Gemma
I've walked home the same way ever since I can remember; out of the back gate, through the park and through the maze of laneways behind the terraced houses. There are five of them and I could tell you who lives in every one of them. But the fourth one, that's my favourite. I don't really know why. I wouldn't choose it as my first home or my dream home, it's small and old. But one thing I love about it; a massive tree with branches as thick as grown man's arm and leaves that smell like cinnamon. I don't know what type of tree it is but I love it or more the boy who sits in it. He's there every day and has been for about five years now. He is the same age as me; fifteen. His name is Bradie Webb and he lives with his step brother, Andy, his Mum and his step dad. He goes to my school and he's always there by the time I walk past. He plays in a band called Short Stack with Andy and a boy called Shaun Diviney who also goes to our school. I tried to speak to him once but he didn't answer. He doesn't speak much at all. One time I asked my friend JumpNow why and he said it's because of his family but I think that's not true. Everyone should love their family… I wonder what it really is. Still, every time I walk past him I wave and say hi and I think that maybe, just maybe he'll say hello back to me one time. On days that I'm sick I sit and watch his tree until he comes home. He always goes in the front way so I only see him when he climbs up into tree.
Bradie
I started sitting in the tree when things became too much inside the house. Now I sit here every day. Why? Because there's this girl who walks past everyday on her way home from school every day and she's beautiful really. One day she tried talking to me but I didn't talk back because I was afraid she'd ask why I was up here. The tree is old and it's been here since we moved in with Andy and Gary. I live in the terraced house behind the tree which is in the backyard overlooking the maze of laneways that lead away… a place I sometimes wish I could go. I live with my mum, Andy my stepbrother and his dad Gary. The girl waves as she walks past, every day and when she stays home she sits against the fence on the other side of the lane and waits for me. She pretends to do other things but I know she's there for me. Her name is Gemma Grace she's in my class and she's a great singer. She has lots of friends including JumpNow who's one of me and Andy's best friends. Sometimes I feel like talking to her but I freeze up every time I go to say something. She's really pretty.
Andy
Bradie is such a loser. All he ever does is sit in that stupid old tree in the backyard and stare at that girl. He won't talk to her which is stupid. The girl's called Gem and she knows JumpNow; a good friend of mine. His real name's Shaun Jennings. That girl has walked past every day for five years and he still won't talk to her. He's a wuss and he's always been quiet. Sometimes I don't blame him for sitting up there. Things do get a bit chaotic here sometimes. I can see him from my window and sometimes it annoys me a lot to think of that girl. She's really pretty and if I was him I'd have spoken to her by now. What would happen to Bradie if she wasn't there one day? I don't want to think about it.
JumpNow
I hear from Gem that Bradie's still sitting in the tree. If things are that bad for him, why doesn't he just run away? All he has to do is jump the fence. He could go home with Gem, that girl he spies on. I know her, we're good friends. She's really pretty but he doesn't talk about her. As far as we're concerned he doesn't know she exists. I don't know why he doesn't just talk to her already I know I would.
Shaun
Since I've known Andy and Bradie, they'd been having issues at home, hence the reason Bradie spends about a quarter of his life in a tree. He sits there and spies on Gem, the girl who's friends with JumpNow. She walks home past his house every day and although he never talks about her we know he likes her. He never talks to her, I don't know why. She's real good looking and really nice too. I've only met her a few times but I know for certain that if I were Bradie I'd start talking before she isn't there anymore.