Characters: Sam Ruiz and Abernathy Ford
Setting: Just outside of campus on a river, Sunday morning-evening the day before classes start
Rating: SFW. Some language.
Summary: Sam and Abby go fishing before classes start to decompress

August was a rough month for Sam, his brother had been dead for just over one year and it was still hard, but at least he had this to look forward to. It was the morning before school started, barely morning as the sun was still coming up. He wouldn’t miss this though, after pulling on some jean shorts and grabbing his fishing pole he headed down to the river where he had been fishing since sixth grade. He had gotten into a fair share of trouble for such outings but it was tradition. He couldn’t let down his best friend.

He grinned when he came into view of the river and saw the girl with auburny hair patiently waiting for him on the dock. Of course she beat him here, she always did. “Hey AB,” he said softly. “You been waiting long?”

“Of course I have,” she replied with a grin. She didn’t mind waiting. The early morning was filled with quiet, peaceful sounds; she felt most at ease in the time just before and just after dawn. Her own summer hadn’t been so bad. She spent most of her time outside with her dad and sister. The best part was when Sam had come for a stay. They’d actually driven all the way down to the city to watch a Yankees game; it was easily the highlight of her year.

Abernathy tossed her fishing pole over her shoulder and started to climb into the boat she had commandeered for the morning. She had already packed her worms and the box of lures under her seat. She reached up to take his gear so he could climb in unencumbered.

He laughed lightly at that, it was nice to have these peaceful, quiet moments. He followed Abernathy down to the boat. “Nice work on this one,” Sam commented as he handed her his gear and climbed in. “It doesn’t rock as much as the last one,” he grinned.

Sam would have to agree with AB’s sentiments about the game, it had been the highlight of his summer as well. “You ready for the year to start?” he asked taking a paddle from the bottom of the boat and starting to head away from the shore. He was already starting to feel better now that he was back at school... as odd as that was, seeing as though he was just getting by with his grades.

She enjoyed the haggle involved in getting a decent boat. It was always an accomplishment to find something that didn’t leak and wasn’t so expensive that the pocket money Aunt Veruca offered her was blown before the semester even began. She’d done fairly well this morning. “I took the guy’s number down. He was pretty cool about us borrowing his boat when he’s not using it.” The fishing community around the area was pretty cool; Abernathy was proud to be a part of it.

She shrugged before answering. “I could probably go another month before getting back into this crap.” She liked school; she did, but she couldn’t deal with all the people she went to school with. Or Latin. She was already dreading what this year had in store for her in that regard. “How about you?”

That sounded promising. It was pretty hard sometimes to find a boat but there were nice people who trusted a couple of high school kids. Sam was always impressed with AB’s haggling skills. He laughed lightly, remembering when he and Felix had pulled shenanigans like this back at home. “One time Felix took a boat from this guys dock but he left a note and a cookie. He returned it after we were done fishing, the cookie was gone and there was another note that said Felix Ruiz, I’m calling your mother.” He laughed.

He shrugged as well, the scholarly part he was not looking forward to but he did not want to be at home... if that’s what you could call it anymore. “I’m not looking forward to school,” he smiled. “But being back here, yeah... I missed that. I missed coming out here and fishing,” he leaned back a little as they drifted slowly.

She laughed at the picture of a scrappy little Felix pulling this feat off. “See, and here I was thinking I was the worst influence in your life.” She kept her tone light and joking; she knew Felix’s loss was still very close to the surface. She felt it too, having known him. She knew exactly what it was like losing someone in your family; this had been a deep bonding point for the old friends. She looked off down the river bank and picked up her oar to start pushing them further out and down the river.

I missed you. She didn’t say it out loud, but there the thought was. It was kind of weird, considering he’d visited over the summer. Abernathy was struggling a bit with how very attached she was to Sam and what the implications of that could lead to. She forced a goofy smile on her face before sticking out her tongue at him. “Pick up an oar and start rowing you lazy shit.”

He laughed with her, being with Abernathy made everything easier. She had been there for him right after the attack and he couldn’t lie to her about it. Not that he ever wanted to lie to her about anything. It was just hard to tell the truth about what happened. Not with AB though. “You’re pretty close to the top in bad influences though,” he teased picking up the paddle.

Man it was easy to be with her, that kinda freaked him out, but he shrugged it off for now. Enjoying the morning with his best friend was his number one priority... for now. “Putting me back to work so soon, eh?” he laughed. He loved her brash sense of humor, it always put a smile on his face.

She grinned at that. There was a perverse sort of pride that came with being such a bad influence, though the reverse was also true. How many times had Sam talked her into skipping class to set up rabbit traps on the edge of school grounds? Clearly they only encouraged each other’s behavior (and then made faces at each other the whole time as they were both stuck in detention). “Who’s worse than me?” she challenged.

She almost splashed some water up into the boat and onto his legs, but thought better on it. “I am not pulling your ass all the way down river.” Not that she wasn’t good for it; she could probably row the boat all the way there with him simply enjoying the scenery. But there was no way she was letting him off the hook. “I’m awesome. There’s no denying that, but I’m not so awesome that I can paddle by myself all day, Sam.”

He made a goofy face and pulled at his invisible beard. “Good question, who could possibly be a worse influence than Abernathy Ford?” he grinned. “Nah, you take the cake on that one,” he said dipping the paddle into the water and helping row. “Although I have to admit I’m no Prince Valiant when it comes to convincing you to go to class. Shenanigans and tom foolery with you are way more important than Latin and the history of magic.”

“I bet you could,” he waggled his eyebrows at her. “But you do have a point, share the work load, kinda like that time I paid that one girl to write the second half of my history paper,” he laughed. The underground homework ring had been something he had only used that one time but he thought it was infinitely funny that a sophomore girl was doing homework of much older kids and getting them through the school year with decent grades. “Beside, we don’t want your arms tired for when you cast off.”

She groaned at the very mention of Latin. “You try to be Prince Valiant and I’ll put this paddle up your ass.” She gestured menacingly with the oar. “I need someone to save me from Latin.” That idea was kind of ironic and she was sure that skipping Latin hadn’t helped with her grades at all.

“Not going to lie, I’m kind of surprised you actually paid her. What grade did you end up with?” Abby laughed. She debated hopping into the underground homework, but she knew she’d only get farther behind if she didn’t do the work herself. “Oh you wish my arms were tired. I’m still going to catch the best fish this morning.”

He leaned away from the menacing paddle and laughed. “No way AB,” he said still laughing. “I’ll stay nefarious as ever if it keeps that paddle away from my bum,” he grinned. “I can’t help you too much with Latin, not unless you want to learn Spanish to make learning Latin easier,” he laughed again. “It’s a very round about way of doing things.”

“I got a B+ only because I actually attempted to write the first half,” he laughed. “The second half was impeccable. She’s pretty good but I can’t do that every time. I won’t have any money left for fishing or ice cream,” he was actually going to attempt to get himself better grades this year on his own but that wasn’t something he was ready to admit to just yet. “Oh... sounds like a challenge mi amiga,” he grinned slipping easily into Spanish. It was something he was training himself not to do since he did it so often but sometimes it couldn’t be helped.

Abby rolled her eyes at him. “Spanish sounds lovely coming out of your mouth. With me...” It sounded ridiculous. “I think one language is enough for me.” She had no intention of becoming fluent in Latin; she only needed to know enough to pass. She wanted to show an interest in Sam’s second language, but she only managed to pick up a handful of words in all the years she knew him.

“God forbid we go without ice cream,” she teased. They were almost far enough out to start casting. They’d have to get quiet in order not to scare the fish away, but they never seemed to have a problem sitting together in silence for hours on end. “Loser buys ice cream, amigo,” she whispered as she set her paddle quietly into the boat. It was already hot enough to be craving something cold and sweet.

“Nah, you didn’t sound ridiculous,” he said reassuringly. “Just impatient,” he winked. At least she had tried and that was something.

He pulled a face at the ice cream comment. “You know I can’t live without it,” he said before they started to get quiet. “It’s a deal,” he agreed. He was more than willing to throw down a few bucks to grab ice cream for his friend since she had probably bartered for the the boat that morning but it was fun to pretend he was betting on it. Sam followed suit, laying his paddle in the boat and grabbing his fishing pole, which he insisted was not pink and not handed down to him from his older cousin. He baited his line and silently handed over the tackle box to Abernathy. He watched as she baited her own line, the intricacy it took to hook the worm just right. He was sure he didn’t know any other girl on the planet who would bait her own fishing pole.

She cast out and leaned back in the boat, getting comfortable. They could probably fish all day, but it was disgustingly hot out already. She’d try to catch at least one keeper; though she’d toss it back into the river because they’d forgot to bring a cooler or a bucket. The river was still calm at this hour. Little bugs flitted along the surface of the water and birds sang to each other as the sun started to climb higher in the sky. It was a bit of a late start, but Abby was pretty sure they’d catch something.

Every now and again she’d glance over at Sam. She crossed her eyes or pulled a goofy smirk if he happened to be peeking at her when she looked. She kept her grip on her pole light so she could feel it if something started to tug. Her dad had once joked that she had such steady hands it would be a waste for her to go to wizarding school. “We should pack you straight off to med school now.” It certainly helped in her favored hobbies to have steady hands, but she didn’t see it as much of a useful talent otherwise.

Sam cast out after AB, giving her line plenty of room. He leaned back in the boat and smiled, wondering why they couldn’t just fish all day, all the time. Oh right, the god awful heat. He held his fishing pole with just enough of a grip but still relaxing a bit. He wasn’t going to take it too seriously today. He would steal an occasional look over at AB, sometimes she caught him and pulled a face, causing him to snort a little.

It was so quiet on the river, he could almost hear the mosquitoes buzzing at the bank of the river and the gentle disturbances in the water. A few minutes passed in the easy silence. He could have fallen asleep if not for the tug on his line. He sat up a little straighter and started reeling in slowly at first just how Felix had taught him. And within seconds he pulled a medium sized white perch out of the water. He laughed lightly and looked over to Abernathy with a big grin and his fish in his hand. She could easily catch a bigger fish and he knew it, but he couldn’t help the goofy grin on his face.

Her fish took a little longer to hook, almost an entire hour of sitting quietly before something bit. She was never patient enough for languages, but she was exceedingly patient for the right fish. A little tug and she could tell that a fairly impressive fish was on the end of her line. It would easily be worth the effort to reel it in, even if she only earned bragging rights for the day (and of course, free ice cream). She started to work her reel and before long she had a big, beautiful perch that crushed his earlier fish. She turned to him with a big, rub-it-in-your-face sort of smile. “What do you say to that?”

Sam watched AB as she reeled her line in, his own line flat on the water since he released his first fish. He was okay with just sitting there, letting the morning go by slowly. He grinned at her when she showed off the prize fish, regretting that he didn’t bring down a bucket. “I say...” he said sitting up straighter and looking at his own line. “What kind of ice cream do you want later?” He could definitely admit defeat to that.

She was gentle in removing the hook. Sometimes she just had to wrench the thing out, but this hook wasn’t lodged so deeply. She plopped the fish back into the water and wiped her hands on her shorts. “The morning is young my friend,” she replied enthusiastically, though she was happy to take the win if he was willing to give it to her. “You’re not tired already, are you?” She was a bit lethargic from the heat, but the beautiful fish she just caught had energized her. She was ready to row a little further down and put another worm on the hook.

“Me? Tired? Never,” he reeled in his own line and picked up the paddle, already on the same page as his friend. “I could sit out here all day,” he said simply as they moved the boat down the river a bit. They at least had a couple hours before the heat could melt them. “I just don’t think I’ll be reeling anything bigger than that beauty,” he said, hoping that the next time they caught a fish like that he would have remembered a bucket.

When the boat settled Sam baited his ling again and cast out, letting the line settle back into a still state before he repositioned himself in the boat for comfort. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander, free from the worries and cares of school, the fighting between his parents, the impending divorce that follows separations. It all melted away with the heat and the relaxation of the morning. He snuck the occasional peek over at AB and her line, always tempted to splash his foot in the water and get them both wet but never actually doing it.

It was therapeutic to sit still and be quiet. She couldn’t explain it to most people, but Sam just understood. It was comforting to share this ritual every year. She set a worm on the hook and tossed her line back out into the river. She looked over to Sam less than she was before. The heat was making it too hard to think about much and her mind kept wandering back to things she didn’t want to dwell on. She was thinking about Bernadine mostly, and sometimes her brain skipped over to that weird tingly feeling that started punching her in the stomach every time Sam smiled at her. That was a new phenomenon and one she needed desperately to suppress.

Her line didn’t tug again. It was probably too hot for fish at this point. It would be much better fishing if it was raining (though they’d end up going home soggy and that was easily the biggest drawback to the best fishing conditions). There was nothing for it today. Not a cloud in the sky and the sun settling high up above the trees. It was around noon by the time Abernathy was officially too hot to be patient anymore. “Okay. Come on. You’re going to buy me some ice cream.”

Sam snapped out of his reverie pretty quick and reeled in his line, he hadn’t had a bite since first thing in the morning but that was okay with him. These trips never really were about catching fish in his opinion. He smiled at AB. “We’re going to get the good stuff too, none of that cafeteria crap,” he made a disgusted face and then laughed. “Thank goodness dad fixed the air conditioning in the truck, otherwise we’d be eating nasty ice cream.”

He grabbed his paddle and started bringing the boat back up the river. It was ridiculously hot and even though he was used to high temperatures, he still didn’t like them. He had no idea how Abernathy did it, she came from the north! He couldn’t imagine it being that hot up there. Since his mind had brought him down that road his curiosity was now peaked. “Hey, how hot does it get in Lake Luzerne?” he asked as they paddled back.

“Never so hot as this,” she replied, her own paddle dipping into the river. “We crack the 90’s for at least a week. I think we’ve only ever hit triple digits three times in my life. And you know, the humidity. Fuck that noise.” She grinned over her shoulder at him. “And yes, thank god for dad and the AC.” She did struggle a bit the hotter it got down here, but she always managed to make it through.

They made their way up the river and pulled up the dock. It was easy enough to toss their shared tackle box and fishing rods onto the dock before climbing out themselves. Abernathy found the guy who loaned her the boat and pointed out where she parked it with a grin. She’d definitely borrow this boat again, but next time she’d get a mini-motor to toss on the back and make their rowing obsolete.

“The 90’s, damn, that would be nice. I might move up north after graduation, hopefully there will be a graduation,” he laughed. “You never know with my steadily declining grades.” The cooling charms in their school robes helped keep them at a reasonable temperature but on those hot days they still suffered. “Cooling charms are my one and only savior during summer. Well... that’s a lie, you know how I feel about ice cream.”

Sam made sure to thank the guy who had loaned them the boat and while AB wasn’t looking Sam snatched the tackle box, doing his chivalrous duties although it didn’t really weigh that much. He was already thinking about what flavor ice cream he wanted when they started walking back toward the parking lot. He tossed the stuff into the back of his red truck and unlocked the passenger door for AB before he went around to the driver’s side. Although the truck was almost as old as Sam it ran perfectly well and with one pound of his fist against the radiator the air conditioning was working in perfect condition. “Brain Freeze first or did you want to go back to school?” he asked.

“If I have anything to do with it you’re graduating with honors.” She grinned a little doubtfully, but she’d push them both through school high honors or not. Her Latin was dreadful, but it never stopped her from casting some impressive magic. “And clearly you’re welcome up North. Dad is all but ready to build you a little cabin next to the house.” That was a nice and funny thought all wrapped up into one. It took quite a bit to win Billy Ford’s approval; Sam had done it in the space of a week.

She tried not to notice some of the chivalrous things he did in her presence. He was Sam after all and she was just AB. He didn’t need to do that sort of stuff for her. “Uh. Brain freeze,” she replied as if he needn’t have asked at all. The longer she could avoid campus and all those crazy people the better. She tossed her pole into the back and then climbed up into the passenger side of the truck. She was glad she wore her longer shorts today. Her legs would have been stuck to the seat already. “Which parlor are we hitting up today?”

He grinned. “Honors, eh? You tryin’ to give me a heart attack?” he teased. He had maintained an impressively high average in herbology and potions throughout the years and even at his lowest he was still top of the class in those two subjects, but most of his other classes were down right dreadful. The news about AB’s dad was interesting though. “Really?” he asked with a slightly higher pitch to his voice. “Your dad likes me?” he couldn’t help but grin. Father approval, now that was something. He got that feeling again in his stomach again, it wasn’t a bad one just a very excited, silly one.

“Hmm,” he pondered after buckling himself in. He turned onto the road. “Well we could do one of the muggle ice cream parlors in town or we could hit up one of the wizard ice cream parlors.” That was one of Sam’s favorite things about being smack dab in a city. They always had the choice between muggle and wizard treats and shops.

“You’re up for it,” she encouraged him. Sam had some gifts and she knew he could excel if he applied himself a little more. She figured the same was true of herself. Then the subject turned to her dad, who had some how come to trust Sam during the week he visited. “He asked if you’d been casting some kind of magic on him, cause he was charmed,” Abernathy could be a merciless teaser when prompted and there was something about the sudden sparkle in Sam’s eyes that spurned her on. “Just do me a favor, okay? If you marry my dad don’t write me out of the will or anything.”

She settled into her seat and buckled up. “Are you sick and tired of wizards yet?” She had been isolated out in the middle of the woods among her family. Simon was home for the break and Bernadine was there with dad. Among them Abby was the only one proven to have wizarding abilities. She was so used to muggles she often preferred their company over that of wizards, even if she had to keep her talents hidden.

Sam couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright kiddo,” he said giving her arm a little pinch. “As long as you call me something respectable and its’ not like... Grandpa Melchor,” he joked. “But I’m getting all of his Yankess stuff if we get married,” he added with a teasing grin.

“Sick of wizards? I never really thought of it before. I’m just always around them,” he smiled over at her. “You sick of wizards?”

“I’ll fight you for it,” she replied and then immediately wanted to change the subject away from marriage. “And I’ll have you know I very much like your proper name.” Though she never called him by it. It was a special occasion thing reserved only for moments of exceptional seriousness.

“Only all the time.” She giggled though and shook her head. “You’re always around wizards the way I’m always around muggles. It’s a bit of an adjustment in either direction.” Her wallet was in the tackle box so she smiled at him as he tried to keep his eyes on the road. “Got a quarter? We’ll flip for it.”

“Getting into a fight with you over Yankees memorabilia,” he took in a sharp breath and tugged at his invisible beard again. “Hmm, I don’t think I could fight you, but I might sic my lawyers on you,” he teased. “You like my proper name? I think that makes officially three people on the planet who do,” he grinned. He had only remembered her calling him Melchor on a few occasions, the one that stuck out though, the day after his brother died, he tried to squish back down.

“Very true,” he said reaching into his pocket with one hand. He retrieved one of the stray quarters that was always in there and handed it over to Abernathy. “I think I would go crazy if I couldn’t do magic whenever I needed to, I don’t know how you do it,” he said impressed.

She laughed before leaning forward in her seat belt and looking at him sideways so he could see her without taking his eyes completely off the road. “You might want to hire some extreme fighters to accompany your lawyers out to the backwoods. They might not come back out.” She was glad that the heat left a flush on her face, otherwise Sam would have seen the immediate blush that followed the comment about his name. She sat back in her seat and stared straight forward at the road. “With a name like Abernathy you can’t go wrong making friends with a Melchor.”

She took the quarter and held it in her hand for a moment. “It’s better in the woods. The whole place is very... Zen. I could give up just about anything so long as I could stay in the woods.” She mused on that for a moment and then conceded another point. “I’ll admit, it’s a lot easier having grown up with no expectation of being a witch. I went to muggle school and everything. It’s the life I’m most familiar with.”

She pushed the quarter between her thumb and her index finger before palming it again. “Heads for muggles, tails for wizards.” She smirked at him. “And no, that’s not an indication about how I really feel.” She let the coin fly and caught it again, holding her palm open for his inspection as they pulled up to a stop sign.

He laughed. “Yeah, it might be best if we just settle outside of court, make a museum of Yankee stuff,” he caught the look she gave him out of the corner of his eye... yeah, she would fight for it. “You know it girl, two peas in a pod, Miss Abernathy. Besides, I think your name is... muy hermosa,” he was glad his eyes were on the road because he was sure his face would betray him at that point. He moved right along.

He had felt the same at one point about being in the woods. It had always been a place of serenity for him but now that was ruined. He couldn’t stand the thought of it, he nearly hyperventilated if he got to close to thick tree lines. It had been a bit of a challenge when he visited Abernathy but she had made it okay for him, even if he was still scared. “I’m trying to get back to that you know,” he said, his face faltering a little. “I miss the peace that I used to feel in the woods. I would give anything to have that feeling back.”

He looked at her open palm and smirked up at her. “Looks like we’re going muggle today,” he said easily slipping back into a less serious conversation. “You better not be getting sick of wizards,” he said turning right and heading into town. “Because you’re gonna be stuck with me for a while,” he grinned.

Miss Abernathy. That had a funny ring to it. She tried not to blush again. He was just calling her name pretty, but she wasn’t sure he’d ever strung together the idea of something pretty associated with her. She grew quiet and stayed that way at the mention of woods. She wanted to promise that another summer in Lake Luzerne could get that back. She wanted to take him camping in the Bear Slides and instill that kind of harmonic peace between man and nature again. It was going to take time; having had him at the house this summer was a big step toward that goal. Abby knew she didn’t have to say anything; it was just enough to be here if he needed to talk it out.

He wouldn’t now though, not with ice cream on his brain. She laughed to lighten the mood again. “Oh Sam, you’re not...” She wasn’t sure how to explain what she wanted to say. She didn’t think of him the same way she thought of wizards. He was something more, someone special. “Well you are.” She laughed. “Oh never mind.”

Sam felt relief when he talked more openly to AB and he felt like she was actually listening. It gave him the strength he needed to move on, of course he wasn’t entirely ready to leave it all behind him yet, but that day would come. More time with AB in New York, more time to heal, more time to remember how it felt to out in the middle of the woods and safe. He didn’t let anyone see his vulnerable side, well... except for AB. She was the only exception, she always had been.

He grinned. “I’m not what?” he could be good at teasing too, but he didn’t want to push her too far. Yeah... he could see that blush creeping into her cheeks. It made his face burn a little, he couldn’t help but smile. He stopped at a red light an looked over at her with his lazy smile.

“You’re not like them.” She frowned. This wasn’t the easiest thing to articulate. She didn’t hate wizards, but their culture was just weird compared to what she grew up with. She didn’t understand it sometimes. Sam had never been like that. He was easy to talk to and get along with. Even after years in school with these people all day she found it hard to relate to a lot of wizards.

She found herself wanting to change the subject before it got too deep and too hard to explain. “God I wish we had Stewart’s down here.” She was craving some Espresso Therapy right about now. She’d introduced Sam to the gas station/ice cream shop/convenience store wonder of the north when he’d visited. To her, no store in the south could even compare.

His eyes lingered on his best friend’s face a little longer than normal and he turned his attention back to the road, smiling. He felt the same around her, she was different from most of the kids at school, she was different from pretty much everyone. “You’re not like them either,” he said quietly.

“Oh my goooooodness, Stewart’s is god,” he said remembering his first experience with Stewart’s over the summer while staying with AB and her family. “Death By Chocolate... after I ate that ice cream I could die a happy man,” he turned the truck into the parking lot of one of the smaller, family owned parlors. “It’s nowhere near the level of awesomess that is Stewart’s but I think it’s pretty good,” he said turning the truck off.

Not that she thought she was anything like them, but it was nice hearing it from him. She was struggling not to get flustered now, this conversation was off in unexplored territory and that weird tingle was back in her stomach. Thankfully they’d turned into the parking lot.

She was relieved to hear he loved Stewart’s as much as she did. “Best ice cream ever.” His opinion of this parlor was good enough for her. She hopped out of the car and stepped up to the door which she held open for him. Men in the south didn’t seem equipped to deal with Abernathy’s idea of chivalry (in that it went both ways). She got stared at a lot when opening doors for men or offering to pay for lunch herself.

It was definitely interesting to see where their conversations could lead to, interesting and mildly terrifying. Sam was glad to know that he was as special to her as she was to him. He hoped out of the truck with that silly grin plastered to his face and went around. Abernathy was of course holding the door open for him, something he had gotten used to over the years. He only grinned and stepped inside. “Thanks,” he said brightly. It was another piece of her personality that he just loved. She was strong willed and fiercely independent, he had to stop that line of thought before he crossed any more boundary lines.

He walked up to the counter and looked over the list. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t know this list by heart,” he admitted a little sheepishly. “Whatcha thinkin’ about getting?”

She loved that Sam never made a fuss when she held the door open for him. She loved that he didn’t try to open car doors for her. That sort of stuff was just embarrassing and made her feel completely incapable; Abby was anything but.

She marched up to the counter and perused the list quickly. “Pistachio sounds good to me right now.” It was a hit and miss kind of ice cream, but if this place got it right she’d rescind her sentiments about Southern ice cream shops. “How about you?”

Sam’s jaw dropped and he looked over at her for a second, his right eye brow quirked higher than his left. Really? REALLY? Sam was the only one who ever got pistachio out of his family when they went out for ice cream. “Uh... yeah... same,” he grinned.

“Double scoop, waffle cone?” he asked just to be sure. His dad had always said you should order for a lady at a restaurant but Sam was a modern boy and he didn’t just want to assume he knew what she wanted, especially with a girl who kept him on his toes.

She laughed at him, but not in an ungenerous way. AB was the kind of person who liked to order a different kind of ice cream every time she went out. It was probably just a silly coincidence that they both wanted pistachio today. “Chocolate dipped waffle cone, if you please,” she replied.

“Of course,” he grinned. “Anything for the ultimate champion of the day,” he turned to the kid behind the counter and order for them, paying before they got the ice cream so as not to make a mess out of himself. After accepting their ice cream Sam picked a booth toward the back of the parlor and sat down.

The whole parlor had a mom and pop 1950’s feel to it with teal tables and nostalgia paintings. Other than the somewhat corny feel to it, Sam really like the place. This was the prefect treat after a day of fishing. “This is the best pistachio I’ve ever had,” he said licking at his cone. “It’s soooo good here. That’s why I didn’t get it at Stewart’s. If I knew it was better there, I would have never been able to get it here,” he laughed.

Abernathy replied with a happy little moan that she was entirely too self conscious about. She hid behind her cone and looked anywhere but at Sam. It didn’t take long for her embarrassment to disappear behind the joy of such good ice cream. The pistachio was heavenly and it cemented her love for this place. “We’re coming here again,” she insisted.

She finished her cone quicker than even she thought humanly possible. She didn’t want to go back to campus just yet. They had the rest of the day to goof around before they had to get serious and back into studies. She started racking her brain for something to do. “Do you have enough gas to just drive circles around town?” she asked when nothing particularly brilliant came to mind. At least the AC was working and she could fiddle with the radio until she found a suitably non-irritating station.

Sam liked to consider himself the ultimate ice cream fanatic and was quite impressed when AB finished her cone just as fast as he had. “Pretty good for a Southern ice cream parlor yeah?” he grinned. He almost added said Southern muggle ice cream parlor but knowing his luck he would have been over heard. “You know me I’m down for ice cream pretty much any time,” he smirked.

After cleaning up his face with a napkin (he was infamous for leaving ice cream parlors with a mess on his face) he looked up at her. He didn’t really want to go back to campus either, they still had an entire day free from robes and books and button up shirts. “Yeah I got enough,” he said. Sam loved driving, especially when he had someone with him. “And I would love to,” he leaned back in the booth with his hands over his head. “I gotta admit though, I’m pretty excited about trying for my motorcycle license in February. It might be a little more fun than driving around in a beat up Ford truck,” he gave a little laugh.

“I’m sold,” she replied simply. She rolled her eyes at him and didn’t bother to shake her head. They were both a little addicted to ice cream; he was the only one willing to admit it.

Her smile fell at an odd angle when he mentioned his motorcycle license. She had this picture in her head of him riding off on his own. Then the picture shifted and she had her arms wrapped around him, straddled on the back of the bike. She wasn’t sure which idea was worse. She closed her eyes to shut the idea out and then remembered something she’d been sitting on. She beamed at him. “I forgot to tell you,” she said leaning over the table. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her ID case to show him the learner’s permit she’d earned shortly after Sam left from his visit. It was for NY state, but with their stringent rules and testing regulations the permit was good in just about every other state. “Dad took me out a few times. He said if you teach me to drive down here I can take my test up north over winter break.”

He was glad to hear that he had made a believer out of her with this particular ice cream shop. Sam had been planning to get two helmets once he got his motorcycle license but he wasn’t sure if he should mention it to AB yet. He wondered to himself if that was weird or not and then let it pass. They were best friends, best friends could ride on the same bike together, right? He still grinned at the thought he her arms wrapped around him.

“Oh niiiice!” he said brightly when she flashed her new learner’s permit. Her dad trusts me enough to teach her how to drive... Sam had learned years ago before it was even legal for him to drive, but those were the benefits of having a brother like Felix, rules and sometimes laws were easily broken. “Of course I’ll teach you,” he said sitting up a little straighter, a little prouder. “As long as you trust me,” he added with a devilish smirk.

She frowned at him. “Of course I trust you.” She almost added you ass under her breath, but she didn’t want to attract any attention to them in the middle of a muggle place. She did however punch him in his arm and snapped her permit back into the case. “They ask the weirdest questions on that test. Why do I need to know what the legal blood alcohol limit is? I’m not planning on drinking and driving.”

Sam laughed at the punch and then again at her question. “Well I’m glad you won’t be planning on that, not that I thought you would,” he said. “But some fools out there think it’s okay to have a few and then drive home afterward,” he shrugged. “I guess that question was aimed at the less intelligent individuals taking the test,” he grinned. His parents, although were pretty strict, had told him that if he ever got drunk at a party they would rather get a phone call from him at three in the morning for a ride home rather than get a call from the police or even worse the hospital at three in the morning. They didn’t need to worry about that seeing as though Sam didn’t drink at all.

“Come on punk, maybe we can have our first lesson today, what do you say?” he asked scooting out of the booth. He waited for her to join him and walked with her by his side giving her a little nudge. “I’ll take you to my neighborhood where it’s a little quieter.”

She knew Sam didn’t drink and so far she hadn’t either. She’d been to a few parties, but she always managed to have a good time without booze. She shrugged in response. “You wouldn’t believe the idiots that drive up where I live.”

“We could,” she replied excitedly. She hadn’t been thinking in that direction, but it worked out and saved them from having to go back to campus. She followed him out of the booth and the parlor door. “We could even have dinner with the ‘rents,” she suggested slyly. She adored Sam’s parents who had always been good to her. She especially adored Mrs. Ruiz’s cooking, which was always a step above anything Bill Ford ever managed to put on the table.

“I guess there are idiot drivers everywhere,” he grinned. It wasn’t so bad around Sam’s house since it was so residential but in town was kinda crazy. He hopped into the driver seat of the truck and started off down the road, driving through the city and toward the Ruiz house. His father hadn’t been living there fox six months, but he spent plenty of time there, and didn’t ever miss a dinner with his otherwise estranged wife.

“That would be nice,” Sam said quietly. He was sure his parents could keep it together for one night, especially since they really liked AB. “Tonight is usually grill night, gotta love Sundays,” his smile was a little forced but he hoped she wasn’t able to tell. Sam was also hoping his dad wouldn’t razz on him about asking AB out on a proper date, that killed him every time.

She buckled in and smiled at him with a sort of blissed-out-after-ice cream buzz. She did notice the way his smile strained, but like the good friend she was she didn’t push. He’d tell her what was on his mind when he was ready to share. “Should we pick something up before we head over?” She hated to head over without bringing some sort of token of appreciation for the good eats.

He looked over at her. It was really thoughtful. “We could pick up something to drink, like some juice and soda, maybe some chips,” he said turning down the street toward the grocery store his mom usually went to. It was a pretty quick grocery run, complete with cart surfing, disturbing the locals, and finally paying for the snacks.

When Sam pulled into his parents drive way, the garage door was open. “Dad must be in the garage,” he said. “Wanna stop in and say hi to him first?” he asked.

Abernathy probably could have spent another twenty minutes wandering around the grocery story, but when Sam was set on a mission he had a way of pulling her along. However short lived it was she did enjoy the chariot race down aisle three.

“Absolutely,” she replied cheerfully as she stepped out of the truck. She loved hanging out around the garage and the prospect of helping Mr. Ruiz fix something was pretty cool.

Sam lead AB into the garage and sure enough Tito was in there working on his bike and blasting classic rock. “Eh!” Sam said cheerfully over the music. “Wanna turn that down pop before you lose your hearing?” he teased.

Tito Ruiz looked up and gave a crooked grin, emphasizing one of the scars that ran across his face. He was more than happy to see his son and his good pal Abernathy dropping by for a visit. “Whatever happened to good afternoon dad, it’s nice to see you?” he asked putting down a wrench and making his way over. He patted Sam’s shoulder and then folded his arms across his broad chest. “Abernathy, you keeping him in line today?” he asked.

AB grinned and stepped closer to peer in on the work Tito was doing. “They stopped teaching us manners at CCI,” she replied cheerfully. “I tried my best sir, but he’s hard to keep track of in a grocery store.” She couldn’t tell what he was doing to the bike just from looking. “Two questions Mr. Ruiz. What are you working on? And may we stay for dinner?”

Sam smiled. He couldn’t say he was embarrassed about his behavior at the grocery store but he figured he should at least try to behave like an almost seventeen year old.

Tito mussed up his son’s hair and grinned to Abernathy. “Yeah, I can’t imagine he’s settled down one bit,” he teased.

“Hey dad, still here,” Sam could feel his face warming.

“It’s good to see you Abby, we would love to have you over for dinner,” Tito replied jovially. “This animal might have to stay outside though,” he teased Sam again, who only looked at his shoes to avoid being caught blushing. “As for the bike...” he said leading them to the bike. “Someone wants to take his test in February and this motor is shot, I have to replace all four cylinders and the drive shaft before we can take it out,” he explained. “Who ever had this bike before did not take care of it, but you will right Melchor?” he asked looking at Sam seriously.

Sam rolled his eyes. “Yeah pops, just no more of that Melchor business right?”

Abby watched this exchange with fondness. She knew that the last year had been a tremendous strain on the Ruizes; she hoped it was growing less difficult with time. She understood the kind of guilt one felt for carrying on with every day routines after losing a part of your family. “She’s a beauty.” Abby admired the bike by running her hand along the seat. “Want some help?”

As much as Abby loved Mrs. Ruiz’s cooking, she wasn’t one for spending time in the kitchen and talking about girly things. She preferred to be elbow deep in grease and engine parts, listening to classic rock or grunge music with no need for conversation.

“Thanks,” Tito said brightly. “Sam’s got pretty good taste,” he gave his son a knowing smirk which sent Sam deeper into the red of embarrassment. “But you should make the rounds to the Mrs. before we get in trouble. If she finds out I was holding you hostage in the garage we’re all in for it,” he said in a light joking manner. He was very good at covering up the fact that he actually feared Anna Ruiz would start a fight over this small infringement.

“Yeah, mom’ll flip,” he put his hand on AB’s shoulder and smiled. “We’ll come right back though, promise. I can’t even stand to think of the consequences if I get you roped into kitchen duty,” he teased, leading her out of the garage through the side door. Sam lead AB through the mud room and into the kitchen where his mom was already peeling vegetables and marinading the meat for later. “Hey mom,” Sam said.

Anna looked up and smiled. “Sam, Abby,” she said brightly. “It’s really good to see you,” she stepped forward with her arms open and kissed Sam’s cheeks and gave Abby a hug. “What brings you here?”

“Good food?” Sam asked with a smirk as he held up the grocery bag of goodies they had bought earlier. “Can we stay for dinner tonight ma?”

“Of course,” Anna said pleasantly. “You’re welcome any time Abby,” Anna said to the girl. She had always liked Abby because she was good to Sam. She could see the way he was around her too, it was really all a mother could ask for. Well... that and hopefully some grand-kids in the future... maybe.

Abby looked forward to the hug and squeezed Mrs. Ruiz back. “Pretty please ma?” she added as Sam asked to stay. She was pleased at Mrs. Ruiz’s reply and showed it in her smile. “It’s nice to be here,” she said genuinely, even with the start of the school year looming in the morning.

“If you don’t mind, I’m going to see how much trouble I can get into in the garage.” She didn’t wait for an answer and made her leave. They could talk more over dinner and play catch up then. She wanted to get her arms up to her elbows in the guts of that bike.

Anna smiled at the kids. “Alright, tell Mr. Ruiz that if one greasy finger makes it’s way into my kitchen, you’re all in trouble,” she said with an easy grin.

Sam followed Abby back into the garage. “Hey pop, we’re off the hook,” he said, already peeking over his dad’s shoulder at the bike. Tito gave them a grin. “Alright you two, roll yup your sleeves, we might be able to get this pup done by dinner time.” Tito let Abby and Sam tweak and replace parts that were on the easier side of engine repair with a lot of guidance.

They completely lost track of time. The smell of charcoal surprised Sam as it crept into his nose. “Ma must be firing up the grill,” he commented barely looking up from his future bike. They had gotten a lot done in for afternoon of loud classic rock and constant direction.

“Pretty good timing,” Tito said as he handed Abby a wrench to give the last bolt a good twist.

It was such a relief to get lost in the work of fixing a bike. It wasn’t done, but they’d managed to make a lot of much needed improvements. Abby beamed at the honor of tightening the last bolt. She put all her strength into it, resting the wrench and her fists on her hips when she was done.

Surveying the scene she noticed that their hands were covered in grease and dirt from the garage. She grinned to Mr. Ruiz like a kid about to get in trouble but loving it anyway. “I do hope you have some Lava.” She opened one of her palms and showed him the fine mess she’d made of her fingers. “Or your wife is going to run us straight out of town.”

Tito beamed at the kids as they worked on the bike, it was rewarding to see them take direction and take an interest in the same things. He often though of AB as one of his own kids, having the same glint of mischief in her eyes that Sam had. He laughed at AB. “I just got an economy sized one special for you Abernathy,” he teased. He wiped his own hands on a junk towel. “Right over here,” he lead the kids across the garage to the back counter where a huge bottle of Lava sat next to the sink.

Sam stepped up to the sink next to AB to wash his hands at the same time as her. He gently nudged her with his elbow and grinned over. “Make sure you get under your nails,” he teased.

Tito watched their exchange with amusement. “Make sure you get your face too Melchor, I see a little grease smudge right there,” Tito teased giving Sam’s chin a gentle nudge.

Abby smirked at Sam and was pleased when Mr. Ruiz covered the teasing for her. She did scrub her nails particularly carefully. They usually had some kind of dirt or grease stuck underneath and it rarely occurred to her to mind. She brushed her wet palms off on the back of her shorts and grinned at the boys. “See, I clean up real nice!”

“Now only if you could teach him that trick,” Tito said as he cleaned his own hands.

Sam grimaced. “Hey, I look real nice,” he stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Come on punks,” he said throwing his arms around AB’s and Tito’s shoulders. It was weird, it shouldn’t have been weird, but it was. She was his best friend, best friends always threw their arms around each other like that. He had done it before in the past it hadn’t been so weird. He separated from them and held the garage door open. He was slightly relieved to not have that connection but at the same time he wanted to have it back. Weird.

The door to the back porch was wide open and Anna was standing at the grill putting the finishing touches on the food. “Hey, you guys look pretty hungry,” she said brightly. “Hands,” she said with a little more strict tone to her voice. Sam and Tito both held their hands up before they sat down. “Good,” she said, smiling, she served dinner.

“Thanks ma,” Sam said. He waited until Anna was seated and had everything she wanted before he grabbed for the ketchup. “This is delicious,” he said after stuffing the first bite in his mouth. She had a way of blending flavors that no one else in the world could do.

She felt awkward as his arm wrapped around her shoulder. When had this feeling started rolling around in her stomach blurring her thoughts into a jumbled mess? Had it been during his visit when even the most careless gesture started to seem important and measured? Was it at the end of the last semester, laying on her back on the floor of his room and counting ceiling tiles as the hours ticked down and he packed up his things for the summer?

She tried to act like she always did. It was perfectly normal. They’d been throwing their arms around each other for years now without a second thought on it. This was no different; she just had to convince her body that it was normal so maybe it would stop reacting this way. She laughed and rolled her eyes at him as he held the door open. “I know your son’s trying to be a gentleman, but could you tell him neither of us have broken arms?”

The kitchen smelled delightful; Abby loved the assortment of smells wafting in from the grill. She held up her hands for inspection without protest. Mrs. Ruiz ran a tight ship around her house. Abby waited patiently and took food when she was offered. She had manners enough to wait until everyone else had their plates full before she started to eat. Table manners were one of things she retained from her mother, one of those things he father often chose to ignore.

Abby grinned at Mrs. Ruiz as she nibbled on the first bite. She’d been a kind of surrogate mom here in NOLA while Abby was away from home and her dad. “This is completely fantastic,” she complimented gladly.

Tito laughed at Abby’s comment and Sam blushed. “You heard her,” Tito said clapping Sam on the back gently as they walked through the kitchen.

Anna smiled warmly. “Thank you,” she said. Tito and Anna loved having Abby around. She just fit into the family so well. It was effortless. “And don’t you two think you’re leaving this house without having a slice of cherry pie. Make sure you leave room. You’re both looking too skinny.”

“You saw me yesterday ma,” Sam shook his head. In reality they were both fine, but Anna always worried about how they were feeding the kids at school.

They enjoyed their meal and for about the first time in months Tito and Anna Ruiz had a conversation without snipping at each other once. Sam was incredibly relieved. After a plate full of food and a slice of cherry pie Sam leaned back in his chair and smiled across the table at his friend. “What do you say partner? Want to take the truck for a spin or head back to campus?”

Abby had no intentions of leaving without pie. It was easily the best part of the meal and the perfect end to a pleasant evening. She thanked both Ruiz’s for letting them stay for dinner.

She patted her stomach and smirked at Sam. “We probably should have driven the truck around before dinner.” It was a lame excuse, but really she just wanted to head back to campus and fall into her bed. It was barely made and she hadn’t made much headway with unpacking. Fishing was far more important than having an orderly room this early in the semester. “I s’pose we have to go back to school.”

“Yeah,” he smiled easily but he had to admit that he wanted to spend more time with her. It had only been a few weeks but it seemed longer. He really had missed her. “Got distracted by the bike,” he shrugged his shoulders. “You’re right though.” He still needed to get his side of the room set up.

He stood and stretched. “Thanks for the food mom and dad.”

“If you think you’re leaving this house without giving your mother a kiss you’re crazy,” Anna said standing up and held her arms out. Sam (pretending to do so begrudgingly) walked over to his mom and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “You take care of each other,” she said lightly to him.

“We will mom,” he said with a little smirk. He turned to his dad and gave him the typical bro hug. “Make sure you two get back here in a few days to finish up that bike,” he said to both Sam and AB. Anna and Tito both hugged AB. “Take care sweetheart, you know you’re always welcome here,” Anna said to her.

Unconsciously, Sam put his hand at the small of AB’s back and walked all the way around the house and to the truck with her. He couldn’t remember ever wanting to be so close to his friend. It was a small gesture, but it was different with her. Not wanting to push his own luck he went around to the other side of the car, letting AB open her own door for once. He hopped into the truck and waited for her to get settled before he pulled out of the drive way, nervously waiting for her to say something.

“You’re the best Mrs. Ruiz. And you’re not too bad yourself Mr. Ruiz,” she added teasingly as she hugged them. “We will absolutely be here this weekend, so long as you promise that there will be more pie.”

She felt Sam’s hand on the small of her back and she let him guide her out to the car, but her head was spinning again. She had to stop this feeling. She didn’t want her relationship with Sam to get messy and complicated by romance. She wanted to protect the way they’d always been together and prevent it from morphing into something else. She didn’t know how Sam felt about it, but if she asked and he admitted to having feelings too she knew she’d be powerless to stop herself. She’d fall for him and everything would be ruined.

That’s where her mind went as she sat next to him in his truck. It was eerily quiet, too much so. She needed to find something to say to ease the pressure building in her chest. “The pie was really good.” Abernathy would never admit to having seen Dirty Dancing, but at this moment she felt like she had “carried a watermelon.”

Of course he wanted things to be the same, he didn’t want to change the way they were around each other, but he couldn’t help the way he was beginning to feel. He cared about her, he always had, but recently it had been different. He wanted to be with her all the time, but he didn’t know what that meant. He was confused and awkward about it and he wasn’t sure what to say to her.

Sam laughed nervously, and then loudly. I’m being stupid. I’m totally being stupid. “Yeah, that was good pie, you know ma though,” he shrugged and reached over to the glove box to grab a tape, accidentally grazing her knee when he opened the compartment. “Sorry,” he said, cheeks turning red. He grabbed the first tape he touched and put it into the tape deck. It was a mix AB and Sam had put together right after he got his license. “Damn, I haven’t listened to this one in a while,” he said making sure to keep the volume low so they could still talk.

AB was torn between leaning into the little graze and shying away completely to the other side of the truck cab. She couldn’t decipher her own feelings anymore, at least not tonight. She laughed and tried not to sound too nervous. “Your mom is some kind of awesome.” As the first song began to play she forgot how confused she was and just smiled. “Oh my god, I haven’t listened to this all summer.”

The old ease was back and Abby started singing along, just the tiniest hint off key. It didn’t matter what she was feeling two seconds ago; this was more like her old self with Sam. She reached over and turned it up some more just so she could sing louder.

Sam was glad when they slipped back into their normal routine. He grinned over at her for a second before putting his eyes back on the road. He let out a little relieved breath and started singing along with her. Before they knew it they were blasting some of their former favorite songs and singing along loudly and pulling up to the school. Sam was a little sad that their day was coming to an end, but there would be more days just like this, he was sure of it.

When he parked, he looked over at AB and smiled. “I had a really good time today. Best first day back in a while.”

She smiled back at him, leaning against the warm hood of the truck. “I definitely had the better day,” she argued. “I kicked your ass with a most impressive catch, I ate delicious ice cream on your dollar, and had dinner at your house.”

She looked up toward the sky, the sun would be setting soon. The clouds were already turning orange and red. The first stars would be peeping out, but she intended to be in her room before then. She still had some unpacking do, even though she’d been awake all day and was ready for sleep.

“Fair enough,” he said. “But I got to enjoy the company of my best friend and work on my future bike, it’s pretty close.” He leaned against the truck. “I bet I’ll kick your ass next weekend.” Who was he kidding? They probably wouldn’t make it through the week without going fishing again.

He sighed and looked up at the sky. He really didn’t want to go. “Want me to walk you back?” he asked. “Gotta stretch my legs,” he said running his hand through his hair.

“Oh sir, you are on.” She couldn’t tell how her week would shape up yet. Maybe they’d steal away from their morning classes for a quick fish on the edge of campus. Maybe they’d wait it out until the weekend. She didn’t mind either way.

“I do know the way,” she replied ruefully. She could certainly handle herself from the parking lot to her dorm. She reached into the back of the truck to grab her fishing pole. “Do me a favor and hang onto the box?” She didn’t imagine that lugging it into her room on the first day would go over well with her roommate.

“I know you can,” he said giving her arm a gentle push. “Sure thing,” he grinned easily. “I’ll.. catch you around,” he threw his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a half hug. He was tempted to kiss the top of her head but he refrained.

The hug was definitely weird, but she hugged him back before saluting him. “Good night, sir,” she teased. She took a few steps before turning back around. “And if you don’t see me around write home before you call out the national guard. It’s probably just because I’ve defected back North.” She grinned, waved and dashed off across the lawn trying to focus her mind on the task of unpacking and away from any other stray thoughts still lingering.

“You better not leave me hanging out here,” he called back to her. He stood at his truck for a little while, watching her dash across the lawn. He didn’t go into House Beauregard for a few more minutes, enjoying the last few minutes of silence, he knew the girls across the hall would be bouncing into his room soon enough to hang out. He would forget the new weirdness with AB soon enough and things would go back to normal with her, they had to, right?

Tags: !complete, melchor ruiz