Breaking Point

Chapter One

"Do you remember when those kids were you?" Jackie, one of my best friends, asks. We were eating lunch outside near the soccer field. There was a group of nine or ten year olds playing soccer. I smile at the view, all the kids having fun.

"Yeah, I remember. Seven years ago, I thought soccer was everything." I said remembering the days when I had grass stains all over my clothes and dirt all over my mother's wood floors. I'd never miss a practice or a game. I was in love with the game and the feeling it brought me. I enjoyed everything about it. The feeling of the wind running through my hair as I kick the soccer ball around my feet. All of that was what I loved about it.

"You thought you could be the next Lionel Messy," Nate, my other best friend states as they smile.

"Heck she wanted to marry the guy," Jackie says smiling.

"Did not!" I said throwing a carrot at her. She pokes her tongue out at me as Nate shakes his head and we all laugh a little.

Seven years ago, I had the choice between playing soccer or moving four grades ahead. I know if I moved four grades ahead I'd be leaving my friends and childhood behind and I knew if I chose to stay not only for my childhood, but for soccer. So, I decided to stay in fourth grade and just take TAG classes. TAG classes are classes where kids learn ahead of everyone academically. After choosing TAG classes, I tried to still play soccer; I truly did, but it wasn't working. Everything was overlapping and there was never enough time. Soccer games were Saturday mornings and homework lasted all weekday afternoons. Practices were from 5-6 p.m. but once I was home, my focus was all on homework and helping my brother. All of this was because of him. I wasn't born smart; my brother would leave his books open near me and I was a curious kid so I read it. And when I did, I had questions. Alot of them. I couldn't go to my parents because to them I couldn't read and my teachers didn't have the answers so I did my own research on the house computer. I was such a curious little girl that I guess I got just as smart as my brother except now he is a junior in college majoring in business and marketing.

"A penny for your thoughts?" nate asks. I take a glance around to see that Jackie, my sassy Hispanic best friend is nowhere to be seen with god knows who.

"My thoughts will bore you to death," I said smiling. He flashes me a toothy smile.

"You? Bore me?" taking all three of our trays and shooting them right into the trash can that was a couple feet away. They perfectly landed right into the trash. "He shoots and he scores!" he says throwing his hands in the air. "You could never bore me," he finishes kissing the top of my head as I smile.

"Mr. Knight did you just show forbidden affection towards me?" I ask still smiling.

"Forbitten affection is the only way I can show you I love you," he says.

Nathan Knight. Six feet tall with dark brown hair. Former baseball player who loves basketball. Beautiful smile. White straight teeth. Beauty marks all over his face. Dark brown eyes that always show happiness and nothing more and nothing less. Can you blame a girl for staring?

"If you don't stop staring Jackie will notice," he says as I smile and shake my head. I grab my folders and walk to where he was standing.

"Stop acting like we are doing something bad," I said bumping into his side, as he says an ouch. I made my way to where I spotted Jackie. She was standing by the door, the one that leads to the cafeteria. She was in a heated conversation with Douglas, my nemesis – most would call him. "Next time you leave your stuff on the table, they are staying there. I am not your mother," I state jokingly as she sticks her tongue out at me, as she rolls her eyes at me obviously still annoyed at Douglas.

"Can one of you inform this ignorant goon that there's a difference between Hispanics and Latinos?" Typical, Douglas always finds something to offend everyone. Jaqueline Rodriguez is and always have been an easy target because of her ethnicity.

"She's right Doug, one is the race and the other is ethnicity. Stop being ignorant and respect your peers." I said while intervening.

"Must you always seek Alex's help? When will you stop being a sidekick and be your own hero?" he says with a dorky smirk on his face. Not the attractive smirk that Nate Archibald gave Serena before he ripped her clothes off before getting her into bed; but it was that smirk that chuck gave Dan after he almost rapped Jen. That's the look Douglas had on his face. He made you want to punch him and I think that is exactly what Jackie was about to do. She had her hands balled into fists. They were so tight you could see them changing from pink to yellow.

"That's enough Douglas," Nathan says stepping in front of Jackie and I; as I place my hand on Jackie's fist. She slowly intertwined her fingers with mine. Douglas backs away from us as he goes through the basement doors. Jackie looks up at me and smile as I pulled her into a hug. She gets so close to the edge at times, we all do at times and we look at each other and hope that they'd pull us back into safety. Nathan and Jackie has saved me plenty of times before, and I would never second guess myself or anything I believe before I defend them.

Nathan Knight is pictured.