Chapter 1
The wind blew the falling leaves as Christian Tennant walked through the forest behind his neighborhood. He looked down at the white shirt and blue jeans as well. He wore white sneakers and he wore a Vans brand sweat jacket. His sapphire blue eyes looked through his brownish blackish hair that always fell in his face in a few strands.
He was fifteen and had just moved to the state. His next door neighbor quickly became his friend. And after a month he confessed that he loved her. She was just the kindest person he had met. He loved her dearly.
The walked out of the forest. The thing that was different about him was that he had mild Cerebral Palsy a motor handicap. He was just as normal as anyone else but he wore braces on his feet and he occasionally walked with one of his black crutches.
Though his new girlfriend's mother did not approve. She pulled some strings and he and his girlfriend could not go to the same school. He sat in his dorm at an all boys school and he looked down at his uniform of black slacks and a short sleeved button down white shirt with a black tie and black dress shoes.
The girls academy where his girlfriend now went came to his school for two marking periods in the year. They'd start the year at their school come to his school for the two middle marking periods and then end school at their school.
He looked at the picture of them on his phone and he looked up with a slight smile. He had made friends with a guy named Mike and a guy named Jeff. They both had his back. He wondered who her friends where.
I'm waiting like I promised. he thought.
Ashlyn Odair had her arms wrapped around his waist, her head on his shoulder. The digital picture flickered momentarily on her dying cell phone screen, then finally went to black as the final moments of her cell phone's battery went. She sighed and slid the phone shut. Turning to her desk, she plugged her cell phone into its charger.
Slowly, it flickered to life. Not to long ago, a boy and his family moved into the house next door to her. The two instantly became friends, and Ashlyn couldn't help but smile at the memory. They talked for long hours on end some night, and into the early morning. Then came the day when he told her how he felt about her. That just made something inside Ashlyn come to life, something that wasn't there before, or that she just hadn't noticed.
Her mother disapproved of their relationship greatly. Ashlyn was furious. What was the matter with her mother? Just because Christian was slightly different? That made her sick to her stomach to even think about it. Who cared about that! Wasn't it the love of two people that counted, not what they looked like? Despite many protests on both Ashlyn and Christian's behalf, her mother had found a way to ruin it.
Ashlyn, now attending an all girl's boarding school, lingered by her front door. She stood outside in the breezy autumn air, her skirt and platinum-blond hair swaying slightly in the breeze. She just looked over at Christian's house with longing green eyes, aching inside, as if it were nothing but a hole.
Her phone was stowed in her plaid skirt pocket and she had her messenger bag slung across her shoulder. She sighed, and left for school. The school was large, and had two 'dances' with the all boys school across the street. This made Ashlyn happy. She would get to see Christian. Only twice, but she'd get to see him. The only matter left, was friends.
She'd already known some of the girls who went to the school, and so they were already friends. Her friends were Summer and Kyra, two dark-haired girls that were on the soccer team. Both were as intelligent as Ashlyn, and as athletic.
Summer and Kyra though it was sweet what Ashlyn was doing, dating a guy like Christian. But that was before Ashlyn explained things to them. They soon realized the true love Ashlyn had for him, and supported her one-hundred percent. She sat in the commons area with Summer and Kyra, their plates of breakfast sitting in front of them, untouched.
"Ashlyn, are you going to do it?" Summer asked.
Ashlyn nodded. "Yeah." she said. She pulled out her phone and slid it open.
New MessageTextContactsChristian Tennant
Hey, so how's the first day?
Her slender fingers typed out the short messaged and she hit send, sliding the phone shut.
Kyra sighed. "I wish I had a guy like yours." she said in a dreamy tone. Ashlyn smiled briefly.
Christian's best friend Jeff or as he called him Jay Christian as he lifted a 45 pound barbell. It wasn't much but he was slowly working up. The stereo in their dorm blared semi loud music as the pair of them worked out like they always did, and Mike was reading a book.
I feel you die in Asylum! the stereo blared Christian's favorite band Disturbed that he had managed to get the other guys into as well. Christian's phone vibrated. "Hey Styx!" said Mike and he tossed it over. Jay caught it in mid sit up and he handed it to Christian. Christian's braces were by his bed.
On one side of the room their was a bunk bed and on the other was a one person bed. The two said Christian should have that one. They were like his brothers now. Jay had jet black semi long hair and hazel eyes. And Mike had blond hair and blue eyes like Christian's
Styx had been his nickname since he came to the school for the black crutch he sometimes used but most of the time carried in direct defiance of his teachers.
Christian grabbed his phone and he flipped it open. A picture of him and Ashlyn appeared on the screen saying Text from Ashlyn.
He hit the middle button and he smiled.
Going alright. Made a few friends. Blaring metal and working out and pissing off teachers. You know. The usual. he sent back. He didn't believe in what he called "Text Talk" because of how many books he read.
He pressed Send and then put his phone down.
Ashlyn and her friend began to pig their way into their breakfast, needing the calories and such to burn for soccer practice later that day. There were going to have a game after school, against the boy's school. The three of them were excited, especially with Ashlyn as their forward and main 'star'.
Ashlyn picked up her orange juice when she got a text from Christian. The chorus from 'Land of Confusion' played lightly as her phone buzzed on the plastic table. Summer and Kyra looked to each other and smiled, then urged her to answer it.
Her eyes scanned over the text with green eyes.
Sounds like you. Hey, we've got a game after school against your school. You going? Mother isn't going, so you're in the clear. She never goes. Her fingers typed away at the keyboard. When she finished, Kyra snatched the phone. Her and Summer read the text, and nodded approvingly.
The blond's thumb pressed send and she shoved the phone into her pocket. She and her the two other stood from the table and headed out of the cafeteria. "Since it's Friday, and we're allowed to leave campus.." Summer began.
"Why don't we hit up Starbucks, then go back to the dorm?" Kyra finished, a smile playing at her small lips.
Ashlyn pondered the idea for a moment. She bit her lip then looked at her friends. "Lets go change out of our uniforms, and I'll ask Christian and his friends if they want to go, aswell." she said.
Her friends nodded and the three raced back to the dorm, getting shouts and eyes from teachers.