“She’s just afraid to ask!”“Penelope Margaret O’Neil!” I said sternly, keeping my voice low. “That’s completely inappropriate!”“It...��s also the truth!” she said. “She and I talk, you know.”“You talk WAY too much, Pretty Penny!” I reprimanded her.“Hmph!” she said, turning back to her workstation.My hopes of getting back to work were dashed when Barbara came to the door a few minutes later.“Dante’s all set,” she said.“He’s happy?” I asked.“That’ll be the day!” she laughed. “But I did solve his. He asked if I wanted to go swimming, but I refused. I did not trust myself to be alone with him. He only asked that one time and did not seem upset when I said no, which was a relief to me.Roger was at the store, and Carol, Bobby and I were finishing lunch when Carol asked, “Hey you guys, why don’t you two go swimming at the pond anymore? It must be 80 degrees out there. I’m going to head over to see Mark and bring him the tuna casserole I made for him.”“Do you still bring Mark his dinner every. When she tried to pay with the same credit card, it was declined. She tried the next card up the line, also declined. She shrugged and counted out the amount in cash.Out at the car, Thule helped her fit everything she'd bought into the luggage. As Thule drove off, she stripped again, discarding the borrowed clothing, pulling on a winter camouflage t-shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and Thule's old belt."How do I look?" she asked Thule."Good," said Thule, "and like you're on your way to a day of. Let me set the stage I’m 6ft, 160lbs, medium length, wavy, dirty blond hair, and an athletic body. It’s not really about me though. Me and Jessica (Jess) have been friends since the day we met back in grade 9, and now 3 years later, the summer after grade 11, both of us 16, are still the best of friends. However, we all know that no guy and girl can be just friends, deep down I loved her very much, and it took every ounce of strength I possessed to not come out and tell her, or to jump all over.