“Mom I’m going to be late! Where are the keys?” I frantically shouted through our tiny apartment. I run through each room hastily looking for these stupid keys.

“Did you check the bowl by the door?” Mom shouted back.

“Of course I d-” I retorted while walking over to the front door. Low and behold, the car keys are sitting in the bowl. “Never mind! Bye Mom! Love you.” I yelled as I skipped out the door. I got into the car and pulled out onto the deserted street behind me, having ten minutes before first period begins.
I arrived to school five minutes before the bell rang. I ran to French III getting hi’s from almost everyone I passed. Just as the bell rang, I plopped down in my seat next to Buzz Aldwin.

“Why so late Ms. Armstrong?” Buzz inquired. You could hear the sarcasm ring off every word he uttered.

“If you must know Mr. Aldwin, I could not find the keys to my spaceship,” I replied smugly as our boring teacher, Mr. Smith walked in.

Mr. Smith started teaching us. “Please turn to page 143 in your textbooks.”

“How did your mom react to the F on your history paper?” I whispered without glancing up from my French book.

“I didn’t exactly tell her. She would have freaked on m-“

“Silence, s’il-vous plaît,” Mr. Smith looked at Buzz and I. “Nila. Buzz,” he whispered.

We mouthed an apology in synchronization and continued talking to each other.

“Will she ground you?” I asked when Mr. Smith turned around.

“I hope not. That’s why I haven’t told her yet.” Mr. Smith whipped around to stare at us. “I’ll talk to you after class, okay?” he quickly replied.

“Uh, sure,” I answered while eying Mr. Smith.
After class had ended , I was talking to my group of friends outside the pre-calculus classroom. Buzz came up behind me and tapped my shoulder lightly. I didn’t notice him right away. “Hold on guys. This will take like two minutes.” I grabbed Buzz’s hand and walked across the hall briskly. “What’s up?”
“Do you want to go somewhere and study for French tonight?” Buzz asked quietly.
I looked back at my friends waiting for me, then at Buzz. “Um, yeah. That’d be cool. How about Johnny Rockets? I’m craving something greasy.”
“Sure sounds great.”
“Cool. I’ll pick you up at 6:15?” I clarified while walking back over to my friends.
~~~
As the sun started setting over the horizon, I pulled up in front of Buzz’s house. I got out of the car and started towards the front door. Dingdong the doorbell sang out. A moment passed before Buzz opened the door. He didn’t say anything, but slammed the front door and stormed towards the car.
“What’s wrong, Buzz?” I gently asked.
“Nothing, I’m perfectly fine. See?” He grinned at me from ear to ear. “Let’s go.” Shaking my head I started the car. As the engine roars to life, I hear a scream from the house. Silently, I pull out of the driveway and head out on the route to the restaurant.
As I stepped into the restaurant, the aroma of greasy delicacies frying in the back hit me all at once. I could practically taste the perfect blend of juicy meat, gooey cheese, and a toasted bun.
“What can I get y’all?” our waitress asks holding a notepad and smacking her gum against her lips.
“We’ll just have a couple orders of fries,” Buzz orders.
As the waitress walks away to get our order in, I lean over the table and whisper, “Did you hear the waitress with her gum?”
“Did I? How could I not? It was like she way trying to let the entire restaurant know she was chewing gum and nothing was more important,” Buzz laughed. Buzz put his hands in his pocket and pulled out a glow stick. He had the dumbest looks on his face. “I didn’t put that there I swear,” he said in dead seriousness. It wasn’t even funny, but we cracked up.
By the time we left Johnny Rockets, the moon was high in the sky. We stumbled out of the restaurant holding our guts from laughing so hard. I had never laughed so much in my entire life and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to laugh like that again. As we got into the car and started driving, Buzz looked over at me calmly.
“What? Is there something on my face?” I asked, turning the color of a strawberry.
“No there’s nothing on your face,” Buzz said. He slowly started leaning towards me. My heart was beating so loudly. My pulse kept getting faster. Faster. Louder. I was sure he could hear it. I didn’t know what to do. I started leaning towards him little by little. My hands were sweating and slipping off the wheel. His lips were inches away from my own. I swerved the wheel to the left in panic. BAM! Buzz and I both screamed in pure terror. I tried to shield Buzz from the flying glass, but to no avail. I looked over and see Buzz’s head with blood trickling down. I slowly looked around me and see shards of broken glass everywhere. Bright lights were shining in my face. The air bags had expanded to giant marshmallows. I heard sirens in the background slowly approaching, knowing that when they arrive it will be too late.
“Buzz?” I whisper.
“Yeah, Nila?” he winced.
“I’m sorry.” I mumbled. “I didn’t mean too.”
“I know you didn’t.” He reached over gasping in pain to put his hand over mine. We sat in silence. Listening carefully to our choppy breathing. Listening to sirens.
Then, blackness.
~~~
“We are here to commemorate the lives of Nila Armstrong and Buzz Aldwin,” the Principal of Sky View High School announced solemnly. Mummers spread through the auditorium. Everyone knew Nila, but who was Buzz? “Would anyone like to say any words about the two?” Dozens of hands went up. Person after person had come up to say something about Nila and how determined, courageous, and adventurous she was, but not a single word was uttered about Buzz. It was like he was completely forgotten.