Prologue
Even before I, Samantha Lynn Billings, and my brother Douglas Billings were born, our parents knew we would be great friends with Stuart Price and Phillip Wenneck. How could our parents know this? Well, Doug and I have two older brothers. Spencer, who is three years older, and Tyler (Ty for short), who is one year older. Phil Wenneck has three older siblings. Mason is the same age as Spencer and is his best friend. Lindsey is the same age as Ty, but my best friend. Gabe is two years older than Phil and best friends with Charlie Price. Stu has one older brother, Charlie, and a sister that is three years younger than him, Natalie. Not to mention our parents, Ken and Janine Billings, George and Rebecca Price, and Jerry and Michelle Wenneck had all been friends for years.
Our families did everything together; from all the birthday parties to the vacations we took together each summer. Almost every Saturday we would have what we called the "Block Party" even though it was just the same three families each week. The parties were always the same. The men would be in the living room watching either football, basketball, or baseball depending on the season. The women would be out in the backyard on the patio chatting about "girl stuff". The children were always in the game room or in the pool. Each saturday was the same, but they were always fun. Over the years through these parties, the four of us got to know each other pretty well.
It was inevitable, the four of us are great friends. We built friendships that are sure to last a lifetime. Our friendship has been tested time and time again, but it could never be broken.