A/N: So this is the first time I've written a fanfic in a long time. Sorry if this chapter is a little slow or uneventful. I promise it will get better. :) Please review and critique.

Spring was always the perfect time to clean and she had been meaning to get her room straightened out for ages now. So far her dresser had been cleared off and under the bed cleaned out. She had two piles by the door; one of things to throw away and one to find new homes for (donated or otherwise). Now it was time to tackle the monumental task that would be her closet. She turned up the radio and shoved open the creaky and sticky doors, rarely did she actually use this space for any reason but to shove things in when her Mom said she wanted her room clean.

Starting from the top of the pile she pulled out boxes of all sorts. Boxes with old clothes, boxes with elementary memorabilia, boxes with disorganized trinkets and other bits and pieces, boxes with stuffed animals and a few baby items. Slowly and meticulously she took them down, sorted through them and moved them to their respective piles. While on the last box, one filled with macaroni necklaces and hand turkeys, a picture fluttered out of one of the construction paper cards.

With a tired eyeroll she got down on her knees onto the scuffed wooden flooring and felt around under the recently sweept bed space. With a little groan she reached far back enough and grasped it between her pointer and middle fingers. Sighing she sat up and leaned against the bed post to look at the picture. On the back in smudged black ink it read Raven & Becky 3rd Grade accompanied by a little smiley face. She turned it over and sure enough it was a photo of the two girls. Raven's black hair was pulled into pigtails that stuck out every which way, her dark purple dress all ready hinting at her future fashion sense. Next to her was Becky with her choppy brown bangs and worn out denim overalls. Both little girls sat at the foot of a sun-faded red slide, giggling and grinning, not completely aware that the picture was being taken. Her lips formed a small, fond smile as she stood and walked over to the corkboard by the desk. She tacked it up amongst the other overlapping cluster of cards, photos, and certificates and movies stubs. She focused on the baby goth...she felt a weird...sadness whenever she saw her face...every movement around her holding a faint breath of regret...

"Baby youuuu'rrrrre a fiiiiirrrrrrework!" The ringtone ran out loud and clear and she jumped, almost tripping over the chair. The song continued to chime out in its chorus while she glanced around panicked, not sure where she placed her phone...finally she found it on the floor of the closet and she scrambled to answer it before it went to voicemail.

"Hey! Sorry, I lost my phone!" Laughter followed her voice and she sat on the closet floor, clear for the first time in many years.

"Hey baby!" A clearly masculine voice. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing much...just some cleaning...you?" She couldn't help but feel disappointed...to feel like her heart just dropped into her stomache.

"Just got off soccer practice." She could hear the smile in his voice, see his sweaty brown hair pasted to his brow.

"Yeah? How was it?" With calloused fingers she ripped at the frayed ends of her jeans.

"Same old, same old. You know how it is." The rev of a camero engine. "So are you doing something tonight baby?"

"Um..." Biting her lip she looked around...her room was almost clean at this point, her parents were going to dinner at a friend's and Raven hadn't called her in days now that Alexander had come home. She really had nothing to do, no excuse. "No, I don't. You want to hang out or something?" There was the slightest twinge of guilt but of course he didn't pick up on it.

"Yeah, the team is going to Hattie's Diner as a pre-game season thing. A bunch of them are bringing their girlfriend's so of course I wanted to invite my Becky." If he was there he would see the strained smile on her face.

"Sounds great Matt. What time?"

"Pick you up in an hour? I have to go home and shower and stuff."

"Okay baby. I'll be ready."

"Cool, love you. See you soon."

"Love you too. Bye..."

Dial tone. She gave a shaky breath and hung up the phone. Why did she feel so...avoidant? As if he were the worst garbage she'd ever come across? Matt had been nothing but sweet, a perfect gentleman, her dream man. Now though...she could barely stand his voice...let alone be around him. A ragged breath escaped her lips and then she stood up. There was still cleaning to be done before he came to get her and dwelling on it would make things worse. Best to worry about how she planned to get the pile of old clothes down the stairs. No longer did she even contemplate calling or texting her so called best friend. Not like she would answer anyway.