"A hard road to walk alone"
Rating: G
By Verna-chan ^_^

    James leapt gracefully off his bike and parked it. One of the training wheels wobbled and he bent
over to tighten the bolt.
    "Jessie, do you have a screwdriver?"
    "Sure thing, li'l Jim!" Jessie winked at him and hopped off her bike as well.
    "Oooo... go li'l Jim!" Some of the other bikers hollered after them. "Look at 'em! Didn't I tell ya!
Such a perfect couple!"
     The blue-haired teenager stiffened. He began to look very uncomfortable.
     Jessie blinked and put a hand on his shoulder. "James, what's wrong?"
     Her best friend shrugged away from her and got back on his bike. He mumbled something to
himself.
     "What?"
     "I'll tell you later." He promised.
     The red-haired biker chick shrugged.

                                                                         ***
(time passes)

    "So... it's later. And we're alone. So are you going to tell me?" Jessie smiled. They were on a cliff
on the outskirts of town, staring out at the water.
     James sighed his trademark haughty rich-kid sigh and looked out over the water. "You think they'll ever finish the bridge, Jessie?" He started out.
     It was a safe enough topic. The girl shrugged. "Yeah, maybe. Well, probably not-it's too far. Besides, we're in the Sunnytown Bridge Bike gang. We don't need cars. What would be the point?"
    What would be the point of telling her? He had to tell someone. He needed to get it off his chest.
But would he lose her if he did? He wasn't sure.
     "Jessie."
     "Mmm?"
     "We're... friends, aren't we?"
     "Of course, James." She said his name. Not idiot, or moron, but James. She was being careful. Or maybe he was just paranoid.
     "And... if I told you something horrible about me... something completely and absoloutely... oh...
forget it! I can't say it!" He hid his face in his arms.
     The redhead's eyes watered. "James...." She pulled him into a hug. "Shh... I think I know what's
bothering you. It's okay, really it is. I sort-of guessed."
     "Is it really that obvious?" His voice was muffled in the folds of her shirt.
     In many ways it was obvious, for some reason it always had been to her. Others probably couldn't tell, but she and James had gone to school together, heck-they'd flunked out of school together. She knew him better than he knew himself. That was why she always felt so... comfortable being his best friend.
     They dressed up the same, talked in unison, hugged one another-laughed and planned together. They were like... brother and sister, in a way.
     Jessie thought about it for a while. It wasn't that obvious, really. She seemed to be the only one
who really knew him-maybe that was why she could tell. "Not... really," she began. "Most of the guys," (there were no girls other than Jessie in the gang at the time), "think that we're a couple...." It suddenly came to her that this was not the most tactful thing to say.
    His face became serious. "Do you want us to be?"
    The readhead blinked. It was just like James to say something like that. He was so into seeking
approval from everyone, especially her. "I... don't think so."
    At this point his speech became unintelligible again, so she just hugged him and stroked his
shoulder-length blue hair. I guess you could call it mauve, but he got touchy if you called it that. Because, of course, mauve went with pink and... pink. Oh, my.
    She considered his situation objectively. He had a tough reputation, of sorts, and he was always
hanging around her. She supposed that if he wanted, he never really had to come out. She sighed against his hair and patted his back. How long had he been keeping it in, not telling anyone? Rumor was his parents had wanted him to marry a family friend, that's why he ran away. She'd never asked, though. If he ever wanted to tell her, he would.
    "It's a hard road to walk down alone, but I'll be there with you. It's okay." How lame was that? 'It's okay?' Oh, well. James could be a little lame sometimes. Jessie wasn't exactly practiced in the art of comfort, but it seemed the right thing to say.
    When he finally stopped crying, she gently pried him off her and smoothed out the wrinkles in her
white shirt and black leather biker Jacket. She lifted his sunglasses off, and brushed that famous, ever-present errant lock of hair out of his eyes. "James, I think I can tell you something that'll make you feel better."
    "Oh really?" He wondered if she really understood. How could anyone?
    There was a moment of silence as they stared into each other's eyes. An understanding, unspoken, passed between them. Jessie smiled a brilliant smile. None of her usual cruelty, just a smile. The one she saved for him.
    "I like guys, too."
    They both laughed then. Tentatively, at first, but it grew until they were both rolling on the ground,
side by side.
    For you see, boys and girls, sometimes, you can be just friends with someone.
    And sometimes, just sometimes, it's enough.