Page 90 of The Naughty List

He looks up at me. “How old are you?”

“Seven and a half,” I say matter-of-factly. “I’m the oldest and tallest kid in my first grade class.”

He laughs and shakes his head. “That’s my point. I’m ten. I’m in fourth grade. A fourth grader and a first grader can’t play together. I’m too old.” With that, he pushes off on his bike and rides away, down the sidewalk.

I sigh, sad to see my new friend leave. Well, I guess he’s not exactly my friend yet, but I hope he will be. There’s nobody else here to play with. He’ll get bored eventually and I’ll be there.

With that thought, I smile to myself as I picture his dark hair, blue eyes, and goofy smile with his crooked teeth. As I walk back across the yard to play by myself, I think of him. I wonder if he’ll let me count the freckles on his nose. I have thirteen. I bet he has more. I wonder if I can make shapes out of them like I do with the clouds. My freckles aren’t close enough together to make anything out of, but he seems to have a lot. If I can look at them long enough, I bet I can see a square or star or maybe even a heart.

2

CARSON

I hang up the phone and let it fall to my side on the couch. I lean my head back and stare up at the TV screen as I bring my scotch glass to my lips and take a sip. The alcohol goes down smoothly and I expect it to wash away all thoughts of her, but it doesn’t. Instead, I think of that time she came to visit me in college. She was a senior in high school, and I was a junior in college.

I open the door to my small apartment and there she is, bright-eyed like always and smiling from ear to ear. I don’t hesitate, I just wrap my arms around her and pull her against me for a rib-crushing hug.

“It’s about time you got here. I was about to start calling every hospital along the way to make sure you didn’t drive yourself off a bridge or something.”

She giggles. “You worry too much. You know that?”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s what you always say,” I reply, setting her on her feet and pulling her into my apartment. “So, what did your mom have to say about this?” I take her bag and toss it onto the couch as I turn to inspect her face.

She smiles. “She thinks it’s great that we get to see each other again. She knows you’ll keep your eye on me. Plus, I think she’s hoping this place grows on me so I’ll stay close to home instead of going across the country for college next fall.” She flops down onto the couch and I go to take a seat next to her.

“Have you put any thought into where you want to go?”

She shrugs. “I’m still debating. It all just depends.”

I’m about to ask her what it depends on, but someone else knocks on my door and I have to get up to answer it. It’s my buddy, Tray. He doesn’t wait for me to invite him in. He just walks right past me and turns in a circle to face me.

“Dude, get ready. There’s a crazy party going on.”

I shake my head. “Not tonight, man. I got company.” I motion toward Felicity who’s still sitting on the couch.

He turns and looks at her. “Ohhhh, well, you don’t need a party. You already caught you one for the night.”

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “This is Felicity. My friend from back home. I’m showing her around the campus this weekend. She’s going to college in the fall.”

“Oh, you’re that Felicity,” he says, turning to shake her hand.

“The one and only,” she says, shaking his outstretched hand. “Or the only one that matters anyway,” she adds on, making him laugh.

He looks back at me. “I like her.”

“Everyone does,” I say, joking.

“So, if you two aren’t…you know, come to the party. Bring her. The parties are half the college experience.”

“No,” I start, but she cuts me off.

“Yes! Party! Let’s do it. I haven’t been to a good party yet this year.”

“No, no way. Your mom would kill me, and since when have you ever partied, little Miss Goody Two-Shoes?” I point out. I can see her brow furrow; she always hates when I call her that but it’s the truth. Lately it seems like she’s on some kick trying to get rid of the moniker.

“So we just won’t tell her,” she argues. “Come on, Carson. I’ve been driving all day. I need to let loose. Please,” she says, getting herself up onto her knees on the couch. She looks up at me with pleading eyes. Fuck. Why do I want her so badly? Seeing her like this, begging me for something on her knees, all I can see is making mascara run down her cheeks as she takes me deeper and deeper into that mouth of hers. But. That. Can’t. Happen.

No, this is Felicity after all. The little girl who followed me everywhere. The girl who chased off more shitty girlfriends than I can count. This is the girl I have to protect at all costs.

---