|A L W A Y S & F O R E V E R| B O O K 1

36||G o i n g B a c k i n T i m e

Date: 1/9/16
Day of the Week: Saturday
Location: Los Angeles, California
Place: Ciara's Therapy Session

Ciara
"One day, I went over to my cousin Kennedy's house. Like I said before, I went there for a sleepover. We were close at the time, and we did it regularly." She nodded her head as she gave me her undivided attention. I cleared my throat and let out a light breath before continuing.

"That night, Kennedy and I watched movies in her room and her mother walked in. She asked us if we wanted to ride to the store with her. Kennedy said yes, but I didn't want to. They said they wouldn't be gone long. So, it wasn't a problem for me to stay back at the house. When they left, I continued watching the movie. Probably no longer than five minutes later, her older brother Tyler came through the door. I believe he was 19 or 20 at the time, and he came home on break from college." Ms. Jackson opens her mouth to speak.

"Out of curiosity, how old were you at the time?" Her brows knitted together. I think she already knew where this story was going. I'm sure she's heard it plenty of times.

"I was sixteen." I uncross my legs and move around uncomfortably in my space on the couch, readjusting the pillow behind me. I sigh in frustration and grab the pillow on the other end of the couch. I place it behind my back. She wrote something down on her notepad.

"Okay. If you're ready to continue with your story, you can." She smiles and focuses all of her attention on me again.

"Well...he came into the room and closed the door. He sat down on the edge of the bed." I played with the ends of my long-sleeved shirt as I braced myself for everything I was about to say. Before I knew it, it was like I was going back in time to that unforgettable day.
>>>
I smiled as he took a seat next to me on the edge of the bed. He returned the gesture.

"Hi, Ty. I didn't know you were here." I hadn't seen him in a year. So, I was happy to finally see him again.

"Hey, Ciara. I just got back from the University. What are you doing here alone?" He asked suspiciously.

"Kennedy and I are having a sleepover. She and your mom just left to go to the store. They should be back in about thirty minutes or so." He nods his head.

"So, how's college? Is it as fun as they say it is?" I ask, sitting up against the headboard and crossing my legs.

"It's mostly work. Essays, notes, exams. Ya know?" I nod my head.

"Well, that doesn't sound like fun to me."

"Don't get me wrong, college is fun. There's a bunch of late-night parties, football games, and all that good stuff. You just have to be sure to focus on getting your homework done first. These A's ain't gonna make themselves." We both chuckle at his words.

"So, how have you been?"

"I've been good. Sophomore year is going good so far. So I can't complain."

"That's what's up!" He reaches his fist out to fist-bump me. Mine reached him to do so as I chuckled. We sat in a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes as our eyes focused on the TV before Ty spoke.

"You have a boyfriend?" He placed his left hand under his chin as he looked over his shoulder towards me. I chuckled and shook my head. I even blushed a little.

"No! Why?" He shrugged his shoulders and turned back around to face me all the way.

"I was just curious since you are my little cousin and all." Typical big cousin. Always being overprotective. He always had been protective over me ever since I could remember. I appreciated it, though. I didn't have a big brother or sister to do it for me. I had my father, but he was always gone a lot of times due to him being in the army. The cons of being a military brat.