Name of story: the girl that lives next door.

Summary: I am the girl who lives next door to central park zoo. And everyone knows what it's like living next door to the penguins, lemurs, and other zoo animals. How will I survive?

Credits for this story: tony bank [my bf], Diana park [my bff], Lisa Richards [my friend], and sweet home Alabama [a movie I watched]

Characters: tony, Diana, Lisa, Kowalski, rico, Kat [me]

Places this story is stationed at: central park zoo. Central park. Fish and crackers [a restaurant]. New York train station. New York airport. Japan and the penguin HQ.

Genre: romance/adventure/action

Word count: 2,185

Chapter one: friends forever

Kat's pov

Hello I am Kat V. carline. I am a girl with blond hair and glowing green eyes. My hair I wear in pigtails. Today I am wearing a gold dress with sparkly diamonds. On the bottom are roses painted with a deep pink color. My best friend is named Diana.

She is a girl with black hair, and light brown eyes. She wears her hair in a Japanese style. She always wanted to go to Japan. My other friend is named Lisa Richards. She has dyed her hair pink, and has rippled blue eyes. All the guys claim you get lost in her eyes.

She wears her hair in a straight down ways. Meaning she doesn't put her long hair in any kind of bow or band. All the guys want to date her. My boyfriend is named tony. He has dark brown eyes. His hair is also a deep black color. He loves wearing suits.

I am 16 years old, and live next to a place called central park zoo. And that is where our story begins…

Central park zoo- next door house

I wake up once again late for school. I look to my alarm clock, and see it says 7:00 am. Oh great late for school. P.s. my school starts at 6:00 am. I've already missed a whole hour. Mrs. Friend is going to be pissed. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever be the same.

You see my parents died in a car accident 2 years ago. My grandparents kicked me out when I turned 15. I had to live on my own from then on. My sister sends me a check to help pay off the house rent. Though I wonder why she doesn't let me live with her.

Probably the fact that she is married and has 4 kids. Doesn't have time to raise me. So I'm out in New York as a 16 old with no parents, no job, no family, and no help. I live life to the fullest though. Did I mention I live next door to New York's most famous zoo? Yep I live right next door to central park zoo.

I use to visit there with my parents when I was 7. Now it's just a distant memory. I wonder if they still have that loin, Alex I use to love. He would always smile at me when I gave him popcorn. Oh how I miss the good old days.

I use to have everything back then. A family I relied on. 3 pets who are dead now. A beautiful house on the beach, and all the forests I could explore. But now my life belongs here. In this rusty old house next to an old zoo full of memories I will never get back.

I get up, and start getting dressed. I chose to wear a green dress with beads on it. It was the dress my mother gave me when I was 8 years old. I was too young to wear it back then, and she knew that. She told me to keep it for when I want to remember her. I still remember that morning they died.

My father was wearing a suit. My mother was wearing a blue dress that had pink flowers all over it. She smelled like daises then. I still remember exactly what they said to me that morning. "Sweetie we may be gone for a while, but we'll always be in your heart" my mother said. Who knew she would get that right?

I heard of the accident from my TV. I was flipping through the channels when it came on the news. I couldn't believe what happened. Sometimes I wonder if I could have went back in time, and stop you guys from ever leaving me. I was only 14 back then. All the things I said to you guys over the years.

I never did get to say I love you or goodbye. This dress brings up some of the best, and some of the worst memories I ever had. But everything is meant to happen for a reason. So maybe god had a reason for this.

I go out of my room, and plop down on the couch. I don't feel like going to school today. I look to the clock. It reads 8:00 am. Was I really thinking that much? I guess memories can keep you at bay. No one is probably available right now. Might as well do some house work.

I vacuum the living room, and my room. I wash the dishes. I dust the shelves and the cabinets. I organize my bookshelf as well. After I'm done I sit down on the couch again. I look to the clock. It said 11:00 am. I'll maybe watch some TV.

I turn on the TV, and it goes to heart of Dixie. Why I watch this show; I'm not sure. Maybe I relate to this girl somehow. She always seems to get in trouble that is hard to fix; just like me.

I stare out the window toward the zoo. Maybe I could go visit the zoo. It's not like I have any plans anyway. But I can't go out till it gets to school time being over. Its hard living life as a 16 old with no one to tell you no.

I didn't grow up selfish like most teens. I grew up respecting my parents. They always treated me like I was the most important girl in the world. I thought I was too. I'm surprised in myself that I didn't grow up selfish. It's like I was touched by a power mightier than the ocean.

Maybe I had to grow up this way for a reason. I look back to the clock. 2:00 am it said. I still have an hour left. The phone than rang. I picked it up, and pressed talk. "Hello" I said into the receiver. "I knew you'd be home" the familiar voice said over the phone.

"Lisa" I said. "Yep listen I wanted to know if maybe you'd like to come to the zoo with me" Lisa asked me. "Well I was planning on going there later; what are you doing out of school" I asked her. "Girl how many times do I have to tell you I'm 18 remember" she said.

"Oh right" I said. "Meet me at the gate at 3:00 okay" she said. "Alright meet you there" I told her, and then hung up. Why do I always forget she's 18? I turn the channel on the TV. It goes to wheel of fortune. I wish I appeared on a show like this someday.

Well after some time the clock said 3:00 pm. I get my coat and purse, and walk out the door. I lock the door behind me, and start heading towards the entrance of the zoo. I wait patiently for Lisa. Then I see her walking down with her straight pink hair blowing behind her. She decided to wear a red coat with fluff on around the neck. She also was wearing pale blue high heels and carrying her black purse today.

"Why so fancy today" I asked her. "Why so bland today" she asked back. "Oh I always where this" I told her. She seemed to notice my beaded green dress under my plain white coat. "Well that's not so bland" she said. She pulled my wrist, and we starting walking into the zoo.

Some people who see me and Lisa together think Lisa is my mom. She even sometimes acts like my mom, if you ask me. "After we're done visiting this zoo we're taking you shopping for a new look" she told me. Yeah she's pretty rich. She's the mayor after all.

"Can we stop by the new habitat they talked about on the news" I asked her. "Sure why not" she said. The new habitat was said to contain a panda bear. They called her crownia. What a weird name for a panda right?

Lisa takes me to every habitat. We stop at the penguin habitat. I recognize those penguins from the time I was 7. There the only animals in this zoo that I remember. I watch them as they talk among themselves. I wonder what penguins actually do say.

"You know you really should go to school more" Lisa told me as I watched the penguins. "They teach you how to get a job in a community like this" she said. I sighed contently. "Lisa do you remember the story I told you when you were 16, and I was 14" I asked her.

"You mean the one about the loin named Alex, and his many adventure with these lemurs, zebra, hippo, and giraffe" she asked. "Yeah that one" I said looking at her. "Then yes I do" she said. "Well these penguins remind me of the ones in my story" I told her looking back to them.

"They remind me of mom and dad" I said as I gazed up at the beautiful blue sky. "Oh yes Karen and Martin were quite the hosts" she said. She knew my parents for a long time. She was best friends with my sister so she got to learn a lot about my family.

"They always told me that they wanted to own a penguin one day" she said. I noticed she had little tears coming down her cheeks. She and my sister were very close to my mom and dad. "We should probably go shopping now" I said not wanting to bring up to many memories.

"I'll be fine Kat; just a trip down memory lane" she said looking to the penguins. The penguins were now looking at us. I think I saw sympathy in the small penguin and the tall penguin's eyes. How can penguins feel sympathy? "One day you might get to experience their dreams" Lisa said looking down to me.

She started to head towards the exit. I look back to the penguins, and rest my head against the fence. I whispered to the penguins though I was sure they wouldn't understand me.

"Someday everyone will be happy; even you" I said to them. I started walking off toward Lisa who waited patiently by the gate. When Lisa left; I was about to, but I cast a glance back at the penguins. I'm sure I saw the small one say "good luck".

I followed Lisa though town holding a new kind of happiness in my gut. Someone actually understood me. I don't care if it happened to be a penguin. Lisa finally stopped in front of a dress store.

She took me inside, and I started to look around. The dresses were nice, but too classy for me. I like plain and simple. "Lisa is there anything less classy here" I asked her. "Why of course dear" she said. She took me to another aisle.

"These are less fancy" she said. I looked across the many rows of dresses. I kind of expected Lisa to know there was. She knew I wasn't into being fancy like some people. Lisa had me try on several dresses until we were done shopping. She paid for them with her balance check.

Then she took me out of the store. We went to several other dress shops. Then she let me go home.

During night hours- walking the street

I walked the street holding my arms from the coldness. I dropped of the dresses at my house earlier. I just needed some fresh air. I jumped over the fence in front of me, and continued my way. Then I saw a flash. I look up to the stacks of boxes. On the boxes was a figure of a penguin. She had her hair in front of her eyes.

She looked down to me. Her ocean blue eyes Deeping my fright. She didn't seem to look like the most pleasant penguin in the world. She then smiled at me, and jumped down onto my shoulders. I was frightened at first, but she didn't try to hurt me. I looked at her. She looked at me. She then took out some dust from here pink purse she was carrying.

She blew the dust in my face. I sneezed a while. Then I looked to my shoulder again, but she was gone.