Purple Hearts

Chapter 12- Spencer

Spencer-

"I'll drive the car. You can take the bus." Spencer said to Sarah that morning after breakfast. "Hey, are you okay?"

Sarah looked tired, but sipped the last of her coffee. "Yeah, just waiting for the coffee to kick in."

"Okay. Who wants to ride in the car with me?" Spencer asked. Three girls' hands shot up in the air. "Oh my gosh, it's perfect!" They squealed together, then they headed towards the car. It was an old blue Taurus that would carry their lunch and drinks. Spencer zoned in and out on their conversations. They chatted aimlessly about anything and everything. "Can we use the radio?" One of them asked.

"Yeah. There's an aux cord in there." He nodded his head towards the glove compartment.

Some cheesy love song came on, and Spencer was slightly disturbed, but said nothing. "What kind of music do you listen to Spencer?"

"Hmm, rock mostly."

"What do you want to be when you finish college?"

"Well, I want to be a doctor, but I'm thinking about settling down first."

"Awww!" They said. That was usually the reaction he got from girls. "Yeah." He shrugged it off, but couldn't help the shy smile that crept on the corner of his mouth.

Eventually, they left him alone to chat amongst themselves. They did, however, play rock music until he pulled into the parking lot.

He'd lived in Greenville his entire life, and today he was learning things from a newcomer's point of view. Spencer listened to what the professor was speaking about.

"You see, running water is a natural sign of relaxation. Kids love running water. It's relaxing and makes you more comfortable being around a place where there are tall buildings. Now, any questions?"

This group never asked any questions. Most of them were listening intently to what he was saying. The other 25% observed their surroundings. One of which, stared at the water, completely oblivious to her surroundings. Sarah nudged her. "Are you okay?" She shook her head and nodded. "Yeah. He was so right about the water thing."

They moved along, observing several examples of things related to water, trees, and etc. Spencer knew all of these places, but he never recognized them like this.

"That's a bookstore over there, and there's a school down that way." Spencer said to anyone who was generally listening. (Yes, he was talking. What's wrong with a little conversation?) They'd stopped to sketch parts of main street.

"Cool. Bet you got a lot of memories here." The Professor nodded. "We're going on the bike ride and through the park. Gonna try and hit all the main points of Greenville."

Spencer nodded. The park was probably one of the best places to go when you needed a break. They'd eventually made it there, and took a break for lunch. The water from the fountains drowned out the busy sounds of the city life. Almost like a dome protected them from the outside world.

They'd sat around the fountain. He looked intently at Sarah. Why'd it feel like he knew her from somewhere? "Sarah, do I know you from somewhere?"

"You know me from Clemson...?" She raised her eyebrows, a sly smile crept onto her mouth.

"Oh yeah." Spencer implied a sarcastic tone whilst shaking his head. He should never ask that again. That silence that constantly plagued their conversation returned suddenly.

Did it ever have a lunch break?

They'd eventually walked through the park, and to the bike shop. Spencer helped the workers hand out helmets and waited until they lined up on the sidewalk with their bikes and helmets.

"What kind of bike you want bro?" The guy asked Spencer. "Would you like a tandem for you and your girl over there?"

What girl? Spencer thought. He must have worn a confused expression because the guy shook his head. "Never mind."

Spencer looked around the shop. There were only five girls in the entire class.

Was that guy talking about Sarah? Spencer liked Sarah. They were a good team. That was pretty much it.