Girl Meets Boys

Chapter 1

Amy pushed her shopping trolley from the ‘Home Baking’ aisle towards the checkout. Passing the fruit and vegetables section, she remembered that they were out of mangos. Reaching for the fruit she smiled, as she remembered her first encounter with Drew. It had been right here, in this exact spot, in the local supermarket of Huntington Beach.

She had just moved to the area for the summer, living with her elderly grandmother to look after her. Amy didn’t know the area or anyone in it, but she had brought her brother’s old guitar and was determined to learn how to play in the few months before college began. The pragmatic eighteen-year-old often set herself such goals; small challenge herself in her quest for self-improvement. However, today, her first day here, her grandmother’s empty larder called to her louder than the guitar strings. Writing out a shopping list, Amy decided to walk to the local supermarket before breakfast, and surprise her grandmother with some fresh food.

Ticking off the list, she saw that she had only two outstanding items – apples and mangos. Amy walked over to the fruit and vegetables stand and, her eyes on the apples as the wondered whether to get Pink Ladies of Granny Smith’s, reached absent-mindedly for the mangos. However instead of the smooth feel of the fruit against her skin, she felt someone’s fingers. Looking up in surprise, Amy saw a well-built blonde boy looking at her, also surprise not to have a mango in his grasp. He looked a little older than her, but had the vibrant blue eyes of a child smiling for the first time. She tried to pull her hand away, but he playfully entwined her fingers in his so she couldn’t. I recognise him from somewhere… Any thought vaguely, but her thought was interrupted by a second, younger boy with tousled brown hair and a grin that was oblivious to the hardships of the world ‘Hi.’ Amy then noticed a third boy behind the first two. He was juggling oranges and singing under his breath. It was then it clicked with Amy ‘Wait – you’re Emblem3!’ she exclaimed, shocked. She would have raised her hand to her mouth, but one was holding her shopping basket and the other was still entwined in the first boy’s fingers, in Drew Chadwick’s fingers. ‘Yeah,’ Wes stopped juggling to smile the broadest, whitest smile Amy had ever seen ‘and you are..?’ ‘Sorry, I’m Amy.’ Amy introduced herself. ‘Well, nice to meet you Amy but we have to go now coz we’re already late, c’mon guys!’ Keaton pointed his trolley away, using one foot to propel it forward, the other resting on the metal bar under the basket until it gathered enough momentum to let him balance completely on the bar, riding it like a skateboard to the checkout. Wes, picking up another couple of oranges, jogged after him calling ‘Hey, it’s my turn!’

Amy looked at Drew and smiled again. She untangled their fingers, but Drew then grabbed her hand, picking up a mango and placing it in her palm. ‘Have this one, a present from me.’ Amy chuckled ‘It’s not yours to give!’ she smiled cheekily. ‘Well this is,’ Drew extended Amy’s arm, pulling a pen from his pocket with his other hand. He wrote a series of numbers down her arm, punctuating the last digit with a tiny ‘Namaste’. ‘Come on, man!’ Wes called. Drew let Amy’s hand go and jogged over to the other boys. Amy stood speechless, her heart in her mouth, her tongue in her throat and numbers all down her arm.

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140 reads?! :O Guys, this is ridiculous! I am so so happy with that, was not expecting it at all! :D I would love love love it if you guys could give me some feedback, even just a smiley face, either here or via Twitter (@Emblemily3) - constructive criticism welcome!