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Friday, October 20, 2000

4:15PM

Collins Park

Colorado Springs, CO

It was warm enough to be outside in the park across the street from my house, which meant I was out walking. I had been doing that quite a bit to clear my head over the past few months; not just of the normal concerns of a high school senior, but as a reprieve from some of the darker thoughts which tended to creep into my mind if I wasn't occupied. A friend of mine, Will, had introduced me to a few online games and chat-room roleplaying to supplement a sporadic D&D session that we had going through our lunch periods, but when people weren't online and my folks were working I didn't want to be alone with my thoughts.

The gravel path was somewhat isolated; partially shaded by trees which were in the final stages of losing their leaves and the occasional native pine standing tall against the coming winter. My headphones were on; my portable CD player tucked into one of the oversized pockets on my oilskin duster delivering music that was simultaneously distracting and evocative of recent memories I wanted to keep close. Deftones had been one of Megan's favorite bands; her father had made sure a couple of her CDs had made it into my hands. Chino's voice carried into my ears, uplifted by the roar of distorted guitars. “Far; I don't care where, just far…"

The lyrics mirrored my mood on this clear, slightly warm, and still somehow dismal autumn day. I had the entire weekend to look forward to, but it didn't seem too inviting. I had picked up both Saturday and Sunday shifts at work to keep myself occupied. At least my folks understood; it was the family business and they were signing my paychecks anyway. It kept me in a constant stream of batteries for my CD player; the music helped drown things out when I needed it.

The natural beauty wasn't lost on me despite the music and my mindset. To my right a sharp embankment led to a creek; its flow over the rocks and man-made obstacles making its presence known even over the music in my ears. Looking overhead the Front Range stood proud in the near distance, dominated by Pike's Peak; the top of the mountain already starting to redevelop the snowcap it lost in the summer months.

“On your left!" The voice called out in a baritone; almost startling me out of my reverie. Two guys in running uniforms rushed past me at a brisk pace as I looked up; catching eye contact with one of them for a brief instant. A hint of recognition came to us both as I recognized the uniforms from a school assembly last week. That was our cross-country team, and I was pretty sure I had class with one of the guys last year. Josh, I think his name was? The recognition wasn't important and neither was keeping up with them. I didn't consider myself an athletic type, though I definitely put many miles on my old mountain bike going to and from school and work.

Megan and I talked about getting licenses and potentially cars; something I hadn't followed through with. Too little, too late. It wasn't like it mattered that much anymore. I took a deep breath and plodded along; watching my more athletically and extracurricularly inclined classmates recede down the path.

A moment later another voice called out. “On your left!" This time it was a girl who voiced her presence before passing me on the path. This time I recognized her; someone from one of the same social circles that Megan had been in but I had elected not to tag along with. Holly, I think her name was? I didn't really know her other than as a friend of Megan's; we moved in significantly different circles. Again, I didn't pay her much heed other than the mild notion that my presence at a cross-country meet would likely raise eyebrows on Monday.

That was until her foot snagged a tree root that had disrupted the path ahead, and she started to fall. Normally that wouldn't have crossed the line from painful to dangerous, but she was nearly on the edge of the rock embankment to the creek; that meant a fifteen foot fall and not a good outcome. She didn't make a sound other than a startled gasp as she completely lost her footing and started to cartwheel.

I rushed forward; I was only a few feet behind her. Out of pure instinct I reached out; somehow grabbing her arm as she started to slide down the rock slab that comprised the embankment. “Gotcha!" I shouted, digging my heels into the gravel in an attempt to prevent both of us going over the edge.

Holly's voice found itself; a frightened yelp carried on the air as I somehow hauled her onto the path. I maintained my footing as she regained hers; blue eyes and delicate features framed in auburn hair that would have drawn me in had my mind and mood not just been fixated on someone else. Instead, I focused on what just happened. “You okay?"

She nodded at me; taking a few deep breaths in response to the close call. “Yeah. Thank you so much; that would have been a really bad fall. Wait." Her eyes widened in recognition. “Adam? Adam Jennings, from Mr. Hall's algebra class last year?"

I blinked and nodded; somewhat surprised and not super thrilled about being recognized. “Yeah, that's me."

I nearly flinched as she reached out to place her hand on my shoulder. “Holly. Holly Meyers; I was in his geometry class the period before yours. I'm being timed so I gotta go, but I wanted to say I'm so sorry about what happened to Megan. I wasn't a very close friend of hers, but if you need to, y'know, talk, I've got an open ear." With a wave she pulled away and started jogging down the path before breaking out in a full run.

I stood there for a moment, taking a deep breath and letting it out. I know she didn't have mean intentions, but the exchange hurt more than it helped. That and I hardly knew Holly. I wasn't really sure I wanted to talk about it with her. Instead, those thoughts caught up to me; the music becoming less of a distraction and more of a painful reminder of what happened a few short months ago. I tried to blink away tears as I made the decision to turn back and go home. So much for getting out of my head. Perhaps a couple of rounds of Counter-Strike would help shake things off.

---

_ _

April 16, 2001

11:12AM

Ronald L. Harrison High School

Colorado Springs, CO

I'll admit that my focus on academics wasn't that great after Megan's death; add to it the fact that I was about to graduate and I wasn't paying a ton of attention to homework and class projects. Unlike some in my class I didn't have plans to do the whole out of state, prestigious college experience; I spent far too much time bouncing around the country as a kid and I didn't want to leave a place where I had a real opportunity to set down some roots. It just wasn't my speed, and I figured that staying home and working my way through community college would be a decent way to find my path. A high GPA didn't really matter to me, but having enough credits to graduate did.

The one exception was history. I loved the subject; stories and minutiae of the past had always fascinated me. One of my final classes in high school was the one I was currently in; an advanced history course focusing on our local region and that of the Old West. The class was taught by one of my favorite teachers; while most of the students sitting in the classroom with me were attending for plus points on their college applications, I was here because I was interested in the subject matter.

The overhead projector's fan was blasting white noise into the room; displaying an image of a textbook transparency scrawled over with copious notes. Thankfully we were allowed to crack a couple of windows despite the temperatures hovering slightly above freezing; it helped offset the heater that seemed permanently stuck on a maximum setting. Even though I was interested in the subject matter it was sometimes hard to stay awake and keep up concentration in a stuffy, stifling room.

Mr. Schaefer wasn't unaffected; taking a moment to gain his train of thought after explaining the finer points of what mining and mineral exploration brought to our region. “While gold mining was and still is an important facet to the economy of the Pike's Peak region, there definitely were numerous claims staked and settlements made elsewhere in the Rockies. Wyoming in particular has an interesting history when it comes to mining; as railroads became a more accessible method of transportation between the East Coast and West Coast, Wyoming's coal mines became a valuable source of fuel."

“As I like to mention mysteries concealed by time and often passed over by historians, I would like to present to you what some would call the 'Roanoke of the West'; the unexplained disappearance of an entire town during the winter of 1882. Goshawk, Wyoming was a very remote town of about two hundred people that sprang up around a mildly successful coal mine. Records of what exactly happened were spotty, but the area had been snowed in to the point of being impassable. However, after the snows receded the town was strangely silent; there had been no coal wagons coming out of the pass."

“The territorial governor, William Hale, sent men to investigate. They found no trace of the town except for the coal mine; it was as if the entire town had been taken down to the last plank of wood and foundation stone. While forgotten about by mainstream historians, there are people who have made various claims as to the disappearance of the town. As far as my opinion goes, I haven't been able to figure it out as there are no reliable claims or witnesses to the event. It does remain an interesting, if forgotten, event in the history of Colorado's northern neighbor."

Mr. Schaefer glanced up to the clock, probably spurred by a few of the students doing the same thing. “Well, it looks like that's about time for us today. Your assignment for tonight is to go through pages 327 to 339 and complete the packet I gave you earlier. Before the lunch bell rings, I am asked to remind you that tickets for the senior prom are on sale as of today in the main office, and that voting for prom court is also open as of today. Feel free to use the rest of the period to get ready for dismissal."

With that the room broke out into the controlled chaos; the shuffling of papers, closing of textbooks and binders, zippers on backpacks and idle chatter was nearly instantaneous. I closed the aforementioned homework into my binder and stuck my belongings into my backpack; taking the time to withdraw my portable CD player while I was at it. I didn't really have any close friends in the classroom so I wasn't distracted by the chatter. However, I did have someone to talk to in the closing moments of class.

Mr. Schaefer was looking at the room with a smile as we packed up; as this was a senior level class I knew he felt similarly to most of us. This was his final year teaching and retirement beckoned; at the same time we had an arrangement that had started from my first class with him during my sophomore year. I approached him; the older, graying man nodding as I came up.

“Come to find out how well you did on the last exam, Adam?" He couldn't stop smiling.

“Absolutely, Mr. Schaefer." I responded. “Well enough for a range trip?"

“Your essay on Doc Holliday was quite solid. I think a ninety-two percent is good enough to break out my sixgun collection. Let's try for the last weekend of the month, or the first weekend of May? The forecast is calling for warmer weather about then." Mr. Schaefer was a collector of historical firearms as well as a shooting instructor. When he found out about my interest in target shooting, he had given me a challenge: for every A grade I made in a unit, we would go out to a local range and shoot historical firearms. I had taken his world history and US history classes; as a result of acing both of them I had shot everything from flintlock muskets to AR15s. His tutelage regarding my skill at arms was fun and rewarding; we also talked about my getting into competitive shooting after I graduated.

“Thanks, Mr. Schaefer! I'll let my folks know so we can figure out which works better for them." Right after I said that the bell rang and a cacophony ensued; students streaming out of their respective classrooms towards the cafeteria. With a knowing nod my teacher bid me on my way; even then I was one of the last to leave the room.

The halls were crowded and chaotic; a maelstrom of activity as most of us went to our one hour of relative freedom. I was never at ease around the throngs of people; thankfully in my final year of high school my classload was small enough that I completely ditched using a locker. Music definitely helped; even if running a portable CD player was a major luxury and I did spend a small chunk of my income on feeding it batteries. Indulging some my stepfather's tastes, I was running his borrowed copy of the Stones' Sticky Fingers.

'Can't you hear me knocking, are you safe asleep?' Jagger's voice carried through my headphones as I headed towards the cafeteria. It wasn't exactly necessary as I somehow managed to accumulate enough credits to run half-days in my final semester, but eating lunch with friends both gave me a social outlet and my folks some extra time at the shop before picking me up. I didn't have my own car yet, and with the temperatures still hovering below freezing it was a better arrangement.

“Ad-man!" The familiar voice called behind me, causing me to turn the volume down. “Yo, Ad-man, wait up!" Will's boisterous voice carried through the din. About my height but built more like a linebacker, he didn't have too much trouble catching up to me. Curly but well kept light brown hair and glasses lent him a more academic than athletic appearance; that and he tended to dress more or less business casual. Compared to my duster coat, bluejeans and various T-shirts we definitely didn't look the part of close friends, but we definitely were.

“Hey, Will." I greeted him as he matched pace with me; making our way to one of the less crowded stairwells in hopes to get to the cafeteria before the line reached massive proportions. “You're pretty chipper for a Monday. What's up?"

A strong hand clapped my shoulder. “Got to call Emily on Saturday, after the guild meeting. Talked for about three hours; I've got a really good feeling about her."

I paused for a moment. “Wait, you're talking to Isla's player? Like, talking, talking?" I raised an eyebrow. We were kind of part of the same roleplaying guild online and I did chat with others out of character, but a lot of us had very strict rules about how much personal information we shared. The online world was largely anonymous for a good reason.

“We've been chatting behind the scenes for a few months, dude. We even scanned and sent pictures to each other so we know we're the real deal. She brought up talking on the phone and we made it happen." He blinked as we made our way down the stairs. “I don't mean to gush and I know it's not a happy subject for you but we really click together and I wanted to tell someone who kinda understands?"

I took a deep breath. Dating and the whole lovey-dovey thing was definitely a sore subject for me; that and finding a connection like that off of AOL of all places was a little strange. But, Will seemed pretty happy about things and it wasn't right to rain on his parade. I wasn't going to be that kind of friend, and the good news I got helped my normally somewhat dour mood. “I'm not going to dump on you for talking to her, man. Just be careful until you get to know her better? Just because I don't want to be around those kinds of things doesn't mean I can't be glad you've found some happiness." I glanced up; paying a little more attention as we reached the large indoor pavilion which housed the cafeteria; there were a few students lined up but we had somehow beat the main rush. “I just didn't expect you'd meet a girl in DKoR."

“What can I say?" Will smirked. “The world works in mysterious ways, even for mysterious, fuzzy loners like your character. So, when am I going to set Marcus up with one of the guild's eligible ladies?"

“Don't push your luck, swashbuckler." I scoffed; catching motion out of the corner of my eye. Our other friends, Seth and Julie, had secured a table near one of the picture windows overlooking the courtyard. Accumulated snow and dormant trees dominated the chilly spring landscape, but it beat looking at cinder block walls and motivational posters dating back to the time my older sister went to school here.

It didn't take long for us to grab some lunch and make our way to the table. By the time we did so there was another addition to the group; a familiar-looking girl that sometimes hung around Julie. Will's tone of voice was a little confused. “Isn't that Holly Meyers? I thought she was dating one of the jocks; what's she doing here?"

Yeah, the social crossover wasn't something that I saw often despite their friendship. Julie moved among plenty of social circles and had her fair share of friends. Seth, her boyfriend, was one of us; even if he generally missed out on guild stuff because he lived in the same apartment complex as Julie. “Don't ask me, dude. No idea."

We took our seats at the table as it looked like Julie and Holly were wrapping up a quiet, private conversation. She offered me a smile as I sat; I responded with a nod. I didn't really know much about her other than she was one of Julie's friends, she was in the orbit of some of the more popular students, and I had a run-in with her several months ago in the park across the street from my house.

“Not too many of these days left, guys." Seth mentioned as he motioned to all of us. At a little over six foot-three, he loomed over most of the students and practically towered over Julie. “Well, most of us at least." Will was a junior, but his sense of humor and shared interests had forged a strong friendship. “Any of you going to miss this?"

“A little bit." Will spoke up. “It's going to be weird not seeing any of you here next year, but perhaps I can bum a ride after school some of these days?"

“I figure so, as long as some of us get wheels before too long." Julie answered. “My aunt's thinking about buying something new and she mentioned she might sell her car to me."

“I'm not sure I'm going to be here next year." Holly joined the conversation; her voice carrying a hint of hesitancy to it. “My dad is thinking about retirement, but he's not sure if it will be this year or next. It's a bit frustrating as I have to put my college plans on hold until we figure out if we're staying here or moving. I kinda wanted to stay here and attend CC, but I won't be able to do that if we move."

“If you do, you'll always be welcome if you want to visit." Julie nodded to Seth. “We've been talking about getting jobs and finding an apartment together." She smiled at him, which caused an uneasy pang in my chest. Would we have been like them, had things not gone the way they did? I can't say I blamed them for their happiness; they definitely earned it, but it also felt a little insensitive.

“How about you?" Holly's voice asked; it took me a solid moment to figure out she had asked me. I wasn't sure why. It wasn't like we really knew each other; I kept to myself and away from the popular, rich kids. Technically speaking I was a part of that mold because my folks were well off, but we didn't start out that way. We worked together to keep the shop running, spending hours upon hours behind a counter; they weren't lawyers, doctors, real estate agents, and owners of much larger, established businesses. My folks didn't attend their social gatherings and parties, and after a couple of incidents where some of the jocks played nice to me in order to use my house for one of their notorious drunken shindigs, I was shut out of that world due to my refusal to be walked on for social status points.

“Me?" I answered after Seth gave me a pointed look. “To tell you the truth I haven't given much thought to it. I'm not sure if I really want to do the college thing, or even move out just yet." I took a breath and looked up to the ceiling; something I was apt to do when I needed to gather my thoughts. “It's been a tough year with Megan being gone. I'm not going to lie about that. I think I need a while to figure out what my life's supposed to look like, and I think that working at my folks' shop for the next year or so isn't the worst thing I could do with my time."

“So you don't have any real college plans yet?" Holly asked, fixing me with an inquisitive look.

I shook my head. “No, not really. It just doesn't seem like a good idea if I don't know what I want to do. I figure spending a year or two working and figuring it out might be a better idea." I shrugged, though part of me wondered why she was taking an interest. I wasn't going to be rude to one of Julie's friends, though. “Do you know what you'd like to do for college?"

“I was thinking about economics, with possibly some art history and creative writing mixed in. Those are subjects I really like, and CC has programs for all of that." Holly's expression became pensive for a moment. “Also, they have good track and cross-country teams, and if I stayed here I could continue with my Kendo classes."

“Wait, like Japanese swordplay?" I blinked. Truth be told, I had no real interest in extracurricular pursuits other than fixing computers and target shooting. I had been involved in auto shop this year as we were one of only two schools in the region that had an automotive technology program, but that was primarily because Ben encouraged me to learn how to work on cars.

Holly nodded at me. “Yes, I've been doing it since sophomore year. It's fun and stress relieving. Getting to whack people with shinai and bokken after a long day dealing with all this definitely helps my mood." She grinned as she finished her explanation. I was starting to see why she was friends with Julie; despite her appearance she didn't have the aloof, snotty attitude that I associated with the upper class jocks. “So, are you a part of any clubs, teams, or anything like that?"

I shook my head. “Not really. The closest I got was auto shop this year. I've been told I should consider competitive shooting after we graduate, but I really didn't feel like doing much this year."

Holly nodded at me. “Yeah, with everything that happened I understand. Yanno, my dad is a competitive shooter. If you'd like, maybe sometime this summer I can have you talk to him; see if he knows anywhere you can get started?" I blinked; not sure how to respond to that. “Here, let me get you my contact info." She fished inside her backpack for a pen and piece of paper; scribbling down information on the scrap before folding it and handing it to me. As I put her note in my jacket pocket I noticed with some confusion that her face was slightly flushed; was it embarrassment or something?

Before I could respond Julie's voice entered the conversation. “So, did everyone get tickets for prom? Seth and I stopped by after first period to get ours." That was a question I had been dreading.

Will jumped in. “Not yet, but I might do it tomorrow. I'll need to bug my mom for a few bucks. I'd like to go as it'll be one of the last times we can hang out."

Holly nodded. “I got mine this morning before class, so I'm all set. Julie, we should meet up this weekend and look at dresses. I think there's a few places at the Citadel that are reasonably priced or offer rentals. Maybe the guys want to come along and look at tux rentals?"

Will and Seth looked at each other and nodded. “It's a good excuse to hang out." Seth answered. “Adam, are you in?"

I shrugged. “For hanging out, sure. To be honest I'm not sure if I'm doing the whole prom thing this year. I'm not really up to being around all those people."

“You know we'll be around, right?" Julie replied. “And, I'm sure we can find you a date; I might know someone who would be interested if you asked them. I know you've stayed out of those sorts of things but it's the last party we're going to have here, so you should make it memorable. “ Julie liked to play the matchmaker; hell, she set Megan and I up our freshman year

“Okay, I'll give it some thought?" I halfheartedly responded. I had already made my decision not to go. An image of that picture that sat on my bookshelf jumped out of me; I was in one of those rental tuxedos and Megan was in a coral dress she had saved a few months to get. Part of me felt like it would betray her memory if I went, especially with someone else.

I didn't get the chance to sink further into my reflection; I was startled by a rude voice calling from behind me. “Hey, Holl! Matt wants to talk to you about you know what." The voice behind me belonged to Katie Dobson, ostensibly one of the most popular girls in school. Blonde haired, blue eyes, and athletic, even I had to admit she was incredibly attractive; a modeling article in one of those vapid teen fashion magazines assured that she was chased by most of the guys in that social tier. However, Katie was probably one of the nastiest girls in school. Not only was she the de facto queen bee, her reputation for keeping anyone in her social circle by manipulation and blackmail was neigh near legendary.

Unsurprisingly, Julie wasn't a fan. “We're having lunch, Katie. I think he can wait." Her voice was pretty cold, but that didn't stop me from noticing Holly's expression change from anticipating a weekend outing to 'deer caught in headlights'.

“No, I don't think this can wait, Clemson." Katie snarked, complete with a disparaging glare to the rest of us. “Nerd time is over, Holl. Not unless you want them to hear about what happened between you and Jenn…"

“Enough!" Holly snapped; her face flushing bright red. “Okay, okay. I'll go talk to him." Julie cast a confused glance to her as she stood up; gathering her things with a rapidity which mirrored the queen bee's impatience. I half-expected the stuck up brat to look at her watch and tap her toe. Seth was about to say something, but was stopped by a sharp look from both Julie and Holly.

“I…I'll talk to you later about plans?" Holly's voice was a bit nervous as she followed Katie out of the cafeteria. This left the four of us to exchange confused looks about the unexpected interruption, but by and large this wasn't my business.

“Any idea what that was all about?" Will asked. “I mean, Holly is more a friend of Katie's than any of us in the first place, but that didn't feel right."

Julie took a deep breath. “I don't know all of it, but there is some major friction between Holly and Matt right now. That's probably why she came here to eat lunch with us. I'll see if she's okay after school; that and we'll get plans settled for this weekend. You are coming, right?" The last part she directed at me.

“I guess?" I answered, punctuating my response with a shrug. “Like I said, I'm up for hanging out but don't hold your breath on the prom thing. I'm really not feeling it."

“Dude." Seth interjected. “I'm saying this as a friend, so don't take this the wrong way. Your self-imposed social exile isn't going to bring her back. You know that. We know that. You're emerging into the big, bad world just as much as we are." He stood up; taking advantage of his height to reach across the table and place his hand on my shoulder. “I'll respect your decision to go or not, but please give it some actual, serious thought?"

Those weren't the words I wanted to hear, though to be completely honest with myself I probably needed to hear them. “Okay, I'll give it some actual thought, but I'm almost completely against going." I glanced down to my watch, noting the time. “My mom should be here to pick me up. I'll hang out this weekend, but don't expect me to do the tux rental thing or to even have my prom ticket by then."

I waved to my friends as I collected my backpack and made my way through the considerably emptier halls to the side entrance; putting my headphones back into place and resuming my Stones CD. Mick was singing about how love was a bed full of blues as I snuck down one of the connecting hallways to my destination. There weren't really any classrooms here, which is why the small group of people caught my attention.

I recognized most of them; Katie was hard to miss and so was Holly. They were in whispered conversation with a few more people. One of them was the tall, broad figure of Matt Sorensen; Holly's boyfriend and one of the stars of the wrestling team. I had auto shop with him, where he was always bragging about his old Mustang that he got from his grandfather. Next to him was one of Katie's friends; Cassandra, I think her name was. Another attractive cheerleader; I had a couple of classes with her in the past. She was a bit sharper and a bit nicer than Katie, but I didn't really know her that well. Lastly, another girl I didn't really know stood next to Holly; a sheepish look on her face as she seemed fixated between Holly and Katie.

The hushed conversation stopped as I walked past; Holly sparing a glance in my direction with a grim, almost mortified expression.

“What're you doing down here, Jennings?" Matt sneered. “I don't remember inviting you to this little chat."

Without breaking stride I snarked back. “I didn't think I needed your permission to leave, Sorenson. Not like I want to listen to you flap your gums, anyway." I tapped my headphones as I passed them, turning up the volume and drowning out Matt's reply as I reached the door.

I was expecting the chill, but it was always a bit of a shock. I was glad I had brought my oilskin duster instead of my bluejean jacket; that meant my legs were somewhat protected from the near-freezing temperatures. The side exit opened up to a short series of stairs facing the main street outside the school. Had it been a few hours later it would have been festooned with cars; much to my chagrin it was empty. My mom hadn't arrived just yet. Mentally cursing the fact I didn't have a car yet I made my way to the street, sticking my hands into my pockets to ward off the chill. It was then that I felt the scrap of paper I had been given.

Blinking, I pulled it out to give it a look:

Holly Meyers

(719) 598-5555

SN: Ki RockinHolly83

---

PS: Prom?

I wasn't sure what to make of that, but she did give me both her phone number and instant messenger names. What was the prom bit about? She was obviously hanging out with Sorenson, so I figured she was going to go with him? Why would she be interested if I was going to go? Even with Seth's words bouncing through my head the chances I would actually go to my senior prom were pretty much zero.

My thoughts were shaken by the silky-smooth sound of an inline-six engine picking up revs down the street; a sound I recognized anywhere. The sleek, silver profile of my mom's car pulled up to the curb in front of me. The BMW Z3 was something she bought last October; she had wanted a convertible for the summer months and for road trips. My stepdad, being a little more levelheaded, had insisted on getting the optional hardtop for days like this; a fact I welcomed as I opened the door and climbed in to a nicely heated cabin.

“Hey, son!" My mom greeted as I buckled my seatbelt, reaching for the shifter to put the car into first gear before pulling away from the curb. “How was school?"

“Not too bad." I answered, tucking Holly's contact info into my pocket as I balanced my backpack between my knees. “Not much homework, and my friends want me to meet them at the mall this Saturday if you think I can get a ride?"

“I've got an appointment in Denver that day, but I think Ben can get you there if you can't get one of your friends to pick you up?" My mom answered as we reached the main road. “Is it anything important?"

“Not really." I responded, opting to not talk about my encounter at lunch and the whole prom thing. “Julie and Seth want to do some shopping, and Will wanted to come along. Nothing other than that. Oh! Mr. Schaefer told me I aced the last test; he wanted to take me shooting around the end of the month?"

The ride home was mostly small talk and watching the snow-dusted world go by through the windshield of the little sports car. By the time I got home, between the upcoming range trip and the homework I had to do I had pretty much forgotten about the note sitting in my pocket.