No Pads… No Helmets… Just Memories!

There I was, walking alone through town after what was supposed to be a great day in the life of Jasey Dawson, and it ended with me dwelling over the past and having my head slammed into a locker by Tammy of all people. The boy hadn’t even seemed at all phased by her words; did he know about my mom, had Tammy told everyone?

I never thought it would happen but, that was it, my spirit was crushed, bruised like my head and left at the school that was now fading into the horizon line behind me. I reached the entrance to the park that connected a series of roads; if I cut through the center past the water tower I was pretty sure I’d make it home faster than if I walked the border. The water tower was huge; easily the tallest think in the town and was an easy land mark to guide me through the park. I had just passed the tower not even halfway across the park before I heard footsteps. I swallowed the gasp that was harvesting in my throat as I heard the footsteps coming towards me from one side. Before I could even think about what I was doing, I was behind a tree when a voice whispered out my name. I stepped out from behind the tree and let out the breath I was subconsciously holding in as I looked up to see Marc standing before me letting out a light chuckle as he shoved his hands into the pocket of his hoodie.

"What are you doing here?" I spilled as if trying to catch my breath.

"Going for a walk" he said pointing up and behind me. I turned and followed his finger up to the water tower.

"You’re going to climb the water tower?" I asked shocked.

"Wouldn’t be the first time" he laughed, "there’s a ladder, wanna join?"

"You’re crazy!" I laughed.

"It’s a nice view!" He cooed and I let out a laugh.

"You really are crazy Fletcher!"

"Oh well now you have no choice, you’re coming with me!" He laughed taking a hold of my arm and dragging my back in the direction of the tower. I followed, stumbling after the boy till we reached the ladder he spoke of. I stopped in my tracks at the realization it would take at least 5-10 minutes to simply climb to the ladder to the ledge.

"You’re not scared of heights are you?" He laughed looking down on me from the ladder.

"Oh, what, me no" I said dropping my bag and taking a hold of first ring, "just falling" I mumbled to myself.

We reached the top and I stood up strait on the surprisingly wide metal landing that ran the perimeter of the tower and stretched looking over the horizon. It was beautiful; you could see our entire town, every street light, every corner lit, every shop, and house and car on the streets. All the sounds, and in the distance; the cities bright lights, for anyone who was a stranger to these parts it was just a city skyline, belonging to which city, could not be made out, but I, I knew it was Baltimore, and it was breath taking.

“You cold?” he asked laughing and I looked down at the boy who had taken a seat on the ledge, hanging his feet over like one would dangle feet off a dock and into a cool lake, his arms were folded over themselves resting his head on one of the rings of the railing, I looked down at my pale exposed arms and legs and the incredibly visible goose bumps that riddled them.

“I guess so…” I admitted, now that I thought about it I was incredibly cold but I was so lost in thought before I hadn’t even noticed the temperature's drastic drop, and the cool breeze that passed over the tree tops.

“Here take this.” Marc said stripping of his sweatshirt leaving him in nothing but a thin tee and sweats.

“Marc I can do that it's cold I’ll be fi-”

“Jasey take it and sit down or ill put it on you myself.” He laughed forcing the black and gold hoodie into my hands.

I let out a slight giggle taking the hoodie from the reluctant boy’s hand wedging the ice bag I still clutched between my fingers to rest between my knees while I nuzzled into the sweatshirt. Marc tapped the metal space beside him, motioning me to join him and I did dangling my feet over the sides like him. I let out a slight yawn tucking my arm that wasn’t holding the ice to my head further into the sleeve of Marc’s hoodie. I smile remembering a tumblr post about being so shy sometimes even hands don't want to be seen. That’s how I felt. Like I just wanted to tuck up inside the hoodie and never be seen or heard from again. I rested my head on marc as he lazily slung an arm over my shoulders resting his head slightly on my mine. I tucked my knees up to my chest and let out another light yawn.

"You tired?" Marc laughed.

"Uh yeah a little... It’s been a long day." I sighed with a forced laugh.

"I bet" marc laughed adjusting his arm slowly taking the zip lock bag of ice from my hand allowing my arm to fall as he lightly replaced it on my head then it dawned on me he hadn’t even asked what happened even after he noticed the ice, "you wanna head home?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"Actually, can we just sit here a little longer, you can basically see Baltimore from here."

"Yeah I wish you could make out ravens stadium" he admitted.

"I wonder if you could hear the crowd from here." I muttered to myself but in the silence my words traveled.

"I liked to think that when I first moved here and came up, I liked to think that if I was just quite enough, and the whole town was asleep that I could hear the crowd chanting." He confessed.

"Did you ever try to do it, you know try to listen for the game?" I asked.

"No" he shook his head.

"Why not?"

"Well see, it’s one of those things that I sit up here and think about, if I try it, and I fail to hear the roars of the raven's fans, what will I have to dream and wonder about the next time I come up, then won't it lose part of what makes it special?" He said.

I pulled my head off of his shoulder to take a better look at this boy. His tan face was locked ahead. His lips pulled up into a smug smile his soft eyes had fallen into his lap, his breath leaving smoke trails in the cool September air as it fell from his mouth, unaware of my gazing eyes. “Then why did you bring me up here?” I asked in a much more hushed tone then was intended.

“Why wouldn’t I?” he laughed.

“Well wouldn’t bringing me up here take away something special about it, like this was your place and know I know about it?”

“Yeah, I mean I could have let you walk right by me, I could have let you leave and wonder why I was up here or just have you go home and not give it a second thought, but what’s the fun in that, what’s so great about having something special and then no one to share it with, if I never showed you this place, then you can never show anyone, and when I leave for collage next fall, it’d die with me, and no one would know why I came up here at night to think, no one to carry on the memory.” He said turning and looking me in the eyes, “and what’s a good memory without anyone to remember it with.”

“A story” I muttered.

“A story, that if not told, will simply fade away and be forgotten.”

“Wow” was all I could manage and he let out a slight laugh looking away from me and back out to the horizon. I reached into the pocket of his hoodie and laughed as I pulled out a small bag of M&Ms.

"What are you doing?" he laughed as i began to tear the pack open remembering it wasn't mine.

"Eating M&Ms... What I’m hungry, you want one?" I asked holding the bag up to the boy.

"Your something else, you know that." He laughed taking a few and popping them in his mouth.

"Eh" I shrugged, "what you gonna do about it!"

Marc laughed as he dapped his arm around me again and pulled me close. "I’m glad you’re my friend Jasey, you know that? anyone else would have laughed, i knew you'd be a good friend to have around."

"Well then!" I said pulling back pretending to be hurt by his words, "I thought I was your best friend!"

"I’d say best friend, but I’m afraid Cass might fall from the sky and defend her honor!" He laughed.

"Yeah I wouldn’t be surprised." I laughed lying back on the ledge.

Marc laid back beside me and let out a yawn. "You tired now?" I asked chuckling.

"Yeah wanna head back?"

"I guess we should really though." i admitted.

"Yeah we gotta be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow” he said getting to his feet and holding a hand out to me, “But tomorrows Friday and then it’s the weekend!” he said and I let out a sigh of relief wanting nothing but for it to already be Friday afternoon.

Notes