Chapter Two

The Letter

"Dear Kameron,

I know you and I don't really know each other, but I bet I'll miss you. I've been figuring out over the last week that I like you back. When I realized it was too late. You move tomorrow so I left this on your doorstep hoping it would change your mind, but like you always say 'a simple word can change a heart but not a mind.' I felt that if you knew you would have something to brag about at your new school.

Love Always,

Kaya Brookes"

I was heart broken, the girl I'd liked since the third grade was having a breakthrough now, of all times.

I almost tripped on my way down the stairs, now that I think about it I probably would've broke my back if I hadn't caught myself on the railing.

"Sorry it took so long, I had to walk through it one more time," I lied blatantly.

As I slammed the door I looked in the neighbor's window to see Kaya staring down sadly. I could barley wave as the car reved up. I was leaving everything I had learned as a kid to go to the place my grandmother would describe as "Hell's Hole."

Every so often my mother would start to sing, she was obviously trying to cheer me up. I sat in the passenger seat as fimiliarity gave way to things I had never seen before. Some folks would call me a "Country Bumpkin" or a "Hick." I would hear it all before I was excepted into my new school.

"We are about a mile away from our new house," my mother said excitedly.

We drove onto a small street lined with nice houses surrounded by trees. The car halt in the middle, right in front of a beautiful cream-colored, three story house with a sign in front that said "Sold." My mother parked in the space between a Bug and a Mercedes.

We walked in and set our stuff down. The door-bell echoed throught the open foyer. I turned and opened the door.

"Hi, how are you?" chirped a young girl.

She had curious liquid-blue eyes, saying that they shined like stars would be an understatement. The auburn ringlets in her hair bounced as she hopped up and down to fight the cold. Her cheeks were rosy and they led down to her perfectly curved smile. She reminded me of the picture of my mom on her wedding day.

"Can I help you?" I asked, then realized I should have answered her question.

"I'm your neighbor," she replied, she was unfazed by my impoliteness.

"Oh, come in," I said.

"My name's Kiara, by the way."

"I'm... Uhh... Oh, I'm Kameron."

She set down a parcel that she had been holding.

"I gotta go, I'll see you at school tomorrow, right?" she directed her question to me.

"Yeah," I didn't finish my reply by the time she was running down the path in the front lawn.