My Long-Lost Best Friend

Chapter 1

"Madi! Wake up!" my little brother yelled, jumping on my bed.   "Ugh no, go away." I groaned, pushing him off me. He fell to the ground and smiled at me. "Mom wants you to wake up; she says you'll be late for the bus"

At his words, my head snapped to my alarm clock, which read 8:54 am. My bus comes at 9:10.

I shot out of bed, pushing my brother out of my room along the way, and ran to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and hair, and washed my face quickly. I rushed back to my room and threw on some clothes I had carefully picked out yesterday morning. When I was done, I ran downstairs and grabbed a 5$ bill from the lunch money jar to buy a lunch at the school cafeteria. I popped a piece of bread in the toaster, and slapped some butter on it. I chugged the remains of the milk box and ran to the door. I slung my book bag over my shoulder and ran out the door and to the bus stop. I made it right when the bus was turning the corner in our street- by "our"; I mean me and Christian's street.

Christian? He's my neighbor, with whom I used to be best friends with.

My long-lost best friend.

~.~.~.~.~

We had just arrived to our new home. By we, I mean me, my mother, my father, and my older brother Joel. I was barely three and I was a shy child. I wasn't the one to talk to all the kids my age I saw at the park, or to have many friends, really.

My mom helped me out of the car and set me down on our new yard. I squealed in excitement and started running around. As I glanced up to look at the houses around ours, I noticed a little boy looking envyingly at me from the window in the house next door. I pointed at him and yelled for my mother, surprised. 

"Mommy, Mommy, look!"

At that moment, the boy disappeared from the window. Upset, I turned around to enter my house when a door slamming shut caught my attention. At first, I saw a lady, about my mother's age. She was carrying a plate filled with cookies. But that's not what caught my attention. It was the little boy - the same from the window - that was skipping next to her, holding her free hand and smiling from ear to ear.

As he got closer, being the shy little girl I was, I hid behind my mother. The two moms introduced themselves and talked for a while. I peeked around my mom's leg for a quick glance at the boy. He was staring right back at me, smiling. We just stared wordlessly at each other, until he and his mom turned away and walked back inside their house.

~.~.~.~.~.~

That was the first time I saw him. Back then, I would never have known we would end up being the best friends we once were. And when we were friends, I would have never guessed we would end up where we are now.

I climbed in the bus and sat at the back. Christian purposely sat in the seat across from me, like he always does. He's trying to bug me; I know it, so I took out my iPod and turned the music up loud. To my dismay, the song playing was I'll Be by Edwin McCain. Christian was the one who made me listen to this song for the first time. We both fell in love with the song and it always has been - and always will be - my favorite song of all time. I just can't get enough of it.

When the ten minute bus ride was over, I took my time to get out of the bus; I was in no rush to face what was bound to happen on this first day back. I wasn’t looking forward to the teasing, the looks, and everything else that was coming my way.  When I decided that I had stalled enough, I went inside and made my way to the gym to get my schedule. Taking a quick glance at it, I noted that my classes this semester were English, science, history, PE and math.

After going to my locker and stuffing my books and binders in it, I went to my usual hang-out spot at school - the girl's bathroom. I only had one friend, Katie, but she doesn't always hang out with me. She only spends time with me at lunch. She says it’s because she likes me and enjoys my presence, but I’m not dumb. I know she only sits with me because her friends don’t want her to stay with them for lunch.