Gus Griswald sat on the step of his house, a military document spread out in front of him. He sighed. The tasks his father gave him to complete were utterly tedious-he loved the army stuff, sure, but trying to work out military tactics for past wars was a bit over the top.
He looked up, surprised to see a small figure in jeans and an attractive long sleeved black top approaching him.
"Hey, Spinelli", he called out
"Hey, Griswald", she replied with a childish grin. She strolled off the path.
"More military stuff", Gus grimaced "I mean I know I want to follow in my father's footsteps and all, but……" He broke off at the look on Spinelli's face. "Anything wrong?"
She said nothing, but sat down beside him, cupping her small face in her hands and looking out miserably, but with the characteristic Spinelli-look of anger and defiance still playing on her features. She sighed, her breath pushing a stray bit on hair away from her face.
Gus looked at her, concern in his eyes. After all, here was the girl who he had had a strange friendship with for six years now-there had been the great times, the angry times and the times he didn't know what to think. Of all their group, Spinelli had treated him with the most anger and disdain, especially at Third Street. She had constantly put him down, giving him such names as "Jarhead" and using him as her punchbag. And yet, somehow they had had a wonderful friendship.
He remembered the summer after fourth grade, when they had spent time up in TJ's treehouse, giggling over TJ's sister's diary. The year after that, when they had gotten even closer and life had been so sweet-afternoons spent at Kelso's, talking and laughing, reliving the best moments of their school days and slurping at Kelso's finest ice-cream sodas. It was that year that Gus began to see the real Spinelli-the Spinelli that she hid from their group of friends most of the time. Maybe even from T.J.