Promise

Chapter 2

• a few days later •

I tapped my foot on the car's ground over and over again. "Leah," Mom smiled, "Don't be nervous."

I looked at that woman, "That's like telling a sloth not to be slow."

"Mom, Im going back to people that I haven't seen in 4 years! That's a lot!" I stated. She didn't say anything. After her staying silent for 5 minutes straight she said, "Well, Im sure everything will be fine."

"How about after school we go get Chick-Fil-A?" She asked. I took a deep breath, "okay."

She smiled as we arrived to LakeBrook High.

I watched kids walk in the school. They seemed so comfortable and happy. I looked at my mom. Suddenly, I wished that this was like kindergarten. That she would take me in school with our hands intertwined. I wished she would walk me to my class and kiss my forehead and then say, "it'll be ok. You're going to make friends." But I'm in high school, that wouldn't only be weird, but it would also be embarrassing.

Mom parked her car. "Come on. It'll be okay."

I looked at mom. She grabbed me and kissed my forehead. "I love you," we both said in unison. That made a laugh escape out of my mouth. Even though, I had laughed, I still felt extremely nervous.

I opened the car door and sat there for a second. "Leah, you got this."

I nodded and got off the car. I was about to go back in. "Leah, close the door."

"Right," I chuckled nervously and closed the car door. She waved goodbye. Her engine started and she drove off. I took a deep breath and fixed my long, light-brown hair.

We had come to the school a day before to learn where all my classes were and to find my locker. I reached in my pocket and took out the map of the school. This felt like the first day of school in kinder. Okay, I'm talking about Kindergarten too much.

I took a deep breath and walked inside the school. A lot of people stared at me. Some kids whispered things to each other. "Well, Well, Well. Look who decided to show up after 4 years."

I turned around. It took me awhile. Blue eyes, blonde hair. Tall. "Jacob?" I asked. He smiled. He opened his arms and I hugged him immediately.
"Wow, puberty did you well," I said and we both laughed. I looked at his shirt. It read: LB High Football.

"Woah. You're in the football team?" I asked. "Of course I am," he said. I laughed. I suddenly felt more comfortable knowing that one of my friends welcomed me.

"Look at you, though!" He grabbed my hand and spun me around. I chuckled, "I think I look the same."

"Definitely not! Puberty did you well," he said. I smiled, "thanks."

I suddenly saw arms wrapped around Jacob's waist. "Hey babe," I heard a familiar voice. Jake smiled and turned around. He kissed a girl. I studied the girl. I felt my heart stop. Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit.

They pulled away. "Kelsey?" I said. I saw her freeze. She slowly turned to look at me. She stood there. "Oh-oh my-oh my god!" She said, almost out of breath. She quickly wrapped her arms around me.
I felt tears in my eyes as I hugged her back.

"Don't forget me. I'll come back as soon as I can."

"I will wait for you."

We both started sobbing. "I knew you were going to come back."

"I'm glad I did."

We pulled away and likens at each other. We both laughed. "You changed so much!" She both said at the same time. We laughed. We hugged again for what felt like forever.

•

Kelsey and I sat on the bleachers, taking a bite out of our Subway sandwiches. She kept talking about everything I had missed. "...and so he asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes."

I smiled, "wow. I would have never imagined you and Jacob together. And that story should be a love movie."

She laughed, "Yeah, I guess. I'm just glad Jacob's not like...like Luke."

I almost choked on my sandwich. I was so excited about catching up with my best friend, that I didn't realize I hadn't seen him.

"L-L-Luke?"

"Oh, shit. I forgot y'all's promise."

I looked at her. She said it in a way that made me think Luke had changed in a bad way. She stayed quiet, though. "Kels? What happened to him?" I asked.

She fiddled with her fingers. "He just-he's not the same, L..."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked. She looked at me and then looked back at her fingers. "The-the day you left, I told him and Jacob. Luke was devastated. At first, he was sad. He...he cried. But, the day after, he started talking...crap about you. He started saying that you were a traitor and that you couldn't even say goodbye to him I person. I told him you didn't have the chance to say it. That somehow made it worse. He started saying that you told me to tell him that you couldn't say anything..."

I looked down.

"By freshman year, everyone knew he hated you. He admitted that he did. Well...at least he made people think that he did. I know Luke since 2nd grade. I know he never meant anything-"

"But he said it."

"I know. But I know he doesn't hate you. I knew that he wanted you to come back so bad. I knew he wanted to date you. But then high school came. He joined football, became popular, and now he's part of the f-boys. Luke Havens is known as the guy who has played more girls than anyone in this school. Rumor has it, he has sex with most of them."

I felt like a train had run me over.

"I see him make-out with a different girl every week. Currently, he's with Amanda Owens."

My eyebrows raised. "But, isn't he shorter than all the girls?" I laughed, trying to lighten up the mood. "Nope. Trust me, when I say Puberty hit him like I truck, I mean it hit him like a truck."

She took a bite out of her sandwich. "But anyways, how were your four years in Ohio?" She asked. I took a deep breath and told her everything that had happened. From guys starting to hit on me, to my mom and dad getting divorced.

After the whole conversation, I couldn't help but smile. It was good to have my best friend back.