He watched as she leaned against the tree, staring at him. "What?" he asked self-consciously as he shifted in his seat. "Do I have a booger?"

She laughed, stood up, and shook her head. "No, silly," she replied. "I'm just thinking." She walked over to him and looked down into his brown eyes. "Haven't you ever wanted to walk? I mean, sitting in that thing all day's gotta suck."

"I don't sit down all day!" Mark said to his friend. "You know that, Mary. You spend half the day at my house on the weekends."

"Yeah, I guess." She shrugged. "Never mind."

"I used to walk on crutches," Mark said softly. Mary looked down at him quizzically. "It was before you moved her. I was on crutches until I was 9, when I had that dang surgery." The boy unlocked his chair as they moved back toward her house. "I miss it," he admitted. "But, this chair's not that bad." Then he grinned. "Besides, I can beat you in a race with it!" Before she could respond, Mark tore out toward the ranch-style home, kicking up dirt with his tires.

"CHEATER!" Mary screamed. She ran after him, laughing loudly. "Get your ass back here and race me fairly!"

"Who the hell ever said I played fair?" the boy retorted, glancing back at his friend with a smirk.