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"I'm going to ask her after practice, Claire." Derrick said breathlessly as they ran during practice. It could be because he was excited, or it could be due to the two 800's they were running for their warm-up.
"And you're telling me this, because?" Claire asked, trailing off at the end.
Today had been a perpetually bad day. Ever since the parking lot, it seemed like there was a storm cloud following Claire around every where she went. She had gotten an 82 on a calculus test, her laptop had decided to commit laptop suicide and launch itself off the table in AP government, and worst of all, as she walked by the library on her way to Spanish 5, she saw Cam making out with Olivia Ryan between the bookshelves. She wasn't jealous, it just pissed her off that he was teasing her like he was.
Derrick looked hurt. "Well, because I want you at the restaurant. For moral support, you know?" Derrick asked, his eyes pleading with her.
They stopped in their respective places as coach King blew the whistle.
"Fine, I'll go. But I'm not sitting with you and hurdler Hailey.
"Yes! Thank you so much, Claire. I'll buy the chips and the drinks for today."
Claire laughed as Derrick ran to the other track with the rest of the distance runners.
Once a month, Claire and Derrick would go to the spot that she attacked him. Sometimes they would swing on the swings, or run on the trail. Other times, they would sit and study, or talk and catch up.
Practice ended early, because of the meet in Queens tomorrow. They all went in to change.
Derrick and Claire met at the car, and true to his word, Derrick drove to the park. Five miles under the speed limit.
They stopped by a gas station on the way to Fish Burn park. Derrick handed Claire a ten dollar bill to pick up their snacks. They started doing this when Claire got her license. They would stop by a convenience store on their way to the park, because after practice, the two growing teenagers were usually famished.
Claire picked out a bag of Utz kettle cooked, barbecue chips and filled up two medium sized slurpee cups. Coach would kill them if he saw them eating like this.
She paid at the register and took her four dollars and sixty seven cents in change.
As she hopped into the car, she looked over at Derrick. He was sitting in the front seat, hands on the steering wheel and a dopey smile on his face.
"What's up? Did you ask her?" Claire questioned, setting the chips and drinks on the floor. Her heart sped up before he answered.
"She said yes. We're going to Taaza at six tonight. I've invited everyone else to go with us. I've never been more relieved in my life." Derrick said without thinking.
Claire waited for him to apologize, but it never came.
I've never been more relieved in my life?Not even in seventh grade, when- no. Stop. Don't start thinking about it.
Claire smiled a shaky smile. "Well, that's great, Derrick. To Taaza? I'll have to dress up for that."
Taaza was a new Indian restaurant in town. It was at the top of the hill, and was made completely out of glass panes. It was absolutely beautiful when the sunlight hit it correctly. All of the stars made a point of going to there when they went to the city.
"Not if you don't want to." Derrick said, turning on his left turn signal to turn into the park.
"Well, I don't want to look like a slob." Claire said, trying not to look Derrick in the eye.
Claire felt like she was losing her best friend. It seemed like he was running farther and farther away and taking whatever her body needed most with her.
Derrick pulled into a space, and they both got out of the car. As the sunshine and familiar smell of charred hot dogs hit her, the memory came back to her.
-Thirteen years ago-
"Ring around the rosy, a pocket full of posy, ashes, ashes, we all fall- doggy!" Four year old, Claire Lyons twin brother, Kemp Lyons said as the spun in a circle. He took off running after the sheep dog that was about as shaggy as Kemp was.
Claire fell on the ground with an oopmh. She glared after her brother as he plowed into the dog and its owner.
She looked over to the picnic table that her mom was sitting at, yelling at a squirming Todd for going into the mud and getting his new, white shoes all messy.
The blond girl slowly swiveled her head, taking in the pretty blue sky with no clouds in it. Her eyes landed on a long-haired boy. He had light like hers, but his skin was a little bit darker than hers. Something caught her eye on the boy's finger. It was big, and it sparkled in the sunlight. He put it into his mouth, meaning only one thing.
Ring-pop.
Claire didn't wait for the boy to move any closer to her. She quickly picked herself off the ground and took off running. She was a fast runner, always beating kids around her neighborhood.
A few feet before she hit him, he looked over at her, his brown eyes widening to the size of a full-moon. By then, it was too late to move.
There was a huge collision and Claire got off the boy, swiftly sliding his ring-pop off his finger and popped it into her mouth.
"That hurt," the boy lisped our softly.
Claire rolled her eyes. "You're a baby." She said, by helped him up anyways.
"Claire Stacy Lyons, why did you do that?" Her mother asked furiously. She stormed over to where the two young children were standing.
"He had a wing-pawp." She said, her trophy in her mouth.
"Apologize. Right now."
"Sawwy." Claire said, looking down.
"That's okay. My name is Derrick."
"Claire."
"Do you want to go play on the swings, Claire?" Derrick asked, shuffling around.
"Sure," Claire took the ring-pop out of her mouth, and tried to hand it back to Derrick.
"Um, that's okay."
"Last one to the sings is a rotten egg!" Claire shouted, quickly taking off from her mother and Derrick.
-Present day-
"Are you listening to a word I'm saying?" Derrick asked, waving a hand in front of her face.
"Sorry, what?"
Derrick rolled her eyes. "I was asking if you wanted to sit here and eat, and talk?"
"Yeah, that sounds good."
The pair sat down on the edge of the play ground, a bag of chips and their drinks between them.
They talked for a while. They talked about everything and everything. The Queens meet tomorrow, Kristen and Kemp, the blue sky. It almost felt like old times.
Almost.
"Oh fuck!" Derrick exclaimed, hopping up from the spot.
"What?" Claire asked curiously, wondering what could have happened. What could he have forgotten?
"It's five fifteen. We have to be ready soon, because-"
"The date is at six. Let's go." Claire said, her voice devoid of all emotion.
They both took off in a sprint. Derrick, because he sensed the urgency of picking up Hailey up on time, and Claire, because she didn't want to be left by her best friend.
"Here," Derrick said, tossing Claire the keys. "I want you to drive. Fast." He added.
Claire laughed. "Okay, Derrick, whatever you say."
It took them all of ten minutes to get back to Derrick's house. It was only twenty minutes away, though.
Claire dropped off Derrick and his car, grabbed her extra stuff from his house and said good-bye to Peter and Alice. She hopped into her own car.
As she drove. She tried to put together these strange feelings she was having. Despite her being an honor student, she couldn't figure it out.
Really, she just didn't want to accept the answer.
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