A little after one in the afternoon, a young woman sat in a crowded lunchroom on the floor. Her back was against one of her favorite murals in the room. The mural was of a castle overlooking a lake. She herself had helped restore that painting the week before.

The teen’s aqua eyes scanned the crowd before drifting back to rest on the sketchbook in front of her, resting on her knees. Her hands inched towards the colored pencils by her side. The sketch on her lap was of a young woman whose long hair cascaded over her beautiful gown. She stared up peacefully at the stars from a hill. In contrast, a recent battlefield lay fresh with carrion.

“Still working on that one, Cay?” As the baritone voice boomed from above her head, Cayla Johnsen’s head picked up so she was looking the over 6 feet up into her best friend’s glasses-framed, light brown eyes.

“Yeah, Terr. I don’t know what I want to do with it, though,” She patted the ground next to her as Tarrence Regiano slid his long frame down the wall next to her, “I mean, should I leave it as a black and white, or give it color?” She looked at him in question as he stared at the picture for a moment.

“I think color would probably give it a bit more life. You know me, though. I’m only good with computers.” Terry turned toward the girl that, in these past four years, he had come to call his best friend. Her compact, 5’6 form made her a menace when she played ultimate football in gym. She would dive and jump with the boys, getting so dirty it made the other girls shudder. She didn’t like sports too much, however. She preferred art to anything else, besides fantasy (the main focus of her art).

Her hat and her sarcasm were the best known things about her in the school. She actually was rumored to have been voted most sarcastic for the senior superlatives. As for her hat, any hair she might’ve had was piled up under it. It was also rumored that she had no hair. Terry had never seen her without her hat. He didn’t even know what color her hair was. If anyone messed with her hat, she would be ready to kill. She told him as much before.

“I know that’s not true, Terry. How many times have you told me that any anime fan knows at least something about art? Since I value your opinion so much, I believe I will use color on this.” Cay elbowed her best friend in the ribs gently. He laughed, a piece of his uncombed brown hair falling into his eyes. To Cay, it was one of the many endearing things about him. She reached up and brushed it away from his face. To make the gesture seem less tender, she covered it up by saying “You know that annoys me.” Terry’s only response was to laugh again. Cay changed the subject.

“So, how were those computer classes today?” Terry had waited up until his senior year to take the electives he planned on using as a base for his college career. He always claimed it was because he didn’t know what he wanted to do. In all honesty, it was because he knew that Cay didn’t have a ride home other than the despised bus. She had taken her electives since the beginning, and had at least two free periods at the end of the day. Since they lived so close to each other, it was senseless for her to take the bus when he could drive them.

“Not bad. You know they’re over, though.” He smiled down at her.

“Well, you know, my classes have long since been over. I’ve just been waiting for my ride.” she said pointedly at him.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. I just wanted to stop and buy a prom ticket. I have enough for another one. You really ought to go, Cay.” His tone gave the impression that they’d had this discussion many times before. He stood up and helped her pick up her stuff.

“How many times do I have to tell you? You can go to that ‘antiquated mating ritual’ if you want. I would much prefer to sit at home and work on my art, thank you!” Cay quoted her favorite movie, as usual. 10 Things I Hate About You was something she typically quoted, since she was so much like Kat. She stood up and took her things from Terry. They began to head outside to his car.

“I’m only saying that this is the last chance we have to go to a dance. Maybe it’d be the first time I’d see you in a dress too!” He laughed. The early spring air rushed at him the second they stepped outside.

“Yeah right! You’ll never see me in a dress.” She laughed as well, her eyes sparkling the whole way.

“What about your wedding? Won’t you wear a dress then?” He asked seriously. They walked under the white blossoms of the trees in a bit more of a serious mood.

“Who’s to say I’m getting married?” She whispered to him before she burst out laughing and made a mad dash for the student parking lot. He dashed after her, laughing as well.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. I’m not going to the prom, no matter how much you try to coerce me to!” ‘Or how cute you look doing it’ she added mentally. She had her own plans for that night, and they included the prom, but not in the way Terry thought.

“Fine. I’m not going to try and work on you anymore.” He unlocked his door as they reached the car, then tossed the keys to Cay for her to unlock her door. He popped the trunk and both teens threw their school bags into it.

The car expressed both of them. The back seat had colored pencils, charcoals, and balled-up sheets of sketchbook paper (presumably from failed sketches), as well as anime magazines, stacks of computer disks, and mangas. There was fast food stuff scattered all over the front seats of the car. The car was a convertible in an aqua blue. He picked it because it was the color of his best friend’s eyes and he couldn’t find a car like that in a nice shade of brown. So the car was ‘their’ car.

“So, where to today? Straight home, or stop at the pizza place, or maybe fast food?” Terry asked as they slid into the car. It was a Friday, so Cay cranked up the radio that was playing their favorite station and Terry rolled down their windows.

“I gotta go straight home. Alicia is getting home today, so my dad wants me home right after school to get the house ready for her.” Cay scoffed. Alicia was her perfect big sister. She was in medical school and had had many beaus before she left high school. Alicia’s shoulder length brown hair was the only thing that Cay had that was better than that of her tall, thin, gentle older sister. Her sister was too sweet for Cay’s taste, way too unrealistic.

“Oh well. Still get to hang out this weekend, right?” Terry asked as they began to pull out of the parking lot. He didn’t see what was so wrong with Alicia, but bring that up to Cay and you would be likely to get your head bitten off.

“I’ll try, but ‘Daddy Dearest’ will probably make me stick around to hear about ‘Alicia Darling’s’ wonderful year at school.” Cay’s voice dripped in sarcasm. She was always like that with her sister.

“Maybe I’ll try to come over. I bet your sister wouldn’t bother you if you had company.” Terry offered as they went down the main road. The good thing about getting out of school a bit early was that they could dodge the traffic.

“That sounds cool. My sister’s sure to have brought something new for me. Maybe it’ll actually be something good!” She laughed. Terry turned the car onto a side road, their road. It was a small cul-de-sac. They lived right across from each other towards the far end of the road. Cay groaned as they approached their houses.

“Great. She’s beat me home. Dad’s gonna have a fit.” Cay gestured to a small, green sportscar sitting in the driveway of her large, white house. She turned down the radio and Terry rolled up the windows. He pulled into his driveway and popped the trunk.

Cay hopped out, grabbed her bag and shouted a “See ya!” to Terry. Then she rolled her eyes so that he could see her in his rearview mirror, making him laugh, steeled herself as if preparing for a battle, and put on a fake happy smile as she turned around.

As she crossed the street, the door to her house swung open and Alicia came bounding out.

“Cayla! How are you little sister?” The twenty-something woman pulled her sister into a tight hug.

“I’m fine, Alicia. I just got home from school.” Cay knew her voice was obviously fake, but Alicia didn’t care.

“I didn’t see the bus. Did your boyfriend drive you here?” The brunette asked, pulling her little sister up to the door.

“I don’t have a boyfriend, Alicia. I never have. Terry drove me home.” Cay rolled her eyes before she went inside.

“Terry? That hoodlum from across the street? I don’t like you being in a car with him, Cayla Elizabeth, you know that!” Her dad’s voice shouted from the living room.

“He’s not a hoodlum, dad! You just don’t like him because he’s my best friend!” Cay shouted back.

“Ooh! It this the same Terry who you spend all your time with over the summer?” Alicia asked her in a whisper.

“Well, duh! He is my best friend after all.” Cay whispered back in a frustrated tone. This was going to be a long weekend.