He could remember looking up at a towering ball of metal, just like the one that was in the park. To him this gigantic mass was known simply as the spider dome. �Brandon! Let�s go play!!!� Those words still echoed in the back of his mind. �Hurry up or you�ll miss out! Brandon!!! You slow poke!� Six-year-old Brandon, with his shaggy hair and his old blue sweater looked over at his classmates, his friends� It had seemed as if everyone was his friend back then and it didn�t really matter who you were, making a new friend was as easy as that. All you had to do was be who you were, a kid. He ran over towards the dome, every new step made it seem larger and larger� He remembered those days with ease� he remembered his favorite game, lava monsters. � I miss that soo much� if only I could go back in time� maybe I could even change the future, and save that poor girl from�� Brandon felt a sudden pang of guilt. His favorite game had gotten him into trouble once� and he remembered that moment with every detail. He tried to think back on how the game went.

Lava monsters consisted of a whole bunch of kids, the more the better. It was usually played on the spider dome. One person would be picked as the lava monster and would pull the other kids down. When someone touched the ground, they would also become the monster and pull the other kids down as well. Whoever left �alive� was the winner. That was how it was played, or that�s how he remembered it anyways. Then, one ominous day, that fateful day so long ago, he was chosen to fulfill the role of the lava monster. It was fine by him; he didn�t really care much anyways. Besides, he�d sort of had fun pulling the other kids down� But that one-day had changed at least two people�s lives that day. Brandon closed his eyes, trying to think back to that day. It was their third recess at school; it had just rained so everything was a bit slippery. They had a substitute that day. The clouds loomed high overhead. There was this one kid, he didn�t really know her, but he had hurt her somehow. She was wearing a blue knit sweater with little white reindeers on it. A little baggy, but she didn�t seem to mind. She was on the very top, a tempting prey. He had jumped up and pulled her down, almost. He�d only been able to get her sweater. He watched as the girl slowly slipped off one of the bars. The whistle blew, he and everyone else hurried to get in line. He�d looked back and saw the little girl just land on the ground. It looked as if she had just fallen. He knew it was his fault. But, all he had done was tug on her sweater, that little baggy sweater that she now held up to her mouth. Maybe it was the rain. Yeah, that�s it. He had never hurt anyone before in his life. She�d be okay wouldn�t she? He watched as she sat there crying. She pulled her hand away from her mouth and gasped as she saw the enormous amount of blood that she had gotten on the wrist of her sleeve. What had he done? But� that was history now. It was an accident; there was nothing that he could�ve done. Besides, he hadn�t meant to cause harm to her. Brandon opened his eyes� a pained look seemed to cover his face. He had later learned that she had lost a permanent tooth. Well, that wasn�t too bad. At least she wasn�t killed or anything. But still, he felt guilty even to this day. He sat there, contemplating about life, and all the different possibilities that could�ve happened, on that poor little bench, which over looked the river�

What time was it now? Brandon looked at his watch again, slowly growing more and more impatient by the minute; it was now 6:53. �That�s it� if she not here in uh�� He looked at his beaten up watch, �� if she�s not here in seven minutes, I�m leaving�� Brandon muttered. He began to think about a paper he had done in the 8th grade; it was about groups. It seemed to fit in so well with what he was thinking. Maybe that was why he wanted to go back, to be 6 again� no one would judge him. He laughed. �But now it seems as if I�m judged on just about everything� especially on what I�m wearing�� He looked down at his clothes, nothing all that impressive I have to admit� just a old, worn leather jacket, a black tee-shirt, faded blue jeans, and a pair of old black boots he had bought a couple of years ago. It didn�t matter to him, he was fine with who he was. It just depressed him to think about all the friends that he had lost while growing up. In middle school he had started to make new friends, but he had also lost quite a few. Then came the point in his life where people started judging others by what they looked like and whom they hung out with. He had to admit that he had fallen into that trap of judging others on the outside and not the inside, just like everybody else. He didn�t talk to the popular people or the preps. They weren�t his type, and oddly enough, none of those prefabricated groups were his type; skaters, jocks, preps, stoners, in betweeners, none of them applied to him. Pretty soon he was in a group of his very own. He was indeed, a loner. This didn�t bother him much but it did get very lonely at times. He was never very outgoing so it didn�t surprise him much when he wasn�t able to make new friends. High school came and went like a blur� Brandon did manage to make one friend though, however, as all good things tend to happen to do, his friend had disappeared. Well, not really. She would always be in his heart and in his memories. His one and only best friend, the gal who didn�t question what he did or why he did it, only unless he had started getting into deep waters. She had pulled him out of many things that could�ve killed him. He was glad that his friend was there for him. Once she disappeared though, he started spending more and more of his days here in the park�

Brandon was starting to get agitated. �Hey.� Our young protagonist looked up to find a weary, yet somehow oddly familiar face.

�Uh� h�hi.� Who was this person? He couldn�t figure out who this person was. He blinked a couple times and looked straight into their eyes. � Have we met?�

�Hmmm, maybe. That all depends I suppose. Do you remember who I am?�

�N�I� no, I don�t know.� He blinked harder trying to focus on her face. Studying her very natural looking self, he noted that she had long black hair pulled up into a nice, sophisticated bun, with green chopsticks poking through. Everything about her reminded him of someone he had once known a long, long time ago. He was becoming all the more vexed at the very fact that he could not pin point who she was. She smiled patiently as he tried to figure out who this person was, as her green eyes shimmered in the sunlight. Everything was a blur to him then. �You� you�re that girl��

�Hmm? What are talking about?� She asked innocently. � I know who you think I am, but I�m not that little first grader who fell that day� Brandon�

He was stunned. �How� how did you-�?

�Know?� She supplied. �Easy. It�s because I was there. I witnessed everything. I couldn�t believe what you had done, something so cruel� how could you�? �

�Wha�? It� but it wasn�t my-�

�But what, you have no excuse for what you did.�

���

�I know it was an accident but you didn�t even go help her. You never even talked to her after that incident. What? Did you hate her or something?�

�I� I wanted to say that I was sorry but� I guess that I was too shy�� Brandon just sat there, dumbly, as he thought back to that day once again.

�How typical.� She sighed, �Well, I didn�t come all this way just to scrutinize you, so...�

Brandon just starred at her then. What was this girl saying? Who was she, and what did she want with him? Brandon looked her squarely in the eyes, �Who are you anyways?�

�Hmm.� she almost laughed. �That�s for me to know and for you to find out.�

�Oh, that is so clich�-y.� He complained. Whoever this was, they certainly knew how to get on his nerves. He squinted his eyes as his face became all the more hardened. What was up with her?!

The girl sat down next to him. �Do you remember that day? When��

��when she fell?� Brandon looked at her quizzically. �What is so important about that anyways?�

The girl just shook her head. �Who was you�re best friend in high school?�

�Wha�? Well uh� that�s kinda random�� Brandon didn�t really have to think hard. �Why does it matter?� Brandon looked at the girl again, but with a whole new awareness. Brandon�s mouth seemed to drop open. He looked like a gaping fish. �Br�Bree? Is it-�

A smile seemed to overtake the girl�s face. �I�m glad that you finally remembered.�

�But� what was up with that girl 18 or so years ago? Y� you didn�t go to my elementary school. So, how could you have been there?�

A sad smile seemed to engulf her, leaving a sad yet pained look. � You don�t remember do you?�

What was all of this about? Brandon was supposed to meet someone here at 6 am. Instead, a friend from his past had shown up. �Look, Bree, how did you find me? See, I�m supposed to-�

�-meet someone. Yes, and they were an hour late��

�You mean YOU were the person on the phone?!� he asked unbelievingly.

�Yeah. And I would like an apology from you�� she said half jokingly, Brandon didn�t quite catch on�

�You�?� he whispered, ��you were that girl?� He looked back into his memories, trying to find that girl�s name. He had constantly made fun of her in the 1st and 2nd grades� �opps�� �You mean� and all this time-? I am SO sorry!� Brandon felt so ashamed. How could he? Unknowingly he had made fun of his best friend� this was getting confusing�

Bree�s eyes went wide. �I.. I was only kidding. You don�t have to be-�

�No, but all this time we were friends, I mean, back in the 1st grade, I had always-�

�It�s been forgiven.� Bree sighed. �Look, I didn�t come here to have a crying festival either� after being gone for so long� is this how you�re going to greet me?�

Brandon sat there. He was now officially confused, perplexed even, but don�t worry, he constantly is� A smile seemed to slowly spread across his once gloomy looking face. �Bree�� he whispered. �It�s been so long� and I never knew� why?�

Bree shook her head once more. �We all have our secrets� Now come �ere.�

Brandon�s face lit up. After all of these years, all the ordeals he had gone through, it just didn�t matter anymore. Because now� they we truly in the past. �You always were an odd one�� he commented.

Bree laughed. �I wouldn�t be talking if I were you.� And with that, they got up and left the park, laughing and telling their stories of years past. The wind seemed to quiet down, the air wasn�t quite as chilly as before. The birds started chirping as little squirrels ran by, acorns in tow� The river lapped against the bank. Everything just seemed a bit more relaxing than before� It was time that they got to know each other once again� before all was lost.

�Brandon?� Bree asked, pulling a strand of hair out of her face.

�Yeah?�

�Why are you so gloomy all the time?�

�Uh�� Brandon looked at her not knowing what to say. He smiled, trying to cover up his own true feelings. �What? Have you been stalking me?� He asked half jokingly. He wanted to change the topic as fast as he could. Bree just looked at him questioningly. �What?� Brandon tried to look as innocent as he could. �Hey look! It�s a pelican! You don�t see those around here to often!�

�Brandon� you�re changing the topic��

�But� look! It�s-� He sighed. �It�s.� He looked down at the ground. �Can we not worry about that now? I mean, this is the first time I�ve seen you in like, practically forever. Where did you go all these years anyways?�

Bree looked him in the eyes. �Fine, let�s just call it a truce� Since we both obviously don�t want to tell�� Bree thought for a bit. �Brandon��

�Yes?�

�You know what?�

�What?� He looked at her now, concern in his eyes.

�You totally ruined the moment�� Brandon just stood there, looking confused� Again. Bree just sighed, hitting him upside the head. �You-� Exasperated, she shook her head, smiling. �You big oaf, you were always like that�� She grabbed his hand as they slowly walked through the park, both contemplating about their own troubles and secrets. Life would never be the same as it was before� and hopefully, this time it would be for the best.

�You wanna go to Denny�s?�

A smile spread across both their faces. �Sure, sounds like fun.�

�Good, because you�re paying.� Brandon�s jaw dropped, he watched as Bree just kept on walking. �Well? Are you coming?� She asked innocently. She was just jam-packed full of surprises� Brandon just shook his head.

�Welcome home, Bree� Welcome� home.�