Always been you - J.Hughes

Chapter 1

                            

(This may possibly be more of a prologue then chapter 😘)

March 17th 2009
Toronto,CAN

7:38pm

I was sitting at my desk drawing when I noticed that there was a for sale sign at my neighbours house, I never liked those neighbours.  They had one of those yappy dogs that never shut up and didn't do anything about it, makes sense they moved out they probably went to a nursing home.
I changed into my pink pj set and braided my hair and hopped under my blankets.
5 minutes later
My dad came up to tuck me in and told me that the new neighbours were moving in tomorrow.
"Night kiddo" he says standing up.
"Night daddy"
He flicks off the lights and I immediately fell asleep.

8:35am

I woke up to my Barbie alarm Clock beeping, I was looking forward to school today. We were learning numbers and counting, my favourite.
Whenever I needed a break from something I would just start counting down from 10, by the time I was at 0 I was either ready to be present again or I will go into the negatives until I'm good, the lowest I got was -23, that was the day my dad really told me what happened to my mom.
I get dressed into black overalls and a grey long sleeve with green frogs on them and put my hair in a pony tail, without my mom I kinda adapted to things faster like doing my hair, what a crush feels like easy stuff. I go downstairs and there is food on the table for me, a bagel with peanut butter and bananas, my favourite.
I slip on my white vans and grab my school bag and lunch box then my dad walks me and Beckett to the bus stop.
The house was sold already.
My best friend Emma wasn't at school today so I was sat alone in the class room, I noticed a boy,a new boy. So I went to go sit with him.
"Hi" I say standing at the desk in front of him.
"Hi" he seems kinda down.
"I'm Stella"
"I'm Jack"
"Can I have lunch with you" I ask
He nods his head yes and I sit down.
"Are you new?" I ask him.
"Yea, today's my first day I just moved here"
"That's cool"
Lunch ended and then it was recess, I was with a friend from another class at recess and she thought it would be funny to push me in the sand but she pushed me to hard and I fell on the edge of the sandpit hitting my face on the pavement and getting a splinter in my hand from the wooden border.
I feel tears start to swell in my eyes, I didn't know what to do so I just ran and sat on the bench and started counting down. When I got to 0 Jack came over and sat next to me.
"I saw what happened, are you ok?"
"Yea, I got the splinter out but my nose hurts a little"
"I know a lot about that, I play hockey and I tend to get hurt a lot"
"I play hockey too!" I start to smile.
"Really? Me and my brothers play out in the street before dinner, you should join us. Tomorrow tho I have hockey until 5"
"Ok" I say,then the bell rang and we had to go back to class but this was a different teacher who had assigned seating and me and Jack got to sit next to each other.

3:27pm

I got off the bus and walked up my steps.
"Daddy I'm home!" No answer.
"Daddy?!" I took off my shoes and walked to the kitchen and saw my dad passed out on the floor.
I don't know what to do I'm only 8 years old I don't have a phone.
sterling is at the mall and Beckett had soccer.
I look out the front window and there is a car parked in the neighbours driveway,hope fully someone home.
I ring the doorbell shaking in full tears and a boy opens the door, not much older than me.
"Can I help you?" He asks concerned.
"D-D-Do you have a-a phone" I could barely get words out.
"Come in. MOM?!"
"Yes Quinn- oh who's this? Honey are you ok" she comes up to me.
"I need-d 911"
"What happened"
"My my-dad-daddy is not awake"
"Quinn stay with her I'm going to call 9-1-1. Honey where do you live"
"Next door" I point to the direction of my house and she slips on shoes and is out the door on the phone.
I started counting in my head.
"What's your name?" Quinn asks me
"What-"
"What's your name?"
"Oh, Stella"
"Hi Stella, I'm Quinn"
"Call me Elle"
He takes me out to his backyard and he invites me to jump on the trampoline but I just sit on the steps of the porch instead. Then I heard sirens outside, I stood up so fast my pony tail whipped around my whole head. I start to bolt for the gate when I feel a hand on my wrist, it's Quinn.
"Stay here,please" he said sounding like he was begging. I sit at the gate and watch them pull him out on a stretcher.
The lady comes back in and talks to Quinn before making her way to me.
"Hey Stella, I'm Ellen, your dad is going to be alright. I can drive you to the hospital to see him."
"Yes please" I say as she wipes the tears from my eyes.
It kept playing in my head that Quinn looked a lot like Jack, and the younger boy I saw peeking at me from upstairs, he's at least 6.
We arrived at the hospital and I got to wait with my dad for about an hour before we left, Ellen drove us home.
                               May 13th 2010
8:30 am
I woke 5 minutes earlier than I normally do.
I wake up, do my routine and get dressed into black skinny jeans and a light blue t shirt.
I can't believe I would be 9 tomorrow, the best part is I don't have school.
I invited a few friends to come over tomorrow watch some movies, Emma my closest friend, Jack my second closest friend and some people from our group. There was ally who we met a month ago at recess, there was Cole who plays hockey with me and Jack and jacks friend Jeremey.
"Morning dad" I say walking downstairs.
"Morning kiddie, come sit down for a second"
"What's up"
"So tomorrow I am taking you to breakfast at ihop for your favourite pancakes, but the party is going to have to be next door"
"Why"
"Because they called me into work last minute and I can't get out of it. I'm sorry hun"
"It's okay" I hug him and go get my stuff and head to the bus, standing there is Jack and his younger brother Luke, Quinn is already in middle school.
"Hey guys" I say walking up to them.
"Hey stel" Jack says, only Jack gets to call me that.
"Hey Stella" Luke is boring, nothing creative in that 7 year old brain of his. At least Quinn calls me Ella, sometimes ell.
"You excited for our party tomorrow?"
"Sure am!" I smile at him.
Me and Jack were born 15 minutes apart on may 14th 2001 which I was shocked when Ellen told me that,I know one day I will like to tease him about me being older then him.
I spend so much time other there, they are literally my second family, and it's even better that our parents are really good friends now too.
                             May 9th 2012
I was turning 11 in 5 days, with my best friend.
Ever since 2010 me and Jack have had every birthday party together, we were both inviting the same people anyway why not.
11:27am
Me and Jack were carpooling to hockey,ever since we turned 10 I feel like Jack has looked at me differently, but I kind of did too.
He looked cute with his braces kinda, maybe sort of. I don't know my own feelings.
I'm not the only girl on the team thank god, ally also plays hockey with us and I can definitely tell she has a crush on Jack, but he doenst feed into it, he's told me he finds it annoying we she messes up his hair when she's flirting, only I can do that and make him laugh, he never gets mad or annoyed with me and I'm the same for him.
We played a great game today, my dad wasn't there, I didn't find that out until the second period when I got on and didn't see him, Jack instantly noticed that I noticed and he patted me on the shoulder.
"It's okay, there's a good reason"
Was that good reason work? Why is work a good reason. That's stupid. Sterling didn't even show and I know for a fact she had nothing to do today, beck was at his soccer tournament, maybe dad chose beck over my game.
I got 2 goals and 1 assist to Jack, he also got 2 goals and 1 assist.