Alex hopped the low fence at the school boundary and trudged around the kindergarten trailer toward the play yard and woods beyond. Head down he struggled to make sense of his own ill-formed plan. Words like idiot, stupid, moron, clueless, and asinine kept crowding in, though he wasn’t even sure what the last one meant.

He didn’t want to look at the woods as he crossed the field. Part of him worried that one look would have sent him scurrying back home. Being an idiot he could stomach, but being a coward was another matter entirely. He should have looked.

With a start he halted at the sight of pink and white Converse sneakers. His shocked eyes shot up the short legs and cute form to see Janine stoically facing the trees. She gave him a cursory glance and seemed to smirk ever so slightly.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, mouth hanging open after the question.

“Looking,” she said plainly, then asked with mild curiosity, “What are you doing here?”

Alex thought and shrugged, “I’m an idiot.”