Summer Breeze and Autumn Rush

Chapter 2

"Okay, Alice Whitman in three words. Go."

They were sitting at their usual spot on the grass field. At Clover Grove High School, they were big on nature so on nice days students were required to eat lunch outside instead of in the cafeteria. The field itself was scattered with picnic benches and students were bermitted to bring their own picnic blankets or borrow one from the school. Caroline and Mandy were sitting on an old quilt they had found in Caroline's grandparents garage one boring summer afternoon, under one of the large oak trees a little ways away from the track where a loth of the other kids sat. Caroline was attempting, without success, to balance a french fry on her nose.  She gave up chewed it thoughtfully.

"Ratchet, fake and... Really blonde?" she tried.

Mandy nibbled at her salad. "That's four words." she mused. "Oh, and you forgot 'has the mental capasity of a pineapple'."

Caroline giggled. "Don't be mean! I'm sure pineapples are plenty smart, that's why we eat them to make sure they don't over throw the human race. And that would be eleven words by the way."

Mandy smiled, "True. UGH she's just SO annoying! During the student council meeting she stole my idea even though I had already asked about it last week!"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "How typical. What did you say?"

"Well," Mandy smirked. "I may have mentioned that Mrs Parker had given us permission for it last week and 'weren't you here Alice? You did vote no.'"

Caroline cracked up. "She's gonna get you back for this one you know."

"She can try but I'm not the only one who can see past her fake smile. Some guy in my English Liturature class corrected her spelling right there in front of the entire class."

Mandy and Alice had been arch enemies since the third grade when Alice had dropped her orange juice all down Mandy's skirt and, so that she wouldn't get into trouble, had told everyone that Mandy had peed herself. That was the day Caroline was dubbed 'Lion' and also the day her and Mandy had become friends. Their mutual dislike of Alice Whitman (or as the called her, Alice Whigny-ton) had only increased when Alice simultaniously beat Mandy for Student Council President and stole Caroline's then boyfriend, Hollis, in the nineth grade. It had been all out war ever since.

"Okay, that is just priceless! I bet her face went that aubergine colour!"

"Oh honey, it did."

They laughed and Mandy stole one of Caroline's fries. A small figure caught Caroline's attention and she sighed. "Oh cruel world, why did you gift Jason Morris with being rediculously hot, incredibly awesome as well as incredibly popular?"

Mandy popped her last cherry tomato in her mouth and turned to look. There he was, all five foot ten of him with her brown hair flopping over his blue eyes, sitting on the grass, head-butting a soccer ball.

"I don't understand why you don't just go talk to him. You're both on the soccer team. Just go over there and ask him what time practice is today."

Caroline flopped onto the ground dramatically. "I would if he didn't make me feel like I just ate a cloud and am trying to puke it out."

Mandy wrinked her nose in disgust. "Vivid. But fine, your call. I'm here to back you up whenever. Like, if you ever need and excuse for him to give you mouth to mouth I'll punch you in the stomach."

"You devotion to this friendship amazes me." Caroline replied dryly.

"I know right?!"

Smiling, Caroline reached another fry and looked around. The field was big and spacious, situated on the back of the school and surrounded by a barbed wire fence. On the other side of the fence was a narrow street of picturesque houses where the richer families lived. All the cars in the driveways were clean and polished to a shine. It was just edging out of snow season so everyone with a car had taken the opportunity to wash it. Caroline was wondering to herself if, by the time she was old enough to drive, would she actually be able to afford a car, when something caught her eye. A trailer painted a faded yellow and purple stood out against the background. It looked like it had seen better days and could definitely use a wash. She was about to point it out to Mandy when a boy got out of, what she assumed was the driver seat.

He couldn't have been more that twenty years old and looked like some sort of indie rock kid in his aded black Rolling Stones t-shirt and stone wash jeans with battered Chuck Taylors. His longish, straight, black hair almost completely cover his forehead while a pair of black Ray-Ban sunglasses covered his eyes. He looked more like a guy on his way to some obscure band concert than the type to be parked in front o a school in Etobicoke. Maybe he was lost? He turned around and looked her straight in the eyes, arching on black eyebrow. Caroline blushed but didn't look away, her skin prickling up. What was...

A whooshing sound and a "Yo heads up Lion!" broke her train of thought. She turned to see a a soccer ball headed directly towards her head. Her soccer training kicked in and she caught the ball with both hands, the momentum sending a jolt up her arms.

"Nice save. Coach'd be proud."

She looked up to see Jason smiling down at her apologetically, one hand in her tousled brown hair. Caroline felt her moth turn to cotton wool. Behind him stood Alex Ross and Stefen Carter, two of the other boys on the team. Stefen stepped forward with a goofy smile on his face. "Sorry about that. D'you mind giving us our ball back, Barbie?"

Dude!" said Alex, punching him on the arm. "That's Caroline the Lion! She can kick a ball hetter than you can. If you still want yours you better watch it!"

The rest of the guys started to laugh. "Whatever." Stefen muttered turning pink.

"He's right, you know. She can kick balls like nobody's buisiness." Jason added and winked at her. Caroline felt a deep flush creeping up her neck.

Stefen, now less pink, grinned again. "If you two are done flirting we really could like your ball back."

Caroline tossed it back to him single handed and, whooping, he caught it while running back to his blanket. Jason turned around to follow him but hesitated. "Are you coming to practice today?" he asked her.

Caroline nodded. "Yeah."

Jason smiled. "Cool! Do you want to team up or something?"

Caroline's mouth turned back into the Sahara desert. Mandy nudged her. "Uh... sure. That would be awesome."

"Cool! See you later Car!" He jogged of and Caroline heard Mandy 'squee' with excitement.

"Car! Car? Omigod Caroline what just happened?!"

"I have not idea." Caroline answered, besumed. Mandy clapped her hands excitedly.

"This is cuter than Simon and Isabelle in the Mortal Instruments!"

Mandy tittered on about Sizabelle cuteness level but Caroline was no longer listening. She looked over past the barbed wire fence and saw that the trailer was still there, sticking out like a sore thumb, but cutie-driver-boy was gone.

"Okay. Jason Morris in three words."

Caroline didn't turn around but she smiled softly. "Maybe one day."

Erik sat behind the tinted windscreen in thought. Finally, he found her. He hesitated a moment beore pressing one of the colourul buttons that were scattered across what used to be the dashboard. There was a single high beep and then:

"Hello?" The voice was a woman's. It sounded far away and heavy, as if the weight of the world rested on her tongue. As if her ever word held value and importance.

"I've got her. Now what?"

If the woman had had the ability to smirk, she would have.

"Now, you don't let her go."