One Tree Hill highschool!

(( xD Yeah, that was rather odd a thing to bring up ))

Nadine giggled. "Lick!" she mimed licking his cheek.

((Not really. Not for us anyway. Today in math, Lauren was pretending to lick me and licked my shoulder. I couldn't stop laughing.))

((Ahahaha, I got too much momentum. Your shirt is fuzzy. xD))

James pretended to lick her back, but kissed her on the cheek. He pulled back, and grinned, feeling oddly accomplished.

(( xDD Yesterday, I held out my hand to Jackie for a high-five, and she licked it. On purpose. xD ))

Nadine giggled. "See? You're a natural."

((LOL! Yeah, Lauren didn't lick me on purpose. She spent the remaining ten minutes saying how her tongue had fuzz on it.))

((It was! I took a drink of water before cross country, and the water that I dripped on myself was blue. What does that tell you? xD))

James smiled, "Thanks..."

((I don't know, what does it tell me!?))

((I'll let you work this equation out on your own. lol))

((Maybe because my shirt was blue....))

(( xDD ))

Nadine smiled. "So... should we go down to the lake?"

((THANK YOU EILEEN!))

"Sure," James agreed, happy to have something to do with his feet again. He popped up from the rock/tree stump. ((Sorry! Forgotten which one it was!))

((No problem...))

((I think it was a tree stump. I don't really know either. ))

Nadine stood as well and started deeper into the forest, as the clearing narrowed into the beaten dirt trail once again.

James followed right on her heels, feeling almost responsible, even though he knew nothing in these woods were particularly dangerous.

Nadine was quite aware that James was practically on top of her. "Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend." she quoted with a smile, grabbing his hand and pulling him forward to level with her.

James didn't let go of her hand. It was strange how well they just fit together. Her fingers were cold, and her hand rather slender, seeming small inside his own, rather large, hand.

As they walked side by side, their footsteps fell into sync (sp?) with each other. A cool breeze blowing from ahead indicated that they were not far from the lake. Nadine smiled to herself. It was such a peaceful scene, such a happy moment. Just for today, she would be free.

The silence between them was very deep, and James didn't want to so much as breathe to break it. He exhaled silently through his nose.

Up ahead, Nadine saw bright light breaking through the dense canopy. The breeze was a bit stronger here, blowing her hair back slightly. As they approached, the dirt beneath their feet became more coarse. They stepped out of the forest and onto the short, sandy beach that ran the length of the lake. The water was perhaps ten feet out from the edge of the woods. Nadine smiled in the bright sunlight.

The wind blew through their hair as they stood along the edge of the lake. James took in a deep breath of the wet land. James remembered where he'd hidden the raft he'd crafted last time he was here. He'd found several trees torn out by their roots from where a tornado had hit two years ago, and used to the wood to make a raft sturdy enough to hold maybe three people. He dragged it out from behind the trees and set it in the shallow part of the water.
"Would you like to join me?" he offered to Nadine, searching now for the oar he'd carved out of the scraps.
He snagged it, and jumped on the boat, testing it quickly. It floated without a problem, sending ripples across the smooth surface, only disturbed by the wind. This surprised him. He was pretty sure that something would have happened since he was here last Saturday.

Nadine grinned. "Yeah, sure!" as she appraoched the edge of the water, she asked, impessed, "Did you make that?"

"Yeah, with a little help from a tornado, a saw, and some duct tape." James laughed.

((Lol, I know it's unrealistic, but I've always wanted to build a raft, and thought it'd be cool.))

(( xD I built a raft in ecology camp. It was hot. Since I was the only girl, and I was the lightest, I got to ride it. It was hot. I already said that. ))

Nadine grinned. "That's so cool!"

((Yeah, I really want to build a raft...))

((It'd be madly epic.))

James smirked, rather proud of himself. It was everything he could do to keep himself from making the face.