Sticks & Stones || l.h.

Chapter 1

Luke and I have been best friends since he was seven and I was six. I moved next door to him during the summer when my mum got offered a job in Sidney. My dad isn't really in the picture, but that's not the point right now.

When we first got settled in, I remember Luke and Liz coming over to welcome us to the neighbourhood. My mum told me and like to play in the backyard while her and Liz get to know each other.

In the backyard, it was a little awkward. I was the new girl and I could tell that Luke was a little shy. We were both just sitting in a small dirt patch under a big oak tree so we could get some shade from the hot Australian sun.

I had a stick and I was just doodling in the dirt with it. I felt something hit the side of my head coming from the direction of the boy beside me. I looked over and he was smiling at the ground, trying not to laugh.

"What was that for," I asked.

"What was what for?" He asked, still trying to hide a laugh.

I took the stick in hand and poked his side when he wasn't looking. He turned to me with a confused look on his face. "What was that for?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He picked up more small stones and throwing them at me. I continued to poke him until we both started laughing out of control.

The rest of the day we ran around and played a whole bunch of games like tag and hide and seek. Luke and I had already become best friends before the day ended.

Eventually it was dinner time and Luke had to go home with his mum. I was a little sad but I got over it and ate dinner with my mum in our new house.

Summer went by quickly and were closer than ever. He was my only and best friend. We hung out everyday that we could. We had even made a tree house in the oak tree that we sat under the first day. It was amazing.

That's my first memory of Luke. The first summer that I actually had a friend. The start of a great relationship between us blossomed under that oak tree.