North blinked and hopped off the couch, trotting to the door. She peeked through the peep hole to see it was Dexter, then smiled and opened the door, "Hey there! Come on in. How was work?"

Dierdre smiled and waved her free hand at Dexter, "Good evening!"

"Good evening," Dexter called, bowing a bit to North's mother. "Ah, work was horrible. Several events turned to us for their floral arrangements, so we were insanely busy most of the day. My boss let me go early tonight though. Kinda got lucky there..."

North smiled, taking Dexter's arm, "Come on in and have a seat. Relax."

Dierdre smiled, "Well that was nice of your boss to let you go early, especially after such a hard day. Do you kids want anything to drink or eat? We still have some of those cookies from earlier too, if you liked those, Dexter."

Dexter nodded a little, a bit shyly. "I liked them, but I'm hungry for something other than sugar. I was planning on getting something to eat on the way home."

Dierdre nodded, "I can understand that. We have some things from dinner if you're interested. Feel free to help yourself. I have some paperwork to do, so I'll be in my room if you need me."

North smiled and nodded, waving to her mother as she left. Once she was gone, she glanced at Dexter, "Do you want something from the kitchen? Mom made quesadillas for dinner, so those reheat really well, and they're not that cold yet if you want some."

He shook his head a bit. "No, I have to watch what I eat until after the competition. I hope you understand."

North nodded, "Sure, that's fine. I understand."

She led Dexter to the sofa and sat down, smiling, "Well, is there something you'd like to do? We have the tv, or some board or card gams, or a couple of video games. I'm okay with just about anything."

"Maybe cards, takes the least amount of energy," he said with a tired chuckle. "It's been a long day."

North giggled and got up to go to the game closet. She brought back a bicycle deck and a pack of Uno cards. Setting them both down, she tilted her head at Dexter, "Take your pick!""

Dexter found himself laughing a little, picking up the deck of Uno cards. "I haven't played Uno in years. I usually just play blackjack with my aunt."

North laughed, "I love Uno. Mom and I usually play when we're bored and sitting around. We've worn out quite a few decks, actually."

She moved a few things on the coffee table to make space for an Uno game.

"Your mom really doesn't mind that I'm here this late on a school night, does she?" he asked a little nervously, digging through his bag to see if he could find an energy bar or something to snack on.

North smiled, "It'll be fine. I did all my homework already, and it's not late enough yet to interfere with getting enough sleep. We can play a few rounds."

She shuffled the deck and dealt the cards, setting up their game and flipping the start card, "It's not as long as we might be able to have on a weekend, but it's fine."

"I just don't want to bother either of you, that's all," he said with a sigh, his hand coming out of his bag empty.

North shook her head, "Don't worry about it. You're not. If you're still here when Mom thinks it's time for you to go, she'll say something. Mom's a reasonable lady."

"Well," he began, taking his cellphone out to check the time. "I'll leave at nine thirty unless I'm kicked out before that, sound good?"

North smiled, "That sounds fine. I'm sure Mom will appreciate that you're not gonna stay so long that you push your luck. Y'know she really does think you're a nice guy."

"Well, it's good to know she thinks that, but I'm still paranoid about it," he admitted, putting down several of his cards. He grimaced a bit as his stomach growled loudly.

North knit her eyebrows together, "Dexter, would you like a cereal bar or a muffin? Something? It sounds like you're hungry."

"Do you have some vegetables that you guys wouldn't mind if they went missing? I'd rather have something like that right now."

North smiled, "Sure, we have some apples, celery, or an orange or something. I think we also have grapes and stuff. What would you like?"

"Celery would be nice. Do you have any ranch?"

North nodded, "Sure thing! I'll be right back!"

She returned a few moments later with a bowl of celery and a cup of ranch. Setting both down in front of Dexter, she sat back down and smiled, "Service with a smile!"

He laughed at her comment, shaking his head a little.

After several games of Uno, his cellphone began vibrating in his pocket and he quickly turned off the alarm he'd set for nine twenty-five. He helped North clean up really quick, then went for the door to leave, only stopping to ask permission before kissing her on the cheek.

With that, he bid her goodnight and hurried to the bus stop to head towards home.

The night that Dexter was gone for his out of town track meet, North was sitting in her room and doing a difficult crossword puzzle of scientific terms for extra credit in her biology class. It was the least she could do after refusing to dissect the frog, but the teacher seemed to be alright as long as she agreed to take on a little extra credit. Her feet swayed in the air as she lay on her bed on her stomach, listening to her stereo while she worked.