It has been ten years since Calvin played with his trademark pal Hobbes. He was thrown in the back of the closet, forgotten, when Calvin got his very first puppy.
"This will keep him busy, and it'll teach him responsibility," his father said, satisfied.
"At least the puppy might tire him out," sighed her mother, knowing who would be left to clean up the new addition's "accidents."
Ranger is old now, almost ten. Calvin is sixteen, an honors student, and ready for college. He did indeed learn responsibility from the puppy. His responsibility to give his mother something to look back on and laugh, he said.
Calvin walked to school one brisk fall day, the leaves crunching under his shoes. The high point of his day today is AP Chemistry. Oh, how he loved those experiments! The more secret high point is what his heart is fluttering about and his stomach is churning over. Suzie. He's had a crush on her for a year now, but he doesn't have any courage. Brains, but no courage. He remembered when he was little, and he antagonized Suzie, how easy it was to talk to her. But now.... Now he was not going to merely insult her. He was going to ask her out. The most brutal form of torture known to men.
Last night he had to write a short essay in Spanish for the Señora. It was to be about his childhood, including what he did, where he lived, and toys he used to play with. The trip down memory lane had been a short one. He didn't think about his past much anymore. The future was infinitely more interesting. Calvin remembered his childhood friends, namely Suzie. He remembered his old stuffed tiger, Hobbes, and laughed about the imagination he had at six. Calvin wondered what had happened to Hobbes.
He was at his locker, getting his books, and psyching himself up for his mission. Today was the day. Slamming his locker shut, he turned around and—
"Suzie! H-hi." Real smooth.
"Hello, Calvin," she replied without much enthusiasm. Man, she was beautiful. She seemed to sparkle like the morning's dew. Calvin blocked everything out as he stared at her.
"Calvin?" she interrupted his thoughts.
He hadn't realized she was talking. "Yeah?"
"Could you move? You're standing in front of my locker."
Calvin deflated. "Sure." He moved, and was about to walk away when....
"RIIIINNG!"
He was late for Chemistry. He would have another chance later. Calvin sprinted to his class, and snuck in. The teacher loved his top student, so he pretended not to notice and continued with the lecture. Calvin sighed. He had failed his first attempt at the mission.
"RIIIIING!"
The lunch bell rang. Calvin couldn't ask her in front of the entire cafeteria, but he knew she went to her locker right after lunch, so he planned to attack then, when she was alone and cornered. He felt like he was stalking a wild beast. He was, Calvin thought. The wild, elusive, and cunning woman.
Calvin quickly ate his lunch, then went to his locker, rehearsing his lines. He had to say them perfectly. No room for mistakes.
There she is. She's coming this way. Does she see me? The hall is pretty deserted. Look busy! Don't look like a dork! She's at her locker...
"Hi, Suzie," he managed out.
"Hello, Calvin."
"Ah... ahem, Suzie, can I ask you a question?" Calvin fidgeted with the button on his shirt.
"You've just asked one, but I suppose I can allow one more," Suzie, the tease. A fleeting thought went through Calvin's head: She's flirting with me!
"Ah, right, ...erm.... "At that moment, Suzie slammed her locker shut. Unfortunately, Calvin's fingers were gripping the side of her locker from anxiety.
"OOWW!" Calvin yelled, jerking his fingers back.
Suzie's hands went to her mouth. "I'm so sorry Calvin! I didn't know your hand was there! I'm so, so sorry!"
Calvin's face was a mirror of pain. "It's okay. ...ow."
"I'm sorry! Do you want to go to the nurse? Here, let me have your books," she said, taking his books from him. "Let me see it. I once slammed my fingers in the car door, and my mom's a nurse, so..." She took his hand, and his face got even redder.
"Oh, they don't look broken, thank goodness. Just bruised. You'll want to go to the nurse to get some ice. I'm so sorry, Calvin."
The pain subsided a little when she held his hand. "It's okay, Suzie. Don't worry about me. Um..."
"You said you had a question for me," Suzie asked as they walked to the nurse's office.
"Yeah... um.. would you... I mean, if you want to... would you consider possibly... er... going, um, to a... movie or something... with me on Saturday?"
Suzie blushed. "Sure," she said simply, and they walked in comfortable silence the rest of the way to the nurse's office.
He went home that night to find his room....clean. His mother must have gotten fed up with him and cleaned it for him. On his bed was his old stuffed tiger Hobbes.
"Hey, old buddy. Haven't seen you in a while," he said softly to the tattered old toy. "Guess who's got a date Saturday night! Me! And Suzie! Can you believe it?"
For a moment, he thought he saw the toy tiger come to life like it was ten years ago. Calvin thought it was a trick of his eyes, but he couldn't mistake the knowing smile, and the teasing wink in his best friend's eye. With that smile and wink, everything felt right, just as it did in the naïve, simple years of his youth. He set his tiger up next to his books on his desk and got to work on his homework. Calvin felt complete, with an upcoming date, and his best friend right where he should be: by his side, forever.