Author’s Note: Here’s the latest one. Enjoy. :)

On that note, I posted another story… yes, because I felt guilty for that LONG lack of updates. Check it out: “A BASKETBALL Tale”. Please and thank TIU! ;)

Chapter Thirteen: She Only Smiled

After their swim, the pair dried themselves off and strolled to an old, familiar ice cream parlor. They took a booth and sat in front of each other. Daniel ordered ice cream floats, one each.

“We haven’t been here since we were in the sixth grade,” Margaret started, taking a good look around. “It’s changed so much.”

“Well, time never really allowed us to relax anymore, you know? We came here everyday after school then.” He reminisced.

“Why’d we stop coming here?”

He looked at her, his expression turned into a serious one. “When I, uh, started dating Tippy Olsen,” he answered sheepishly.

“Who is she? The name doesn’t even sound familiar,” she said, shaking her head. She tried to scan through her memories.

“Well, you didn’t really get to meet. I never introduced her to you.”

Suddenly, it came to her. “Oh. Her,” he looked down at the floor, not making any eye contact with Daniel. “You still owe me for that, by the way. I was hurt.”

“I said I was sorry,” he said gently, guild rising in his chest. “I really was. It’s not my fault you were too possessive of me back then. You never shut up about fighting any girl who wanted to date me.”

Margaret laughed. “That was such a long time ago, I can’t believe you still remember that!”

“I kind of liked it that way.”

“Like what that way?”

“Our friendship. I liked that you were possessive of me.” He gave her a genuine smile.

“You can’t be serious. I was horrible! I was a social barrier, Dan.” She exclaimed, choking a bit on her ice cream float.

“I didn’t think so,” he shared meekly, like he was afraid that he would be made fun of because of saying what he had said. “That’s why I broke up with her the day after I came clean with you. She was the barrier of my barrier. I hated that,” he blushed. “And Tippy didn’t take it so well. She egged my house, have I ever told you that? Took us forever to scrape it off.” He scoffed.

“How immature.”

“We were in the sixth grade,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Still,” she sighed. “That girl was crazy about you. So crazy, that it was scary,” she giggled. “She came up to me the day after you broke up with her, remember? God, she thought I was the reason you broke up with her. She was poking my cheek so hard, it bruised!” By the time Margaret said her last sentence, the pair was laughing so hard- Daniel’s drink came out of his nose and Margaret almost fell off her chair.

“That girl was violent,” Daniel shared in between his chuckles. “But you kind of were the reason I did break up with her.”

Margaret stopped laughing. “No, I wasn’t. You told me she was suffocating you. And that her voice was too squeaky.”

“Well, yeah, that’s what I told you.”

Margaret shook her head in disbelief. “You are full of surprises today, you know that?” she took a sip of her drink and took a deep breath. “Anything else you want to share?”

Daniel shook his head. “And you?”

Margaret hesitated. “Remember Tim Rink?”

The male’s knuckles instinctively curled themselves into fists. “Hell, yeah,”

His best friend chortled. “Relax,” she patted his hands from across the table then continued. “He hated you.”

“Obviously.”

“Okay, okay, relax. You’re scaring me,” she joked. “Anyway, he insisted that I stay away from you. He said you were a bad influence.”

Daniel’s eyes widened. “Is this why you avoided me for three weeks in the seventh grade for no reason?”

She nodded, evidently ashamed. “But then you just confronted me after. You cornered me in school and interrogated me like some criminal,” she shivered at the memory of it. “That scared me.”

He gave her an apologetic smile.

She sighed heavily. “That was why I broke up with him.”

Daniel broke into a smile. “Because of me?”

“You heard me. And don’t flatter yourself, that decreases humility.”

He looked at her, still smiling. “I didn’t say anything, you did. I was just clarifying,” he teased. “You did that because you loved me, didn’t you?”

“Shut up,” she whined, smacking his arm from across the table. “Don’t start with me.”

“Just admit it, Meg. Say it loud and proud!” He flung his arms wide open and wore a goofy smile on his face. “It’s about time you did, too!”

Margaret just smiled.