Three flannels, four t shirts, one button down, one jacket, an eight pack of undergarments, a twelve pack of socks, three pairs of pants, and a rose dress later, Calvin and I were walking out of the mall and walking towards the park that was across the street. The park was always quiet, mostly people were always inside glued to their screens. Either way, more park for us. 

 "So," I started to say as I kicked a pebble with the tip of my boot, causing it to scatter across the asphalt road. "Did you have a blast in modern America? Was it everything you'd hoped it be?" 

 "Well, for starters, I did have fun shopping with you." Calvin smiles as he remembers what had happened today. "However, running into, as you called her, the town bicycle, it lost a few points. Plus, there was the thing that nearly ran me over." 

 "That was a car," I reminded him. "And you sort of ran out in front of it so that's on you." 

"I thought you were on my side?" Calvin teased as he bumped his shoulder with mine. 

"I am, teasing you is just fun," I tell him with a smile playing my lips. As we continued to walk down the road, we walk past a playground. "Do you want to go on the swings?" 

"Swings?" Calvin questioned, and I pointed to a set underneath a tree. "I don't know what those are, but sure." 

 I started to lead the way through the grass towards the swings. Normally, there would always be small children running around screaming while their parents gossiped with the others nearby. But today, there was no one. There wasn't a rogue child to be seen. I drop the dress on a nearby bench while Calvin did the same with his bags. 

 "Sit," I ordered Calvin as I pointed to the swing. 

 "Okay," he nodded as he plopped down. The chains creaked under his weight and he swung back a bit, catching him off guard a little. "Is that supposed to happen?" 

 "Yeah," I laugh as I grab the chains from behind him. "Hold on tight. Tell me if you want to stop." 

 I began to pull back on the chains before I released them. Calvin, though, wasn't amused. When I had first let go, he screamed a little, but after a few seconds he laughed. 

 "This is amazing," he says, but he was only going three feet in the air. 

"Just wait and see. You'll go higher," I said as I pushed on his back, causing him to fly up another foot. "Pump your legs." 

 "Like this?" he called out when he straightened his legs when he went forward and bent them back when he came back to me. 

 "Yeah, you're getting it," I laugh as I pushed him again. 

 Within minutes, Calvin was swinging high into the air. It was clear from the amount of laughter coming from him he was having a good time. I get behind him to give him one last push. 

 "Final push, o-" 

 "Rose," called someone from the road. I looked up and saw Nathan standing there wearing athletic shorts and a hoodie. His hair was shiny with sweat and he waved to me. 

 "What-," I start to say but I was immediately cut off when I was knocked into the air. Nathan had distracted me, and I forgot that Calvin was a swinging death trap. I landed on my back a few feet from the swing, gasping. 

 "Rose," Calvin had called out, but I didn't see him. The ground was my home now. I heard two separate footsteps coming towards me. Calvin was next to me first and Nathan showed up a few seconds later. "Rose, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault." 

 "It's okay," I mumble as I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain pulsed through my lower back. "Did I stick the landing? Ten out of ten?" 

Nathan chuckled. "Yeah, you got perfect scores. Actually, you took the gold in getting your ass handed to you by a swing." 

 "Good," I say as I tried to move again, this time it hurt less. "I think I landed on a rock."

 "Let me see," Calvin asked as he gently rolled me on my side and lifted the back of my shirt up, exposing my lower back. "There is a rock, but you are not bleeding." 

 "Okay, will you two be dears and help me up," I say as I held my arms in the air. They both reached down and helped me up. Nathans hand lingered on my arm before he pulled back. Calvin pulled me next to him and he placed a hand on my lower back where I was hurt. As if her were protecting it. "Thanks." 

 Nathan looked up at Calvin and then stuck his hand out. "I'm Nathan Hart." 

 "Calvin Gilbert," he says as he takes Nathans hand and shakes it. 

 "Do you go to Wilkins too? I haven't seen you there before?" Nathan asked as he brought up school. 

 "No," I says as I looked at them both. "Calvin graduated last year from Jefferson," I lied as I thought of a school that was close by. 

 "Oh, cool," Nathan said as he cleared his throat. "So, what have you too been up to today? Swinging around?"

 "We went shopping," Calvin stated as he motioned towards the bags. 

"Ah, let me guess. You hit up the sale?" Nathan asked as he looked at me. 

 "No, Calvin needed to get a few things" I tell him. 

 Awkward silence surrounded us. I didn't know what to say, Nathan started to look at the ground, and Calvin looked like he had no idea what was going on. After a minute, I spoke up. 

 "Well, we should really get going," I say as I take a step back. 

 "Hey, what are you two doing tonight?" Nathan asked suddenly. I narrowed my eyes at him in confusion. "There's a bonfire by the old mine. You should come." 

 "Bonfires really aren't my thing," I tell him in hopes of him leaving. 

"Awe, come on," Nathan begged. "If it helps, its Halloween themed. You can come dressed up." 

 "Why not?" Calvin asked me. "I love bonfires." 

 "Do you even know what a bonfire is?" I asked Calvin with my arms crossed.

 "Yes, I do," he nodded with a smug smile on his face. 

 "I guess its settled then," Nathan says as he claps his hands together. "It's at ten."

 "Thank you for inviting us," Calvin said to Nathan. 

 "Anytime. I guess I'll see you guys tonight. Don't forget your costumes,' Nathan says before turning away and jogging back up the road. When he was out of sight, I turned and smacked Calvin on the arm. 

 "Ow," Calvin whined as he touched his arm. "Why did you do that?" 

"Because you're being a jerk," I say in a huff. "I didn't raise you from the dead so you can drag me to parties."

 "Then why did you wish me alive?" 

 "I didn't know I did until you knocked on my door," I tell him. 

 "So, you don't know how you did it?" Calvin asked as he arched an eyebrow.

 "No. When I hear 'raising the dead', I think about someone sacrificing a goat on an alter while chanting in Latin," I sigh as I moved past him and sat on the swing. "They don't teach raising the dead 101 at my school."

 I closed my eyes and leaned against the chain and sighed. What I had just said was the truth, and both of those ideas came from movies. Perhaps this is all an elaborate joke and people were going to pop out saying I've been punked. I felt the chain of the swing move, and I opened my eyes to see Calvin. He had both of his hands on the lower part of the swing and he was pushing me backwards, raising me in the air. 

 "What are you doing?" I blinked when we were eye level. At the angle we were at, I felt as if I was going to slip off the swing. Instinctively, I wrapped my legs around his waist and I placed my hands on his shoulders. 

 "I want you to listen to me," he said as he looked me in the eyes and wrapped his arms around my hips. I nodded. "Before you wished me back, I was surrounded by nothing. Everything was black and cold. I almost went insane because I was so alone. But when you stumbled upon that clearing, and you talked to me, that was the best thing that had ever happened to me. You told me your problems and I listened. I wanted to tell you my opinion about everything because I knew you would have liked to hear it. That was over a year ago and you never gave up on me. You came back to talk to a dead man who you thought wasn't listening. You made this dead man's life." 

 A tear slipped out of my eyes and it ran down my cheek during his speech. Calvin noticed, and he caressed his thumb over my cheeks, wiping them away. 

 "Hey, don't cry," he said gently to me. "Remember when I said you gave my life purpose again, I meant it. I didn't live the best life before, and I made a lot of mistakes, but I have a second chance now. All thanks to you." 

 Calvin leaned forward and pressed a tender kiss on my forehead. His lips lingered for a few minutes before pulling away. 

 "Are you ready to head back home?" Calvin asked me as he placed his chin on the top of my head while pulling me closer to him. 

 "Yeah," I say, my voice cracking, as I wrap my arms around his neck in a hug. Calvin reached down and placed a hand under my thigh before hoisting me off the swing. I held on as he walked away from the swing and when we reached the bench I unwrapped my legs off him. He kept one arm around me for a minute before dropping his arm. I reached over to the bench and grabbed the dress. "Looks like you get your wish today." 

 "My wish? I didn't make a wish," he said slowly. 

 "Well, the wish of me wearing a dress," I smile at him. "I know the perfect thing to do with this now."

 A smile appears on his face. "Good. Oh, I didn't tell the truth earlier. What's a bonfire."