"Clark, man. Call me West and make me feel like I'm 50 years old. ”

"That's right. So, Clark, have you ever kidnapped someone?"

"No, but I'm sure some kids deserve it."

"I mean—"

"Yes, no, never taken on a kidnapping. This is my first time. ”

The fields are much better. The school is so clean. Even if the place is too flat and too maintained, it is still natural. There were dark clouds in the distance, ominous omens, but I thought I would be warned enough if it rained.

I lay lazily behind a mobile classroom in the back half of the campus. The classroom was made in a beautiful L-shape, blocking my view from all directions of the main school building. The only window in the classroom was facing away from me, and it was high enough on the wall that someone would have to deliberately look into my corner to spot me. I don't think that's likely for any teacher, and what student would report a withdrawn kid hanging out outside?

With my luck, I might catch that stubborn kid. Or worse, it's Matt, then I'm miserable.

At least I'm online again. My phone was one of the first phones on the US market to have a true 4G connection, and it was faster than any other phone. Obviously worse than my home internet, but much better than the bad Wi-Fi at school. I'm looking at a forum post I made last night. It's obsessive and unnecessary, I'm well aware. I checked again this morning. An hour or two later, I tried again. I suspect I won't receive any response by tonight. Most of these planks are now shipwrecks.

In the meantime, I also logged into my private IRC and got up and running. Kyle and several others also signed, as well as Blake. But that doesn't mean anything; He always logs himself in. I've annoyed him a few times about this. He was automatically flagged out by my bot a few days ago – that was the last time he texted. I flipped through the logs, but there was nothing I couldn't remember. Then it dawned on me.

One of the logged-in users is Jacob. Jacob is now in the same class as Blake, unless I'm mistaken.

I opened his private messages and started poking him to get him to reply. Nothing came back. I waited anxiously, watching the cursor flicker up and down in the text box as if I had been hypnotized. The screen stubbornly refuses to print a new line.

"Dove Lavack?"

Her voice was closer than I thought. I was startled and immediately raised my hand and made a defensive gesture, but I didn't have to worry. There is only one person on this planet who will curse Ettorine.

She was right there. Stand with the balls of your feet slightly tilted. She was ready to act immediately. Her eyes are sharp and are the most beautiful dark blue. If I close my eyes, I can imagine the first day I saw her, dressed in a handmade elven costume with a shiver over her shoulders and stammering in broken English, as if she had just emigrated from overseas. She could barely make anyone understand her words – but at the same time, I could feel how graceful and powerful she was. Even now, seeing what she looked like all those years ago, I can still see that fierce, brave hunter hidden inside her.

She covered her mouth with her hand, as if she had said something wrong. I thought it was odd because Jen had never been reluctant to touch the more colorful parts of the elf vocabulary, but then I noticed that her friend was a few steps away and seemed caring.

"Hi," I said awkwardly, then relaxed again.

"Carl, why are you here?" Jane asked. She seemed to calm down quickly.

I shrugged. "It felt like a walk. What about you?" I'm embarrassed to admit it – I can't even find a modest classroom. In response, she pulled out a piece of laminated paper from her pocket and showed me her press card.

"Ah, skipping class. All right. ”

Jen rolled her eyes.

Her friend finally spoke. I struggled to remember if I had seen her before. My instincts lean towards the negative. "Jen, do you know this person?"

"Well, yes. I'm Carl. Carl, Sarah. Jane gestured to each of us in turn.

"Sarah?" I interjected.

"What does that mean?" Sara asked sharply. Jane also looked confused.

Defecate. I haven't gotten the full picture. Back in the first year or two, before we broke up, Matt used to gush about Sarah, the girl he had a crush on. Whenever a girl came up in a conversation between us, Blake and I would gush on and on, but Matt only had her in his eyes. He was too unsure when he had the opportunity to ask her out, and (this was Matt before) I called him out. I didn't know she was Jane's friend. Suddenly, his reluctance became more justified.

This gets tricky.

"Nothing," I said quickly. "It doesn't matter".

"N-no." Jane said. "You're not going to get out that easily." She lowered her voice a little so that Sara couldn't hear her. "Am I going to that Serraville?"

My love for Toline has never been so good. I struggle to learn a wider range of vocabulary, I'm too busy to study in detail, and I have a lot of more fun things to do. When I say it, I always feel like I sound ridiculous. In fact, anyone who is not an elf would seem stupid to say such a thing. There is a wind-like sound quality, which is untaught, the way the sound moves through the sentence. I will never be able to understand it.

Jane is very talented. As far as I know, she is the only one who is fluent in Etoli

e people. Her voice sounded so perfect that my ears filled with joy every time she used that language. Jane spaced the words a little so I could understand them more easily, but more often than not, it flowed like a river through the woods. She once tried to explain to me how it was connected to wind, trees, and some other natural nonsense. I didn't really notice – until she started singing.

I can't describe hearing Jane in Etoli

e the feeling of singing. Transcendence is probably the best English word we can find. If it weren't for the fact that I never wanted this song to end, I would probably die happily.

Jane's expectant gaze pulled me out of the memory. Oh yes. She asked me a question. I glanced sharply at Sarah, still looking at us both curiously. Jane sighed and turned to her friend. "Hey, Sarah. Can you let us talk about it alone?"

"What's wrong?"

"Remember what I told you?" This blew my mind. What the hell is Jen up to? Behind our backs? Forget it, with Matt on your back? She may not have been on this team as long as the three of us, but still.

Sarah nodded. "You owe me a great favor, Jenny."

"Jane." Jane and I corrected without thinking.

Sara frowned, but turned around and walked a few steps, keeping an eye around the corner for students or teachers. Looks like a good friend. Jane came over and sat next to me, smoothing the grass. She leaned against the movable wall and closed her eyes. She frowned.

"What's going on?" She asked, eyes still closed.

I hesitated. "I don't know if I should tell you or not."

Jane's eyes widened and she glared at me. "Do you want me to remind you what I can do to you with my little finger?"

I smiled, but deep down there was an honest heart hidden. I've seen what Jane is capable of. Not with her little finger, but still. Those titles were earned by her, not just for show.

“… Matt likes her very much. Anyway, I guess it's her. ”

She looked genuinely surprised. "He told you?"

I shrugged. "In the first year, we had many long nights stuck in the hay loft or stable in the barn. We don't have much to do. Blake and I forced him to say it, and after that, he kept talking about her. You know how much he loves to give speeches. The description matches, so I'm pretty sure it's Sarah. She had been his only one, at least for the first few years. ”

"Oh," Jane replied noncommittally. She closed her eyes again, a little listless. She looked incredibly exhausted.

"For Du Balencel?" I asked tentatively.

"Ah, no. Yes, I'm fine, but don't. I'm sorry," Jane added, rubbing her temples. "Please English. I'm having a hard time remembering how to use it. Ala dou dae

dalasas valsyl masadalel, s

ekkiva litashav。 ”

“… Your mom too. ”

She chuckled. "You don't know what I'm talking about, do you?"

"Something—some kind of squirrel brain?"

"I'm glad you understand my insult. I don't want to waste it. She leaned against the corner of the room and yawned. What the hell is a migraine going on?"

"The consequences of magic?" I take risks.

"It doesn't usually feel that way."

"You're an expert."

When Jane's eyes reopened, she must have noticed the smell of my regret. "I'm sure you'll feel it someday," she said calmly.

"I don't know".

I looked up at the sky and saw a bird flying down and landing on a roof near us. The dark clouds have lifted, leaving an empty blue above us, hiding an endless void. I plucked a blade of grass and threw it at the bird. It grabbed the air almost immediately, fell to the ground, and failed. The bird tilted its head, as if to laugh at me. If we were still in Serraville, it could be, as an elven magician's eyes.

If we were still in the Serravel, an arrow would pass through it in a second. No risk can be taken. But we didn't, which meant I might never learn magic. "I can't even get a ...... line"

“Etole

dei," she added. You know, that's the problem. What do you think you're eating. It's like you can suddenly learn some spells. ”

"I've heard this lesson," I murmured.

Jane's eyes closed again, and a frowning expression appeared on her face again. "I'm not the best teacher."

No, that's not what I want. I never wanted Jane to be sad. I immediately regretted saying something I shouldn't have said. I've got to find a way to get back. "You're a good teacher; I was a terrible student. ”

"My only student didn't learn anything," Jen pointed out with a smile. "Well, though."

"Hmm," I said. "Maybe I'm not meant to study magic in the first place."

Anandelf said something.

"I think I've heard it before," I said sarcastically. It was Jane's turn to pick up a few blades of grass. Of course, her expression was printed right on my face, just as I opened my mouth. I spat and spat grass and dirt in my mouth.

"Thank you." I barely heard her whisper, just in the gust of wind that whistled by. We sat quietly for a while, enjoying the sun and the breeze.

Jane opened her eyes again and glanced towards the sky. "It's almost noon."

"Yes," I agreed, looking up. It took me a while to remember the importance of this matter. "Correct! Yours...... Well...... What's it called?"

"There's something you can't pronounce." Jane smoothed out a patch of grass in front of her, then fell to her knees. "Do me a favor?"

"Gone?"

She smiled. "I'm sorry. Normally it would be fine, but I'm exhausted and I really need this now. A little privacy might help me concentrate better. ”

"But......" I started asking the obvious question, but Jane interrupted me.

"No, I don't know if it's going to work. Obviously, I haven't had a chance to try it yet. Jane looked determined, anxious, and a little annoyed. I was worried about her, but I had to get out of the way and let her figure it out on her own. For better or worse, she had to give her ritual a try.

"Before you," I interrupted. She opened one eye and just began to raise her arms to where they started. "You know, Sara is still here."

"Oh!" Jane looked like she had really forgotten. I looked at her more closely and realized how weak she was. Her eyes were red and drooping, and her whole posture seemed tired and depressed. Did she sleep last night?

"What did you say to her?"

"It's just something happening. I can't say anything more. Jane bit her lip and opened her eyes to look at me.

I sighed. "Matt is going to make you suffer"

"I know," she said nervously. "But he'll understand, right?"

I didn't answer. Jane and I were both thinking the same thing. When his orders are not carried out, Matt turns into a rather terrifying person. Yes, he usually has the best plan, and sometimes it is necessary to call his men down - but still. This is very different from the person who takes everything for granted and never likes to get involved in anything serious.

"So, I'm going to hang out with Sarah." After a moment of silence, I added awkwardly. I stood up and walked over to Sarah, who was leaning against the far corner of the portable. She had been watching the kids run around the track in gym class, her eyes glazed over.

Sara is a beautiful girl. Blonde, tall and well-proportioned. I can see why Matt has had a crush on her for so long. Before we left, listen to him say that she was the only girl in his life. It's kind of weird, I've never seen her before. Also his sister's best friend (I guess so). Strange relationship, in my opinion.

But what qualifications do I have to judge? Especially after I've experienced some feelings...... Yes, Matt is free to love whoever he likes. It's none of my business.

"Are you going to stare all day?" Sara asked, still looking at the runway.

I drank it all. How did she notice me?

Am I really that bad at moving now? Even on rough ground, I should be able to sneak up on a lonely ordinary teenager. It's so sad.

"I'm sorry." I deliberately stopped next to her and looked at the runway as well. As far as I know, nothing interesting happened there. Sara seemed to agree with me at the same time, and we both turned to look at Jane.

"What is she doing?" She asked, dumbfounded.

"Stay here and don't talk too loudly, okay?" I gently touched her arm, and she began to walk towards Jane. She stopped, turned to look at me strangely. Am I doing something wrong? I immediately let go, and she continued to lean back on her laptop, not saying a word.

I can't blame her for her curiosity. Jane was sitting now, her knees pressed against the grass. Her arms weave a strange dance throughout her body, striking specific points at regular intervals. There is no obvious pattern, but there is an elegance to the way her hands move in the air. She kept saying short phrases, bursts of Ettorine, that I couldn't hear well from so far away.

One of the few times I persuaded her, she explained it in more detail, and she described it as something like meditation. I knew it had something to do with her magic, but I didn't know anything other than that. I have to admit that from an outsider's point of view, this does seem strange.

"But seriously," Sara whispered, "what is she doing?"

"She's focused." That was the closest explanation I could give at the time.

Sara raised an eyebrow. "You're all on drugs or what's wrong?"

"God doesn't. I would never touch them. Wasting my brain," I snapped. It's a bit harsher than I thought, but in Sylkaed

After something happened in the market, it was a tricky question for me.

"Oops, I'm sorry. Forget what I asked. Sara turned to look at Jen.

"I'm sorry," I added. "I'm having a strange day."

Sarah sighed. "You and she are. It's as if she was replaced by aliens overnight. But she still knows me, and she's definitely still my best friend. I still love her to death. She shook her head. Why am I telling you this?"

"Because I'm here, because I'm one of the very few people in the world who knows what's going on," I answered honestly.

Sara looked at me strangely. “…… Yes. She shrugged. About that. Jane wouldn't tell me anything. I'm guessing you'd say the same thing, right?"

I paused, considering my answer. "I'm not in a position to tell you."

"What kind of lame not answering is this?" She snapped. She's short-tempered. I can see why they like her. Well, Jane, at least. Old Matt might like that, but I'm not sure he'll ever feel the same way.

"Okay," I relented. "I can tell you, but Jen can tell you more and do better. There were many things I didn't know, and there were some things I wasn't sure she wanted others to know. Other than that, we're not the only two people involved. ”

"Matt too, right?"

My eyes widened a little. "She told you?"

"Not exactly. It's close enough, though. Sarah frowned. Listen, I can keep it a secret. Jenny: "

"Jane".

"Damn. All right. Jane knows this about me. So take your time," Sara continued, "but remember that you still have friends. Right?"

“…… Right. ”

"Okay." Sara was a little happier. "What the hell is going on here...... What the hell is going on?" She pointed vaguely at Jane, who had accelerated to the third stage.

"Again, it's Jane's business."

"It's not fun at all," she sighed. "So, your name is Carl?"

"Yes."

"Sarah". She held out a hand.

"Nice to meet you." I shook it vigorously. Of course, Jen had already told me her name a few minutes ago, but apparently she liked to be a little more formal. In fact, I'm grateful. This is the rule. It reminded me of the court, and all the nobles I needed, and I needed them to fight each other.

After the greetings, we all turned to watch Jane's ceremony continue. It would have only taken a few minutes to complete, but she was still doing it. This means that something is wrong. I took a few steps towards her.

Her eyes immediately widened, and her hands hung down to her sides. She adjusted herself so that she didn't sit on her feet, which seemed to me to be very uncomfortable in the first place. I sat down across from her, just outside the circle she had formed on the grass. "Jane?" I asked uncertainly.

"I tell my life," she said slowly. Her head turned from side to side, looking for something I couldn't see. "Vei totevas Vei vaselvas etola, dasa......" It looks like she'll be using Etoli all day if I don't interrupt her

e muttered to himself.

"Sirayan." I snapped. Jane immediately jumped out and stared at me in confusion. It took her a few seconds to come to her senses.

“…… I'm sorry. I'm not sure what's going on. I think I felt something, and I kept touching it, but I guess it might be the wind......" Jen stopped talking again. Sara glanced at me quizzically.

"Don't look at me," I replied with a shrug.

Jane begins. She looked as if she had forgotten that we were there. "I'm sorry. Hi. ”

"Hello," Sara said. "You're back from the Cloud Realm?"

"Illusion?" Jane asked, confused, and her face lit up. "Illusion!" She grinned. "How could I have forgotten the Cloud Realm?"

I felt left out. "Illusion?"

"It's none of your business." Jen and Sara said in unison. It sounds like it's been rehearsed, as if they've said it a thousand times. Apparently this is a joke that I will never understand.

Whatever. As long as Jane isn't so sullen, I'll take it. I hate to see her like that.

"Classes must be over soon, right?" Jane asked, glancing at the school's main building.

I took out my phone to check the time. "Nope. There's still a lot of time. ”

Jane looked at my phone with a strange expression. I don't know what she means, it worries me a little. I didn't understand half of what she said, but I usually knew what she was going to do when we were in the wild. "What?"

"Can I borrow it?"

"Where's my phone?"

"It can go on ......" Jen's face contorted with frustration.

"Internet".

"Yes." Her face flushed with embarrassment again. I think it's cute, isn't it scary? She's obviously struggling, but I find it lovely and I'm happy to help her. Does this make me a horrible person who likes people to be uncomfortable just because I'm one of the few people who can help?

As I began to introspect, Jane began to get impatient. She snatched my phone from me.

"Hey!"

"Calm down, kapa

-basal，”Je

Said sharply. "All I need is a minute." She hurried back into the corner, scrolling through the menu. I'm curious what is so urgent.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't worry." She started to hit things. I'll leave it to my fate, and I'll find out later. I doubt she remembers how to clear her browsing history. You can even track your browser history.

Sara seems to have given up on understanding altogether. She stood aside, silently watching us. I wish she was gone. Sarah doesn't belong here. Not for us. She wasn't part of our group. She didn't experience pain and suffering, and she didn't feel that power and magic. She's just an ordinary person.

Jane and I were special and Sarah couldn't possibly understand. She shouldn't understand.

But she's Jane's best friend, and maybe that's exactly what Jen needs right now. I think I can understand. I also have a best friend and I would love to meet him very much.

"It's all good." Jane finally said. She handed me her phone, and I pocketed it without looking at the screen. "Thank you," she smiled at me.

"No problem."

Sarah chimed in, killing the moment. "Are you going to explain about the new language?" Or why are you suddenly speaking in an accent that I've never heard before?"

Jane turned to face her. "Sarah, I'm ......," she began, but I interrupted. I want her to save trouble.

"We can't. But act like Jane has just learned English, and you've done her a great favor. ”

Sara's eyes widened. "So bad?"

"No," Jane replied, rolling her eyes at me. I shrugged. She continued, her accent greatly lightened. "I still know English. It's just not as good as Eto—"

"Jane," I interrupted her warningly. She stopped just in time. This may seem harsh, but any term, any detail, anything leaking to the wrong third party can get us all in trouble. I'm just taking care of her.

Sarah's eyes narrowed. "Hey, let her speak."

"No, he's right." Jane said calmly. "I'm sorry, Sarah. Take it seriously. If I could, I'd tell you. Soon. ”

She hesitated, but nodded. "I want you to keep your word. I'm really tired of that. ”

The rain crackled again. After a while, it turned into showers roaring across the rooftops around us. We all looked up, stunned. A few minutes ago, the sky was almost clear. Is this just an ordinary downpour in Oregon? I glanced at Jane, and she seemed surprised, too. I've seen her do amazing things before. Change the weather in battle to our advantage, even her forte.

"Jane?"

She answered me immediately. "Nope." Our thoughts are the same as always. "Come on!"

We put on our coats and hurried to the nearest entrance. Heavy rain poured down. We went in before we got wet. Luckily, the portable device has a slightly protruding lid, otherwise we would get wet almost immediately.

Sara glanced at the nearest clock. "We should go back to class."

"Yes," I replied.

"What are you going to do?" Jane asked me. She had a point. I could barely hide in the pouring rain.

"It's almost time for class. I'll go to the restaurant right now and say I've been released early. I went to find a table in the corner. ”

“Sel

ou。 See you then. Jane began to walk away, and Sara hurried after her. I don't envy Jane now. Sarah looks hard to get rid of. There's no way Matt could agree to her joining us over lunch, though. As soon as we met Blake, we had serious plans.

* * *

The food wasn't as bad as I remembered. Of course, most of it is bland ordinary American food, but it could be worse. To be honest, I kind of miss pizza, even a humble one like this. Pizza and soda are things that Silavier can definitely use. I don't know how to be there with carbonate water and spices, but maybe Jane and I can design something with magic.

Magic, right? We have magic. If you have magic, who wants to live on this stupid planet.

However, my idea of improving the quality of life had to wait, because the only person who had achieved something with elf etola walked into the cafeteria. Or more precisely, jogging. Jane weaves through the crowd, and it looks like she's trying to get through the room as quickly as possible without attracting attention. To be honest, she doesn't have much skill in this area. For better or worse, she spends most of her time at the edge of the room. The city and the crowds are my turf. Jane's home in the forest.

I saw Sara a few paces behind her, trying to get Jane's attention and pointing her in the right direction, but apparently failed. I stood up and waved to both of them.

Jane spotted me at once, walked straight to the corner where I had found a table, and completely abandoned her route. It's an unpopular corner, simply because it's furthest from the teeing line. Most children don't care where they sit as long as they're with friends, so they'll unconsciously be attracted to the other end of the default. It was great for someone like me because we occupied the other half of the restaurant. Relatively, of course. Again, we weren't alone, but here, there was plenty of space between the two groups so we could talk without worrying about being heard too much.

Jane sat across from me, and Sarah was right next to her. Almost invariably, they took their lunches home in brown paper bags that could be found everywhere. I raised my eyebrows.

"No offense, but Sarah can't be here."

"She knows—" Jane had just started to speak when Sarah interrupted her.

"I know. I'll leave as soon as Matt arrives. But until then, I'm still with Jane, so so be it. ”

I threw up my hands defensively. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. "After I finished my lunch, I looked around the cafeteria, pretending not to be interested. Jane took out her food, and she made a few brief gestures and muttered something under her breath. She did this every time she ate, but never explained the meaning to me. I just think of it as a ritual of the elves. It's not worth my time figuring it out.

Sara, of course, didn't know what she was doing. Jane didn't notice, and after a while, she went back to her lunch. Jane took a bite of the sandwich and frowned, but continued to eat it despite all odds. Her face drooped slightly.

I'm worried. Jane seemed to be getting farther and farther away from the strong girl I knew. I don't want to lose that unique beauty, that confident and fearless warrior. But how can I help her?

Jane and Sara ate in silence, and Sara occasionally glanced at Jane with concern. I wonder what's going on. Did something happen between we parted and met here? Or is it because Sarah is always nosy? God, I wish she had left now.

I think that's something I'm going to ask Jen in the future. I don't have time right now because Matt is walking towards us.

Alone.

I did everything I could to restrain myself and not let him fall on the spot. One by one, the questions exploded in my mind like a fireball. Where is Blake? Why wasn't Matt with him? Why did Matt leave Blake behind?

So what do I do now?

I only vaguely heard Sarah make up some kind of excuse to Matt, and then quickly disappeared. He sat down in her place and pulled out his own lunch, exactly like Jane's. Matt asked me something, but I didn't hear it. I couldn't hear anything. The noise in the room had turned into a dull roar, a hurried sound that almost overwhelmed me completely.

I was kicked hard in the shin. I crackled and regained my existence.

"What the hell is this for?" I snapped.

"Focus." Matt replied firmly. "We need to talk."

"No kidding." Jane said mildly. "Carl, are you with us now?"

I glared at Matt. That kick didn't make sense at all. I can still feel it in my legs. "Yes, I'm here. So speak. ”

Matt frowned. "Carl, if we're going to do this......"

Jen interjected. "No, we don't. Carl, let Matt say, okay?"

"English, Jane."

"Damn." Jane slapped herself lightly. "I'm sorry, Matt."

"That's good. Any questions?"

"Sort of," she replied, with a serious expression. She didn't want him to worry. There's no way she could let him know how much trouble she's been in all day. She and I will keep it a secret. "Mom thinks I'm learning a foreign language now, but other than that......" she said in a low voice.

"Okay, that's good enough." Matt sighed. "She ate scrambled eggs, right?"

"Eggs!" Jane exclaimed, sitting up stiffly. An embarrassed expression flooded her face, and after a second she relaxed, eating her food with a guilty expression.

"Huh?" I asked, really confused.

Matt grinned. "She can't remember the name of the egg," he explained. Jane picked up a grape and threw it at him. He easily dodged it.

"Sildavaca." She murmured, but a smile crossed her face.

They are all very casual. I can't understand it. We have more pressing things to do. It's a matter of life and death. I put my fist in the middle of the table - it was a little louder than I thought, but I didn't make excuses. Both were silent.

“… It's a bit dramatic, Carl," Matt said. The sentence was meant to be a joke, but his tone suddenly became cold. But I don't care. I've had enough.

"Blake," I snapped.

"I haven't seen him." Matt replied, in the same irritatingly calm voice he had used all day. Before I could answer, he raised his hand. It doesn't have to mean anything. Maybe he didn't come today. You know he always skips morning class. Our first two lessons were of little value. ”

"But I called this morning and didn't get anything." I said slowly.

"Even his parents don't know?"

"Nope. But it's not surprising that they never come home in the morning. His dad was gone, and Adella didn't leave work until nine o'clock. "Maybe there's hope. I can't consider other options. Not yet.

"Still, he's going to come today," Jane said.

Matt nodded. "Yes, he would. This leads to another possibility. ”

"Say no more," I said.

"Carl, we'll have to figure out what to do if he-"

"Don't say that," I yelled. It's a bit too noisy. The people at the next table looked at him in surprise. I lowered my voice again. "He's just at home."

"Carl......" Matt began, but I've had enough. I stood up and walked away, picked up the tray and threw it in the nearest trash can. A nosy guy started talking to me about garbage recycling, how pallets shouldn't be thrown out of the garbage and all sorts of nonsense. I walked straight through them and out the front door.

My best friend is still alive. He had to be.