Lexi
The friends we have as children shape us. Some of them we keep forever, some of them we lose along the way... but all of them leave something behind... or in his case, take something as they leave.
Mason Jennings held my heart in his hands at...
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*9 years ago - age 11*
"Mason!!"
We're on the frozen lake in the park that's opposite our houses. Mason and I have been neighbours since he moved to Wrendale when we were three so we pretty much grew up together and we come here to skate everyday after school. It's like a ritual for us and this is our place. Our safe space.
"Yes my Princess Annika?" He replies skating back towards me doing a mock bow.
"Do you still have to call me that?" I huffed, crossing my arms.
Mason flicked his finger side to side at my posture and chuckled, "Is that supposed to intimidate me? You know you look like an angry Strawberry Shortcake right?"
"I'm not ginger!" I rebut but it only serves to make him laugh harder.
I didn't expect to be able to intimidate him but a girl can hope. At 11years old he's already over 5ft and playing hockey every waking hour is turning him into a Gaston impersonator. The girls at school go mad for it and glare at me when I breathe in his direction, let alone talk to him. Unlike them, I have zero desire to date Mason Jennings. Cue need to throw up at the thought.
"That's the part you have a problem with? That I got your hair colour wrong?" He says as he recovers from his fit of giggles.
"Shut it Wipeout"
The smile on my face is smug as Mason's grin falls away.
"Low blow Lexi, low blow"
When Mason and I were 9 we played for the same junior hockey team. Our town doesn't have a junior girls team so the coach bent the rules slightly to let me play. At our last game of the season, Mason had the puck and was en route for the winning goal when he got too cocky and tried to show off with a spin mid-skate. Needless to say he didn't pay attention and his skates collided with the puck causing him to totally wipe out and face plant the side of the rink. We lost the game and ever since I've called him 'Wipeout' to do my duty to society and keep his offensively big ego in check.
I begin to skate circles around him as I speak, "Shouldn't have called me Princess Annika"
"How is it fair that me calling you a princess means you call me Wipeout two years after it happened?!"
"Annika is a Barbie princess. I'm too old for Barbie so you can't call me it anymore."
"We'll see about that Annika" He says as he skates away from me and I scream in frustration before chasing after him.
~~~~~
*Present day*
Mason says nothing. Not a goddamn thing.
I'd avoided the possibility that I'd one day see him again since the day he left and now that the 20 year old version of him is stood in front of me, avoidance sounds like a good idea.
