They sat around the fire, the flames heat was intense very close but taking a space a little out of the circle it was ok for the summer.  The occasional flare of a log with the pitch catching up brought small cheers from the assemblage, like a small firework in the column of fire the wood would crack and split sending showers of sparks in the air.  The red embers fading quickly once out of the flames.  Serenity hung nearby, together in an orbit that drew them close, but never together.  It had always been that way.  Michael was constantly moving onto the next thing his parents wanted, and Serenity was forever putting up walls.<br/><br/>Looking over at Serenity knew she was right, they were different.  At least on the outside.  She with the clothes, the bleached hair and excess of eye liner, as if in trying to look so different she was trying to hide.  He was the jock, the big man on campus, and he could see the other girls looking over at him suggestively calling him over.  At school he'd be with them, the cheerleader types with the perfect hair, designer bags and all that money could buy, except a personality, a warmth one could connect to.  Michael had long ago learned how to be as fake as the rest, but it always nagged at him.<br/><br/>Across the fire he could see Callie close by someone else who looked familiar, the memory of the lake still fresh in his mind.  The slight twinge of pain in his back at the rock.  Grinning he almost laughed aloud, she'd thrown a rock at him.  Him!  Typical of her, though he doubted it would matter to her he'd apologize tomorrow.  Do the right thing at least, he didn't want to break their last connection, their last meeting over something so stupid.  It wasn't how he wanted to spend his last summer here.<br/><br/>Moving a bit closer to Serenity, falling back into familiarity he did not look at her, knowing that would make it more awkward.  Piss her off and put up more walls.  They were better at off hand comments, avoiding the real issues.  Glancing out of the corner of his eye at her knew just when he was beginning to bug her, the set of her chin, the way her cheeks tensed, he had to time it well.  Once it was second nature, but after so many years he was slightly out of practice.  As he watched her hunch her shoulders he said it, off offhandedly like they used to.  Just staring ahead, let the words flow.<br/><br/>"Are we really so different?  You know people are people, so why should it be you and I should get along so awfully?"