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A Stroll Down Memory Lane

"My bus is number 57. And you're sure your mom is okay with you coming over?" I ask, a little anxious.
Blair laughs, "Relax Lexi. Everything is worked out, I called her between periods. As long as your mom can take me home, we're cool."
I sigh. "Okay then. I just want to make sure I get off on the right foot with your mom." With that comment I am transported to another friends mother who I am no longer on good terms with. Mrs. Fletcher.
     We get off at my stop and walk one block to my Victorian-style house. It's light blue with white trimming, nice shrubbery and flowers- well, dead flowers, seeing's how it's now the first week of November.
     "Here we are." I say as I open the door. My mom works a part-time job so she's usually there when I get home.
    "Hey mom?" I call. "I have a friend here. Would you like to come say hello?" I glance at Blair and wink, but she's looking around my living room with a slightly open mouth.
    "Yes dear who is it? Oh my! A girl!"
I shoot my mom a withering look and she quickly tries to recover. "Oh uh, I mean, of course! Of course it's a girl!"
   Fail.
"Hello Mrs. Nahorm I'm Blair! Your house is charming!" Blair gushes.
     "Oh my, dearie, thank you! But please, call me Brenda."
I wince. My moms doing that weird thing when adults want a kid to say their first name. It's literally so awkward I can never make myself do it.
"Come out to the kitchen girls, I just finished making a chicken pot pie for old Mrs. Lampley next door. Goodness knows she'll never eat the whole thing, so you each may have a slice."
I smile in a conciliatory way at Blair. "That's my mom." I say.
She smiles, "Your mom's really nice! But I'll never be able to call her Brenda, that's just so... Informal, it doesn't feel right!"
I laugh, "I was thinking the same thing!"
After our snack, which Blair fusses over the entire duration of the time we're in the kitchen, I take her up to my room. I shut the door and turn around, raising an eyebrow. "You always such a kiss-up?" I ask.
She giggles. "Sorry. But yes, I am."
I groan. "Now I'm going to hear nothing but 'Lexi, your friend is such a doll! Can't you be more like her?'"
We collapse into giggles and Blair compliments me on my room.
"It's not terribly girly but neither am I. But it's a room that's all mine."
We hang out for about 2 hours, until we have to take Blair home for her dinner. We have a nice chat and get to know each other pretty well. We're going to hang out again really soon.
After dropping Blair off at a cute, brick ranch style house my mom turns to me.
"Oh Lexi your friend is such a doll! Why can't you be more like her?"

       After dinner that night I received a text from Carson.

Want to go for a walk? -C

It's cold and dark. -L

Not to mention wet. -C

Let's go. -L

      "Hey, uh, dad? Carson and I are going for a walk."
    "It's dark out."
"When has darkness stopped me?"
      "It's cold too."
   "Dad."
          "Okay. Be back by nine, that's an hour and a half." He says.

   Duh. Like we're gonna walk that long.

     My mom smiles up at me. "Dress warm."
   I grab my black jacket, black beanie and black gloves, then slip out before they can say anything about my outfit. That I won't be 'visible' or whatever.
      Carson is waiting by my mailbox and I jog up to him.
    "Hey."
     He nods at me and we start out, strolling towards the park a couple blocks away. We're silent for a minute before he speaks.
     "How's Noir?"
I'm surprised. "What makes you think I know anything about him?"
     "Oh come on, it's not like you didn't exchange numbers in Cali."
   Perceptive. He noticed that?
"He tried out for varsity basketball today. I'm sure he made it."
    "Noir's one year older than us, right?" Carson asks.
    "Yes." I answer and we lapse into silence.  We reach the park and head over to the swings. I wriggle my butt into one and look around. The park is deserted, the streetlights sending shadows across pathways and playground equipment, and I am swept away with a wave of nostalgia.
"This is the playground where we watched that kid slam his face on the pole and get a bloody nose." I say.
Carson smiles, "Yeah, you laughed at him."
"I wasn't a very nice child was I?" I ask, laughing.
"No, but that never bothered me. I still remember how we met."
I cock my head to the side. "Let's pretend I don't remember. Remind me."
Carson smiles. "First day of third grade, we both had Ms. Thornbrook."
"Thorny Thornbrook." I say with a smile.
"Yes, that's the one. Anyway, Ms. Thornbrook asked your name and you defiantly said 'Ms. Nahorm.' You always had so much sass."
I laugh and Carson continues.
"She said, 'Alexis, we need your first name honey.' And you snapped back, 'You won't tell us your first name, I won't tell you mine. And it's not Alexis, it's Alexia.'"
I start cracking up. "I literally just said I wasn't going to say it!"
Carson laughs too. "You walked right into her trap. When you realized what you'd said, you gasped and slapped your hand over your mouth. Ms. Thornbrook said 'Thank you, Alexia.' And moved on."
"I did that to every teacher until 4th grade. But I always liked her." I say thoughtfully. "Just thorny enough to get a name, yet we both have similar personalities. Hey, you remember that so clearly, Carson."
"Like it was yesterday."
"Why? Why do you remember so well?"
He looks at me and says softly, "I liked you. I always have. You seemed intriguing when you sassed the teacher, like a puzzle I had to solve. I knew I had to get to know you better. Oh sure, there have been days where we were 'just friends' and even days where I hated you. Heck, I denied my feelings completely until late 9th grade. But right down to it, had I searched my heart, I would've known you had a place there."
I smile at him. "Carson, you are incredible."
He smiles back at me and says nothing.

        And for a while we just sit, until he asks me to come over tomorrow night for a sleepover.
I say yes, I'm looking forward to it, because we haven't had a real hangout in forever.

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Cute Lexi/Carson stuff coming up! Does anyone else ship them?

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Love you!

-M.R.