Her heartbeat thrashed against her eardrums, and Devin turned to her, looking down at their hands intertwined.

Her stupid impulses reacted on their own again. Trechial jerked away from him, hiding her hand behind her back. "Thank you." She spoke barely above a whisper.

His expression didn't change. "For what?"

"For helping me back there. It's been weird like that since he moved in."

"Have you told Ms. Dee?"

"No. It's kinda pointless because Mom really likes him for some reason. She goes goo-goo ga-ga every time he winks at her or kisses her. It's sickening, ya know." She cleared the lump forming in her throat. I don't want to ruin her happiness or have to hear her cry ever again because she misses dad. So, if that jerk makes her happy then I'll just not say anything."

He massaged the back of his neck, looking at the ground when he spoke his next words. "You can come over to my house whenever you want. I'm pretty sure Mom would love that since you're all she talks about around there."

"Really?" She broke into a wide smile, allowing it to fade when Devin homed in on it.

His expression softened, and a faint smirk touched his lips, "Yeah, and she blames me for the M.I.A stunt you pulled over the summer."

Trechial folded her arms and raised a brow. "Well, it is your fault."

His nose hiked up to the side in disgust. "How?"

"You were a real jerk to me in sixth grade."

"You're a jerk to me every time we meet," he said. "Besides, I figured you were too popular to hang out with the fat Asian kid." His voice shifted to a lower tone, and he started walking again.

Trechial stood locked in place. What was the logic behind Devin's stupidity? Hadn't she explained herself to him more than enough?

Not only had she missed him, but for the whole school year, she had to stay away from her second Mom because she couldn't bring herself to spend time with Devin's mom when he was away hating her.

Trechial's temper sparked, and her eye twitched. With hands bald up into tight fists at her sides, she marched to him. "Hey, Tae?"

He stopped and turned to her, and she landed a swift blow in his gut.

Devin contorted in pain, holding his stomach. "What the hell, Mini?"

She clenched her fist again. "I don't care if you're Asian or if you were fat, Devin Liao, so stop bringing that up as if it's some automatic default to cancel our friendship." She itched to hit him for every tear she'd shed because of him over the summer.

He followed her every movement with his hawkish gaze.

"I have eyes, I can see that you're Asian, I didn't care then, and I don't care now. I never did." She inhaled, then blew out a heap of annoyance. "As a matter of fact, I'm going to Ukrop's and buy a pack of ring pops and give you a cherry-flavored one because I'm not marrying you anymore."

"What?"

"You asked me when we were eight to marry you, and I said yes. Well, I'm taking it back because I refuse to marry someone with confidence below sea level."

"You can't do that, you already ate it," he said with a smug grin straightening his posture.

"I can, and I will." She fought back vengeful tears. Did he not know? Did he not care? She missed playing Super Nintendo with him, sitting next to him in church, going to the store with him, doing homework with him. They did everything right and wrong together. She wanted to tell him about the time Charlie touched her on the thigh because Devin was the only one she could trust with that kind of secret. She was lonely without him.

She swallowed hard, twitching with an urge she'd never before admitted to having. "I missed you, Tae."

1,2,3...

He craned his neck and grinned, and Trechial couldn't help but feel relieved to see his smile again.

"I missed you more," he said.

"Then act like it, doofus." Trechial smacked her teeth and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Yoon Mi Rae probably forced you to pick me up today."

He shook his head. "No, she didn't. I'm here on my own accord. I wanted to see your ugly mug."

She made a W with her fingers, meaning whatever, "Whatever, Mr. Burns. And what's up with the drill sergeant look you got going on here?" She ran a hand over his buzz cut.

"This is the new style, girl." He grinned, dusting each shoulder.

She laughed shaking her head at him, "You are not cool."

They continued their walk with another seven blocks to go before they reached their final destination.

The sun peaked over the houses in the distance, casting a new light on Devin. Her eyes shifted to him, the slimmer more fit Devin. His chubby cheeks that she loved to pinch were all but gone. His round body, which she loved to give hugs to, morphed into a trimmer physique. In its place was the start of muscles and definition. His more defined bone structure revealed his two-tone eyes more clearly than before. She would never admit liking the new fade hairstyle more than his bowl; it seemed like a betrayal to his formal self.

The smell of candy and fried chicken was replaced with winter fresh gum, Irish springs, and Lynx deodorant. Somewhere along his stay at camp, he was struck by a puberty bolt, light acne kissing the top of his cheeks, and his voice was stuck between the pitch of a boy's and a man's. Not that she had any room to talk––her voice sounded like she was in the early stages of getting a cold, crackling and breaking when she even tried to sing in the shower.

Everything she knew about Devin— everything she was used to since she could remember— was gone, and it felt like someone had dropped a weight on her chest.

"What kind of camp did you go to?"

He slid her a guarded look. "What kind of camp do you think I went to, Mini?"

She squeezed the end straps of her backpack. "Why?"

"Because your precious Yoon Mi Rae forced me to," he said with a dryness that made her parched.

"That's the only reason?"

He cast a gaze into heaven. "I guess I wanted to lose weight, also. I didn't want to start middle school as the fat kid."

"I liked you, chunky." She hated using the word fat when referring to Devin. Even as a joke, it was insensitive.

"It's not about what you like. It's about whether or not I was happy being that way."

His words sliced through her selfish soul. "Sorry. I'll do my best to be more considerate of how you feel, Skeletor." She replied with a smile.

His head ticked liked hands on a clock in her direction. "Skeletor?"

She cackled and took off running, her backpack shifting side to side. Before she knew it, Devin was wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her off the ground, spinning her around and around.

"I can run now with breath to spare." He chuckled like an evil villain.

Together, he laughed and she screamed, loving every second of being in his arms. He lowered her to her feet his arms lingering around her waist for a split second. Birds chirped around them, leaves rustled above their head on a tall sycamore tree. Trechial took in a sharp breath and her eyes popped when Devin tightened his grip and rested his chin on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Mini."

Her heart thumped like a piston, she angled her head to see him, "Me too— for everything."

***

With three blocks left before they start their new middle school journey, Trechial decided to fill the silence that gnawed at that selfish soul. She needed to make it right with Devin. She did not want any rifts between them. "Tae?"

"Yeah?"

She glanced at him, roaming over his new features once more. "You worked hard and I'm proud of you and while I'll miss the old you because that's what I'm so used to—" She paused. "I like the new you, too. If it's what makes you happy."

Affection glowed on his face, and his cheeks lifted-- and for a split second, she saw the old him. While there were obvious changes in attitude and physical appearance, he was still the same in many ways and she would hold onto those pieces like rare collectible Pogs.

"You're cute," she said tucking a braid behind her ear and blushing. And it was a fact: he was cute.

He gave her a small shoulder nudge. "You're cuter."