It was nearly eight AM when Carter left for Vee's house. Her black mid-calf rain boots protected her black skinny jeans from the mud of the dirt road. The pants were a gift from Vee, actually, and quite honestly weren't Carter's top fashion choice. Generally she stuck to her worn-out converse, loose jeans and oversized T shirts. Predictable and unpretentious.
Carter hated being looked at. When people look at her too long they notice details, and those details stir up questions. Making any change in appearance after wearing the same outfit for years would draw in attention Carter didn't want.
But for the sake of being polite, Carter wore the jeans on the weekends, for Vee to see, but never to school.
Part of the reason she was wearing the jeans today was in hope that Vee wouldn't be bothered by Carter showing up a bit earlier than usual, as if the jeans would perk her friends already bubbly personality.
Apart from the shoes and jeans, Carter wore a large white wife-beater. She shrugged on her black jacket, throwing the hood up to guard her face from the drizzle and zipping it up to protect the clarity of her shirt.
It was a twenty minute walk between Carter and Vee's homes. Between their houses was an old park, with swings and monkey bars and a merry-go-round. The duo had spent more afternoons there than Carter could ever remember.
Another ten minutes after Vee's house was the town- most of the students that attended their school lived there. It was a small town, and the city was some distance away, only accessible by a single highway. Though there was a freight train that made way to and from each location as well.
The school the two attended was a ten minute walk from Carters house, in the opposite direction. Why they built the elementary school so far from the town? Carter couldn't guess.
Carter was just walking onto Vee's porch when she heard someone call her name. She instantly recognized the voice, and looking up ahead she spotted Vee sticking her head out her bedroom window. She had a green towel wrapped around her torso, and her wet hair stuck to the sides of her face. "The door's locked!" She called, "Go around the back! I'll be down in a minute!"
Following Vee's instructions, Carter followed the path around the back of the house. She left her muddy rainbows on the porch, then slid the glass door open. She had just taken a seat at the stool of the kitchen island when Vee trotted downstairs.
Turning to her right Carter could see Vee take the last few steps- still drying her hair with a towel. "Why are you still in your jacket?" Vee asked after a brief glance at her friend.
Confused and squinting, Carter responded, "Is this a trick question?"
Vee smiled and tossed her damp towel on the isle, then opened the fridge. "It's raining but it's warm." She elaborated, pulling out a pitcher of tea. She held it up for Carter to see, and when confirmation came from the guest, Vee collected two glasses and sat down on the opposite side of the island.
It was warm, Carter thought, but she had redmarks on her upper arm from Mark that she preferred to hide. Not that Vee would recognize them for what they were. Carter rolled her sleeves up to her elbows.
Carter took the cold glass of tea from Vee's outstretched hand. "Thanks." Carter said.
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For a the next thirteen hours Carter stayed in Vee's company. Cole came home around lunch and the three went to the park and swung on the swings. The trio had competed to see who could get the highest the fastest, and afterwords who could jump the furthest- Cole won both competitions. They also played on the merry-go-round, and at Cole's insistence, the girls held tightly onto the bars while he spun them as fast as he could.
