Girl Next Door

2001

Max's favourite time of day was when he got to hang out with his best friend Zoey. And on days like today, with the sun shining and the birds chirping, that meant walking home from school. Zoey's family had lived across the street from his house for as long as Max could remember and he could remember quite a ways back or so it seemed to him. He could even remember first grade and not everyone did. Still Max liked fourth grade much better than first. Sure, there was more homework, but not nearly as many things to do. He hadn't even had his gaming console back in grade one. Weekends must have been a real drag back then. But the best thing of all about fourth grade was that after months of asking Max had finally got permission to walk home from school without his parents.

Zoey had been walking home from school for ages, but for some stupid reason Max's parents had thought he still needed a ride. It wasn't even really that far anyway and if Zoey was walking then Max wanted to walk with her.

"I almost can't believe they said yes," Zoey said as they put their first steps off school properly and onto the sidewalk.

"Me neither!" Max exclaimed thrilled. He turned, grinning to look at her.

Zoey still had the same beautiful red hair she's always had. Though it was thicker now and came down to her shoulders, it still had a curl in it. Her eyes were brilliant blue which today matched the colour of her sweater. Zoey always wore sweaters to school even when it wasn't cold. Max didn't quite understand why, but as long as she wasn't uncomfortable he supposed it didn't matter.

"So what do you wanna do tonight?" Zoey asked.

"Movie?" Max offered. "Dad bought popcorn yesterday."

"Nice," Zoey said. "Sounds like a plan. So long as we can agree on a movie."

"We've managed it up until now haven't we?"

"True," she replied, turning to narrow her eyes at him. "Though sometimes I think you just cave and let me pick."

Max gasped in mock horror. "How dare you accuse me of such a thing," he said, but it was hard to keep the grin off his face.

"You're just the worse," Zoey laughed, punching him in the shoulder.

"Ow," Max said, laughing.

On a sudden impulse, Max jumped up off the side of the road and began walking along the very edge of the curb, holding his arms out to keep his balance.

"It's only like what three inches to fall," Zoey giggled at him. "What's with the balance beam arms?"

"Don't knock it till you try it," Max replied.

And like he knew she would, Zoey complied, walking behind him with her arms out. Zoey had always found time to tease him, though in the end she followed where he led the same way he followed her.

"Fun right?" Max asked. Zoey agreed and they walked like that all the way until the end of the block when the curl ended and they were forced to walk on the road again.

They talked about movies the rest of the way, trying to come up with one to watch. When their houses came into view they both stopped dead and turned to face each other.

"Rock, paper, scissors," They both said at the same time.

"Ha," Zoey exclaimed. "Scissors cut paper." She laughed then added. "You are so predictable."

Yesterday she'd beaten him with rock so he'd decided on paper today, but Max was starting to think that he was just doomed to never win rock paper scissors for as long as he lived. That is, at least, when he was playing with Zoey.