Where Love Resides

Chapter 1

It's been a week since I got home and finally, the small section of this community's children was returning home from their two week retreat. It was a tradition for this section of the city, which only had two high schools, to send their graduating classes away on a small retreat from the city and their families to go have some fun. It was like a prom, but without the formal dresses and dance and music. This was a bigger adventure and a moment where everyone had their time to finally do something crazy, even the nerds.

My best friend, Suzanne, went along for the trip but was kind enough to let me know she would be gone for the first week of me being back. Of course, she would also be useless to try calling because they were heading into the mountains for the retreat where the ocean connected with a lake and a few cabins were set up. It was actually very exotic and I knew she would love it. Suzanne was the only other person I kept constant contact with this entire time and I was missing her like crazy. She wanted to come visit me more than once but her parents never gave her permission.

"I'm heading over to Suzanne's!" I called out to the house in general when I reached the front door. My little sister should be coming back from her own trip today too. Apparently she started going to some kind of camp with some of her friends.

"Okay Hope, tell her I said hi!" My mother's response came from the kitchen and I couldn't help but smile at my mom. As soon as her vacation started, it was always as if she took a role up as a housewife, always baking or cooking or cleaning. My brothers said this was usually their favourite time of the year, even though I was gone, they would get a lot of cake or cookies or anything sweet my mother could think up to bake.

I started my walk over to Suzanne's house. She lived a total of four blocks away so it wasn't needed for a cab and I definitely didn't need to ask my brothers to drop me off. I was just two houses away from her home when I saw the large school bus pull up on her driveway and a total of ten people piled out of the bus. I searched the heads until I saw the deep red hair I knew my friend had dyed her hair to. I chuckled at the contrast it had with her fair skin but still sped up my walk.

"If I knew you would look like a rock star with that hairdo I would have suggested the colour years ago!" I called out loudly, making everyone pause in their descend down the steps of the bus. Everyone seemed puzzled but Suzanne took one look at me before her eyes shot open wide.

"HOPE!" Her voice seemed to echo down the street before she leaped down the last three stairs and then ran full speed at me. I prepared to be toppled over again but instead she jumped up when she got to me and comically wrapped her arms and legs around my body, her weight almost causing my body to crumble. "YOU'RE BACK!"

"Yes, no need to yell, your going to make me deaf." I stated and dropped my hold of her, making her feet finally meet the ground again. She shoved me away at arms length with wide eyes.

"YOU HAVE AN ACCENT!"

I winced at shouted words.

"Yes, I have an accent. What else would you expect? I did live in London for the past four years." I stated in a matter-of-fact voice and she stuck out her tongue before snapping her mouth shut and finally racking her eyes over me. As her scan continued, her mouth slowly dropped open until she looked like something you would see in a cartoon.

"Holy crap! Babe, you are sexy as hell!"

I flinched from her words before I managed to process them and then couldn't help but burst out laughing. She has done nothing but shout at me since she jumped me and now when she finally does calm down a little, she decides to call me sexy.

"Suzy, if you keep going on like this, I might just start thinking you like me as more than a friend." I grinned at Suzanne when her mouth flopped open and then a series of laughter burst out from the bus. I glanced over Suzanne's shoulder to see everyone laughing at the poor girl with glee all over their faces. It was only then I tried to look for familiar faces. I was slightly shocked to figure out how much some of them had changed but didn't allow it to show on my face.