My Life with the Boys

Chapter 1- Elementary School

Age 5

"Alison! Ethan is here!" I hear mum yell from downstairs.

I am sitting in my room still mad at mum when Ethan walks into my bedroom.

"Hi, Ally." He smiles.

Ethan was my best friend in the whole world. We spend every single day together. Our daddies were friends when they were little and decided to live next door to each other when they got married. I have known Ethan since I was a baby.

When he sees the grumpy look on my face he frowns. "What's wrong?"

"Mum made me wear a dress." I hated dresses. They were itchy and gross and annoying.

"What's wrong with wearing a dress?" he looks at me confused.

"They are so ugly." I frown. Mum said it was an important day today because dad had a friend from work coming over. So she decided to throw a party. Ethan's family were invited too.

"I think you look pretty."

"Well I don't. Let's go downstairs. Mummy said she made cookies!" I announce.

We run downstairs, sneaking into the kitchen and stealing some cookies before mum notices they are gone. Everyone is outside and we run through the group of people I don't know and sit in the corner of the garden munching on the cookies.

"Alison." I look up to see my dad. "There is someone I would like you to meet. This is Zack." Next to him is a boy who I have seen around in school. "He is a year older than you two. Maybe you can show him around?" Zack just stares at the two of us.

Daddy walks off leaving the three of us alone.

"Hi. I'm Ethan." He was always better at making friends than I was.

"Zack. What is your name?" he asks me.

I just stare at him wondering why daddy wants us to talk to him. I don't need friends. I have Ethan. And this boy was older than us. Why would he want to play with five year olds?

"That is Ally." Ethan answers for me.

"Cool." He smiles at me.

And just like that, our gang of two became a trio. I was reluctant at first. I thought Zack was annoying and I wanted him to go away and leave me and Ethan alone. But he kept turning up because his dad worked with mine, so I was forced to play with him. He grew on me though. He was actually really nice and even silly.

***

Age 6

"I don't want to go!" I yell to my mum for the hundredth time that day.

"Come, on sweetie. It will be fun." She tries to reassure me. "You can meet some other girls to play with."

I had been moping around in my room all day. Mum wanted me to go to a ballet class but I didn't want to go.

"I already have friends." I argue.

She smiles at me. "They are boys. Don't you want a friend who is a girl?"

"No." I say simply.

"How about this. You go to this class today and if you don't like it you don't have to go back." She suggests.

"Okay." I nod.

And I did go. And then I went to the next one. And the next one after that. I fell in love with dancing but I was too embarrassed to tell the boys. I thought they would laugh at me. So I never told them.