"Car-los? What are you thinking?" Dorothy Ann asked as he ushered them towards her car.
"Uh-uh. Nope, no way. I am so not telling you. Here, tie this around your eyes. It's a surprise."
"But – Uh, what?" D.A. was left speechless as so many different possibilities flickered through her head.
Carlos sighed. "Do I have to do everything?" he asked as he opened the passenger door for her. Walking around to his side, Carlos climbed in and tied the scarf around D.A.'s eyes. "Now don't mess with that. It's a good surprise, I promise."
D.A. sighed to herself. She and Carlos had been friends long enough that she knew a lost argument when she saw one. In fact, the banter between them had been one of the main reasons for her attempting to get into law school. It had kept her sharp and on her toes, constantly checking the validity of Carlos' crazy references. Stanford had been her dream school for as long as she could remember and she was beyond thrilled when they came calling. Dorothy Ann couldn't help but feel guilty, though, whenever she thought about leaving her friends and family clear across the country. Stanford was a long way from Edison, New Jersey. She had spent the last bit of her senior year in high school depressed at the idea.
Her mood, she remembered, had changed considerably that one night in April. It was nearing ten o'clock, and Dorothy Ann had been getting ready to head towards bed when her front door burst open. In came Carlos, with a wild look in his eye, dripping sweat and still in his soccer uniform from that night's game. "I GOT IN! I GOT IN! D.A.! I GOT IN!" "Carlos, wah – I don't understand. You got in where?" "STANFORD! I GOT IN! I GOT IN!" He was jumping all around the room, making it hard for D.A. to keep track of him. "Carlos, wait, slow down. How did you get into Stanford? I didn't think that you had even applied." " - andnowI'mgoingtoStanfordandnowyoudon'thavetobesofaraway."
"You wanna try that again?" Carlos took a deep breath and looked his best friend (and secret crush) in the eye. "There was a scout from Stanford at my game tonight. Apparently he's been to a couple of them now and liked what he saw. He found me in the locker room afterwards and offered me a scholarship. I accepted on the spot, and… and now…" He trailed off, unsure of how to continue. "'And now' what? Carlos?" "And now… and now you don't have to be so far away from your friends. Think about it D.A.! All the parties and games and, the apartment! If we're going to the same school, we have to be roommates! Besides, it would be my only chance to see you naked." He winked. "CARLOS!"
"Hell-oo. Earth to Dorothy Ann. Anyone home?" A light shake on her shoulder pulled D.A. from her memories and back to the present. "Where are we? Can I take this thing off yet?" she asked. "Yeah, hang on. Lemme park" came the reply. Once they had parked and gotten out, Carlos gently removed the scarf from around her eyes. They were in a park, and Carlos was leading them towards a small cluster of people on the nearby bridge. Still confused, D.A. began to ask "Carlos, where are you – Oh hell no!"