"Did anyone ever tell you that you remind them of fall?" He asked. "No, that's not an everyday kind of compliment." "Well you remind me of fall. Crisp, clear, colorful, one last hurrah before winter." "But winter is pretty too." She said "Not like fall, fall is special." They were sitting in the old gym. The bleachers had graffiti all over them and one of the baskets was missing a backboard. The paint of the tiger on the wall was chipped. They ate lunch there together every Tuesday. It had started when she was a freshman and he was a sophomore. She had wandered into the gym for a little solitude and he was sitting there eating his lunch. As she turned to leave, he called out to her and asked her to join him. And now it was their last year together. She looked at him, he was tall and gangly, like a scarecrow, with dark skin and deep brown eyes. He had a big nose and short black hair. I'm really going to miss him next year, she thought. Tearing her mind away from that sad thought she started eating her lunch. They ate in a friendly silence for a while. "So have you decided on a college yet?" She asked. "It's only November! But I think that I'll go with Bates, if they'll take me." "They'll take you, are you crazy?" The bell rang and they headed off to class.







It was the first Tuesday without him. He went to Bates and it was her senior year. At lunch she went into the gym to eat alone today. She walked in and looked up at the bleachers. There he was. He was sitting there like he always did, but smirking. On the bleachers next to him was a ton of food. She sat down next to him and smiled. "Why are you here?" She asked. "It's only a three hour drive and it wasn't really Tuesday without you." They started eating, neither of them could stop glancing at the other and smiling. When the bell rang they parted ways. "I'll see you for Thanksgiving break." He called and walked out the door.