down, Kim said, "So, how's Noah? I haven't seen him since the other night."

"Uh, he's doing fine. Still in a little pain but he'll be alright. You've gotta thank Damon again for me by the way."

"Yeah, of course," Kim said, "I mean, he was happy to help. That guy totally deserved it."

"Yeah, and how are things going with Damon?" Oscar asked.

Kim looked up from her coffee and said, "Things are pretty good. I went to dinner with his parents the other night, and I think they like me..."

Oscar's attention fell to his phone that was resting in his hand as Kim droned on. He felt it vibrate and subtly clicked the home button.

1 New Message

He tapped the notification.

His screen opened up to a single image of an empty basketball court, and his phone began ringing.

He looked at Kim who had stopped talking and said, "Sorry, I gotta take this," bringing the phone to his ear.

Noah's voice filled his head, "Hey," he said.

"Hey."

"Guess where I am," Noah said.

"I don't know, where are you?"

"Meet me at Norfork Park in 20 minutes."

"Noah, what? Why?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes, I trust you..." Oscar answered, still confused.

"Then just meet me. 20 minutes. I'll see you then," and then hung up.

Kim suddenly said, "So, I guess you have to go?"

Oscar stayed quiet for a second and said, "Yeah, I guess. It was good catching up."

He stood up, coffee in hand, and reached for his backpack.

"We gotta do this again soon, okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, for sure," Kim said looking over her shoulder out the window. "Bye, Os."