Sunny ran past a handful of buildings on Main Street, past countless rows of corn, and past Patriot at the Parson farm before she saw Wil sitting on the side of the road next to his bike.

"What's up?" she shouted, checking the street to make sure it was, as usual, empty, before running across to him.

"Bike chain slipped. It happens a lot, I can fix it." His grease blackened fingers worked to align the chain on its gears. Sunny came to a full stop, standing over him. When several moments passed in silence, he looked up. "Did you need something?"

"I don't want to interrupt."

"Uh," he replied uncomfortably, "what happens when I'm finished?"

"Then you can ride off or we can walk together and chat. I'm almost home, so it won't be a terrible burden." Sunny smiled, squinting in the afternoon light.

Wil turned his attention back to his bike, "You shouldn't waste your time on me."

"I bet I can guess. You have a terminal toe fungus?" she said without cracking a smile, and he took it in stride.

"No, but I'm probably not going to be around very long before dad moves us again." Wil spun the tire and the chain settled with a thunk, then he used the bike to pull himself to his feet.

"So you're going to keep to yourself and be miserable."

"It works. I tried making friends a few times, but leaving them behind never gets easier." He held up his blackened hands and scanned the ground around him, "Can you do me a favor?"

"If you want me to rob a bank, then no."

"What?" Will's eyes snapped back to her in alarm.

"Sorry," she said, her smile a little sad. "it's something my dad would have said. You wanted me to do something for you?"

"There should be a rag in the front pocket of my book bag." he nodded to the backpack lying in the grass just ahead of the bike.

Sunny knelt down and unzipped it, rummaged through two pockets and a small stack of books, and found only a black t-shirt. "It's not this, is it?"

"Oh gosh no, mom would kill me."

"Then I don't see one," Sunny said, looking again to be sure.

"Great," grumbled Wil, holding messy hands away from his body.

Sunny zipped his bag and picked it up, "Come with me," she said, knocking back the kickstand with her toe and taking the bike's handlebars.

"Hey!" he called after as she began walking, then trotted alongside.

"I live just down there," she nodded, "you can come inside and wash up before you go home."

"It's really not necessary." He complained, disproportionately worried, as though a cyclone had just kicked up and they were about to walk straight into it.

"You're being ridiculous, Wil, it won't take a minute to get your hands clean and you'll be back on the road in no time."

"But I..."

"If you keep arguing with me, I'm going to get on this bike and we'll see how fast you really are."

Wil sensibly shut his mouth and they walked, if not together then at least near each other while moving in the same general direction. Sunny rambled for five minutes before Ruckus bounded out to greet them.

"There, that wasn't so bad." She said, smiling sweetly as she parked the bike then scratched the dog while holding the door for Wil. He hesitated, wrestling with himself, before stepping through, glowering at Sunny as he passed. Good, she thought to herself, it's better than being scared to look at people. She followed him inside and called out her ritual greeting, "Mom, I'm home!"

"Living room!" Audrey answered.

"There's a bottle of soap on the counter but there's Comet cleanser in the cupboard if that doesn't get it off." He moved toward the faucet, "Oh, wait a second." She reached in front of him and turned Pinkie Pie to the left so she faced away from the other ponies above the sink.

Will watched her and stepped forward when she finished. "These are your mom's?"

Sunny nodded, "She's got a bookcase in her bedroom dedicated to them, but these are her favorites. She's got these same four on the T.V. table in the living room too. Shoo, Rucks, go lay down." The dog sniffed around Wil's feet, making it hard for either of them to maneuver.

"You there, Nugget?" mom called out again.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a second. Letting a friend from school wash up."

"Is Miney-moe here?" mom called out, excited.

"Miney-moe?" Wil looked worried again.

"She means Enid." Sunny told him, then called back, "No, but she's coming over tomorrow if that's okay."

"Oh!" Audrey came through the kitchen door, "That's nice! Can we have lunch together?" Then she stopped moving, blinking wide eyes silently at Wil.

Sunny grinned and said calmly, "This is Wilbur Gunn, mom, he's new this year." Wil tried to smile at her over his shoulder with both hands soaped up under running water, and the introduction seemed to free Sunny's mom from her stasis.

"Wilbur is a nice name." she smiled broadly, "I'm happy to know you."

"I'm... happy to know you too?" he said, slightly confused, as Mrs. Summers turned to Sunny again.

"Are you getting married?" mom asked, her voice light but serious.

"No, mom," Sunny laughed openly while Wil tried to recapture something that resembled his dignity. "Wil is just a friend from school. His hands got dirty on the way home and I said he could wash them here."

"Oh!" mom exclaimed again and turned back to Wil, "Are you staying for dinner?"

"Um," he began, but couldn't seem to form words and Sunny came to his rescue.

"No, mom, he's got to get home."

"That's too bad. You should come tomorrow." She said, hopefully, petting Ruckus, who had finally given up on soliciting attention from Wil.

"There's an idea." Sunny grinned at him while he hastily dried his hands on a paper towel, "Enid will be here. You don't have Saturday plans, do you?"

"Well,"

"You said you didn't have any friends." She reminded him, "What else are you going to do with a day off?"

He glared, but it lacked sincerity, probably because Sunny could read the hopefulness in his expression like a newspaper headline.

"No friends?" mom said, "That's not good! We can be friends. Come to lunch tomorrow, okay?" Audrey nodded, walked up to Wil, and gave him a hug, which he returned timidly.

"See how easy that was?" Sunny smiled and walked Wil to the door, "Now you have friends. Enid will be here by ten, but we'll probably just watch T.V. and talk for an hour and I don't want to torture you. Come over around eleven-thirty and we'll eat at noon. Nothing special, just sandwiches and drinks."

"Bye Wilbur!" Mrs. Summers called from the kitchen window followed by a bark from Ruckus as he straddled his bike, still trying to work out what had just happened.

"Are... are you sure it's okay?" he said, watching the kitchen door swing closed.

"You heard mom. If you stand her up now she'll come and find you, and you don't want that."

Wil's smile was genuinely warm and full of gratitude, "She's..." he began but again seemed unable to complete a sentence on his own.

"A force of nature, I know," Sunny finished for him, "Don't tell anyone I'm Superwoman's daughter."

"I won't." He promised, his face still trying to find a balance between beaming and bewildered. He rode off without another word.

Sunny stood perfectly still watching him go, her expression curious and her mind whirling until her mother called to her, "You punk! Leave my horses alone!" which brought back a happy smile that almost made up for the tear that slid down the side of her face.

Sunny trotted in through the door and sat at the kitchen table, arms crossed in front of her while the dog nuzzled her legs optimistically. "Mom?" she said, her voice steady.

"What?"

"I miss dad."

Audrey didn't respond; her full attention was on her ponies, lining them up so they all faced exactly the same direction. Dad always tweaked them to see if she'd notice. She always did, and she always called him a punk, and he'd hug her and laugh, amazed that she could see even the smallest changes when something was out of place. Naturally, Mark Summers would see Audrey's obsessive disorder as a gift worthy of praise.

Dad's Down's Syndrome was less evident than mom's, and he'd been the family's anchor. After he died over a year ago, Audrey was inconsolable. Sunny had been ten years old when she had to grow up all at once and for a month she seemed to have lost both parents.

It was a Saturday in the middle of winter when she found a way to help her mom and heal her family. She'd been sitting in the living room, in the dark and in the quiet, humming a tune her dad loved, and Audrey just came out and sat next to her. Sunny sang quietly, afraid of losing her mother again, but when she couldn't continue mom said, "I love you, Nugget," using Dad's nickname for her.

From that point on, Mark Summers haunted their home through Sunny. She'd leave things out where he'd have left them, forget to flush the toilet on purpose, and even mess with mom's ponies, all of the habits that drove Audrey crazy, but their subtle familiarity had brought her back.

Mom finished straightening Pinkie Pie and brushed off her house dress before turning to Sunny. She'd heard her words, but was unable to process her own feelings of loss and grief, so she didn't. She just said, "I love you, Nugget," and it was enough.