"I had the dream again last night."
"What dream would that be James?"
"The one about Gustavo Rocque."
"The fat, obnoxious music producer in Los Angeles? Sounds like more of a nightmare than a dream."
"So not true, Kendall."
James Diamond stood in the Sherwood Supermarket parking lot with a faraway look in his eyes as he recounted his dream to his three best friends – Kendall, Logan and Carlos. Kendall was the only one of the four boys who was employed by the Sherwood family-owned supermarket. Mr. Sherwood, known affectionately by residents of Apple Valley, Minnesota as "The Old Man," hired Kendall personally.
"Gustavo Rocque, owner of Rocque Records, came to Minnesota in a fancy limo to offer me a recording contract," James said. "But he couldn't stand me and he offered Kendall the contract instead – right here in this parking lot."
"That's nuts, James," Kendall Knight said. He collected shopping carts from a cart corral and returned them to the front of the store. "Like some nine-million dollar limo with a big-shot music producer in it is going to pull up at this supermarket and offer me a recording contract. I don't even sing. In fact none of us sing except you."
"I tried explaining that to Gustavo in my dream," James said. He, Logan and Carlos tagged along behind Kendall. "But Gustavo wanted you and only you."
"We're high school hockey players – proud AVHS Eagles," Kendall said. "My future is playing professional hockey with the Minnesota Wild." Tall and slender, Kendall is a natural athlete. He made the Minnesota State Golden Gopher Hockey Team as a center in his sophomore year.
"And my dream is to be a doctor," Logan Mitchell said. Logan was super smart, never earning anything less than an A on his report card since the third grade. "I haven't made up my mind if I want to work at the Mayo Clinic or work in an impoverished community or country. What about you, Carlos? What do you want to do with your life?"
"Dunno." Carlos Garcia shrugged his shoulders. He fidgeted with his black hockey helmet which he carried with him everywhere all year long. "I guess I could go into law enforcement like my Dad. I'm supposed to talk to my guidance counselor next week about colleges and stuff. My Dad would like it if I went to college."
"Are you sure your guidance counselor wants to talk to you about your future, Carlos?" Kendall asked. "Maybe he wants to talk to you about mooning that poor little exchange student, Laura Bridger."
"That was an accident!" Carlos' dark eyes flashed. "Why doesn't anybody believe me?" Mr. Jenner made me run laps because I was late to his stupid gym class. I was alone in the boys' locker room when I took my shower so I didn't bother wrapping a towel around myself. I got to my locker, started to get dressed and I heard a female voice behind e ask where she could find somebody named Lou."
Logan copped a superior attitude. "Laura was looking for the restroom, Genius. A 'loo' is the British term for restroom."
"I know that – now." Carlos glared at Logan. "Principal Wright still gave me a lecture and a week's detention."
"I feel kind of bad about that," Logan said. "Missy O'Brien set Laura up to get back at us for turning the sprinkler on her and the other girls on the field hockey team."
"Not bad enough to not go out with Laura." Carlos pushed Logan.
"If found Laura's wit and her accent to be quite refreshing." Logan gave Carlos a smug grin.
"You didn't even give me a chance to ask her out!"
Logan sniggered. "You couldn't even look Laura in the eyes after the locker room incident. And even if you did manage to ask her out, you would have to stand on your tiptoes to kiss her. She's three inches taller than you, Shrimp."
"I can't help being short," Carlos said. "If she's three inches taller than me, then Laura is an inch taller than you."
"Wrong. We are the same height. I know 'cause we kissed."
"Oh, it's on!" Carlos strapped his hockey helmet under his chin and knocked Logan to the ground. The two boys rolled around on the ground, fighting each other.
"You gonna do something about them, Kendall?" James pulled his lucky comb from his jacket pocket and ran it through his brown hair. Taller and thinner than Kendall, James was known as "The Face" of Apple Valley High School. Girls fell all over themselves for the opportunity to go out with him.
Kendall smirked. "Yeah, watch." He adjusted his ski cap over his blond hair and aimed a shopping cart towards the battling boys. The cart hit Carlos square in the back. The Hispanic boy did not miss a beat. He kept pummeling Logan.
"Man!" Kendall exclaimed. "I can't believe that didn't work."