A Thousand Miles and A Million Years

Chapter Three

Mae

Nine Years Old

I rushed outsideand to my front yard, quickly glancing to see the weather was wonderful. Blue skies, no clouds, and no signs of any changing. I sighed in aggravation and stomped my foot on my porch step, falling back and siting on my butt.

"Hey, hey, what's up?" Mark asked, running from where he was down the street.

"Nothing." I lied, getting better control over myself. I wrapped my arms around myself because despite the wonderful skies, it was still chilly in the New York air I had gotten used to.

"Nooo, not again. Your telling me what's wrong this time." Mark said, slipping off his jacket and wrapping it around my shoulders, standing me up beside him.

"I was looking forward to maybe having some stupid snow out here!" I shouted at the sky. Mark stifled a laugh, leading me to his backyard.

"Mae, it's okay. We'll just have to put off me teaching you how to build an igloo until later, okay?" He said as he opened his gate and we both walked back to his familiar tree.

"Fine." I said, admittedly a bit disappointed. We both climbed the ladder up to the large tree house that Mark had made when he was nine.

"Gosh, you being Canadian, I didn't think I would have to teach you something like that." He joked, walking over to his chair and pulling one over for me.

"Hey! Shush your mouth!" I said jokingly.

"I thought you'd be nicer too." He mumbled through his smirk as he pulled his blanket up higher.

"Anyways, what can we do now?! we only have a few days until Christmas and a limited break from school!" I said, trying to think of something as I involuntarily wrapped his jacket tighter around myself.

"You can always paint more of my wall." He smiled at me. He knew painting was my favourite thing to do anytime of the year, and his room being indoors in the heat, I couldn't object.

"Are you sure your parents even want me to be doing that?" I asked unsurely for the millionth time.

"They love it!" he assured me. "My mom told me if society didn't strongly agree with having living room walls one color, she'd let you paint there too."

"Now your just exaggerating." I huffed under my breath as I stood and made my way to the exit.

"I'm not!" he laughed, fallowing close behind me.

"I'm not even that good, Mark! Shush!" I said lightly, my words shattering against the cold as we stepped down the ladder.

When Mark reached the bottom, I was only a few steps away from him, making it easy for him to reach out and turn me around so I had to look him in the eyes. "Mae, please don't ever say stuff like that! Your an amazing artist!"

"Mark." I warned. He let go of my shoulders, but not the subject that was still frozen in the air.

"I'm serious! For being only nine, you paint wonderfully!" He assured me as we reached his back door.

"Your better." I muttered as he opened the door and we both stepped through.

"Not really, but I'm older anyways." he muttered back before his mom saw us.

"Hello Mae!" She smiled at me. She has absolutely adored me ever since I first hung out with Mark a year and a half ago.

"Hello Mrs. Greenland." I smiled eagerly back, taking off her sons coat and throwing it at him as I untied my converse.