The Fifteenth Year

March: Part 6

Saturday, March 12, 2005

Dear Friend,

I came out of Renee's bathroom this morning to Renee standing in her room holding the cordless phone.

"Jason's on the line for you," she said. "He called while you were brushing your teeth."

"Oh. Thanks." I took the phone from her and said sleepily, "Hi."

"Hey. I'm sorry I didn't call you last night."

"How did it go?" I asked through a yawn.

"It was real close. Went into overtime. That's why I didn't call. I got home real late. We pulled out some kind of magic and won it though."

I smiled. "I wish I could've been there. I'm sure you played great."

He chuckled. "Mind telling Coach that? He chewed me out for dropping a fleaflicker in the 3rd quarter. Well, I won't keep you. I just wanted to hear your voice; let you know I was okay."

"Do you have any plans later?" I asked.

"Not really. Chris is stopping by in a few minutes to toss the ball around with me, but he's got plans after 2. Why?"

"I was thinking you could stop over my house and I could bake for you." I winced. Man, that sounded cheesy and pathetic.

"Oh man, I would love that."

So later there we were eating double dutch brownies (Jason's favorite) at the counter. Jason moaned in pleasure and reached for his milk glass.

"I don't know how I went all this time and didn't know this about you. It's a little sad, actually. I thought I knew everything about you."

I shrugged as I put the oven mitt away. "I changed some when you went to high school."

"Not that much. You're still you. You just...grew up into this incredible girl."

I sighed and touched his hand. "I don't get used to hearing that. Doesn't that freak you out a little bit?"

"What specifically?"

"Well, we're not like everybody else. We're weird. Dating is when you get to know each other early on, and we...already knew so much about each other. Aren't you afraid the novelty will wear off and we'll land in a rut quicker than the average couple?"

He pondered it while he chewed. After he swallowed, he said simply, "No."

"No?"

"No. I think it's a good thing we're not the average couple. Look at all the people at school. Can you think of one couple that's managed to make it work longer than a year - year and a half?"

"Well, no..."

"No. Because they find something they don't like and bail. Or they fight and check out because there's not enough reason or love to stay. Whereas you and me, we have argued, we have a better idea of what we like and don't like about each other - not all by any means, that takes years. But there is a platform already - and we have been friends for too long that we have the capacity and desire to try more than them. We have this advantage that they don't. A real connection. Not some watered down one they go around masquerading as something different."

I smiled and laced my fingers in his. "So you don't think we'll get sick of each other?"

His eyes danced flirtatiously. "I'm sure we will.  What I'm thinking is that when we do, we'll get through it because it's you and me. I dropped there for two years and look what happened. We found our way back to our friendship pretty smoothly and now we're closer than ever, right? Whether you're my friend, my neighbor, my girlfriend - it's not the title that keeps us together. We're drawn to each other and I think we will be no matter where we are."

"So it's the best of both worlds? We'll work because of some cosmic realm pulling us together against our control and because we have more incentive and willpower to make this work over the average dating couple?"

He laced a finger under my chin. "I'd like to think so." He kissed me. "Plus, if you continue baking like this, you'll have to throw things at my head to get rid of me."

"Like this?" I asked, grabbing a handful of residual flour on the counter and smashing it on his cheek.

I giggled as the white powder stained his cheek and dribbled onto the collar of his shirt. Before I had a chance for reflexes to kick in, he had a glob of fudge from his brownie on his finger and poked my forehead with it.

What ensued next was a messy kitchen with us laughing and emptying a whole bag of flour at each other and smearing remaining batter on each other's clothes. My giggles filled the house and I slipped on a puddle on the kitchen tile and fell.

"Cassie! Are you okay?" Jason leaned down to help me and got my crumpled up wet sock thrown at his nose.

I laughed harder.

"You dork. That's gross." But he was laughing too.

I stood and caught my breath. There he was with white powder at the tips of his eyelashes, his blue eyes piercing through even more through all the white. He cupped his hand around my shoulders and ever so gently tugged me to him. We kissed. It was easy, it was perfect, and it was filled with the determination of a couple committed to staying together and doing it the right way.

Sunday, March 13, 2005

Dear Friend,

I have butterflies. Jason and I have been together for almost two months now and things are going so well. I can't help smiling every time I think about him. He makes me so happy. And his family has been so great and understanding. His parents are still overcoming the shock of the whole thing but embracing the new development. Tracy surprised me when she said, "Seriously, it's about time." She's thrilled to have me as a surrogate sister or something. I think my mom isn't taking it quite as smoothly, but they're not opposed either. I think my mom is handling it the best. She's happy. My dad is still adjusting but it's not affecting our relationship or his civility to Jason. He and I are doing much better. He's lightened up about the whole Hopkins thing too. It's been nice. Jeremy is turning eleven next week, so relationships are not something he cares about. He still picks on me and that's the basis of everything for him. He's a pest, but his innocence is something constant and soothing. I'll miss it as he gets older. It feels like the only thing in my life right now not changing. My mom must've called Brendan and told him about me and Jason because he all of a sudden wants to have lunch with me. He suggested an after-school snack at Gulley's this week. I agreed. Is it weird I'm a little nervous what my brother is going to say?