The Perfect Couple

10

After what seemed like hours, Marcus looked at me and when he spoke I learned that something entirely different was bothering him.

"There's just one problem I seen all this," he said. "What if I should get interested in another girl? I couldn't very well ask her out if she thought I was serious about you." "Another girl?" I gasped. For some reason I was stunned at the idea.

"Yeah. I didn't tell you, but a while ago I thought I was in love with Lisa McDougal. I'm over it now, but I notice girls a lot these days and it could happen again anytime."

I know I shouldn't be surprised that Marcus was beginning to think seriously about girls. It was just that he was always hustling for money so he could buy a car the day he got his licence and he was so busy keeping his grades up so he could get into Stanford, where his dad had gone, that I guess I didn't think he'd have time to fall in love.

"Lisa McDougal?!" I said as it's suddenly got through to me who he'd been talking about. She had massive freckles all over her and she still haven't lost all her baby fat. I didn't want to put her down to Marcus, though, so I can't myself in time. "She's real pretty," I said.

"Yeah, I guess," Marcus said, "but she give us too much. I began to notice his after a while and it's got on my nerves." "Do I giggle to much?" I asked, suddenly anxious.

"You don't giggle, exactly," he said. "When you laugh it sounds kind of like my mother's music box. Tinkling, you know."

I was so relieved, I did giggle and then we both burst out laughing. Finally I remembered how serious this was and I told Marcus that he got interested in another girl we just pretend to break up. "The same way we will if when Alan gets interested in me."

Marcus wrapped his arms around his knees and looked off across the road were the first car of the day had just pulled in. He wasn't looking at the car, though. All I could see was his profile, but I knew he was brooding about what I wanted him to do.

Finally he straightened up and looked at me. "I don't know about that guy, Kelly. I'd hate to see you hurt and the way you guys from one girl to another"

"That's because he hasn't met the right girl yet," I interrupted.

"And you think you're the right girl for him?"

He practically echoes Kim's words when I told her the same thing and I began to worry about something besides getting marcus's help.

"Don't you think I'm pretty enough for him to like me?" Marcus was a boy, too. Maybe he knew I had no chance with Alan, or any other attractive boy.

He held out his hands in a helpless gesture. "Gosh, I have no idea of how you look to other guys, Kelly. That would be like me trying to get how Megan looks to those little twerps in her seventh-grade class. You're just Kelly to me."

"Yeah, I know," I mumbled. "The same way you're just Marcus to me."

We were both so I'll look for a while, then Marcus said, "I've got a couple of candy bars. Let's eat them to seal our bargain."

"Then we have a bargain? your going to help me out?"

"Sure. We go into action Monday morning. That's what you want, isn't it?"

"Oh, Marcus!" I threw my arms around his neck, has a big bubble of excitement burst inside me. "You're the best friend a girl ever had!"

"Hey, you're choking me!" Laughing, he pulled my arms from around his neck. "So we're buddies," he said with a shrug. "If I were in love you do the same for me, wouldn't you?"

For some reason I hesitated a second before declaring, "of course I would."

He gave sort of a wry smile as if he thought it was funny for us to want to help each other attract someone else's attention. His voice was a little bit gravelly when he asked if I wanted to eat the Kandy bar now or on the way home. "On the way home," I told him. "If I know Kim, she's probably running a fever by now she's so anxious for us to get to the mall. She's going to help me pick out some cute clothes to further the cause."

Marcos looked shocked. "Kim is in on your scheme?"

"Yes, but she is the only one who is," I assured him. "And you know Kim. She'd never give away a secret."

"Umm," he agreed. "But I don't want anyone else to know. I feel stupid enough about the whole thing without everybody in the world knowing about it." He gave me my candy bar. Just as we got on our bikes for young couple in the sports car across the road through two soda cans out the window. Marcus and I exchanged glances. "We'll get them next time," he said.

We laughed as we started down the hill. It was good to be laughing with my old buddy again.