Paige

The Bottle of Peppermint Lotion The familiar optimistic chirping of the telephone broke through the lazy stupor of another casual Thursday afternoon. As soon as I heard the first ring, I automatically knew that the caller was Cosi. Cosette With No Middle Name Young, was her full name, a name so unique that there was a slim to none chance of ever meeting another person who was called that as well. Just like her name, Cosi’s calls were special, because I knew that every time she called, she was inviting me to hang out at her house, which was a very special treat indeed. Racing over to the phone, hurdling past barriers of piled toys, I yanked the cordless off the hook. “Hey Cosi!” I greeted breathlessly into the mouthpiece. “Hey! Wanna come over now?” Cosi’s bubbly voice asked. “Sure! See you soon!” I hung up the phone. As soon as I stepped outside of my house, into the crisp, clean air of mid-March, I felt myself falling back into the same, familiar routine. The slightly chilly wind caressed my petite, 10-year old body, and raised little goose bumps along my arms. My feet carried me exactly one house down the street until I reached my destination. Big as a mansion, welcoming as the gingerbread house in the story of Hansel and Gretel, and as familiar as my own home, this was Cosi’s house. I raced up the twelve steps, two large and ten small, past the tall, green bushes, and rang the doorbell. Immediately, as if she had been waiting for the exact second the doorbell rang, Cosi flung open the door. Dirty blonde hair pulled up into it’s usual ponytail, ice blue eyes sparkling from behind her scratched brown glasses, Cosi stood before me, beaming, and radiating her usual contagious bubbly aura. She smiled, showing off her blue braces, and rubbing the side of her freckled nose just the way she always did. “Come on in! Allison and I were just starting to make some muffins! She