Reconnected

A small hand tightly grips at the back of her mother’s shirt, a common signal that Gwen was shy or uncomfortable. Her big blue eyes looked up at Helen, a noticeable pout across her face. Gwen’s first day of kindergarten, and she wasn’t having it. Learning that her parents were going to be leaving soon and she’d be in a room of other snotty kids she didn’t know almost brought her to tears. George crouched down to her level, gently grabbing her hands in his once he was steady.

“Look honey, it’s okay. You can make some friends, and you already know your teacher. I promise, you won’t be here for long, okay?” His voice was soft and gentle, a big contrast to his large and hefty frame.

A soft laugh comes from the mother and father standing next to them. A co-worker of her father’s, Jefferson Morales, and his wife were also there to drop off their child. Gwen looked around them, curious about where their kid was. There was a small playground with a few kids already playing, along with a few running in the grass.

“Miles already run off?” George asked, standing up to Jefferson’s level. Gwen moved back to hiding behind her mother, a bit scared of the new environment.

“He ran off as soon as he got through that gate.” The adults shared a laugh, but Gwen was confused on what was so funny to them. Did she miss a joke?

Rio called her son over, wanting to introduce him to the Stacy's. A small boy with a purple jacket and light up sneakers came running over. Big brown doe eyes and a wide grin accompanied him as he bounded up to his parents. Immediately, he started gushing about his two new friends, Peter and MJ. Gwen looked over to the right side of the field, seeing two more kids sitting where Miles had just come up from.

This time, it was her mother who got down to her level, placing a hand on her back as she slightly pushed her towards Miles. Rio mirrored Helen, getting Miles’ attention on the small blonde girl. His smile remained at the thought of another friend, and he enthusiastically waved. He had no problem introducing himself, despite Gwen’s shyness, and even asked to be her friend. She looked back at her parents, their smiles wide and supportive as they watched the interaction. With a small smile, Gwen took his hand, and Miles brought her over to his other new friends.

From that point on, Gwen, Miles, Peter, and MJ did everything together. Sleepovers, birthday parties, summer trips upstate, etc. The four of them grew up together, and as they got ready to start their second year of high school, Gwen couldn’t have asked for any better friends. While she loved each of her friends dearly, she felt she had a special connection with Miles. They went to each other for every little thing, to the point that it was odd to see one without the other nearby.

The news came when Miles and Gwen sat in their 3rd period AP physics class, one of many that they shared together. All the students in the class were copying the notes off the board, a few asking questions on things they didn’t understand, while others sat in silence. A small creak was heard, causing almost everyone to turn their heads towards the classroom door. One of the counselors poked her head in, motioning their teacher over. Gwen and Miles shared a glance before she shrugged and turned back to her notes. It wasn’t uncommon for teachers to get pulled away for a moment. Hushed whispering could be heard from the two, but Gwen’s hidden earbud that was playing music made it hard for her to hear what they were speaking about.

“Miles, can you come here please.” Gwen’s head shot back up, confused as to why her best friend was being called out of class.

The two shared a glance again as he got ready to stand up. Mouthing a ‘text me’ to him as he passed her, she couldn’t help but watch him walk out into the hallway. For the rest of the period, Gwen nervously chewed on her bottom lip. She couldn’t think of anything he had done recently to get him into any trouble. Instead of taking notes, Gwen was lost in her thoughts, worrying about Miles. As soon as the bell rang to release them, the teen had packed up her bag and packed up his too. With both bookbags on her back, one strap on each shoulder, she headed out into the crowded hallways.

It took her two minutes to reach the front office, and when she did, she could see Miles sitting in a chair. His head was in his hands, and in the back she could spot Rio speaking to one of the other front office admin. A bad feeling settled in her chest as she walked up to him. Gwen set their bags down on the chair next to him, but he still hadn’t moved his hands away from his face.

“Miles?” As she called out to him, Gwen kneeled down in front of him, the old carpet feeling uncomfortable against her skin.

Her hands reached for him, a gentle hand resting on his wrist. Now that she was closer, she could hear him sniffling. Was he crying? She softly rubbed her thumb across his skin, wanting to provide him a bit of comfort for whatever it was he was going through. He still hadn’t looked up or done anything to let her know he knew she was there. Rio walked out not much later, her eyes red and puffy. Gwen knew it was bad, but nothing could prepare her for just how bad it was. She motioned her over, and Gwen begrudgingly got up and stepped away from Miles.

“I’m glad you’re here nuera.” Rio was whispering to her, and it looked like she was going to start crying again. “This morning- Jeff, he uh,” She paused, getting too choked up to continue speaking.

A small gasp left Gwen’s lips, knowing immediately what Rio had meant. Tears welled in her eyes as she brought her in for a hug. “I’m so sorry Mrs. Morales.” Rio hugged her tight for a moment before letting her go. “He’s gonna really need you.” Without having to even say his name, Gwen nodded. Learning about the death of Miles’ father was shocking, but she couldn’t let her best friend go through this alone.

By the time Gwen walked back over to Miles, he still hadn’t moved. She took the seat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. A moment passed before he finally moved. Tears fell down the fat of his cheeks as his eyes scanned over her face. He brought her into a hug, burying his face into her shoulder as he cried. Her arms wrapped around his shaking frame, a hand idly rubbing up and down his back as she tried her best not to start crying too. The death of Jefferson Morales was devastating news to everyone.

Miles was never the same after that day. He started becoming distant and closed off. Within the next two months following his father’s death, Miles had stopped responding to his friends. The only time they saw him was at school, and while he still stayed by them, it felt like he wasn’t there at all. Gwen had tried to do everything she could think of to prevent Miles from shutting the three of them out. Inviting him over for their usual sleepovers, spontaneously stopping by the Morales residence with a movie and pre-made cookie dough, sending him pictures of street art that remind her of him. However, none of it ever seemed to work.

“You need to stop stressing yourself out over this.” MJ sat at her vanity, putting rollers into her damp hair. “You’ve tried everything you could think of, trust me, we had to watch every part of it.” Her friend looked at her through her mirror, offering her a sympathetic smile.

“He might just need some time alone Gwen, everyone mourns at their own pace.” Peter, who was laying across MJ’s bed with a book in his hands, spoke up.

Gwen rested her head against the wall and stared up at the ceiling, a frustrated sigh leaving her lips. “I don’t understand how you guys aren’t more worried about this.”

“We’re just as worried about him, we’re just giving him space.” MJ spun around in her chair to look straight at her. “I’m sure in no time, he will be more than happy to participate in all of your Gwen-tastic hangouts.”

The blonde raised an eyebrow at her friend, but relented and gave up on the pointless argument. She knew her other friends cared about him too, but the feeling of her best friend slipping through her fingers was strong and she felt helpless against it.

Nothing could have prepared the trio for what happened when the summer hit. The first few days leading up to their summer vacation, Miles had been slightly responsive. He showed up for their annual last day of school sleepover, which Gwen was ecstatic about. They stayed up late watching movies, baking sweets, and having a small bonfire after ordering pizza. To Gwen, it felt like things might finally go back to how they were, and she’d have her best friend again. A few times during the night she would get just slightly emotional, but quickly forced herself to focus on something else. It felt so good to have Miles back.

They stayed up until the early hours of the morning, quietly gossiping in their sleeping bags. Peter fell asleep first, with MJ following not too long after. Gwen laid on her side to face Miles in his sleeping bag. While he hadn’t been as engaged as he used to, Gwen was just thankful that he was there with them. Her eyes found his and a wide smile grew on her face.

“What are you smiling about?” He whispered towards her, shifting to lay on his side to face her too.

Gwen shrugged, but her smile didn’t dim in the slightest. “I’m just really glad that you’re here. I really missed you Miles.”

A teasing smile grew on his lips too and Gwen could feel her heart pounding in her chest. It felt surreal to have him this close to her again.

“You missed me? I was here the whole time.”

“Oh shush, you know what I mean.”

“Do I?”

Gwen moved one of her arms from her sleeping bag to try and playfully slap his arm. No matter how much his teasing used to drive her mad, she’d never trade it for anything in the world. Intercepting the incoming hit, Miles grabbed her hand, making another joke about her being too slow. Resting their hands in between their sleeping bags, he never let go of her.

“I missed you too, Gwen.” He whispered, moving to plant a soft kiss on her forehead. “Now go to sleep.”

“Goodnight Miles.” Feeling lighter than she had in months, Gwen let her heavy eyelids droop closed, hoping that Miles would start opening back up to her in the next coming weeks. They had all of summer to catch up with each other, and Gwen planned to stick by his side as much as she could.

Gwen was shaken awake, the bright morning sun glaring into her eyes. Sitting up and rubbing at her eyes, she looked up to see both MJ and Peter looking at her. Not having heard their earlier questions, Gwen looked around the room, and spotted the very empty space next to her. Miles wasn’t there and neither was his sleeping bag. A sinking feeling settled in her chest as he looked back at her friends.

“Where did Miles go?” Gwen locked eyes with MJ, a sympathetic look on her face.

The following days after their last sleepover with Miles, none of them had heard from him. Gwen had called and texted but she never got a response. That summer quickly grew to be one of the worst of her life. Not only with her best friend cutting them off and seemingly disappearing somewhere upstate with his uncle, but New York City had gotten progressively worse and worse as a group of criminals that called themselves ‘The Sinister Six’ came out of hiding. Little by little, the streets of New York had started crawling with criminals and small gangs.