When He Became Mine | COMPLETE

Chapter 1

Jason's POV

For as long as I could remember, the guys and I would go out to the local park and play whatever sport that popped into our heads as soon as school let out for Spring Break. It didn't matter if we were in the third grade or graduates from college, but once we heard the local schools were out, we dressed down in athletic clothes, grabbed whatever equipment was needed, and played that sport for hours.

That included Keira Lancaster.

I remembered the day she demanded to play with us. She was eight and bored out of her mind, so Mrs. Lancaster made Caleb, her brother and my best friend, take her with us. Caleb, of course, complained the entire way to the park, and when Keira got even more bored and wanted to play with us, he complained even louder.

In the end she won.

Keira was terrible at sports, but the guys and I didn't tell her in her face she sucked. In fact, we never told her until Caleb and she got into another sibling argument and he made the point to tell her. She cried until I offered to teach her and improve her skills.

Our friendship grew even more from there.

I never considered Keira more than one of my closest friends until she was fifteen and a sophomore in high school. Caleb and I came home for Thanksgiving break from college. My family and the Lancaster family have always had Thanksgiving dinner together since Caleb and I became best friends, so it was no surprise when I saw Keira bounding down the stairs, yelling at her brother about hogging the bathroom.

What threw me off was when I realized she looked more like a girl than the tomboy I was so used to. She grew her hair out and was losing baby fat. I noticed she wore mascara and had her nails painted a pale pink. Her clothes fit her well instead of hanging loosely, and she was texting. The Keira I last saw hardly ever touched her cell phone.

I got used to the change. I got used to coming home and seeing her wearing Hollister or Abercrombie and Fitch clothing. I got used to hearing her make plans with her (girl) friends to the mall and bringing home at least one bag of clothes or the occasional bag of books. I got used to it all.

But at the same time, Keira Lancaster didn't change. She still sent me emails about her piano recital dates. She still texted me in the middle of the night when she couldn't sleep and all her friends weren't awake. She still went with me to Starbucks five miles away from Essex, Connecticut. She still joined us guys time to time to play football or basketball during our school breaks.

Then Keira got accepted into Julliard with a full-time scholarship. She woke me up at three in the morning, screaming that she got in. She chattered away for two hours about what she planned on doing once she graduated from high school and went off to New York. When all her plans were made until we had it both memorized, she paused and said to me, "Jason, I'm scared."

I think that was the moment I fell in love with her.

Caleb didn't take long to figure it out. Neither did my mother (who told my father). They pestered me to tell Keira before it was too late. I denied my feelings to them and to myself. I told Caleb to fuck off when he reached the limit I tolerated hearing about how I needed to "tell his damn sister already." I hid in my room when my mother decided to ask me for details whenever Keira and I went to our usual coffee runs.

I never accepted the truth about my feelings until the day Keira came home from Spring Break.

"I have to jet early, guys," Caleb announced as one of our friends tossed the football over to him. "My parents are taking us all out for some celebration for Keira."

David Henderson, a friend of ours, wrinkled his nose. "What for? She hasn't graduated yet."

Caleb glanced over at me and shrugged. "Dunno."