(A/N - Hey guys. (: Here's a new fic, I wanted to throw out to you guys. I know I'm in the middle of a ton of fics at the moment, but I wanted to toss this out for some feedback! - Thank you to KRBlake for being awesome as usual and looking over this chapter for me. You're awesome!)

"Top of the morning, Ally," a sweet, shaky voice calls out as I enter my favorite bookstore - the only one around, actually - the Book Nook.

I glance about until my eyes fall on the old lady behind the counter. "Good morning, Kermit," I smile, making my way over towards her. Kermit is the type of woman who - well, she doesn't fit into just one category, actually.

A woman in her late seventies, she's the total grandmother-type, which she acts as to many people in the community - my friends and I, especially. But unlike a typical grandma, she's a bit crazy. 'Sliding off the old rocker', as my father would say. She's sweet enough, but her mystic 'eye for the future' makes her seem like a bit of a nut job. Kermit is also a bit creepy, but in that lovable-grandma way.

Another eccentricity of her, is her name. Now obviously, her real name isn't Kermit - she's a lot of things, but a talking frog isn't one of them. Nobody knows her real name, and nobody really bothers to ask, because she's Kermit, and that's how we like it.

"No Austin, today?" she asks, raising an eyebrow as she toys with the stack of complimentary bookmarks on the counter. I chuckle and shake my head at the mention of my longtime best friend, Austin Moon. "It's a rare occasion that one of you stops by without the other in tow."

And this is true. Austin and I had been stopping by to visit Kermit at least once a week since the first time I came here to buy a book, back in the second grade. "He's fixing up Rhonda," I explain, referring to his new - well, new to him - 1998 Toyota Camry. He purchased it about a month ago, and ever since, has treated it like a trophy. To me, it's a combination of scrap metal and auto parts but hey - it's a ride. Plus, I know how much it means to him. "He, and I quote, 'needs to make it shine for the start of a shiny new school year'. I'm serious."

"Well," Kermit harrumphs, though I could see her trying to stifle her laughter. "You tell that boy that if he thinks attempting to make a piece of dinosaur crap sparkle - when the good Lord knows it ain't ever gonna shine - is more important than his weekly visit with Grandma Kermit, then he isn't getting any more snickerdoodles."

"I'll pass on the message," I say through my giggles. "But trust me, he'll come running the second he hears 'snickerdoodles'."

"Always does, don't he?" she asks fondly. Once, Kermit let me in on a secret that Austin reminds her of her own grandson in California. Which is why, I think, she has such a special place for Austin in her heart. "And what about Candy?"

Candyc Johansson, my other best friend, is not quite a regular to Kermit, but still visits every once and a while. We only became friends a few years back, in the sixth grade, when Austin and I had a slight falling out.

As next-door neighbors, Austin and I had been best friends - well, since birth, practically. In the beginning of sixth grade, however, he began teasing me - pulling my hair, pushing me, calling me names. My mom told me that boys did this when they had a crush on the girl, but when I told Austin that, he flipped and stopped speaking to me.

He befriended a boy named Mo, forcing me to find another friend of my own. That's when I met Candyc, who, although a bit awkward, was totally best friend material. This continued through most of sixth grade, until one day, when I fell off my bike. I received a hot pink mountain bike that birthday, and as I was riding around the neighborhood, I accidentally shifted gears, sending me flying. I broke my arm, and skinned both knees pretty badly. A few moments later, Austin came sprinting out of his house, helped me up, then carried me to his mother.

After that, we became best friends again. Of course, Mo and Candyc are still around, but Austin and I have always been closest.

"She's still in Ohio with her family," I reply, nibbling on the snickerdoodle that Kermit handed me. "She'll be back Sunday, before school starts."

"Oh right," Kermit says, clapping her hands together with excitement. "You're all starting your junior year in a few days. Oh, you'll love it, I just know it." I try to smile, because although I'm excited, I'm also a bit nervous. Eleventh grade is a big year, and besides Austin and Candyc, I don't have very many friends. I hope to change that this year, though. "Oh, dear, you look nervous."

"A little bit," I admit, sighing. I grab a few more cookies and stuff them into my mouth. What? I eat when I'm nervous.

"There's no reason to be," Kermit assures. "And stop stress-eating. You know what's better? Stress-reading. Here, here, I set some books aside I thought you might like." She gestures to a box which contained a plethora of books.

One title jumped out at me - How to Be Popular. Thinking back to my goal of gaining more friends this year, I grab the book, along with a few others. "How much, Kermit?" I ask, reaching for my wallet.

"On the house, dear," she says, grinning. "They're for you." I thank her and get ready to head out, before she thrust a plate of snickerdoodles at me. "Share those with Austin," she says grumpily. "Since he thinks he doesn't have to visit me anymore."

"Will do," I promise, giving her a quick hug. "And I'll make sure he stops by. Thanks Grandma Kermit, see you later." And with that, I scramble out of the shop, ready to crack open How to Be Popular, and get started on the new me.

(A/N - so, what did you think? Sorry it's a bit short, but it's only the first chapter. (: Expect the last few chapters of A Summer to Remember soon, as well as a string of one shots. (: Until then, review!)

-Heyitsme517