no friend of mine

"Why, are you doing this?" Dakota was certain Sunny was on the wrong path with Rosie. "She hasn't even broken up with her boyfriend." Dakota knew enough. She'd seen Rosie still smiles when that so called Rocker..Bo was parked in her driveway.

"Do you even care!" She didn't want to write Santa a letter. She was too old for that kind of thing. It was just another way Xander would know what she wanted for Christmas, along with good handwriting. Still, she felt as if she was put off on Sunny far too much, and before he could answer, because usually he always stared blankly before he could ever answer..she stomped away to find Kevin to bug.

Sure, she annoyed him, but didn't he see she was on Xander's side. And yes, she thought she knew Xander's mom very well.

"Do  you want to play a card game, she taught me?" Dakota still had the special deck of tiny cards.

Kevin wasn't even on his phone, but setting idol as if he didn't have a whole lot going on in the livingroom. He shrugged a bit different. He had not interest in a card game.

"Then you can watch me." She informed him it was a nice out, thanks to global warming. She would show him her school and the playground.

"I..I..I'd..rather.." But she didn't take no for an answer. He was in jeans and a sweater, sneakers too. She pulled him right up out of his chair and got him out the door.

"You, need some sun," she said. "Maybe it'll help you, not be so depressed."

He scowled ever so bitterly, but he didn't fight her much. They were holding hands rather nicely, after a bit.

"She wouldn't like you so angry." Dakota told him. "She always smiled. She was the kind of person who liked to make people smile. You're not like that at all."

He swelled a frown as if he didn't like her much, but she didn't really care. She needed someone to push the merry-go-around for her. Someone who would get on the see-saw with.

"You're, tired of being alone, aren't you?" She asked and he looked so hurt that she actually knew these feelings of his.

He pushed her on the merry-go-around. Finally, it was time to get on the see-saw.

"What were you like, when you were little?" She wanted to know.

"I guess I studied, a lot." He said he had a nanny, and she read to him. He studied martial arts.

She felt sad for him, but more sad for his mom. Yet she knew he would never understand. He'd never had to have those kind of feelings.

"Xander, never had any of that, growing up. He lived above a beauty shop. He learned to wash towels by the time he was five. And he could cut hair by the time he was twelve and knew everything about a manicure by the time he was fourteen. He's been working all his life." She was proud to say, but she could see in Kevin's eyes, that must have been an awful past.