I want to write down the story of how a girl changed my life. For better or for worse, I'm still not sure. It all started a Wednesday night in a church parking lot.

Ch. 1

It was my first week in Nowhere, Georgia and I was already missing my life in Chicago. Things here ere too quiet and although the people had their southern hospitality, you could see them judging you and making crazy assumptions under their shallow smiles. It was hot and the air was heavy with humidity, and though there was green everywhere t was all just weeds.

With a Baptist church on every corner, I wasn't sure how legit these people were about God. It seemed like being a Christian as just the thing to do here, so I doubted the people's motives. But all that changed when I walked into the old church on the corner by the grocery store.

I'd always loved God, like even more than I loved sports and girls. My parents stressed the importance of morals and having a relationship with God, but unlike all my friends I actually listened to them.

So anyway, I walked into worship and people were singing loudly ad joyfully. It was weird to see a whole congregation on one page, and powerful. They prayed and when it was time to leave, people sat around and talked to one another like they cared about what the other one was saying. Everyone was friendly and came up to introduce themselves.

I'd never seen anything like it in my life and as I left the building I was on a spiritual high. I was about to climb into my truck when someone ran up to me. "Can you please help me?" The girl asked frantically. "My car…"

I stared at her perplexed. She was cute and everything, but there was something else about her that made my heart pound. Maybe it was the sweet sound of her voice or the way she smiled even when things weren't going her way.

I recovered quickly, "Of course." She hopped to a red volts wagon beetle and looked at me expectantly. "What's wrong with it?" I asked opening the hood of the car.

"Please don't judge me," she said biting her lip. "I promise, I'm not one of those dumb pretty girls."

"Well you sure are pretty," I interrupted. Her eyes lit up and she smiled. "So what did you do to your car?"

"I forgot to fill up on gas," she sighed.

"I'll drive you to the gas station and we can get a tank," I offered.

"Thank you so much!" She said taking shotgun. I rolled down the windows as we drove down the road. I've got to admit that Georgia does have some nice sunsets.

"So what do you do around here for fun?" I asked the girl turning down the radio.

She shrugged, "Everyone hangs out at the lake, for lack of anything else to do. Are you visiting or did you just move here."

"Moved from Chicago. How could you tell?" I asked curiously.

"Well first of all you talk funny," she giggled.

"Y'all people are the ones that talk funny," I said back imitating the southern accent everyone seems to have here.

"Do you hate it here yet?" she asked wistfully. I shrugged. "If it weren't for all the people I love here, I'd ask you to just keep driving until Georgia was nothing more than a sign in my review mirror," she said dreamily as she traced a heart in the fog on the window.

"What's your name?" I asked urgently. Suddenly, I needed to know. Hearing her name was all that mattered.

"Sarah."

"Beautiful," I thought to myself. I wanted to ink her name on my skin, to have her a part of me for forever. How could I be with someone for less than twenty minutes and already know I could never spend my life with anyone else? I've always heard that you fall in love like you fall asleep; slowly and then all at once. But with her, it was like I'd just been hit by a truck.

We bought the gas and I filled her car up for her. "You never told me your name," she said, a smile playing at her lips.

"Logan," I answered.

"My mom is going to kill me when I get home Logan," she says looking at the time.

"Well if she doesn't, can I see you tomorrow?" I ask, nervous on the inside but cool ad smooth on the outside.

"Okay," she whispers giggling.