Sweet Caroline

“Now, tell me what’s going on, Caroline,” Rebecca said softly.

Caroline took a seat on top of one of the tables in the room, and Rebecca sat down next to her. Then she took a moment to gather her thoughts as she began swinging her feet back and forth slowly. “I’ve had a crush on Andrew for what seems like forever, yet except for a passing nod and taking his order at the Tasty Treat, he’s never spoken to me. Well, actually, I suppose that isn’t quite true.”

“You’ve told me about your crush on him, and you’re right; he doesn’t talk to you. Of course, to be fair, I don’t think I’ve heard him talk to any other girls, not even Reva when she’s hanging all over him. So, tell me about this time he did talk to you,” Rebecca said as she gave Caroline her full attention.

Digging deep into her memories, Caroline began to explain, “Well, I moved here in second grade, but you and I didn’t become friends until….”

“Fifth grade!”

“Yeah, fifth grade,” Caroline agreed. “Anyway, back then, believe it or not, Reva and I were friends. When we were in fourth grade, it all ended, though, and it didn’t end well, which is possibly why she messes with me now.”

“How did your friendship end?”

“We were on the playground, swinging,” Caroline began, staring at her feet and frowning. “Even then, Reva had an eye for the boys, all the boys, and considered most of them to be hers.”

“No surprise there since she’s still that way,” Rebecca said with a snort.

“Yeah, I guess that’s true,” Caroline agreed. “So, anyway, Reva spotted Andrew and his friend Darryl coming out of the building about that time and started talking about how one day Andrew would be hers.” She shook her head and sighed. “Honestly, Rebecca, I’d heard that same spiel so many times before I tuned her out and began watching the clouds go by as I was swinging. I guess she noticed I wasn’t paying her any attention, though, so she reached out and grabbed the chain of my swing. When she did that, I went flying!”

“Ouch,” Rebecca hissed as she cringed.

“Yeah, ouch is right,” Caroline agreed. “So, I’m on my knees, on the ground, crying, and Reva says, “oh, you’re fine, you baby.” I remember looking up at her, hurt that my friend wasn’t even concerned about me and found she wasn’t even looking at me.” She snorted. “No, she was still busy staring at Andrew and Darryl after tossing me out of my seat.”

“Wow, even at ten, she was completely heartless,” Rebecca said, shaking her head.

Caroline nodded. “I looked down at my hands first, and they were fine, a little scratched but fine. So, I’m thinking, okay, I’m good, I’m okay, nothing to be upset about. Then I sat down, getting off my knees so that I could look at them. I’d worn a skirt that day, and so my knees had no protection, and both of them were pouring blood.”

“And you hate the sight of blood.”

“Yep.”

“And you started crying harder,” Rebecca said as she commiserated with Caroline.

“More like I started wailing,” Caroline muttered. “I didn’t care that I was too old to be screaming like a toddler having a tantrum, I was bleeding, and I wanted everyone to know about it, I guess. They hurt so bad, and Reva had started to laugh at me, but suddenly, Andrew was next to me. He asked me what was wrong, and he looked so concerned, almost worried, about me, someone he’d never even talked to.”

“Ooh… I bet Reva didn’t like that one bit,” Rebecca crowed.

“No, she didn’t. She stood there, telling Andrew it was just a little blood, that I was just a drama queen seeking attention,” Caroline said with a sigh.

“What did Andrew say?”

“Andrew told her to shut up. Then he turned to me and picked me up,” Caroline said with a dreamy smile as she remembered being held by him.

“He sure was strong for a fourth-grader,” Rebecca commented, her eyes wide.

Shaking herself from her daydream, Caroline agreed, “Yeah, and I wasn’t exactly petite even then, all that baby fat. So, in between sobs, I told him he should put me down because I was fat.”

“What did he say?”

Caroline closed her eyes at the memory, and it was just as evident in her mind as it was the day it happened. She could see Andrew’s concerned face and his beautiful eyes watching her as she stared at him, tears trickling down her cheeks. “I’ll never forget his words to me. He said, ‘You aren’t fat, Doll, or heavy. I tote my lazy friend Darryl around all the time, and you aren’t nearly as heavy as he is.’ I think I fell in love with him right there.”

“Girl, if I didn’t have Dale, I think I’d fall in love with him just for saying something so sweet.”

“Yeah,” Caroline agreed with another dreamy sigh.

“Tell me the rest now,” Rebecca demanded, shaking Caroline by the shoulder. “Don’t leave me hanging mid-story.”

Clearing her throat, embarrassed by her daydreaming about ten-year-old Andrew, Caroline mumbled, “Um… yeah, sorry. Where was I?”

Rebecca snickered with a knowing look. “I’m not sure. You were either telling me what happened to make Reva hate you or how even at ten years old, you lusted after Andrew.”

“Hey, that’s not—” Caroline stopped as the light suddenly dawned. “Oh Rebecca, I think you’re right. I think I finally realize why Reva hates me.”

“You do? Well, of course, you do because I just told you why,” Rebecca agreed with a huff, puffing her chest out importantly. Then she just looked confused as she asked, “What did I tell you exactly?”

Laughing at her friend’s puzzled look, Caroline teased, “Silly, girl. Let me finish, then you’ll understand. So, Andrew picked me up, and Riva continued to screech about how there wasn’t anything wrong with me. Andrew turned and told her that there obviously was because my leg was gushing blood. Then he asked, ‘What kind of friend are you anyway?’.

Rebecca nodded. “He did have a point there.”

“Then he turned his attention to me as he walked away from her. As he walked, he told me not to worry because he would take me to the nurse who would fix me right up. I remember nodding and him smiling at me. He took me to the nurse, but my dad had to be called because I needed stitches. Andrew insisted on going to the doctor with me, so his mom was called too.”

“Did his mom let him go?”

“Yeah, she did,” Caroline replied. “She even ended up letting him go home with me because I cried when he tried to leave me at the doctor’s office to go home with her. I cried again when she tried to take him home from there, so he ended up staying until my pain pills kicked in and I went to sleep.”

“Aw… and it was true love at ten years old. How sweet.”

Caroline huffed at Rebecca and bumped her shoulder as she said, “On my part, maybe, although I’m not sure it’s actually true love at ten years old. Nevertheless, my feeling only grew from there, but he eventually chose to ignore me.”

“Okay, so as much as I’ve enjoyed this trip down memory lane, how does this pertain to today?”

“Because I’m stupid, Rebecca. He hasn’t said more than a few words to me since that incident. Yet, last night I had this dream about him, probably brought on by him walking me home,” Caroline began, then hummed softly. “You know, that was weird too, him being out jogging that late, coming across me and walking me home. What are the odds?”

“Ten to one? I don’t know; perhaps it was fate or something,” Rebecca suggested.

Caroline shrugged. “Anyway, long story short, he kissed me in my dream last night, and now, suddenly, I’m all possessive over him.”

“Possessive?”

“Yeah, I saw Reva sitting next to him at lunch,” Caroline admitted. “I just… err…” she fisted her hands at the memory of it, “I didn’t know whether to cry or rip her hair out. That isn’t a normal reaction to have, Rebecca.”

Rebecca laughed.

“It isn’t funny,” Caroline whined. “I have no right to feel that way about him.”

“Well, it is kind of funny. However, think about something for a minute, Caroline. You’ve wanted him forever, and suddenly, out of the blue, he talks to you, walks you home, then bam!” She hit her fist into her palm. “You start dreaming of him.”

“But that doesn’t give me the right too—”

The loud ringing of the bell going off had both girls jumping from the table, startled.

“Saved by the bell,” Rebecca teased. “Come on, let’s go to class.”

“Yeah,” Caroline huffed and followed Rebecca out the door.