Free We're Working On It by Richard Norway Page B

from friendly to something else.
    “How was the bus ride home?” Richard asked with his grin growing devilish.
    “Busses suck, big time. At least I didn’t get tossed out the window today,” Cory replied with a scowl.
    Richard had a hard time keeping a straight face.
    “Well maybe you should take a look in the garage then. I think there’s something in there that will make the ride home a little better.”
    Cory looked perplexed, as he looked at Richard, but then turned to go to the garage. He pulled up on the handle and opened the garage door, stared inside for a moment and then returned his stare toward Richard. A huge smile came over his face.
    Suddenly Cory ran into the garage. As Richard rounded the corner and entered the garage, Cory was looking at his new mountain bicycle. Cory was actually caressing the handlebars with his right hand, almost sensuously.
    “Is this for me?” Cory shouted. “My old bike got wrecked last year and dad wouldn’t fix it. Wow! This is so major cool.”
    “I thought you might like this as a way to get to school instead of riding the bus.”
    “Oh man, do I. Thanks a lot. I really mean that.”
    Cory grabbed the bicycle by the handlebars, turned it around facing the driveway and pushed it out through the garage door. He jumped on the bike, kicked hard on the pedals and was off down the street before Richard knew what was happening.
    Richard shouted at Cory, “Be back in time for dinner.”
    Cory rode further away without looking back as Richard shook his head, and with a smile, walked back into the house.
    “Kids!”
    Cory rode his new bike to school the next morning. It really gave him a sense of freedom and his world grew beyond the few blocks around his house. Within a few blocks of the school, he noticed a boy walking on the sidewalk toward the school. A smile crossed him as he recognized that it was Kevin. He stopped his bike after jumping the curb, coming up next to him.
    “Hey, Kevin.”
    Kevin stopped and turned to Cory, a smile could be seen forming.
    Cory got off of his bike so he could walk along side of Kevin.
    “Hey dude. What’s happening?” Cory asked. “I didn’t expect to see you until first period, but it’s good to see you.”
    “Good to see you again, too.”
    “I thought you’d be riding your bike or taking the bus,” Cory said as they walked together.
    “Oh. I live too close to take the bus, and I don’t have a bike, so I walk. It’s good exercise though and it gives me time to think.”
    “No friends to walk to school with?” Cory asked walking with his bike next to Kevin. “You must know a lot of people.”
    “Yeah, I do. I know just about everyone at school. I went through grade school with most of them.”
    “So how come you’re alone then?” Cory asked.
    “Like I said, I know lots of people but they’re just not friends. Friends are special. It takes a while to really become friends with someone, someone who you can trust without question. The last friend I had, last year, moved away this last summer. I’ve only got one other real friend now.”
    Cory saw the similarity. He was thinking about Mike.
    “My best friend moved away too so I know what you mean about getting close to someone and then losing him.”
    Cory’s remembrance of Mike pleased him but then it faded when he realized that he had used the word ‘him.’ That might be too telling.
    But then he looked at Kevin asking himself why Kevin’s opening up like that and so soon? Kevin just seemed so natural around people so Cory thought that that was all there was to it.
    “Yeah, he was my best friend too,” Kevin continued. “His name was Kaz. Can you imagine that? What a name to carry around with you, Kaz,” Kevin laughed.”
    “My friend’s name was Mike, just plain old Mike.”
    “Was he special to you?” Kevin asked, looking at Cory again as they walked.
    “Yeah, he was my best friend.”
    Kevin turned his head and looked straight ahead. “You know