Growing up Together

Chapter 1

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Chapter one

2012

We were sixteen when things began to change between us. It had been subtle things at first but then we were finally reaching puberty. For five days of each month, I'd kick Jared out of my room. It was because I was embarrassed by my periods but it always seemed to confuse him and he never understood why I felt that way.

He would always try to convince me that there was nothing to be embarrassed about but I could see he was getting a little squeamish by just the mere thought of me bleeding down there.

The first time it happened all I felt was a little stomach pain then the blood began soaking through my pants. It was just a miracle that we were home at dinner.

Jared thought I was dying and got really upset but my parents kept assuring him that I was very healthy if I was bleeding. We were both confused by that but then mom took me into her room and talked about what was happening inside me.

That I was fertile and can have kids, she explained my ovaries and fallopian tubes and even got into the details of how a baby is conceived and born.

It was very disgusting at the time and I remember that all I wanted to do was run and hide.

The worst part for me was finding out it didn't happen for boys because I hated feeling different from Jared even though mom said that was a good thing.

She explained that boys and girls have their roles; girls get pregnant by the boys and have babies and boys help provide for their families by working.

Obviously I had told Jared about all the new information.

We never kept secrets so he knew everything about me, even the embarrassing things but he just couldn't understand how a girls' mind worked.

And then changes in Jared began to occur. He began growing hair under his armpits, his face and he had mentioned that hair had begun growing downstairs. I was so surprised by his news that I told my parents who had explained to both of us that it is called pubic hair and when you get older you grow it but most girls shave theirs off. So naturally, I started shaving from then on.

Then Jared started waking up earlier then run out of the room all flustered. He never told me why but after a quick story of The Birds and The Bees I had a fare understanding of his male urges. And because I knew what was happening to him we became a little more awkward towards each other for a while. He'd always blush like crazy when I said certain things and he had been wearing more clothes around me. He said he didn't want to do anything bad. I didn't understand what he meant by that but I did as he asked.

And not only had our bodies began to change but our minds had two. I had started thinking more about Jared in different, more compromising ways which had resulted in strange dreams that left me sweaty and breathless in the early hours of the mornings.

Jared's mind had changed dramatically as well. It seemed he always wanted to prove himself to people all the time. He got into more fights and he started a rebel band with Dean, Luke and Nick.

They called themselves Forever Young. Jared played guitar, so did Dean, Nick played Bass and Luke fitted his place as the drummer.

More girls started noticing them all, but Jared never seemed to care or even notice.

I could sing as well. I wasn't a snob but plenty of people have told me I have a good voice. At the start, Jared had actually begged me to join his band but I refused. I loved my home and I never planned on leaving. Also, I don't tend to sing very often, and it's only when I am truly happy and content.

The person who had pushed him into starting a band was Flitch Claucous, a professional singer and guitarist.

Flitch has been his idol since he was 10 and I know the main reason he wants to become a rock star is because he hopes to one day meet him face to face.

And I support Jared with all his dreams, no matter how impossible they may be.

We still spent a lot of our time together but he started spending more time with the band and we never slept in the same bed any more. I suppose it was just getting too awkward with our strange thoughts and urges every morning.

And I guess it was because we could both tell that if we did, something would happen that we'd both regret later. I knew I loved him and he was the only man for me but I just wasn't ready for those feelings yet so instead of acknowledging them I ignored them and continued to stay his best friend.

But now that Jared seemed to be making more friends I began spending more time with mine.

Mary and Sarah were great friends but they always seemed to want to set me up with some guy they knew. I love them but they were just too pushy. I wasn't ready for relationships yet. I was very smart but my mind was still a kid who liked water balloon fights most weekends to cool off. I mean I still made fairy bread when I wanted a snack.

I was still a child and that's how I wanted it to stay a little longer.

But I did know what I wanted to do for my life. I had decided at a young age that I'd take over the caravan park while my sister Carry would work as the local doctor. She is really into helping people.

Jared and his band had a completely different dream to us though. They did not have a simple dream that was easy to achieve. They wanted what most bands want: To become famous and have most of the world at their fingertips. They wanted to be huge and although I was sad that Jared wanted to leave me I encouraged him all the way through high school.

That's what best friends are for, right?

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What did you think?

Alza