AN- This is a prequal to another story I wrote. If you read the first one, then this one, you will see I have changed parts of it slightly. You will also see it if you have read this one first. So if you read the two, they don't quite fit as there are ideas in this that I couldn't resist putting in, sorry
Chapter One
The Sun shone over the campus, it was still warm for the middle of September, the leaves were slowly starting to change color but weren't falling off yet, it was the perfect inbetween stage.
Three freshmen boys, one with long-ish brown messy hair and big blue eyes on the right, the one in the middle had brown hair that was just above his ears, his eyes were a deep but light brown, his smile was cheeky but he was hiding things underneathe it. The one on the left was the most serious looking, his hair was a mess too but was shorter. his blue eyes were dull and hidden behind thin black rimmed glasses, were walking down one of the many paths around the school, the one in the middle was walking backwards
"So Charlie" The one on the right, Will said, to the one in the middle, Charlie "You coming to the party at that James guys house tonight?"
"Don't think so" Charlie replied
"There's no point in asking him Will" The third one, Jason, said "The two weeks we've been here he hasn't hung out with us after school, didn't all summer, since, well forever"
"I just like to wind down after school" He replied "And I hung around with you guys everyday..."
"Until about five thirty..." Jason muttered
"I had dinner!"
But Charlie had a secret. Everyday at sunset canons, he went to a clearing in the woods of where he worked... the cemetary where his little brother was buried... he'd been the one in the car with his brother when the crash had happened, he felt guilt ridden, and it was three years later. If he didn't go to the woods everyday... he didn't dare to think about it.
Meanwhile, on another path, four girls were walking. The one on the far left had blonde hair that touched her shoulder blades and bright blue eyes, she was the smallest of the four, the one beside her was her ferternal twin sister, she had brown shoulder length hair with blonde high lights in her fringe and brown eyes, the one beside her was chinese but she had no accent when she spoke, her hair went to the middle of her neck, it was brown with a tint of red, she had brown eyes too. The last, and tallest, had brown wavy hair flowing down her back and her eyes were a strange but beautiful mixture of blue, green and brown.
"Who's ready for James' party tomorrow night?" The girl with the eyes, Sky, practically swooned
"I might skip it..." The Chinese girl, Annika said
"Aww Anni, come on"
"I have a huge paper due..."
"Even Kay's coming" Sky said
"Hey!" The blonde girl, Kay, protested "I always come"
"Please" Kay's twin, Aimee, snorted
As the two groups walked towards a junction, Charlie, who was still walking backwards, walked into Kay, tripping both of them up and sending their things across the ground
"Watch where you're going!" Kay exclaimed, starting to pick up her books
"Sorry" Charlie said, picking his up too "I didn't mean to"
Charlie's hand brushed hers as he reached to pass her a book, she looked at him through her fringe and felt her face flush. Charlie looked down hurridly, feeling the heat in his cheeks too.
Both their hearts were racing. What was going on? Their hands had touched, so what?
Butterflies were circling Kay's stomach...probably eaten something...
Charlie had them too, but he got them whenever he spoke to a girl, he hadn't been as confident with girls since the crash...and everyone thought he was crazy
As they stood, Aimee said to Will, who she had photography with, "You going to the party tomorrow night?"
"Yeah, how about you?"
"We're all going...even Kay" She gestured towards her sister
"Me and Jason are bu..."
"I'm coming" Charlie said, his eyes still on Kay
"You said..." Jason began but Charlie cut him off
"I said I'm coming" He said "Just tell me when"
...
Charlie was rooting around in his bag for a text book when he heard the canons go off, he sighed and threw his bag aside, got his keys off the side, his baseball glove out of the draw and headed to the woods
The breeze had picked up slightly so he zipped up his jacket, his eyes flickering to his brothers grave stone as he walked past it.
In the woods, known as the forest of shadows, Charlie sat on a log, staring forwards, watching for any slight movement that wasn't from the wind.
A boy with brown curly hair, bright green eyes and a cheeky smile, like Charlie's, but not as cute, came out from inbetween the trees
Sam St. Cloud had died in a car crash when he was 12 years old. Charlie had died along with Sam but he had been ressusitated, had the burn marks on his chest to prove it.
At first, Charlie had told people he could see his little brother, his mother had been upset and sent him to therapy. In the end, after eighteen months of therapy and drugs, he lied and said he couldn't see him anymore, but now, at the age of eighteen, he stayed here and told no one about playing catch with his little brother
"Hey Charlie" He said
Charlie stood up "Hey"
Sam pulled a baseball out his pocket and threw it Charlie "So how's your day been?"
"Was ok, the usual. Got to leave early tomorrow"
Sam frowned "Why?"
"Some party"
"You don't go to parties..." Sam's smile crept back "There's a girl isn't there?"
"I never mentioned a girl" Charlie said, throwing the ball back
"Thats the only reason I can think of for you to go" He threw it back "What's she look like?"
"Who?"
"The girl you're going to that party for"
"There's no girl!" He said "I don't like any girls right now"
This was a lie of course, he couldn't stop thinking about Kay, he'd never felt like this before and it scared him a little
"So you don't have a crush on anyone?"
"Nope"
"You're gonna tell me when you get a girlfriend right?"
"Yes Sam, you'll be the first to know"
...
Charlie put his fire on and bent down in front of it, warming himself up.
A knock on the door sounded, making Charlie look at his watch, he frowned, who could that be?
He opened the door and saw Kay, if he was a cartoon, his heart would be beating so fast it would be punching in her face
"Hey...erm..." He was trying to play it cool "...Kay, right?"
She nodded "And you're Charlie right?"
He nodded "So whats up?" He stepped a side and let her in
"I picked up one of your books by accident" She fished it out of her bag and gave it to him "Here"
"Oh!" He said "I've been looking for this, thanks" He paused for a second "You staying for a drink or something?"
"Er...yeah" She smiled slightly "Sure, why not?"
She looked around the small house as Charlie went in to the kitchen. She knew why he was here... she was probably the only person it didn't bother...not that he knew that yet...
He came back out and saw her looking, "Not much but its home"
"It's sweet" She smiled "I don't really like the way people throw money here, there and everywhere, I prefer the more tradtional places, lil cottages like this"
This girl was just getting better and better, in Charlie's eyes anyway
He sat on the sofa as she did and passed her a drink "So how'd you know where to find me?"
"My sister and Will are secretly banging so I got her to ask him"
"Oh... I thought something was going on, from the way he looked at her"
"Don't play it cool do they?" Her drink was keeping her cold hands warm, she took a sip, her mouth filling with chocolate heaven
"No" He took a sip of his "Not cool at all"
She looked at him, desperate to ask about Sam...maybe tell him her secret...but it was too soon for all that...
He noticed her shivering slightly "You cold?"
"I'm fine" She lied
He tossed her his hoodie
"Won't you get cold?"
"Doesn't bother me"
"If you're sure" She pulled it over her head and tucked her hair behind her ears "Thanks"
"Its ok"
He looked her up and down, she was petite, so his medium size sweater was far too big for her, her jeans fitted her well, she was small but they made her legs look long. Something about her sent his heart fluttering...and he had no idea that he did the same to her