✤ The grave below the flowers ✤ (CRAIG OF THE CREEK)

Don't make me sad, don't make me cry

"Jesus I can never remember how to do this..."Jason sighed withdrawing a hair from his face while using the eraser top of his pencil to get rid of the incorrect answer he wrote on his homework, Craig sat beside him watching him.

Math was never Jason's strong suit, at least this kind. The week after their sleepover, no matter how small, Craig and Jason were making efforts to actually grow their friendship. It didn't matter if it was for only a few minutes or a whole day together, what mattered is that they were finally picking up the pieces to a broken relationship. But there's a piece Craig didn't know if he wanted Jason to pick up, after all it had already cut him so maybe times.

"I know I shouldn't be complaining that much, I mean, look at your brother his math has letters in it...How are you so good at this stuff?"Jason asked not expecting Craig to take it seriously, Craig chuckled but felt praised by the question. "I dunno, well it did take me a bit to know this math...Kelsey struggled a lot with this, me and Jp watched her do it, you'd be shocked at how many times I had to stop her from beating her homework with her sword".

Jason laughed, glad Craig wasn't taking this too seriously. Who could have known mixed and improper fractions could have been the reason him and Craig were together in Craig's living room alone together, the hand-me-down radio stared at them on the table. Neither even tried to turn it on or see if it needed batteries, both were focused on the homework and figuring out math.

"Hmmm, is that review?"Craig asked quickly filling out an answer to one of the questions on his own homework, Jason nodded at Craig's question. "It's just, I don't know why this happens...Maybe it's the curse of summer, yeah, maybe that's it".

"Hm, well, you just gotta stick it in your brain. A way I like to remember is making up little rhythms, but all I can come up for now is to try and practice more. Just take your time trying to understand and remembering it and you'll be fine, Bernard and his girlfriend like to tape notes for whatever they want to remember around their room. Bernard mainly does that for school and his girlfriend likes to do it for reminders"Craig rambled sliding Jason's homework towards himself to review.

Jason leaned his palm on his cheek watching Craig, he watched Craig tap his pencil against the paper, or how Vanessa would call it 'A tree corpse'. He was just glad Craig could actually help him, the after school help center was closed today so when Craig heard this he didn't hesitate to try helping Jason and for Jason vice versa. "Okay, there are two tricks to this, let me show you the shortest way at least for me".

Jason listened and watched Craig explain the steps to both ways, the way he was taught in school and the way his father did it when helping him with homework. Jason nodded following along, unsurprisingly, Jason picked up on the longer way of doing it. "Oh...I-I get it now! Maybe I should start putting the steps up on my bedroom walls, they won't mind this is how I'm learning".

Before Craig knew it Jason was doing the math, rarely asking for help and also helping Craig with his homework.

With the mutual help, the boys were finished quickly. But neither of Craig's parents were home and Craig already knew why Jason wasn't fond of going home so no rush came, Craig put away his homework then stretched his legs "How about we head to the creek"Craig smiled getting up to walk to his bedroom, "Oh sure, I could use some fresh air...You mind if I turn on the radio? I think I know how to work one of these"Jason asked looking away blushing while twiddling his thumbs "Sure thing! Imma just get out this uniform then we can go to the creek"Craig went upstairs to his bedroom.

Jason looked back at the red radio, he sandwiched the homework sheet between his books and placed them carefully in his backpack. "Okay, if I remember correctly..."Jason muttered to himself dragging out any of his uncle's instructions when he was teaching him until he was able to turn it on and a pretty song started to fill the void of silence while waiting for Craig. Jason laid his head down.

'Feet don't fail me now, walk to the finish line. Oh my heartbreaks every step that I take'

'But I'm hoping that the gates, they'll tell me that you're mine. Walking through the city streets'

'Is it by mistake or design? I feel so alone on the Friday nights. Can you make it feel like home if I tell you you're mine?'

'It's like I told you, honey (louder)'

'Don't make me sad, don't make me cry. Sometimes love is not enough and the road gets tough, I don't know why. Keep making me laugh'

'Let's go get high. The road is long, we carry on. Try to have fun in the-'

"Got my creek clothes!"Craig cheered coming down the stairs and holding his staff, ready for the creek. Jason smiled and turned off the radio, he grabbed the water gun from beside his backpack that he picked up from home before coming over to Craig's. Once his left hand held the water gun, he was ready.

Craig opened the door for Jason and walked out with him to the creek. Craig saw Jason rise his water gun and pretend to shoot it, while doing so he pretended he was looking through a scope on a gun. For a moment Craig lightly chuckled at the imagination of his friend, "Ha, hey Jason I don't know anything about guns but I've been meaning to ask, what's that thing you look through on a sniper gun? I've been wondering what it's called".

Jason heard Craig's question and put his water gun to his thigh "Oh it's called the telescopic sight or a scope for short, it's not just on snipers you can put it on most modern guns like a handgun. I think you have to buy them yourself dunno if they're actually on the gun when you buy it"Jason shrugged. "Huh, didn't know they taught you about guns in Boy Scouts" "Yeah they do, they don't teach us how to shoot the advanced ones that's on us to learn when we're older. My dad watched me go through it and bragged about me knowing how to shoot to his coworkers, I remember going to a shooting range with a couple of them but my dad just gossiped and did what he always did".

Jason shrugged continuing to pretend his water gun had a scope on it, Craig listened to him in awe while nodding and smiling. Jason didn't want to think about his father, he wanted to live in the moment, he should be thinking about Craig...He wanted to think about Craig.

"Yeah, he already knows how to work a gun. So I won't have to worry about him when he's home alone. How old is your niece, again? 14, 15? Doesn't know how to shoot yet? Huh, hope she knows what to do when someone breaks in the house, I mean...You wouldn't want her bringing a knife to a gun fight".

That was a chunk of the conversation Jason heard at the workplace when his dad was talking to a coworker over black coffee on their break. His dad liked his coffee just like him, bitter and full of nothing. That moment Jason knew he'd be home alone more and more, the only company he would have were his toy train sets, badges, his water gun and his mother's corpse in his backyard he could talk to for hours knowing there would never be a mutual conversation again.

The rest of the walk lacked conversation, but for once it was nice. Jason wasn't sad, Craig wasn't making him cry. Craig wasn't avoiding eye contact because he was scared of hallucinating Jason's eyes looking lifeless or even falling out his eye sockets, he saw Jason, a Boy Scout trying to remember math. His friend. Now Craig looked at the sky, listening to the light singing next to him.

"Don't make me sad, don't make me cry..."