And Faith Took Me Away...

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

I don’t know why exactly I am writing this. And I definitely don’t know where to start… How about an introduction? That might get something started.

My name is Kelsey. I have dark blonde hair and color changing eyes. Yeah, I know it’s freaky… Usually they stay brown or green, but I’ve also been told that they were blue and also a golden color before. I’m thirteen years old and I live in a semi-famous city that I am obviously not going to name. I’m short, about 5’2 and I have been told I have a temper; my nickname (happily given to me by my best friend, Rachel) is Sassy. Which is short for Miss Sassy Pants. I play one sport, mountain biking, and I am definitely NOT a girly-girly. In fact my friends are mostly boys and I only have a few girls-who-are-friends. But enough about me, because Rachel just texted back and told me I should start at some point in time that is significant to the story. So I will tell you about when I first met Kayla, that loooong year ago when I first went to my locker on the first day of 7th grade.

Kayla was that girl that everyone loved because she was just so real. She wasn’t popular- she was Kayla. Plain and simple. Although, as we all discovered there was nothing simple about Kayla. She was African-American and proud of it. She had glasses and braces, but some how that only made her even cooler.

Kayla played basketball and had QUITE a temper. She and I got along really well. But, those stories are for another time. Writing this is harder than I thought… The memories... are hard… Back to seventh grade…

---FLASHBACK TO SEVENTH GRADE, FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL---

“Oh my GOD!” I missed you soo much!!” I stared, disgusted, at the newbie sixth grade blonde bimbos. Ha! I bet they were just making a scene so that hopefully they’d be popular this year. I watched, both amused and annoyed, as they frantically hugged and jumped up and down. I rolled my eyes and walked up to them.

“Ahem!” I cleared my throat, making them jump- for real this time. “Umm, yeah, this is MY locker and I’d appreciated if you MOVED outta my way before I make you.” I smiled politely at them. They quickly hurried away. I laughed and shook my head, sixth graders… I heard an amused snicker and turn to see a girl smirking. She was tall, and muscular. Her dark eyes watched me, amused and wary, I could see that I was no match for her in a fight- at least not today. Don’t get me wrong, I am your stereotypical “good” girl, but I still loved a good ol’ fight. I smiled at her and we laughed.

“Sixth graders,” she mumbled shaking her head. I nodded and we fell silent, concentrating on spinning the locks on our lockers. She got hers open and started shoving stuff in her locker. I kicked mine and tried again. She laughed, quietly. I finally got it open and started arranging my stuff.

“KAYLALA!” I heard a voice say from behind us. I turned around and found myself looking at a boy. I looked at the girl next to me, who I assumed was Kayla...la? She muttered something under her breath. I looked at her.

“Is this your boyfriend?” I asked when the boy reached us. They looked at each other and burst out laughing. I felt my cheeks heat up.

“Josh? haha, nah. He’s too white for me.” She said, still laughing. The boy, Josh, pushed her.

“Kayla, you seem to be forgetting, I’m a quarter Mexican!” He laughed as she shook her head, smiling. I looked over at Josh curiously. He had bright blue eyes and beach blonde hair. No hint of Mexico on him.

“Really?” I asked, “You don’t-“ he cut me off.

“I know, I know, I don’t look it. But I am.” He seemed friendly enough, and I could recognize those blue eyes… where did I know him from? Then it dawned on me.

“Hey! I know you! You were in my advisory last year! You walked with me inside on the last day of sixth grade. You were carrying a football and, you had  a cool orange Crush shirt on, we talked about Jordan…” I said, all very quickly. He looked confused. “You’re Josh... right?” I shifted uncomfortably. Kayla looked at me weird.

“You have one great memory… Hey, you know our names, well kinda, but we don’t know yours.” She smiled at me and waited.

“Kelsey.  And you’re..?” I looked down at my shoes.

“Kayla, Kayla Jackson.” I smiled. Josh tugged on her arm and I watched them go.

……………………………………………

In second period, I was attacked. I felt her before I saw her. “RACHEL!” I screamed, giggling. She had hugged me. “Good. To. See. You. Too. Choking. Me. Get. OFF!!!” I looked around frantically. I spotted the room our next class was in. I shook her off of me and dove into the classroom. And right into our teacher, Mrs. Enquist.  My first thought was… Whoa! I never knew they made old life size Dora dolls. Mean, but so very true. I sat in my desk and let the class period pass quickly. In fact the whole day passed right before my eyes.

---END FLASHBACH---

Kayla and I used to have competitions to see who could close the others locker first. I often got ganged up on, cough cough JOSH!, but I could hold my own. In a violent sorta way… hehe… I almost slammed Kayla’s finger in her locker and I kicked her in the kidney… I also kicked Josh where-the-sun-don’t-shine and in the shin. The shin I used my ski boots and he still has a dent in his bone today.

Kayla and I didn’t really become friends until ski club started. It was crazy… Ski club… we always said, “The bus ride up-great, the slopes- awesome, but the bus ride back- the BOMB!” Needless to say, it was true. I remember how Josh and Kayla, the dynamic duo of sorts, smuggled root beer on to the bus and we would play dirty truths and clean dares. But it didn’t all start out that way, because we didn’t magically become friends. It started because my best friend Tegan (Tee-gan, and yes, it’s a girl) needed someone to ski with. Enter Josh and his snowboard, and Kalya with her skis. Oh, and Jesse with his snowboard. Jesse is an annoying seventh grader we picked up. Actually, back in when he was in sixth grade, he wasn’t that bad. But now… ugh! Kayla and I almost pushed each other of the ski lifts on many, many occasions, and she actually DID succeed in pushing Anna Sifferath off. 

“One word: Strong. That’s Kayla.” – Rachel L.

I’ve decided I want to end every chapter with a song. The first song is called “Everybody Hurts” by Avril Lavinge. You can find a link to the song on the side. Please listen to the song.