North nodded, "It sounds like a smart move. What is it you're wanting to go to school for, by the way?"

"I want to be a lawyer like my aunt. I'm hoping to help those in need of someone to defend them from companies and government agencies that've hurt them." He laughed a little lightly. "Probably sounds stupid, but it's really where my heart is."

North tilted her head, then started to laugh. She shook her head, "No it's not stupid at all. I don't know if you picked it up or not, but my mother's actually a lawyer. She deals mostly with family law, really, though. I think it's great that you know what you want to do. I guess I'm sort of still undecided, but I guess I sort of have some time before graduation, as long as I'm smart and save up for college in the meantime."

"There's nothing wrong with being undecided. We're still young, there's no reason why we should have to know the paths we want to walk. I just happen to know what I want. Most kids think they know what they want but keep changing their minds because they made them up too soon."

North smiled, nodding, "Absolutely. It's not like we've got to make up our minds tomorrow."

She reached into her bag and pulled out a couple of chocolate chip banana nut muffins, setting one next to Dexter, "So what do you do in track?"

"Sprinting, javelin throw, and the high jump. They're my favorites." He peered over the top of his manga book at the muffin that'd been placed near him, before reaching for it and taking a bite.

North smiled, munching on her muffin and chuckling, "Nice. I guess I can be pretty sure I won't be outrunning you anytime soon, then."

She took the containers and napkins from her lunch and started packing them away, pulling out a pack of cards and starting a game of solitaire while Dexter read his manga, "What classes do you have this afternoon?"

"Computer graphics, then ancient history. You?"

North thought a second, "I have Biology and Art. Can't say I'm looking forward to Biology. Sometime in the next week or so we're going to dissect frogs. Once I know what day that is, I may call in sick. I'd rather not hack up a frog."

"Yeah, I outright refused to dissect anything. I would've been looking at suspension, but my aunt bullied the principal and threatened to take the issue to court."

North smiled, then nodded, "I suppose after that, it'd be easier for someone else to refuse to dissect those poor frogs. I may see how I fare at refusing on principle then."

"You should be able to get out of it without putting your grades in danger. I hate the idea of dissecting animals. Makes me feel like I'm the one killing them." He glanced up at the clock, then quickly put his manga away and gathered his trash. "Bell's about to ring. My track meet starts around six thirty."

North nodded, packing up the containers from her lunch, and downing the last of her milk as she got up, "I'll definitely try to make it to the track meet."

She reached over and gently gave his hand a squeeze, before trotting off toward the locker room.

Later that evening, Dexter was doing pretty well at the track meet, coming in third or higher in each of his races, had the second farthest distance for the javelin throw, and was the top at the high jump.

North and her mother sat in the stands during the track meet, both enthusiastically cheering Dexter on and sharing a large bag of Pirate Booty.

"Your new little boyfriend sure is doing well."

"Mom... it's not quite that serious yet. We're dating, but I don't know that anyone's throwing out titles or anything yet."

Dierdre shook her head, "Ah but it's pretty obvious that you're both interested in each other. Why fight it?"

"Well I don't want to rush anything. That's up to Dexter to ask when he's ready. Besides, it's only been a few days since we went out that first time."

Sprinting again, Dexter was in second place, quickly catching up to first place, when the sprinter ahead of him tripped and fell. Dexter immediately stopped running and turned back to check on him, kneeling down next to him to make sure he was alright. After a brief exchange of words, Dexter stood and pulled the other runner to his feet, supporting him by pulling his arm over his shoulder, and helped him limp off the track to get medical attention.

He missed the next sprint while waiting to find out the extent of the other boy's injuries, but once he was sure the boy was alright, he went ahead and headed for the next high jump practice.

It was getting late when the meet ended, and Dexter, dripping in sweat, grabbed his backpack, leaving the field and going into the parking lot. Once away from the field, he took a few minutes to rest and drink a bottle of water he had in his backpack.

North and her mother had remained nearby as the crowd dissipated, and North came trotting up to Dexter and touched him on the shoulder while her mother stayed back near the car, "Hey! You did a great job out there!"

"Thanks," he sighed with a tired smile. "It feels good to do something you love." Digging around in his bag, he found and pulled out his cellphone to check the time.

"Grah, gotta catch my bus." He looked up at North and smiled a happy but slightly awkward smile. "Can I kiss your cheek? I'd ask to hug you, but I'm all sweaty and really need a shower."

North blushed, then nodded, "Yeah... I think I'd like that... actually..."

He reached up, gently caressing her cheek with his hand, then placing a soft kiss on her other cheek. "I really need to go so I don't miss the bus. Have a good night. I'll see you later," he said with a smile, before turning around and jogging off in the direction he needed to go.

North waved a bit, still blushing. Once Dexter had left, she went back to her mother's car, grinning.

Dierdre smirked a bit, "I saw that. He's a sweet boy. C'mon kiddo, let's go home. We both have homework to do."

She and North both climbed into the car and made their way home, with North grinning and blushing the whole way.

A day or two later, North stepped into the flower shop in the afternoon, carrying a small package. She glanced around for Thaddeus or Dexter, before softly speaking, "Hello?"

"Out in a minute," Dexter's voice called from the back room, though it was in response to the bell, as he hadn't heard North's voice. A minute or two later he emerged, carrying a large plastic tub full of water and flowers, taking it to the cooler and setting it down, then taking a few seconds to catch his breath before turning to look for who had come in.

"Oh, North!" he panted, grinning. "What brings you here?"

North smiled, holding up the package, "I brought a treat. Mom had a day off, so we made cookies, and I thought I'd bring some for you. I hope you like peanut butter chocolate chip!"

"Chocolate is okay, but I love peanut butter," he said, opening the cooler, removing the nearly empty tub, hoisting the full tub into the cooler, organizing it a little bit, then closing the cooler door.

"Hey... This is kind of awkward to ask, but it's worrying me..." he said, lifting up the tub filled with very few flowers and mostly water. "What does your mom think of me? I get this feeling I haven't made a very good impression."

North blinked for a moment, flabbergasted, "Wait... you think you haven't made a good impression on my mom?!"

She tilted her head a bit, then began to laugh, "Dexter my mother thinks you're adorable! You don't have anything to worry about. If it's about the other night, she just wasn't going to take no for an answer about driving you home."