Will You Miss Me?

“No, dude, I’m serious! She like totally digs me!”

Danny merely raised his eyebrows up at his pompous friend.

The two were currently sitting in his mother’s stainless steal kitchen. A pile of potato chip crumbs scattered over the worn, round table, the only remains of the boys’ late snack.

“Oh silly me, all mighty Josh! How can I forget! That’s exactly what dumping your entire lunch on someone’s head means. Not to mention in front of the entire school!” Sarcasm dripped from Danny’s every word.

“She’s just playing hard to get!” the shaggy blonde cried in his own defense.

Danny smirked in his friend’s obvious denial. Josh had been desperately trying to get his crush of the month to go on a date with him all week. With every rejection he received, it only fuelled Josh to keep on bugging her. Therefore making him rant about it to the next available person, aka Danny.

“Okay, whatever you say.”

“Ah-ha! So you admit it!”

“Admit what exactly?”

“That I, Josh, am irresistible even to one Kimberly Jones!” he smirked victoriously.

“Right,” mockery clearly shown in Danny’s reply.

“See Dan, admitting it makes it easier to except.”

The two teens shared an amused grin at their own antics.

“Well, while on the Kimberly subject, you didn’t use an extremely rude pick up line again, did you?”

“Uh, about that,”

“Josh! What did I say about those?!” Danny cried indignantly. 

“Err, that women find them highly offensive and not in anyway funny… but honestly I didn’t even expect her to get it!”

Danny stared at his friend in disbelief for a moment and then maturely collapsed into fits of hysterical laughter.

“Arg! Danny stop laughing!” Josh exclaimed at his friend while smacking him upside the head.

“Okay, gasp, I’ll, gasp, stop…” Danny gulped as he tried to regain his breathing, until only an occasional smirk crossed his lips.

“Honestly, some friend you are-”

BEEEEEEEEP.

“Finally! Some salvation from the cold!” Josh exclaimed while jumping from his chair.

Danny gave a casual glace out the kitchen window to see flurries of ice and snow piling four or five inches on the ground. The winter storm had left the boys digging through his mother’s pantry searching for some hot chocolate mixes, anything to help them warm up.

With a soft dud Josh placed a steaming mug of hot coco in front of his friend while abandoning his own to rummage through the freezer. 

A sigh of pleasure escaped Danny’s lips as the chocolaty warmth spread up and down his body.

Loud bangs and thuds came from his friend’s general direction.   
     
“Are you perhaps looking for something Josh?”

He only received a slam of the fridge as his answer.

“Do you have any whip cream in your house?!”

“Err, what for exactly?”

Josh looked at his friend completely baffled. 

“Are you telling me that you have never put whip cream in your hot chocolate? Ever?!”

“Ah, no,” Danny answered cautiously.

“What?! And to think I have been calling you my best friend for the past six years!”

The blonde then abruptly turned on his heal and marched to the pale creamy door that was in the corner of the room.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Danny asked indignantly.

Josh only picked up his navy blue parka and slipped it on with a grin. He then turned his attention to wrapping his blood red scarf around his neck.

“You can’t be possibly thinking about going out there are you?! The weather is terrible!”

“Danny, Danny… do you want to have some whipped cream or what?” he replied while tugging on a black winter cap over his head.

“But… Josh…. There’s snow and ice out there. How do you expect to drive exactly?”

Josh turned to berate his friend again but stopped when he saw concern and worry in his eyes and sighed deeply.

“Look Dan. I’m going to be fine okay… it’s not so bad. Why do you care anyways? Are you going to miss me?” he teased waggling his eyebrows suggestively at his friend.

Danny snorted and wrinkled his nose, smiling slightly.

“Okay… but just promise me you’ll be careful Josh…”

“I promise Danny…”

“Danny…”

“Danny…”

Danny blinked a couple times and looked behind him to see his mother with one of her long slender hands resting on his shoulder.

“You okay Danny?” her voice was soft and filled with concern.

“Yeah… just lost in some memories…” His reply was low and hoarse.

“I’ll just give you a moment…”

“Thanks mom…”

She nodded tightly, letting go of him and slowly turned and made her way up the slightly snow covered road.

Danny sighed deeply, swallowed hard a few times, and turned to the sight before him.     

Josh Garret Menson
1990-2006
A loving friend and son
Let him rest in peace

A swirl of different colored flowers surrounded the grave, bleeding into the ice covered earth beneath.

“Josh… you promised…you promised you would be careful…” Danny voiced cracked and tears stung his eyes.

He closed his eyes taking a deep shuddering breath.

“I’ll miss you… I’ll most definitely miss you Josh. I already do.”