A/N : This is my first story. I'm very nervous because I've never shared my writing, but this story was just calling to be posted. I hope you enjoy. But let me say, after months of reading ridiculous amounts of fanfiction, I've seen far to many plots go spiraling down because a writer stopped writing for the love of it and started writing for reviews and reader approval. I want you to like my story I really do, but I write because I love to, not because I want EVERYONE to like it. I'm aware that many of you won't like my story and many of you will disagree with what I choose to do with these characters. I get it. I'd be surprised if everyone agreed with alll of my decisions. I guess the rude way of saying this is: Don't tell me what to do because I'll write what I this is not to say that I react violently to constructive crticism. I like when people comment on style and grammar rather than, "Um you make Bella stupid so you're stupid."

Now that that's all out of the way, this chapter is very short. I'm going to attempt to update three times a week, but I'm not promising anything. So . . . Read on.

"Bella. Come on!" Jessica's shrill voice propelled my legs forward.

"There you go honey. Come on you can do it," Jessica cooed at me as if I were a child.

Mike and Tyler laughed along with her, and as annoyed as I was I couldn't help but crack a smile as well. I took shaky steps just to humor them. Jessica just laughed harder, grabbed my hand, and we all ran off into the forest.

Tyler, Jessica, Mike and I ran around in the forest, Teasing each other and throwing handfuls of summer's sweet grass at one another. It felt so relaxed and free. Mike made it his mission to flaunt my parents approval of him. He'd made numerous attempts to show he was interested; grabbing my hand and occasionally trying to kiss my cheeks. It was uncomfortable but Mike was nice enough, and my parent s had been pushing our courtship for months now. They were never ones to force my hand but their hints at courtship had become increasingly numerous, and me being the good daughter, I agreed to think about it. Mike was "over the moon" in love with me, or so they said

"Hey guys," Mike said after a failed kiss to my cheek. "Ever been to Boonville."

Boonville was really Edgewood. I suppose the nick name is pretty self explanatory. "High Society" folks like myself did not live in Edgewood. The people on the wrong side of the tracks lived in Edgewood. The poor people, the criminals, the drunks, and drug addicts. The people no one like myself should associate with lived in Edgewood, although from my eyes it seemed we had plenty enough unmentionables in my neighborhood. Like Mrs. Cope whom everyone knew was a raging alcoholic and had more cougar moments than anyone cared to count, especially her poor husband. She had a thing for hired help some 30 years her junior. But as it was in my proper town of Harold, no one dared speak anything about those who broke rules, at least not to their faces.

"Well Bella, wanna go to Boonville?' Mike's voice broke me out of my reverie.

"I, uh, w- well guys it's getting kinda late-"

"Oh come on Bella. Let's go see the poor bastards, I'm sure they can give us a good laugh, right guys." he looked around at Jessica and Tyler.

"They're not bastards," I mumbled.

Jessica sneered and flounced in front of me, an extra sway in her hips. Mike's eyes strayed before he grasped my fingers in his and pulled me along with the rest of my friends.

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It was irritating how silly my so called friends were. They'd laughed and made fun of "Boonville" our entire way to the stupid town and now that we stood on the cusp of teenager rebellion they were afraid to cross the so called line.

The line was what separated the good from the bad. It really was no definitive line or fence dividing the two towns. You'd know the difference when you got there because there was just really no way to describe it. It was at least a mile long walk from the edge of town along a dusty path shrouded in trees. I only knew all of this because Mike told me. In truth I was nervous about going into the city, and as much as I hated that I felt that way I couldn't help it. I knew nothing but negatives about the people and the town. I'd never seen the place for myself. The place was forbidden, taboo.

Mike laughed at every joke Tyler attempted and Jessica made what she though were subtle passes at my courter. I pretended not to notice like a good southern girl. Anyhow, despite my friends cocky attitudes, we were know at the border of Edgewood and Harold and everyone was toeing the line. No one spoke, no one blinked. I looked over at Mike and he looked over at me. We stayed that way for a long time just looking at each other, nervous. I cracked a smile and stepped into Edgewood.

Harold was no South of France but the difference in appearance was quite obvious. Edgewood was filled with houses that fell around themselves, the roof needed patching, the porches needed fixing, and the people needed healing. The city store was a dusty little hole in the wall, the paint on the sign long gone, but it's imprint remained. There were no paved roads, the dusty one we'd been walking on to get there just extended into others like tributaries on a river.

Mike and Tyler tried to guard us against the curious and livid stares by glaring. It was ineffective, the people stared anyway.

"So," I said. "We're here now what?"

They all looked at me shrugging. I should have known that no real plan had been formed.

"Well then, I'm going to go explore." I headed off onto the roads.

"I'll go with you," Jessica cried, hooking arms with me. It was far to hot to be touching but she seemed contented and quiet so I let her.

As it turns out Edgewood has small beauties. One lady was growing a garden in her small scrap of backyard. Another man was swinging his son around, making airplane noises. Nearly every home had a patch of daffodils in the grass. The stares never ceased, and my curious eyes drank every inch of the small town. My fingers were itching for my camera. I wanted to capture the things my memory could do justice. And then I saw him. He was leaning over a mailbox that leaned precariously to the side. His arms flexed as he straightened it. Sweat ran in lickable rivuelts down his back. His mop of strange bronze hair stuck to the nape of his neck and forehead. The pants he wore hung sinfully low on his waist. My eyes traced the swell of his rear. I traveled from his feet, which were beautiful as well up his legs. I felt a stinging in my scalp. And then another one.

"Bella," Jessica hissed.

"What Jess," I responded.

"He's looking at you."

I raised my eyes to his face and sure enough he was staring straight at me. His eyes were deep jade and fringed in the strange colored lashes as his hair. He smirked and kept staring in my eyes. At some point his eyes gave me a once over. My body tingled as I watched his eyes sweep over my secret places. The sweat damp dress had done little to conceal the shape beneath it. My face flushed hotly and he smirked again his eyes on mine again. I flushed even deeper when a lady came to him from behind and raked her nails across his chest. He grasped her hand that had settled on his toned midsection and leaned into her as her lips grazed across his neck up to his ear. But his eyes stayed on mine.

I didn't wait for Jessica to take me away, I turned on my own and searched for Mike and Tyler. They were leaving the city store, their arms loaded with dripping bottles of Coke. I shook the feelings the bronze haired, green eyed, sweaty god had evoked in me and ran to Mike who handed me a bottle. The Coke was ice cold and amazing.

"Bella he's looking at you again." Jessica whispered in my ear.

I looked over and sure enough, he was.

Jess giggled. He was staring, his eyes probing mine.

"Come on guys," I said. "I've seen enough of this place.

Did you like it? I'm no history buff so if anyone has any suggestions for 1960's stuff, let me know. I invision this story with a "The Secret Life of the Bees" feel.

If you haven't read it and/or watched it do so.