<span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">Even with a stellar GPA from college, getting into grad school without funding at the ready was a challenge. Shiloh had enough intelligence to go head to head with the best of them, but without the necessary charisma, a portfolio of extracurricular activities, or enough privilege in his background, finding scholarships was next to impossible. Competition was fierce, fierce enough to drive him to drink every weekend when the pile of rejection letters continued to grow. He needed a distraction, but the one he got was definitely not the one he had expected. <i>What the fuck... Noah?</i> He hadn't heard from the man in years. Not since high school. Why now?<br/>
<br/>
If Shiloh had been the brooding, snarky brainiac in Riverview High, Noah had been his foil. Popular, talented, charismatic. Cheerleaders had fallen all over him and every male outcast had dreamed of living one day in his shoes. By all accounts, they shouldn't have gotten along, but they had somehow hit it off in middle school and stuck together well into their freshman year of high school. Their friendship had made no sense, but it had given Shiloh a route from his own darkness and into some semblance of light. That is, until Noah had exhibited the traits of a Super. Shiloh had, too, but accelerated healing and the ability to create quantum tunnels to phase through walls were nowhere near as attractive as the ability to harness the energy of heat and cold. No Program would have gone near Shiloh, but they had fought hard over Noah. And then, one day, Noah had simply vanished.<br/>
<br/>
Years. It had been <i>years</i>. Time had changed Shiloh, but judging by the good-natured tone of his messages, it hadn't done much to change Noah. And for a while, Shiloh nearly forgot about the stresses of scholarship-hunting just long enough to respond with enthusiasm. [<i>Hey, stranger. They finally letting you poke your head out of the Program, huh?</i>]<br/>
<br/>
Just like that, all of the good times in Riverview came flooding back. The homecoming game Shiloh had reluctantly attended because, despite having no interest in football, Noah had dragged him along. Summer days spent at the lake. Tutoring sessions with Shiloh at the helm. Car rides to nowhere because listening to the radio was more fun with wheels turning beneath them and wind in their faces. He had entertained more than his fair share of bullies in school, but he had a deeply rooted sense of nostalgia for the days he had spent with Noah. Enough, it seemed, for him to put aside the ache of losing his only friend for the sake of revisiting the good old days. [</span><i><span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">Just like old times. Jillian's, it is.</span></i><span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">]<br/>
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He walked in just after four, taking off his shades to scout the room for his high school companion. A good while had passed since last laid eyes on Noah, but he looked almost exactly the same. Same flaming red hair, same striking blue eyes. Boy next door. Just like high school. Before he knew it, a smile had tugged up the corners of his mouth. His heart pounded, typical of his introverted nature, but he didn't hesitate a bit in approaching the table he had chosen.<br/>
<br/>
"Five years later, and I'd still know you anywhere," he remarked with a half-grin. Shiloh himself hadn't changed all that much, except perhaps for a better understanding of how to style his wild hair. Same snug jeans, same flannel shirt with the buttons open and a dark tee beneath. Minimal effort. He was all about comfort. "It's really good to see you, Red."</span>