Enemies

Prologue

Have you ever been told that you should hate someone? You didn't know why, but as long as you can remember you were told to hate them? 

I never questioned it. Not until I was already eighteen and had spent my entire life hating him. 

I remembered my first day of kindergarten clear as day. I'd just turned five. That was the problem with having a summer birthday. I was either going to be the oldest or the youngest in the class. Snake, my dad's best friend's son was three months younger and my parents wanted us in the same class so they started me in kindergarten as one of the oldest students. I'd always be the oldest student. Except for Will. Will was three days older than I was. 

When I got on the bus to school, I sat with Snake and Sassy, the three of us crowded in the large seat. We weren't nervous. The three of us had spent every day of our lives together. Sassy's house was at the other end of the trailer park, and Snake's was right next to mine. Snake and I were royalty in the trailer park. My dad was the leader of the South Side, even at five I'd known that. Snake's dad was his number two. 

We'd driven through the poor side of town, the one with the trailer park, the run down houses and the overgrown parks. As soon as we crossed the railroad tracks, it was like we'd literally driven into a separate town. The houses were big and modern. The parks were luxurious with soft tiles, having been updated to prevent the rich kids from getting hurt. At the time I didn't think anything about the differences; I hadn't realized that things were kept that was expressly. 

I was sitting in-between Sassy and Snake and there hadn't been room for anybody else, but I'd noticed Will as soon as he'd gotten on the bus. He was loud, even as a kid. He'd drawn attention to himself immediately. 

When we'd gotten to school, Sassy and I had been separated from Snake. He'd been place in the other kindergarten class. Will had been in ours. I hadn't known his name then, but I learned it soon. When our teacher, Ms. Stillwater, had called our names we'd exchanged a small smile before walking up to the class together. 

"Hi," he'd said loudly to me. "I'm Will." 

"I'm Haley," I'd told him. Even then his smile had been bright and I'd thought he was cute. At the time I hadn't known that those thoughts would be forced to change. 

"Haley and Will have summer birthdays. Will's is August 18th and Haley's is August 21st," our teacher had told the class. "So I'm giving them their card and special birthday treat today. The rest of you will get yours on your birthday." 

The rest of the class had protested, also wanting their special treat which had consisted of a bite size piece of candy we got to choose. Will had cheered loudly, running around and showing it off to everyone. When I was five, I'd thought it was cute. And even as we grew older, I still was somehow attracted to his obnoxiousness. But through the years I'd learn to push those feelings away because I had to hate him. 

It was a family requirement. 

But I hadn't known that on my first day of kindergarten. Ms. Stillwater, who we'd gotten to call Ms. S, had sat us together, right in the front row. When it was lunch time, he'd saved me a seat next to him. "My mom packed me carrots; I don't like them." His nose had scrunched up and he'd offered them to me. 

"I'll trade you them for my tomatoes," I told him. 

"Deal." 

Will and I shared lunch that first day, switching whatever we didn't like for the other person's. And when it was time for dessert, we'd split his cookie in half and shared one spoon for my chocolate pudding. 

"Did your mom make this?" I'd asked when I'd taken a bite of the delicious cookie. 

"She always bakes cookies," he'd said.