Forever Young

Chapter Two - First Contact

Sunday, September 18

Michael’s Room, The Carter Household

This is the part of my life that get’s really good.

I was sitting on my computer, Facebooking, when suddenly my Friend Request icon lit up with a “1” in a red box.

I clicked it and saw:

(1) Friend Request:

Lauren Kiery - 18 Mutual Friends

I then clicked the “View Profile” button and looked at Lauren’s profile picture, and to my surprise I realised it was the girl I’d kicked in the back.

Hmm, I usually don’t add people I don’t know, but I might make an exception for someone so pretty.

Now, to explain my thoughts, I’d have to take you back six months to when I had just over 800 friends on Facebook. I deleted my account and went off Facebook for a while. I deleted it because I was getting addicted and I was getting behind on homework. Eventually, I made another Facebook in order to keep in touch with my friends outside of school, and I no longer sent friend requests. I had decided that I wouldn’t add anyway I don’t talk to at least once a week, and that I wouldn’t send friend requests unless I talked to them everyday.

This is why it was strange for me to have accepted Lauren’s friend request.

Out of instinct, I accepted it and went straight to her wall.

I posted:

Did my friend happen to kick a rugby ball into you the other day?

Within minutes, I got a notification.

Lauren Kiery commented on her wall post.

I clicked the notification and it took me to her wall. I found my wall post and I looked at her comment.

Lauren Kiery – I’m not sure if it was you or Derek…….. :p

And so a conversation began.

Michael Carter – Well, I was standing in front of you, and the ball hit your back

Michael Carter – So I’m thinking it was Derek

Lauren Carter – Ahaha yeah, sure ;)

Then she started talking to me on chat. Eventually, one of us had to go, but I knew I liked this girl. Not as a girlfriend or anything, she just seemed nice.

*

Tuesday, September 20th

Michael’s Room, The Carter Residence

I specifically remember this day being good.

The previous day, the doctors had told me that I was right to take off my sling. This was great! And just in time for PE class!

Anyway, it had been a great day because I could finally join in on a lot more stuff.

Once I got home, I jumped onto Facebook and within minutes:

Lauren Kiery – Hey :)

Michael Carter – Hey :) How are you?

And from then on the conversation kept going, eventually reaching an hour (which was a long time for me).

Eventually she had to go, and I pretty much logged off once she was gone.

Soon enough, dinner time came, and once again Lauren Kiery was off my mind.

24 Hours Later…

So now we go back to my house, where I am, once again, on Facebook. I didn’t realise it at the time, but as soon as I was online I checked to see if Lauren Kiery’s name was on the ‘Online’ list.

It was, and before I could say hey with a smiley face:

Lauren Kiery – Hey ;)

And thus the conversation began.

At one point, she revealed to me that her friend Jane Wanton had thought my last name was ‘Scollap’ (don’t ask me how she got Scollap out of Carter), and thus the nickname was born.

The next day, at school, we talked face-to-face for the first time.

What happened was, at lunch I was walking past and, to my surprise, she shouted “Hey, Scollap!”

I turned quickly. “Oh, hey Lauren”.

I scanned her group of friends and quickly found Jane.

“You! You’re the one that thought I was Scollap!”

They all burst out in a round of laughter.

“Ahaha, oh my god Lauren, you told him?”

Lauren smiled. “Of course I told him, it was too funny not to!”

They all burst into another round of laughter.

I walked away and joined Derek, ending our first conversation.