*****
P.E. class had long ended, and the school bell rang, signalling the end of the day when everyone could go home. Hallie slipped her backpack over her shoulder, and started her lone walk home. Usually, every day after school except Friday's, the summer football league had practice, and that's where Logan would be.....But not today.
"Hey Hal, wait up will ya?" Logan called from behind.
Raising an eyebrow and turning to stare at him, Hallie stopped walking. "What are you doing? Don't you have practice?" she asked curiously.
"Yeh, so?" Logan grunted with a shrug as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
Hallie just continued to stare questioningly into Logan's dark blue eyes. "So...if you miss practice without an excuse, you won't be allowed ta play in Friday's first game. Yer dad'll be pissed!" she exclaimed, trying to get some kind of reaction from her currently stoic friend.
Logan sighed, stepping directly in front of Hallie and placing both hands on her shoulders. "Look Hal, I'm tryin' ta get kicked off the team okay? I skip enough practices, the coach'll can me fer sure. There's no quittin' in my Pop's mind. He'd never let me quit."
Her lip twitching in a worried frown, Hallie cast her eyes down to Logan's feet. "I dunno 'bout this Logan.." she started timidly. She knew Thomas Howlett wasn't the perfect town hero everyone thought him to be. One time she'd been there to witness him hitting Logan, and another time she was nearly hit herself in the man's drunken rage if Logan hadn't stepped in. Of course they'd never told anyone...only because Logan begged Hallie not to. It's not like anyone in town would believe them anyway. Their glorified hero would live on, no matter what the cost.
"Listen, my Pop will be more pissed at the coach then me if I get kicked off rather than quit." Logan assured her.
Hallie let out a nervous sigh.
"So, can I hang at yer house 'till practice is s'posed ta be over so my old man doesn't find out?" he asked with a playful grin.
Rolling her eyes, Hallie half smiled. "Yeh, okay. But what if he sees ya walkin' by the farm to my house?"
Logan shrugged as they began walking again. "He's probably out in the corn fields on the tractor right now. He'll never see me."
Nodding, Hallie picked up her pace beside him.
*****
The little two-story house was quiet, bright lights shone through the windows and the pastel colored walls made the rooms warm and inviting. The large screen door opened to the kitchen, and in stepped Hallie and Logan.
"Is Maurine around?" Logan asked suspiciously as he stepped inside, looking around. He thought for sure that she might say something to his dad, since they talked occasionally.
Hallie shook her head. "Nope, she's workin' at the market 'till five." she assured him with a smile, then tossed her backpack on the floor and began digging through the cupboards. "You hungry?"
Logan shook his head. "Nah, I'm good."
"Suit yerself." Hallie mumbled as she pulled out some bread and a jar of peanut butter.
Logan sat himself down at the kitchen table as he watched Hallie slop some peanut butter on a slice of bread, then hastily chop up an innocent banana, dumping the cut up pieces on the peanut butter and topping it off with the other piece of bread. He smiled to himself, then glanced at his near-empty backpack.
Neither Hallie nor Logan were model students. They mainly kept to themselves, only truly conversing with eachother, barely kept up with thier homework and schoolwork, and managed to get detention atleast twice a week. Well...Hallie mostly got the detentions, Logan had to keep himself out to be free for football practice. Well, atleast he did.
Suddenly Hallie was sitting in front of Logan, a bit of peanut butter smeared on her face from the sandwich she just managed to scarf down. "Hey, I'm dyin' of heat here, wanna go for a quick swim at the lake?" she asked hopefully.
"Okay, sure." Logan answered easily, getting up from his seat and reaching across the table to gently wipe the peanut butter from her cheek with his thumb. He smiled at the goofy look she gave him, then picked up his backpack and followed after Hallie quickly as she dashed outside.
*****
Out back behind both Logan and Hallie's houses, through some thick woods there was a beautiful lake with a dock. This was a favorite swimming hole among many of the kids in Trent, just because it was close by and a good place to cool off.
Hallie ran out onto the dock, then stopping at the end, she kicked off her socks and shoes, then pulled off her tank-top and jumped into the water wearing her cut-off shorts and bra.
Logan walked out to the edge of the dock, raising an eyebrow at Hallie and smiling lopsidedly as he shook his head and dropped his backpack.
"You comin' in or what!?" she called from the water, splashing at him and laughing. "The water's not too cold, it's perfect!"
Shrugging, Logan untied his boots and took off his socks, leaving them in a pile near Hallie's stuff. He pulled off his plaid shirt and t-shirt, then kicked off his jeans and jumped into the lake in his boxers.
Hallie started laughing hysterically as Logan swam toward her.
"What's so funny?" he grumbled, glaring at her.
Tredding water and pausing in her laughter, Hallie exclaimed, "There's lil' duckies on yer boxers! Haha!" she put a hand over her mouth to muffle her laughs. "Is it laundry day or somethin'?" she asked, smirking.
"Yes." Logan snarled grudgingly before splashing Hallie in the face.
"Hey!" she coughed from the water that had gotten into her mouth. Continuing to laugh, Hallie began splashing Logan back just as hard.
They continued this back and forth splash fight until both needed to stop for breath.
Logan shook his head, spraying water everywhere from his wild black locks of hair. "Hey Hal, what time is it?"
Glancing at her watch, Hallie's eyes widened and she began swimming for the dock. "Oh shit, it's nearly four already! We gotta get outta here!" she exclaimed, pulling herself up on the old wooden dock.
Logan swam furiously for the dock, pulling himself up after Hallie. He had to be back soon, or his father would know something was up. Football practice normally ended at 3:30, and it didn't take him that long to get home.
Hallie pulled on her tank-top, and though it was dry, she was soaked, and it didn't take long before her shirt absorbed the water that was dripping off her.
Shaking the water from his hair in a vain attempt to get it a little more dry, Logan slid his wet arms into his plaid shirt, without bothering to put on his t-shirt first. He pulled on his pants and socks, then quickly shoved his wet feet into his combat boots and laced them up hastily.
"Well, that was fun!" Hallie exclaimed with a smile, waving at Logan before they took off in different paths out of the woods to get to their homes.
"Bye Hal!" Logan called back, running through the woods.
*****