Chloe wanted to sneak away during recess to hang out at Little Buffalo River, which was about a five-minute walk away from the school grounds. Chloe and I had started hanging out by the river last year because Chloe picked up smoking. Normally, we’d go about once a week, but this year, Chloe wanted to go almost every day. It worried me for multiple reasons. First of all, I didn’t want us to get caught sneaking away from school and then getting into trouble. I’d hate for Dad to find out and be embarrassed by my behavior. And secondly, I didn’t like the fact that Chloe was smoking so much. Last year, I got the impression that it was just experimental, a phase, and I only saw her smoking every once in a while. But this year, she was always carrying a full pack of Marlboro and lighting up at least two cigarettes every time we were down by the river. It was strange seeing her smoke. I remembered her being very much against smoking before she got to year 9; she was particularly worried about the ‘disgusting smell’ getting into her good clothes and her beautiful blond hair. I guess those things didn’t worry her anymore now.

Of course, the thought to join her had crossed my mind, but I never seriously considered it. Sneaking away was nothing compared to smoking, and I couldn’t bare doing that to Mom and Dad. You could say my family was a very effective bad-behavior-repellent that kept me from doing things I shouldn’t be doing. And it wasn’t even because they’d get angry with me, it was because they’d be disappointed in me. Which was a hundred times worse.

Chloe seemed to understand this and never asked me to join her again after I refused a cigarette the first time. She had known my family for over three years now, so she knew how lucky I was.

This year, Alexandra had been joining us during our visits to the river. She had never smoked and made it very clear that she would never start smoking either. I had to admit, I respected her definitive stance on not smoking. It also made sense in her case; it would be silly to be so into playing sports and smoke at the same time.

As we approached the river, Chloe already started taking out her pack of Marlboro. A pang of annoyance ran through me. I looked away from the two girls, up at the trees. I spotted a few ravens in several trees, and like always, I was struck by their size. It was a beautiful morning. The sun had managed to peep through the clouds just enough to show its orange glow.

I watched Chloe climb on the wooden table near a thick layer of trees. I quickly followed her to claim the spot next to her. From the corner of my eye, I saw Alexandra walking towards the trees and looking at the river through an opening.  

‘Are you looking forward to the game?’ I asked Chloe. Not that I cared about the game, but I wanted to talk to Cloe.

Chloe took a puff while nodding. She blew out smoke and raised her eyebrows. ‘Sure.’ She gave me a sideways look. ‘Dylan’s team will win, of course.’

‘Yeah, probably.’ I couldn’t care less about that dipshit. But at least Chloe was happy about it.

‘PE next. I hope we play dodgeball,’ Chloe grinned at me.

‘Oh no,’ I sighed, ‘I hate dodgeball.’

‘I don’t mind it,’ Alexandra said as she joined us. She stood still in front of us and raised her chin at Chloe, as if to say: ‘I’m with you.’

‘Yeah, that’s because you can throw superhard. You almost knocked out Max last week!’ I shouted.

Alexandra and Chloe both laughed. I shook my head and laughed with them.

‘Some people need to get hit by a ball from time to time,’ Chloe snickered.

‘Ha!’ Alexandra roared.   

‘Ssshh!’ Chloe hissed. ‘They’ll hear us.’

‘They won’t hear us from here.’ Alexandra frowned.

Chloe shrugged. ‘You never know. Maybe teachers are patrolling the square.’

I looked in the direction of the school and then at my watch. ‘We’ve got about ten more minutes.’

Chloe lit up another cigarette. I always caught myself wanting to say something to Chloe about it, but I usually didn’t.

‘So, Alexandra.’ Chloe put her lighter back into her jacket. ‘What’s your type?’

‘Tsss,’ Alexandra hissed. 

‘Come on. What’s your type?’ Chloe pressed.

Alexandra shrugged and looked up at the sky for a moment. ‘I don’t know. I don’t know if I have a type.’  

‘Maybe someone from Dylan’s group? A lot of goodlooking guys in there.’ She held up her free hand. ‘That is, if you don’t mind dating someone in year 12.’

‘I wouldn’t mind that,’ Alexandra said.  

‘Is there any guy that stands out to you?’ Chloe continued.

I observed Alexandra’s nonchalant attitude, and like many times before, wondered if it was truly her character or if it was an act. If it was an act, she was doing a good job acting.

‘I don’t know. I’d have to take another look, I guess,’ Alexandra said.

The girls continued talking as I strolled over to the trees. The strip of trees between the grass and the river was about ten feet wide. Reaching the strip, I could see the river through the trees. The water glistened under the little bit of sunlight we had today. I leaned against one of the trees and focused on the steady, calming sound.

Suddenly, I saw something move in the middle of the strip. At first, I couldn’t make out what it was, but then I saw it was a cat. It looked back at me with bright-green eyes. It looked aggressive and scared, as if it would jump me if I moved an inch closer.

‘Hey.’ I hunched down and rested my elbows on my knees. ‘Aren’t you a pretty cat?’

That was absolutely true. Its colors were beautiful; it was mostly black, and covered in small white and brown spots. I wondered who it belonged to and why it was out here in the bushes. Maybe its owner dumped it. How heartless.

‘It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.’ I slowly sat down in the grass and held still. I wished I had some food with me; it looked hungry. I made a mental note to come back with some tuna after school, before going to the library.

‘Are you a girl cat or a boy cat?’

The cat relaxed a little bit and sat down. My soft and friendly voice was probably having an effect.

‘What are you doing out here? Don’t you have a home?’

The cat didn’t move and was still in hyper alert mode.

‘I wish I could take you home with me. You’re so cute.’

The cat blinked slowly a few times and dropped its head a little. It looked sleepy.  

‘I’ll bring you some food later. I promise.’

‘Denise, who are you talking to?’ Chloe asked as she appeared next to me.  

The cat shot away into the bushes and disappeared.

‘Shit,’ I whispered.

‘What was that?’ Chloe asked.

‘A cat.’

‘A cat?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Since when do we have stray cats in Jasper? First ravens, now cats? What’s next? Witches?’

I got up and looked around the trees and bushes, looking for a sign of the cat. ‘I don’t think it was a stray. It looked way too good for a stray.’

‘Hmm.’ Chloe took a step back. ‘The owners probably forgot to shut a door or something.’

Alexandra joined us. ‘Hey, we have to go back now or we’ll be late for PE.’

‘You’re right. Let’s go.’ A light panic ran through me. We couldn’t be late for PE because Dad was our PE teacher.  

We walked back to school at a fast pace. None of the teachers that were out patrolling noticed us sneak back into the school gates. That’s because we knew exactly which gate to sneak into; the one on the opposite side of the school, far away from the busy square. This gate was technically locked like all the others, but it was pretty easy to open from the outside once you knew how it was locked from the inside. Chloe fiddled with the lock, and voila, we were back on school grounds. We had become professionals at this. Mixing in with other students, we started making our way to the square. That’s when the first bell rang.

‘Ah man, I totally forgot to eat,’ Chloe moaned.

I rolled my eyes at her and laughed. ‘Then don’t spend twenty minutes smoking.’

Chloe laughed with me.

‘Dumbass,’ I added.

Chloe laughed even louder, and then she grabbed my arm. We walked into school like that, snickering and giggling like little kids. I vaguely registered Alexandra behind us, but I didn’t care if we were neglecting her. This was the best; just Chloe and me, being best friends like we always had been.  

I knew how to get Chloe’s attention. It was either by being funny or by being cool. Chloe always had to be around someone who was the center of attention; whether it was her or someone else. So, I’d learned to be funnier and make silly remarks to make her laugh. It worked like a charm and it made Chloe want to be around me more.

Of course, I utterly enjoyed being around Chloe, especially when we got to hang out alone. But at the same time, I wished I didn’t have to try so hard to get her to spend time with me. Sometimes I wasn’t in the mood to crack jokes or be around popular kids. Sometimes I just wanted to spend time with Chloe, and invite her over for a movie or girltalk. But over the years, Chloe’s interests had shifted more and more towards standing out at school. And how would alone-time with me help her stand out? It wouldn’t.

But I couldn’t really complain, because right now, Chloe was holding on to my arm as we walked through the hallways, and I felt on top of the world. Right now, I wouldn’t have it any other way.