The Thing That Makes Us Brave

     Jonah sat up on his bed and held Alex’s gift in his hands.

     He opened the envelope and unfolded the letter inside it.

     To Jonah —

     Hey, dude. It’s me, Alex.

     It’s been a while since we’ve spoken, hasn’t it? A long while, actually. It’s crazy how we used to see and talk with each other every day, then slowly and slowly, it turned into never. How did that even happen, right? Our parents had to fight just to keep us apart after our playdates. Now, I don’t even know if you’re still in Meridell, and I’m seriously hoping you still are, so this gift doesn’t end up in a stranger’s house.

     I’m sorry. I really am. I should’ve kept in touch more. I should’ve reached out when I began to miss you again. Which I did, a lot, this past year, because as it turns out, true friends are hard to find. Sure, it’s easy to find Neopians who will play a game of Cheat or Gormball with you, but a Neopian that truly gets you? Is that truly there for you? That’s rarer than all the Paint Brushes in Neopia.

     You were my best friend, you know? I knew it the day I met you that I wanted to be your friend. Just because we grew apart doesn’t mean we can’t grow back together again. I still live in Altador, and I still have the same number, and I’m just dying to hear from you again. I’m really hoping that you feel the same way, too.

     Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe you never want to hear from me again, and I’ll understand if you don’t. But I still have to take the chance. You’re worth taking the chance for.

     Your once best friend,

     Alex

     Tears falling down his cheeks, Jonah put the letter down and started unwrapping the gift.

     It was a Web Gun, like the one he had just used on the Pant Devil.

     And like the one in the video game they used to play together.

     ******

     They began their friendship again with a phone call.

     It was awkward, at first. Despite how much effort it took to get the gift back from the Pant Devil, Jonah still found himself nervous to dial his ex-best friend’s new number. He found himself even more nervous when the phone began to ring, and his heart skipped a beat when the other line picked up, and there was a second of silence between them.

     Then, Alex’s voice spoke up.

     “Hello?”

     After that, Jonah found that he had nothing to be nervous about. The two talked on the phone for almost two hours, chatting about high school and hobbies and where they were now, and only really stopped when Jonah realised he was running up the phone bill. Alex finally got his Petpet (an Altachuck) and still loved visiting the Petpet shop at Altador from time to time, and Jonah told him all about how the Pant Devil had stolen his gift and his long, crazy journey to get the gift back.

     “I can’t believe you’d do all that for me,” Alex said over the phone, and Jonah could hear he was crying.

     “Well, of course,” Jonah said. “You were my best friend.”

     “You were my best friend, too.”

     Both boys stayed quiet for a few seconds. Then, Alex said, “Any chance we could turn that were into an are again?”

     And so, they did.

     The next time they met, it was at Brightvale Fruits, and the first thing Jonah did when he saw Alex was give him a big, warm hug. It was the kind of hug that both boys hadn’t realised they had missed so much, the kind of hug that could only come from someone who truly cared about you. Then, the two sat down and ordered from the menu, and got lost in conversation again as they enjoyed their Frubix Cube on Toast.

     “So you’ve actually gotten a gold trophy in Slushie Slinger?” Jonah said.

     “Yup!” Alex said. “Every Altador Cup since we moved, it was my favourite game, and last Altador Cup, I got so addicted, I practically played it every day!”

     “Ugh, I wish I could go to Altador,” Jonah said. “Especially during Altador Cup season. But really, just any season there would be awesome.”

     “You would love it there at Legendary Petpets,” Alex said. “And the shop I worked at, Magical Marvels, sells the coolest things, straight out of a fantasy game. If only we had a pilot friend, though. That would make travelling so convenient.”

     “Well, actually…” Jonah said, grinning.

     When Tiffany first met Alex, she immediately took a liking to him, the same way she did Jonah. He was, after all, the Neopian that Jonah had travelled to Brightvale, to the Haunted Woods, to the Pant Devil’s lair for. “So you’re the best friend Jonah faced the Brain Tree and the Pant Devil for,” she said to him with a smile. “You’re one lucky friend, you know that?”

     Alex smiled back. “Yeah, I sure do.”

     Tiffany then took Alex on a flight around Brightvale, and by the time they got back, Alex was all smiles from ear to ear. “That was so much fun!”

     Jonah smiled back. “I know, right?!”

     Their next hangout was at the Haunted Woods, which Alex was confused by when Jonah brought the place up. Still, Jonah insisted it wasn’t as scary as it seemed, so two weeks later, Alex found himself roaming the streets of the Woods with Jonah by his side, and Jonah told him there was something fun that he wanted Alex to do.

     “You sure about this?” Alex asked.

     “Of course I am,” Jonah said.

     “Remember, young Wocky,” the Brain Tree said with a sly smile. “You either make it out of the maze alive, or you don’t make it out at all.”

     Alex gulped and stared at Jonah. “Is what he just said true?”

     Jonah rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Of course not, he just says that to mess with people,” he said, eyeing the Brain Tree, which caused the Tree to laugh. Jonah turned to face his friend again. “You’ll be fine. It’s completely harmless. You’ll know the solution to the maze right away, I just know it.”

     “Alright, if you say so,” Alex said with a shrug. He extended an open palm to the Brain Tree and smiled. “Alright, Brain Tree, let me take a bite out of that apple!”

     The months went by. Jonah and Alex remained friends. Jonah called, Alex called. Jonah sent Neomails, Alex sent Neomails. Jonah told Alex all about Meridell and Alex told Jonah all about Altador, and Alex was the first to know when Jonah was thinking about moving to Brightvale.

     Jonah had forgotten how incredible it felt to have a best friend, but the feeling came back to him easier than he had expected. Alex had changed, but he hadn’t at the same time. He loved having someone in your life who wanted to hear how your day went or what was going on in your head, for no other reason than they wanted to. A best friend changed the Neopian air. And it was crazy to him how easily the two had fallen back into their friendship, like finding an old song you used to love and still remembering all the lyrics after one or two listens.

     Soon, June came, and with it, the Altador Cup. As both boys walked to the Colosseum, Jonah wrapped Alex in a shoulder hug. Jonah was in awe at how crowded Altador was. Everyone had their team’s jerseys on, waving their flags around, and more than half of the crowd was carrying a delicious cup of slushie in their hand. Jonah knew they were delicious because he had tasted them with Alex right away after he had arrived, him getting the green slushie and Alex the purple.

     “Don’t these taste delicious?” Alex had asked.

     “Yeah, but I’m more impressed with the Tuskaninny waitress,” Jonah said. “Look at her go!”

     The Altador Cup was incredible, of course. Jonah’s team won, and everyone who was wearing a Team Brightvale outfit went wild. Especially one Techo who was truly making some noise on the other side of the bleachers.

     And as Jonah and Alex played at Legendary Petpets after, Jonah looked at his once best friend and his now best friend again and smiled. “Hey, Alex, thanks for bringing me here.”

     Alex chuckled. “It’s the least I could do,” he said. “You’ll be holding facing the Pant Devil above my head forever.”

     “No, I won’t,” Jonah said, playfully punching Alex in the shoulder. “Besides, it’s what best friends are for. You know I’d do anything for you.”

     Alex smiled. “You know I’d do anything for you, too.”

     The End.