Meet Laney Penn, a five-year-old girl who lived in Peaceville. She was a very shy girl who usually wore a sleeveless lime green dress and black boots. Her long red hair covered her left eye, but she didn't mind. She actually didn't want to be noticed by others. She was just too scared to make friends.

Every day, her widowed mother would try to encourage her to talk to her classmates at school. But when Laney tried to do so, she was unable to speak. Her throat would get dry and she couldn't figure out what to say. This made her the quietest girl in her grade. She was fine with that, though. She was never a social person.

Unfortunately, this made her the prime target of Carrie Beff and her group of friends, Lenny Newman, Kim Pine, and Konnie Magik. They constantly teased Laney for being so quiet, and she hated it. The worst part was that one of those friends, Kim, was in the same class as her. She wanted to tell her teacher, but she wasn't brave enough. She knew that until she was old enough to leave town, Carrie and her friends will never leave her alone.

Then one day, everything changed...

It all started when she was on a swing during recess. This was her favorite spot. No one usually bothered her, and she could have her own time to herself. But on that day, she heard a new sound on the playground.

"Ew! Get off me!"

Laney got off the swing and walked over to the sound, making sure the kids didn't see her. To her surprise, a boy she never saw before had tackled Carrie to the ground. He looked angry at her for some reason.

"Is that the cat boy you told us about during lunch?" Konnie asked.

"Yes!" Carrie exclaimed. "Now get him off me!"

Kim pried the boy off of Carrie. "He's stranger than that quiet girl in my class," Kim commented as the boy broke free from her grasp and got back on the ground. To Laney's surprise, he stood on all fours instead of on two legs.

"No kidding," Lenny agreed. "He thinks he's a cat."

"Well he's still a freak," Carrie said, getting back on her feet.

The boy growled at that statement. "You've got something to say?" Carrie asked. "Oh, that's right. You can't talk!" She and the other three laughed as the boy hissed.

Laney was surprised. This boy was odd, but she didn't think he was a freak. In fact, she heard of people with unusual mental conditions. Maybe he was one of those people. She tried to walk up to him and try to form a conversation, but her feet didn't move. She was still too scared. What if he really was dangerous?

BOOM!

That explosion came from the elementary school next door. "But you killed those frogs!" a pink-haired girl from that school shrieked. "You're supposed to eat them while they're alive or they'll get infected!"

The boy who thought he was a cat ran over to the girl. Laney watched as they had a conversation, although he could only meow. She couldn't hear what the girl said, but it was probably a private one since they were speaking quietly. The boy wiped green slime from the girl and she smiled.

Laney also smiled. This new boy wasn't dangerous at all. He was kind and gentle even though he still behaved like a cat. She became curious, wanting to know more about him.

The next day, Laney saw the same boy during recess. He was resting by the oak tree that was right next to the playground, laying on his stomach with arms stretched out in front of him. Feeling slightly brave, she walked up to him. He seemed happy about something, but she wasn't sure what he was thinking about. She looked at him, wondering why he behaved this way.

Feeling a bit more brave, Laney kneeled next to the boy, reached over to him, and gently touched his head. She took off his orange beanie, exposing his blue hair. She withdrew her hand and moved her other hand towards his head. She carefully dragged her fingers through his hair. He purred at the contact, sounding exactly like a cat. She knew this gesture was probably inappropriate, but he wasn't like other students. He actually liked the feeling. Recalling her knowledge in cat biology, Laney moved her hand to behind his ear, checking to see if it was a sensitive spot.

But when she did that, the boy's bright blue eyes opened and he shifted his head to look at her. Laney let out a small gasp, a worried look appearing on her face. She didn't change her position, too scared to move. After looking at her for a few minutes, he lifted one hand and touched the ends of her hair. He meowed as he continued to look at her.

That was enough for Laney. She withdrew her hand, put the beanie back on the boy's hand, got back on her feet, and ran off. She heard him call out to him by meowing loudly, but she didn't look back. She vowed to make sure he never saw her again.

For the past few days, Laney tried to avoid the boy who behaved like a cat. During this time, she learned about him. His name was Corey Riffin, and he and his sister Trina (the pink-haired girl from the first day she saw him) were new in town. They originally lived in Pennsylvania with their father, but they now lived here in Peaceville with their mother. Corey was in Miss Honey's class, who was in charge of this year's haunted house for the Halloween festival. She heard through lunchroom chats that his contribution was a wall covered in toy spiders. She wondered if she could see that when the time came.

Eventually, Halloween finally came. Laney decided to be a good witch this year, although she ended up looking like Glinda from Wizard of Oz. She didn't mind. It was the good witch costume available in stores.

At the Halloween festival, everything seemed fine. Laney walked around and saw what the booths sold this year. No one bothered her, and she was happy. Then that moment happened. The one moment that changed her life.

"What's the matter, cat boy? Afraid of a little water?"

Laney looked at who said that. It was Carrie, wearing a Wicked With of the West costume. Her friends were with her, all three wearing Flying Monkey costumes. Carrie sprayed water at Corey, who was wearing a white and light blue suit with dirty sneakers. He also held a toy box labeled 'Chocolates' for some reason. Laney didn't like seeing Carrie and her friends doing this to Corey. She was so angry, she picked up a water balloon from a booth and walked up to them, finally having the guts to speak.

"Hey! Leave him alone!"

Corey, Carrie, and her friends looked at her. Corey was surprised to see her while Carrie smirked. "Look who's finally talking," she said.

Laney stood between Corey and the bullies. "Stop hurting this boy!" she defended. "He isn't doing anything wrong!"

"Do you know who this is?" Carrie asked. "That freak is-"

"Corey Riffin," Laney interrupted, recalling everything she knew about him. "A new student in Miss Honey's class who thinks he's a cat. He rests by the playground oak tree instead of playing with other kids during recess and eats plain tuna on the floor with his hands instead of plastic forks."

"He's still a freak," Carrie said. "In Miss Honey's class, he licks his hands instead of using a sink. He can't even talk properly!"

Laney growled. Not wanting to let Carrie treat her like a doormat, she threw the water balloon at her, drenching her in water. "You jerk!" Carrie shrieked, quoting from the movie. "Look what you've done! My costume is ruined!"

"Just because Corey's different from other kids, it doesn't make him a freak!" Laney said. "I've only seen him from a distance, but I can tell he's a kind person who doesn't deserve this cruelty from you and your friends!" She then faced Corey and held his hand. "Come on, Corey. Let's leave the wicked witch and her flying monkeys alone."

Laney brought Corey over to a nearby corn field, a spot where no one would bother them. She kneeled next to him and dried his face with her hand. "Sorry about Carrie," she said. "She and her friends are the meanest kids in the grade. You probably know that by now."

Corey nodded in response. "I'm Laney," the red-haired girl said. "Laney Penn. I guess you know that too."

Corey looked at Laney and smiled. She was right about this boy. He was kind and gentle. There was no reason for Carrie and his friends to pick on him. He was just a new boy in town. He had his quirks, but he was still sweet.

When Laney dried his face the best she could, she got back on her feet. "I heard your class made the haunted house this year," she said. "Maybe you can show me what you did."

Corey looked up at Laney. To her surprise, he slowly stood to his full height, standing on two legs. Then he touched her hair again, just like he did on that day near the oak tree. "Corey?" she quietly asked, not knowing what he was doing.

Corey didn't respond. Instead, he traced every detail of her face, ending at her forehead. To her surprise, he moved her hair away from her face, tucking the locks behind her left ear. He gently touched her left cheek, looking amazed. Without her hair in front of her face, Laney's vision was clearer. Not even her mother was this close to her.

"Laney," Corey said, carefully sounding out each syllable. Laney was surprised to hear that. It didn't sound anything catlike at all. The boy who earned his nickname 'cat boy' was no longer behaving like a cat. He was behaving like a normal human being. His smile grew bigger and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in a hug.

"Corey?!" Laney asked in alarm, startled by the sudden hug.

"Thank you," Corey said, his voice cracking with sadness. "You saved my life."

"It's no big deal," Laney said.

Corey pulled away from Laney, tears of joy coming from his eyes. "It is a big deal," he said, still smiling. "You're the only kid in school who's been this nice to me. I want you to be my friend."

"Friend?" Laney asked. She looked away, startled by the sudden request. "I don't know... I never had any friends."

Corey responded by putting his hand on her chin, making her look at him. "Then be my friend," he said, moving his hand away from her face. "From now on, we're going to be best friends for all eternity."

Laney sighed. This boy seemed eager to be her friend, and it seemed like he wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. "I guess if you want to..." she said.

"That's the spirit!" Corey exclaimed. "Now come on. You said you wanted to see the haunted house."

The two kids left the corn field as they held hands. "So what's your costume?" Corey asked.

"I'm a good witch," Laney answered. "What about you? I never saw a costume like yours before."

"I'm Forrest, Forrest Gump," Corey explained. He held up his toy box. "Want a chocolate?"

Laney giggled, even though she didn't get the reference. "Your funny," she said.

"Just quoting the movie," Corey replied, still smiling.

For the rest of the night, Corey and Laney hung out at the Halloween festival. After stopping by the haunted house, they walked around and chatted about various things. Laney noticed Corey was still holding her hand, but she didn't ask why. She actually enjoyed it. Come to think of it, she really didn't mind his company.

"So why do you hide behind your hair?" Corey asked.

Laney was surprised by this sudden question. "Oh, um... I guess I feel comfortable like that. I'm not exactly a social person..."

"I don't like it," Corey said. "How else am I- I mean, other people, going to see your face?"

Laney looked at Corey. "You like seeing my face?" she asked.

Corey blushed and nervously looked around. Then he saw something interesting. "Hey look, a throwing game!" he said, dragging Laney over to a booth.

"Knock down the cans and win a prize," the man at the booth said. "Want to give it a try?"

Corey looked at the prizes on display, see a particular object. "Sure," he said, letting go of Laney's hand to play the game.

"Give it your best shot," the man said. "I must warn you. It's a hard game."

Corey rolled his eyes. "Doesn't look that hard to me," he said.

Laney wasn't sure what happened. From what she saw, Corey picked up a baseball, looked at it until it started to glow light blue, and threw it at the cans so hard, they shattered upon contact. "That's how we Riffins do it," Corey said, picking up his prize from the table.

"So what did you get?" Laney asked as she and Corey left the booth.

"This," Corey said, showing Laney a plain yellow barrette.

"A barrette?" Laney asked. "Why?"

"You'll see," Corey said, leading Laney back to the haunted house.

Inside the haunted house, Corey brought Laney over to a mirror. "What does this have to do with the barrette?" Laney asked.

"Think of it as a symbol of our friendship," Corey said. Then he put the barrette in Laney's hair, right above her left ear.

Laney looked at her reflection in the mirror. She noticed Corey made sure her sideswept bangs stayed off her face. She gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Core," she said.

Corey smiled in response. "You're welcome, Lanes," he said, putting an arm around her waist.

And from that moment on, Laney knew her life was never going to be the same.

Seven Years Later...

Meet Laney Penn, a 12-year-old girl living in Peaceville. She was a very tough girl who usually wore a lime green t-shirt with black horizontal stripes and yellow sleeves, red jeans, and black boots. She also had black eyeshadow and eyeliner on her face. Her favorite shampoo brand added volume in her red hair, making it look shorter than it usually was. She didn't mind, though. It was easier for her to play bass with shorter hair.

Every day, she would hang out with her friends Corey Riffin and twin brothers Kin and Kon Kujira. Together the four of them were in their own little band called Grojband. But since Corey couldn't come up with lyrics on his own for reasons unknown, he had to rely on his old sister Trina for inspiration. She was fine with that, though. She still had fun with her three friends.

But the one boy she cared for the most was Corey. They were friends since they were five, and the two were practically inseparable. Between the two of them, he was the more sensitive one, always longing for her attention and feeling like he needed to touch her whenever he could. The best part was that as the years went by, she slowly gained a crush on him. By now, she thought of him as not only a loyal friend, but an adorable boy with beautiful bright blue eyes. She still kept the yellow barrette he gave her during their first Halloween festival together. She always wore it so her sideswept bangs weren't hanging in front of her face and he could see her eyes. She knew that until the day she died of old age, she would never leave his side.

After all, Corey was the only one who brought Laney out of her shell and made her the person she is today.

The End