A Second Chance

Prologue

4 years ago:

"Come on, Wes!" I grunted as my eyes squinted at the teenage boy standing a few feet away from me.

I watched as his hands easily wrapped around the football thrown to him by a kid that lived a few houses down. His lean body lifted off the ground as he caught the ball midair, ignoring my calls.

I huffed, crossing my arms over the other as I heard the other kid cheer in excitement. Weston held the football securely in his right arm as his feet connected with the concrete. I watched a smile tug at the corner of his lips as a bead of sweat ran down his brow.

"Get lost, V!" Weston playfully rolled his eyes, not bothering to look in my direction as the two boys ran up to each other and did their weird handshake.

"You're an ass," I grumbled as my feet remained glued to the sidewalk in front of my house. I didn't want to be trapped inside the walls of that house right now, so when I heard the two boys playing outside, I decided it was best to get some fresh air.

Of course, when I came outside, neither of them would let me play. I didn't even know the name of the kid that was playing with Weston, but he told me that I wasn't allowed to touch his football. He was only two years older than Weston and me, leaving him to be a stuck-up sixteen-year-old.

"You know I have to practice for tryouts! High-school football is a huge deal down here, Violet. We are so close to being freshmen, so this is my chance to finally prove to everyone that I can make it," Weston's eyes briefly flickered to mine before he quickly averted his gaze to watch the football being thrown in his direction once again.

"I know, Wes, but you guys never let me play," I sighed as I felt the scorching hot sun already burn my pale skin. I hate summer.

"Why don't you go to my house?" He offered, throwing me a sideways glance as his eyes filled with worry. I visibly stiffened, sucking in a sharp breath, as I realized that he already caught on.

Weston knew how much my parents fought. It would get to the point where he would call me just to inform me that his family could hear my parents from his house. With Weston living next door to me, he called quite often to let me know that I was always welcome to stay at his house with his parents for the night. When they got too loud, I discreetly walked out the front door, never looking back until I reached the front door of my best friend's house. It was an endless cycle.

Ever since Weston moved next door when I was seven and he was just about to turn eight, we've been inseparable ever since. The first time I was invited over to his house, the first thing he was determined to do is to show me his action figure collection. He talked about them for hours, and I was intrigued. The boy next door had already drawn me in and we immediately became close friends.

It wasn't until this year that things started to get weird between us. There would be times when we would argue about little things, like how high school would affect our relationship, or question if we were able to push past the small road bumps that appeared in our life. Ultimately, we were able to solve our small arguments, but as we grew older, a thought that permanently rested in the back of my head made me second guess how our relationship would play out.

"I don't want to intrude," I frowned, my eyes flickering to my hands. I anxiously pulled at my fingers and cracked my knuckles as I felt the heat of Weston's gaze on my rosy cheeks.
"You're my best friend, Violet. You know my mom loves you as much as I do," he explained, suddenly glancing over his shoulder to tell the sixteen-year-old to take a water break. I felt my heart pound in my chest as I let my eyes trail to my best friend who was already walking in my direction.

His blue eyes were big and dark, with small hues of green dotting around his pupil. I never realized how captivating his eyes were until he stepped outside in the sunlight, revealing the deep, ocean-like color. With his dark brown hair resting against his tanned skin, his eyes stood out even more. They were beautiful, yet eccentric. His piercing eyes drew me closer and I've never been able to pull away from the grasp they've always had on me.