Knowing Me, Knowing You

Dance (While The Music Still Goes On)

Xander waited patiently inside the Knowles's house. He placed the needle back on the record and played Tiger, Carter's theme song. As he tuned into the lyrics, he understood why Carter considered it her theme. The lyrics oddly suited her, but it also saddened him to think of her that way.

If people got to know Carter, they wouldn't be scared of her. Sure, she may have enjoyed the fact that a lot of her classmates were afraid of her and found it to be funny, but that didn't mean she was a bad person. She thought it was funny that people would actually consider her to be a witch, and she piggybacked on that fear, overplaying it to an extreme measure as a joke. Witches were not real, and her basking in her persona was her own way of rejecting the pain her bullies wanted to shame her with.

From what he knew about Carter, he found her to be fun, sweet, and resourceful. Any time he talked with her, she was always polite and funny, making jokes and basking in self-confidence. Spending time with her was never dull, and he looked forward to going to the thrift store with her sometime to learn how to be a thrifty, bargain shopper like herself. He wished more people would see that side of her.

The front door opened, and Xander jumped up from the chair to face the door. Carter ran inside, carrying a long roll of shiny blue fabric upstairs. Henry followed her, carrying a silver roll with him.

Terry walked inside and locked the door before entering the living room. "Did Carter offer you anything to eat or drink?"

"She did, but I wasn't hungry or anything."

"Are you now?"

"I'm a little thirsty."

Terry nodded his head towards the kitchen, and Xander followed him. Terry walked to the fridge and pulled out a Britta Filter. "I hope you don't mind, but we only have water."

"Water is always good."

Terry handed Xander a glass and put the Britta away. "How long have you and Carter known each other for?"

"Not long. Almost two weeks." Before Terry could say anything else, he asked, "What's the fabric they carried in for? Are you making something?"

Terry quirked an eyebrow. "You don't know?"

Xander shook his head.

"Carter has been designing clothes for years now, ever since middle school."

"You're kidding," he whispered in amazement.

"Yeah. She's gotten a lot better over the years. She used to buy clothes at the thrift store and revamp them into something cooler. She still does, but she also makes clothes from scratch. She's already been accepted into design school, but she needs to get a scholarship in order to go."

"She's been accepted?"

"You should see her clothes once she lets you. She's a bit shy about sharing it with people since it's her passion." Holding up his finger to keep Xander quiet, Terry glanced towards the living room and smirked. "But if you want to see her clothes now," he whispered, and Xander leaned in, "just search her name on Etsy, and you'll find some of her designs."

"She sells her own clothes?"

"For hundreds of dollars. It's how she's saving up for college, since she needs her actual job to help pay for other expenses. She needs her scholarship, and she'll find out if she gets it in a few months."

"How?"

Terry shook his head and glanced towards the living room. Henry and Carter walked downstairs, and Terry joined them. "I found some good ones this time, didn't I?"