Very, Very, Very far away

Chapter One

The only reason I survived

Is because the fire in me

Burned brighter

Then the fire around me

                       -Joshua Graham

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"Penny!"
I turned around to look a Lizzie, my best friend.
"Your leaving in a DAY!" She Said, hurrying to my side, as I walked from the school bus to school.
"I know! I'm super exited!" I Said ginning widely.
"Your going nearly around the world! And your going without meeeeeee..."she trailed off.
"I'm sooo sorry Lizzie! I wish you where in my home room!" I Said, trying to console her.
She narrowed her light green eyes at me. Then she grinned.
Phew.
"I know! Jeremy is soooooooooo hot! I don't think you appreciate how lucky you are to sit next to him every day!" She Said looking dazed.
Typical Elizabeth.
She gets off subject and distracted so easily.
"Calm down. This is only for 8th grade. Next year you'll probably have him in one of your classes."
" yes but you sit next to him every day in math!" She almost Yelled.
" plus he's not even that hot."I Said.
"Uh. What did you just say? He's so popular and his hair looks like cream chocolate. I bet he tastes like chocolate too..." she said, obviously dazed.

I don't get what's the big deal.
He's just a guy, lots of people like him, he has chocolate like hair, so automatically he's hot?
No.
I mean seriously?
I've been going to the same school as Jeremy for almost ten years now.
I mean common!
I basically grew up with him, and I found NOTHING I like about him.
He doesn't even read books.
Not even the ones the school forces you to read.
Geez.
I don't think I could ever like somebody like that.
"And his eyes look sooooooo ice cream-like! I just want to lick them!"
" okay Lizz. That's a little creepy."I Said, my eyes widening at her comment.
"Hey girls? What's creepy?" Said Jeremy, rubbing my hair like your typical older brother would.
His strong hands scruffed my short hair up and crooks my glasses.
" urghg." I Said, angry.
Occasionally he bugs me.
Occasionally. Only if something's up.
I scramble to put my round glasses back in place as I saw Lizzie turn cherry red.
" uhh, we where talking about Ice-cream!" She said, awkwardly.
I smirked at her.
" Oh. How's that creepy?" Jeremy asked leaning over her small frame.
She looked at me panicked.
Sigh.
"Where where talking about a CREEPY scene in IT, where one of the losers eat ice-cream." I Said, covering for Lizzie.
I was a quickest liar, she always counted on me to lie for her. Especially during her panic attacks.

She doesn't understand how I lie so swiftly and quickly, it's always believable.
Simple, really.
I quickly think of all possible answers and choose the one that makes most sense.

Jeremy gave me a smirk.
I rolled my eyes.
" look at you, all grown up! Your watching IT! And it seemed like yesterday you where reading green eggs and ham." He Said patting my head, witch was about inches lower than his chin.
I couldn't help but smile.
" yeah, well you didn't grow up! You still play with toy cars!" I Said, also coming up with best come backs.
He smiled.
" they're not toys! They're miniature replica models!" He Said pressing his arms crossed.
I laughed and walked with Lizz to the middle entrance.
He must have stopped to talk with his buddies beacause he wasn't with us annymore.

" wow. I still can't believe you grew up with that hot-sun-of-a-"
Gale cut her off.
" hey! Have you guys seen bec?" Gale Said, sprinting towards us.

"No" I answered truthfully.

Bec (Rebeca) was his girlfriend, and she was the prettiest girl in school. Well, In 8th grade at least.
Gale was Lizz's twin brother.
Worries was in gale's eyes and so it spread contagiously to Lizz'es.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Check your Instagram." He Said pausing then running again.

He just left us there.
I look a Lizz.
As fast as I could I touched my nose and screamed hospital, a mili-second before she did.
She sighed and got her phone out of her enormous back-pack.
Why it's so big? I don't know.
At first I thought maybe her homework, but if she brought it home how come she never did it?
She ALWAYS asked me for mine.

" oh shit." She huffed as shoving her phone back into her (somehow) gigantic backpack.
" I'm gonna help gale find her" she siffles as she runned  the same direction that Gale did.
What happened?
Beats me.
I could just go on my phone and check, but nah. I'm too lazy.
Plus, i don't like Rebecca all that much.
Back in middle school she used to glare at me and she would never hang out with me.
I think she was jealous of Jeremy sitting next to me for a week, but I'm not too sure.
Hey, don't say I didn't try!
I called her once, asking if we could hang out at the mall, and she told me yes, but she just stood me up.

Lizz, though, had a sturdy friendship with Rebeca. A bond you'd say.
I think it's because of Gale always bringing her home and hanging out with Gale's family.

Well, I honestly don't care.

***

I get to my locker to see a note, slightly peeking out of one of the holes at the top. I open it.
Dear Penny,
You are very pretty.
Your smell is nice.
Would you you go out with me
Tonight?
My heart warms up.
Turn the page to see who it's from.
I was no joke in joying this.
I turned the page.
Haha! Got you! Your so gullible Penny.

Sincerely,
Jeremy the great

Oh. What was I expecting?
Obviously!
This is why he was talking to me.
He's so stupid.
I roll my eyes.
I opened my locker.
I put my bag in and checked what we had first.
French. Yay!
I grab my green binder and my notebook.
I sighed then closed my locker.
AH!
There he was, 'Jeremy the great'.
Pchh.
Was he just hiding there behind my locker door? Just like in movies? Jesus. How come I fail MISERABLY every time I try to do it to Lizz?
" so you saw my letter?" He asked with a grin.
" I should have known something was up." I Said, starting to walk to mrs. Korea's classroom.
I realized Jeremy was waking beside me, holding his green binder and laughing.
" est tu exitée pour demain, ma chérie?"He Said.

Urggggggg. I hate when he speaks French to me. I may take French classes but I didn't grow up with French as my second language!

" I have no idea what you just said, but I swear if it was dirty..."

I said looking him in the eyes.
He held his hands up, signalling guilty, I swiftly turned around and marched into class.