Encounters: Teenagers

The male shook himself from the fall and looked at the young girl he had bumped into. Fate was just too cruel to him.

"Heya, College," Spark said, giving him a small smile.

The male stood and held out a hand to her. "I'm sorry... again."

Spark just let him help her up and shrugged. "Just like old times, huh?"

"So how long has it been?"

College paused, taking a sip of his coffee. After he had knocked her over, he felt it necessary to make it up to her. Especially since it had been a while. As she sipped her hot cocoa patiently, he noted that the atmosphere had changed between them. It was as if something drastic had happened in the years that they had not seen each other, and it weighed down heavily on their moods.

College sighed. "Too damn long."

"Twenty."

"Huh?"

"I think you're twenty years old."

College glanced at her as the two walked down the sidewalk. "Why didn't you just ask me?"

Spark stuck out her tongue, a habit of hers that he had missed over the years. "It's funner to guess."

College shook his head, not letting her see his smile. "I'm eighteen."

Spark whistled. "Only a year older than me." She glanced at the sky and frowned. "The thing I don't understand about the weather is how it can be so cold, and not snow."

College looked at the sky as well, but shrugged.

"Ow! Son of a-"

"God damnit... I'm so sorry."

Spark sighed, letting out a good laugh. "What is wrong with us?"

College found himself giving her a small smile. He had an excuse this time, since it had snowed a few days ago, just after he had had his walk with her. "I blame the ice."

"So... what happened?" Both of them knew what Spark was talking about.

College took a moment to study her before he responded. It was basically the first time he had done so. Her hair had grown longer... much longer. She had always been short in his mind, but College now noticed that she had grown quite a number of inches. He still managed to tower over her, but it was nice. That way, he could look down and see her eyes. Her dark, swirling brown, beautiful eyes.

"Can you keep a secret?" Spark nodded at the question. College nodded as well, and the two continued to walk down the sidewalk. He hadn't noticed that they had stopped walking... "I went to Tokyo University when I was thirteen."

"Are you kidding me?" Spark asked, incredulous. "Whoa... College... that's... Why?"

College shrugged. "Because my father made me. I was a brilliant child, as he would always tell me. After I graduated, I traveled all around the globe. Most of the time, it was work, study, work, study. I barley had the chance to sight-see."

Spark frowned, feeling his pain. "I'm sorry."

College shook his head and waved it away with one hand. "Forget about it. What happened to you?"

"Me?"

"You've lost a bit of spark, Spark."

She smiled sadly, but sighed. "I won't go into details, but I fell in love for the first time and got my heart broken. Kind of turned me into a different person."

"I've noticed." College and Spark walked in silence for a few moments, until College couldn't really take it anymore. He was fond of silence, but he was not fond of silence with her. He suddenly, and uncharacteristically, took her mitten hand in his. "Can I tell you about what I did manage to see in the countries I've been to?"

When he glanced at Spark, he noticed a bright red blush creeping onto her cheeks. She swallowed and nodded, a happy little flame igniting in her eyes. "I'd like that."