Evergreen Summertime

All I Want : Part One

Write a short story based on the first line of the a book you picked out during club.

"I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975."
~ Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner

I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975. That Christmas, my dad left my mom for a woman half his age. She was twenty-two. I remember crying on Fra's shoulder as we watched our dad walk to his car and drive away. That was two years ago. I hadn't known Steve was actually a total jerk back then, but I know now. But I suppose we're all doing better now. Mom found this guy named Collin. He's a "professional modern artist". He's also got this haircut that makes you think he's a druggie until you see the type of clothes he wears. I suppose he's classy, but I find him weird. However, I don't think I have the right to judge him. He's a pretty good guy, and he makes my mom happy. That's all I really care about.

Fra got a car. And a girlfriend. He also landed the fencing team at school. I'm glad for him, because a lot of good things have been happening to him ever since Steve left. Although, sometimes I feel a bit jealous of him, that he has someone and that he's athletic, and good-looking, and he's on a varsity sports team, and that he has actual friends. But I guess I can't live up to being like him, which is alright with me. I'm glad he isn't ashamed of me, to say the least. Me, I got worse, but am slowly getting better. When Steve left, I was sent to a therapist because the counselor was "concerned" for my well-being. I don't understand why though, because my grades had actually improved.

That was also the year I fell in love. Or at least, I think it's love. I've never felt it, so I'm assuming it is. It was more like a silly crush at first, when I was ten, but it's now something more now. It's stupid and silly, I know. For someone like me to like someone two grades above. I'm just me, plain old me. And he's... More interesting than I am. I like my brother's car, musicals, spies, horrible music, and a dead movie star. I don't talk to my mom about it, because she'd tell me to stop thinking that way, 'cause she's cynical about love. I guess she's kinda being hypocritical, because she's dating Collin. I don't really talk to Collin either, and I don't think either him or Fra would want to hear about my stupid problems.

I tell my "friend". We were great friends in fourth grade and even better in seventh grade. In eighth grade, things were alright. Now, I can sometimes barely even handle her. She's got a crush on at least sixteen different guys, and wears the most revealing things. I'm not judging her style of clothes, but I just don't want her to be followed into a dark alley or something. She often makes jokes that her skirt is too short. She just broke up with her third boyfriend. They dated for about two weeks, then she cut the line. She's about half a month older than me. I trusted her a lot, at least, when I knew we were friends and had a great friendship that included the word "us". Now, the friendship mostly only includes the word "her".

I don't know how much longer I'll be able to last.

Please let me know if you guys would like a prologue to this small, short story.