ALLY P.0.V.
It all started with a laugh, really.
Stumbling over two moving boxes, my six year old clumsy self, fell onto the cement.
That grubby little blond boy, bouncing that annoying basketball right in front of our new house, just had to laugh. His blonde hair was flopping all over the place, and I clearly remember his high pitched squeaky laugh as if it was yesterday.
On the contrary, it was quite the evidence that he had clearly not gone through puberty. I mean I remember both of us were only six. Of course he hadn't gone through puberty. I'm sure a little girl with brown ponytails stumbling was a big joke to him.
Evidently it wasn't a joke to me. I hated being laughed at, it almost matched up 'being talked about amongst other parents right in front of my face' on my disdain list.
However, Instead of crying like I usually would, that boy made me want to go up and cream his face, old school. I ignored the thought though, as my mom always says violence is never the answer.
But, when that stupid boy started pointing at me and laughing even harder, I became infuriated. Something about that big annoying gap tooth smile, his blonde hair flopping all over the place, and his high pitched laugh, made me what to pound him. Now keep in mind, I had no idea what 'old school' and 'pound' meant at that time, (I was six, cut me some slack!) but it sounded menacing when my dad screamed it at the baseball games on T.V, so I thought why not.
I stomped out into the street in my shiny red "Little Mrs. Ally boots" as my dad liked to call them, all the way to the blonde boy's yard.
"What do you think you're doing mister"?! I shrieked.
I was beyond mad. Livid even. Well, as much livid as a Barbie crazed six year old could get.
"Well I was playing basketball, and you fell, and it was funny" he grinned a big gap tooth smile, and continued bouncing the ball like all was right in the world.
"Haven't you ever heard of mind your own business"? I told him furiously, "You shouldn't have been paying attention, or laughing"!
Mind your own business was what an old mean girl named Aubrey, told me whenever I asked her why she wouldn't let me play with her limited edition Barbie dolls. I guess it meant to not pay attention to her, which I desperately wanted the blondie to do now.
"You were screaming really loudly" he giggled, breaking me out of my trance of thoughts. Just as I was about to retort a clever six year old comeback of my own, my mother decided that now was the perfect time to pop out her cheerful head from the kitchen window, and check in with me.
"Honey, what are you doing on the neighbor's yard? And who's your cute new friend"? My mom cooed.
She called everything and everyone cute. Apparently it was one of her many phases my dad had told me while chuckling. And let me tell you now, from experience, she has most definitely not grown out from that 'phase'.
While I was about to explain that this blonde boy was most definitely not my friend, an equally as cheerful head popped up from the opposite house door.
"Sweetie pie!" she cooed as she ran and grabbed the blonde boy and gave him a big kiss on his head.
"Mom, I'm a man!" The blonde boy whined while I giggled, earning me a glare from the blondie, and a warm smile from his mother.
"Awww who's your adorable new friend?" she asked blondie. Just as I was about to announce that he was not my friend indeed, my mom raced out into the yard.
"Mimi"?! She squealed
"Penny"?! The blondies' mom squealed enthusiastically back.
And before I had time to process what was going on, my mom and the blondies' mom "Mimi" as I'd come to know, were prancing around the grass, arm in arm like two best friends linking daisy chains.
It was only after they stopped prancing once they noticed me and the blondie staring at them with equal parts of shock, and amusement, that they explained to us that both of our families were best friends in high school, but then lost touch.
"But now, we've finally reconnected"! "And who knows maybe these two young ones will become best friends as well"! Mimi squealed right in my ear as my mom nodded emphatically.
"We have to plan the wedding"! My mom chimed in joyfully as me and the blondie both screeched "wedding"?!
My mother stopped prancing, and looked at us real hard.
"You two are right! We can't have a wedding"! My mom suddenly announced while Mimi looked at her with a wilted expression. I breathed a sigh of relief, as the Blondie did the same.
That is until my mom clasped her hands and chimed
"We have to introduce you to each other first"!
The blondie and I both groaned.
"Mom he laughed at me when I fell! I don't wanna get married to this jerk"! I remember saying, frustrated.
"Well, she's a bossy girl, who only cares about barbies"! Blondie had said rubbing the sole of his purple Adidas sneaker hard on the ground, leaving a tiny imprint, on the hard ground.
Both our mothers gasped. My mom looked appalled, and Mimi looked equal parts astonished and speechless. Finally Mimi took a deep breath.
"Let's put that aside. Okay, you two may have gotten off on the wrong foot-"
"What does that mean"? Blondie interrupted scratching his head. I was about to roll my eyes, as I remember that was what my pushy six year old self just would do, but then I realized that I too, was confused. Hey! Give me a break, I didn't know everything when I was six.
Mimi then turned to my mom for help, the sign 'help me'! clear on her weary face. My mom sighed.
"What's she's trying to say is, let's get to know each other! Austin, and Mimi, meet my daughter Ally Marie Dawson"!
"Mooom" I whined. I hated when she introduced me by my full name. It was another thing that was rated high on my "I don't lyke" chart, which later, I found out was actually spelled " I don't LIKE" and gradually, transformed into my disdain chart.
My mom chose to ignore me. Mimi clasped her hands together gleefully, and said "Ally, and Penny, meet my son Austin Monica Moon"!
"Mom"! Austin whined blushing a deep tomato red. Monica? Wasn't that a girl's name? I thought and started giggling as Austin frowned. I turned to my mom to see that she was trying (and failing) to suppress a laugh as well.
"Austin, is there something you'd like to say to Ally"? Mimi nudged him as he let out an exaggerated sigh.
After what felt like an hour to my six year old mind, Austin hesitantly came up to me, and with a stern glance from his mom, said
"It's a pleasure to meet you Ally Marrrieeee DAWson" he smirked exaggerating the Marie, to sound like marry, and mumbling out the 'son' part of my last name, so it was barely heard. It sounded like 'Ally marry Daw'.
I frowned, as my mom nudged me up. "As it is to you, Monica" I paused as I heard a cough from my mom "oh, sorry I mean Austin Monica Moon".
Even at age six, when we first met, we were still firing comebacks.
"Alright then," my mother said looking a bit awkward,
"We'll leave you two to get acquainted" Mimi finished with as much cheerfulness she could muster, leading my mom eagerly into their house.
We faced each other with a glare.
"You're bossy" he said
"You're a jerk" I said, willing myself not to cry in front of him.
He leaned up to me real close. I saw his face look innocent for a minute.
Then, his stupid six year old self had to go and ruin the innocence, and bounced his basketball, right on my toe.
"Ow"! I squealed.
"Sorry, gotta go"! He grinned his big gap tooth smile, infuriating my six year old already angered self.
And that everybody, was my first experience in meeting the 'wonderful' Austin Monica Moon.
In the third grade he would glue my ponytails together, with special super stick for that took hours to remove. In the fifth grade, I would tell his then crush Cassidy Peeples, that he had a rare disease which kept all of the girls in our class away from him for most of the year. And then, in the seventh grade we got into the classic food fight.
Austin was my child hood enemy, my high school nemesis, if I was the angel, he'd be the devil. If I was princess he'd be the villain.
But I'd be lying if I said that I never had the best time of my life with Austin around.