With a sigh, Jim hung up the phone. He frowned down at the inoffensive plastic handset, wondering why his friend wasn't answering. After all, Rick was suppose to get back from New York well before Sharon's party...
"DOH!" Jim slapped his forehead, and looked over at his digital clock, reassuring him of his own stupidity. Sharon's birthday wasn't until NEXT WEEK - which was why Rick wasn't home, and why he hadn't bought her a gift yet.
Shaking off the last, lingering traces of sleep - and the befuddlement it brought - Jim padded into the bathroom and showered quickly while trying to decide what to do today, since his best friend was out of town, and his girlfriend was busy with a family reunion - sort of a pre-birthday party.
Slipping on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, the athletic, dark-haired youth headed out, strolling along aimlessly while his mind wandered over various options.
That's when he noticed something lying in the bushes beside the bike-path he'd ended up on. Cutting through a rather large section of woods, the path was deserted as far as Jim could tell. Frowning slightly, he bent down and picked up the item, which was:
Tue Aug 17 11:14:32 1999