Prologue – When We Were Very Young
I grabbed my best friend's hand, giving him a hearty tug in the direction of the river.
"Robin, please. Just for a bit. We'll have plenty of time to dry off afterwards. They'll never know." I turned abruptly to face him. "Please."
"Fine, but you owe me one, Kat." He laughed, despite the slightly annoyed tone in his voice. I looked up at him as we move through the trees. He is thirteen, a year and a half older than me. I spend every day with him, and he promised we'd always be best friends. And Robin doesn't break promises.
"Kat, who do you think is the most annoying girl in the village?" Robin asked. I didn't even need to think. I knew who mine was. She was the same age as Robin and hung it over me. She was constantly hanging off his arm. Even though I was eleven-and-a-half, I knew she liked him. Well tough. He was my best friend.
"Probably Rose. I know she's your friend, but she's horrible to me sometimes." I looked up at him. He was watching me with his green eyes. I smiled. "What about you?"
"Well, she's called Katharine Smith. She's only eleven-"
"Eleven and a half." I corrected. He smiled.
"She's only eleven and a half, but she's super annoying. And do you know why?"
"Why?" I asked, my stomach twisting.
"Well, because she's so good at everything, of course. She's an amazing swimmer, she stitches like a...stitching goddess, and to be honest, she is the most beautiful girl I have seen in my life so far. Even though she is a year and a half younger than me, she is my best friend, and nothing is going to spoil it. Not any stupid flower, not anybody." Robin nodded. His face deadly serious. I stared at him, my heart thumping. So I was eleven and a half. Does that mean I can't love? I love my best friend, Robin. What's wrong about that?
"Robin, I love you too." I said, looking up at him and locking my crystal blue eyes with his. I watched him swallow awkwardly.
"Kat, I never said I loved you. We're best friends. Nothing more, okay? Love is for adults. Not for silly children like you. Like us." I stared at him, watched him do that thing he does, where he scrapes his fingers through his hair. It makes it stick up.
"Robin, I have to go." I mumbled. I could feel my eyes pricking. I needed to get home.
"No, Kat, please. I'm sorry. But it's the truth!" He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. I shuddered, pulling away from him.
"Robin, stop it!" I cried, beginning to run. "Stop doing this!" I shouted. "You're so annoying! You say one thing, and then do something like that. You're so confusing. Stop it!"
I turned one last time. Robin was still stood there, arms hanging limply by his sides. I gasped and turned away, running as fast as I could towards my village.
"Kat, what's the matter darling?" My Mother sat down on my bed beside me, stroking my hair.
"I want to leave Mother. I hate it here. I want to go and live with Grandma. Father is gone now. He's not coming back. He's dead Mother, and I want to live with Grandma. You and me and Grandma. Like it used to be." I said, rolling onto my back. I knew my eyes were red from crying, I knew my nose was running. But I didn't care. Mum gripped my hand.
"So do I, sweeting. So do I."
And so we did.