Lily, Leesville, and a High School Story

James Maroney

Over the Summer I had packed my schedule so tight I barely had time to breathe. With golf practice on Monday mornings from 7-10 and private lessons right that, cheerleading on Tuesdays and Thursdays, plus summer homework and a part time job, I didn't really have time for friends.
My tight schedule didn't effect my social life that much because I ended up seeing most of my friends at the activities anyway. For example, at golf I saw Amber and James, two of six Maroney kids, and two of my best friends. Since Amber and I are the only two girls on the golf team Coach Mathews let us play together at practice. Amber is a real character, she is a grade below but in a lot of classes as me sense she is ridiculously book smart; but she does not have much common sense. Amber is a lot like her brother James in that way, they could both tell you where obscure nations were on map, but if you ask them if they locked the front door before they left, the answer is more than likely no.
I remember the exact day the Maroney 's moved to Leeville. In the summer of second grade the huge house two blocks away from mine was put up for sale. The house was gorgeous but a little rundown. The roof needed some patching, the door needed a good coat of paint, and the shrubbery in the front had gotten out of hand in the owner's absence. Later I found out that Mr. and Mrs. Maroney were relators and had a knack for flipping houses.
Nearly a month after the house had been put  on the market it was sold and the family moved in. There was always a ruckus coming from the house, considering the fact that there was six kids living in it, it was acceptable.
I didn't meet James until the school year started in August of that year. Mrs. Perkins had James and me sit next to each other because of the way our names fell in the alphabet. From that day on every class we had with each we sat next to each other.
   In seventh grade we had every single class with each, therefore we sat next to each other in every single class. We even had gym together because middle school Phys. Ed was co ed.    
     That year we became best friends, and we were inseparable. It was kind of funny, we were a mix between bros, girlfriends, and an old married couple. We talked about girls, we talked about boys, we argued about little things, and we joked around a lot.
    James and I stayed best friends up until that summer when Taylor DelCorro came into the picture.