This is my VERY FIRST ONE SHOT EVER. I AM NOT KIDDING. I chose to kill a mockingbird because I took it up for Literature and well…I got inspired. This is sort of an epilogue from the book. Enjoy!

~~//~~

Summer Again

~~//~~

It's been 4 years since the Boo Radley and Tom Robinson incident faded into oblivion and Maycomb hasn't changed a bit. But I know deep inside, we've all changed.

Jem was a sophomore and I was in the 7th grade. I always asked Jem how high school life was and he only replied with an "It's complicated, Scout."

I noticed that we were both changed drastically in the way we look. Jem was getting tall and slightly muscular and his voice became much lower than before. He had also developed a strange way of thinking. I'd always overhear him talking with Atticus about love and life. It was very strange. The perks of being a 16 year old, I guess.

As for me, I thought I was mutating. Suddenly, my front looked bigger and hair was sprouting everywhere on my body. I once found myself bleeding in the strangest of places. I ran to Calpurnia and told her to help me, I was turning into a monster. Calpurnia told me it was normal and that she'd gone through that stage.

It was summer again. I burst out of the school doors, feeling glad that school was finally over. I pulled Jem to come home with me as I saw him leave the school, not before watching him make eyes at Abigail.

Abigail was a girl in Jem's class that happened to catch his attention. She looked like God sent her down from heaven. Her white blonde hair hung around her shoulders like a halo and her face shone like the sun. Her bright blue eyes stood out from her features and were the first things a person would see when they would look at her.

According to Jem, she was the most perfect being in the whole world.

"Jem, come on!" I told him, pulling his sleeve.

"Alright, alright!" he said irritably. He looked at Abigail and smiled. "See you."

"Bye," she said waving at him. I finally got Jem to move and we were heading home.

"I don't see why you had to be so rude, Scout," said Jem "I was having a decent conversation with her."

"Conversation?" I said sneering "You were basically staring at her! Admit it already!" I punched him in the shoulder.

"Alright," said Jem, rubbing his shoulder "I'll admit that she's a nice girl and I like talking to her. Happy?" I rolled my eyes.

"I wonder how Atticus would react?" I asked him, smirking.

"Grow up, Scout," replied Jem and he walked ahead of me. I looked thoughtfully at his retreating figure. Though I liked teasing him with Abigail, I still couldn't understand why he was suddenly so attached to a girl he just met in school.

~~//~~

We all sat in the living room after dinner. Atticus was reading the paper and Jem and I were watching some cheesy black and white romantic soap opera on TV. I scrunched my nose up at it and expected Jem to do the same, but Jem just stared curiously at the couple kissing before his eyes.

"You're actually interested in this?" I questioned him.

"N-no!" said Jem looking away from the TV.

"I bet you're going to practice kissing Abigail, now aren't you?" I said tauntingly. Jem's ears turned pink and he nearly ran out of the room. I laughed silently.

"Scout, you shouldn't do that," said Atticus sternly from behind his newspaper. I looked at him.

"But it's true!" I protested. Atticus shook his head.

"You're embarrassing him," he said. I looked down in shame.

"I was just having a little fun," I muttered. Atticus folded up his newspaper and gestured me to his side. I was too big to sit on his lap. He put an arm around me and I leaned on his shoulder.

"You have to understand that Jem is growing up," explained Atticus "These feelings that he has are all a part of his growing up."

"I don't get it Atticus," I said "Jem never liked girls before…"

"He's just growing up," said Atticus "I bet he's still getting used it until now. You're going to experience it to, Scout." I frowned.

"Why?" I demanded. I didn't like the idea of liking boys.

"You'll have to eventually," said Atticus "It's the way of life I'm afraid. We all experience love one day in our life." I thought deeply.

"Will you experience it again Atticus?" I asked him. He shook his head.

"I don't know Scout," he said thoughtfully "I'm too old to experience it again."

"What about Miss Maudie?" I asked him "Has she ever experienced it before?"

"I don't know, Scout," he said "I wouldn't know. It's a private matter." I grinned suddenly.

"I wonder what would happen if you fell in love with Miss Maudie," I said. I thought I received a different reaction to my joke for I suddenly felt Atticus stiffen beside me. I looked up at him. He looked slightly embarrassed.

"Well…um…it's time you went to bed," he said hurriedly. He brought me to my room and tucked me in. I felt a slight detachment when he kissed me goodnight and turned off the light.

Still wide-awake, I decided to write to Dill. He missed 4 summers in a row with us and I began to miss him terribly. With Jem and his teen-age problems and Atticus and his work, I was alone and Dill was the only one who would keep me company.

The last time he wrote to me, he said he was going to be sent to military school and might not answer back any letters. He said he'll try his best.

I thought this was another one of his made-up stories, but whatever letter I sent him would be left unanswered and once again, I felt alone.

Now and then, these feelings would disappear, but once I see Dill's face on a photograph at home, the feelings would come rushing back in.

I stared at the blank sheet of paper I was supposed to write the letter in. I decided against it and went back to bed. He won't reply to me anyway. I knew this summer would be another lonely one.

I was wrong.

It was at the morning of the next day when a young boy of 13 knocked on our front door. I answered it and gaped at him.

It was Dill.

He changed a lot. He was slightly built and he grew a lot since the last time I saw him. His blue eyes shone much brighter than before and his hair was much shorter than before. He was no longer the small boy I once knew. He was now a stranger to me.

"Hey Scout," he greeted me with a smile. It was then that I recognized him and I lunged at him. We both fell to the ground and I began to throw my fists at him.

"What's wrong with you?!" he cried trying to dodge my blows, but I continued hitting him. His voice was a bit lower than before.

"Why didn't you answer my letters?!" I demanded "Why did you miss summer?!" It was many minutes before Jem pulled me away from Dill.

"What is the matter with you?" scolded Jem "He just came back from military camp and you treat him like that?" I looked back at Dill, who was getting back on his feet. His eye was beginning to blacken.

"Y-you weren't lying?" I asked Dill, feeling embarrassed.

"Why would I lie about military camp?" he asked.

"Because you lie about everything else…" I muttered. Dill just smiled and shook his head.

"I'm not 9 anymore, Scout," he said. I didn't look at him anymore. I didn't want to feel embarrassed.

"Oh Dill," said Atticus as he went out the front door to go to work "Long time no see. How've you been?"

"Very well, sir," said Dill. His manners improved. I was amazed.

"That military camp did you justice, didn't it?" asked Atticus.

"Yes sir," said Dill, standing straight.

"Well then," said Atticus performing a mock salute "See you later, kids." With that, he left for work.

"They taught you how to stand up straight there?" asked Jem.

"Of course," said Dill "If you slouched, they'd slap your back with a whip until you get it straight." Both Jem and I touched our backs instinctively.

We invited him over for breakfast and he told us his life in the camp. He had to run tiring courses every single day without rest, even in the rain. He had gotten sick a couple of times, but that was no excuse for not running a course. He said it was standard procedure to chop his hair short because that's how they wanted it.

"Aren't you a bit young for military camp?" asked Jem.

"I went to the one for 10 to 12 year olds," said Dill "I'm going to graduate to the higher military camp this year. They say the one I was in is nothing compared to the one I'm going to." He looked scared for a moment. I couldn't think of a reason why he shouldn't be.

He claimed that his father sent him there after he ran away to us 4 years ago. He wanted to end his son's rebellious ways.

The whole time Dill was talking, I paid no attention to him. I was staring at his face the entire time. I watched his blue eyes brighten and darken like when he was younger, but it seemed more attractive to me. He didn't look like a child anymore, but his new face seemed handsomer than before. And I liked the way he smiled and laughed when he told the story. I couldn't help but smile as well.

"Scout?" said Jem, breaking my daydream. I looked at him, startled. He and Dill were looking at me curiously.

'W-what?" I asked.

"What were you staring at?" asked Dill. I couldn't bear to tell him that he was exactly the person I was staring at. I looked away.

"N-nothing," I murmured. I felt my cheeks burn in embarrassment.

~~//~~

We sat on the porch, waiting for Atticus. We watched the sun turn into a bright orange glow before setting behind the houses. The sky switched from orange to pink.

We saw Atticus coming down the street. We were about to stand up when he turned and went to Miss Maudie's. He greeted her as she was tending her flowerbed and she smiled back at him in return, her cheeks slightly pink.

"What's he doing over at Miss Maudie's house?" I asked.

"Dunno," said Jem "I've seen him go over there an awful lot."

"Maybe he likes her," said Dill shrugging. I gave him a look and punched his shoulder.

"Ow! It's possible!" protested Dill, rubbing his shoulder.

"He's right you know," said Jem "You're never too old to fall in love again."

"But Atticus told me he was!" I said. Jem never answered me. Something caught his eye.

Abigail was walking down the sidewalk in front of our house, her long hair moving from side to side as if it had a mind of its own. She walked like a princess, looking like she owned the street. Jem stared at her with awe.

She caught his gaze and waved her fingers at him. He smiled goofily back at her, obviously starstruck. When she left, I guffawed.

"Jem you look so ridiculous!" I said laughing so hard my stomach began to hurt. Jem hit me on the side.

"Shut up!" he snapped, his ears and cheeks as red as a beet.

"Who was that?" asked Dill.

"Jem's girlfriend," I said mockingly. Jem's face flushed a deep red and he stormed back in the house.

"He won't admit it," I explained "It's nothing embarrassing though. Atticus said it was normal."

"Well," said Dill "It's pretty embarrassing when someone points it out." I began to feel ashamed again.

"But yeah," said Dill agreeing with me "It's time he fesses up. It's becoming real obvious." We were quiet for a few minutes. I suddenly remembered something from out past.

"Hey Dill," I said.

"Yeah?" he replied.

'Do you remember the time you said I was the only girl you would ever love?" I asked him, smiling. His cheeks turned slightly pink.

"That was ages ago, Scout," he said laughing.

"You used to tell me that all the time," I reminded him laughing as well "You even proposed to me!"

"Wow," said Dill shaking his head "What was I thinking back then?"

"You've stopped doing it," I commented. Dill looked at the distance thoughtfully.

"Guess I grew out of it," he said "I can't always be 9 forever." He got up and brushed the dirt off his clothes. "Well, I better go. It's getting late."

He was right. The sun was gone. In its place was a slowly whitening moon upon a darkening sky. He waved goodbye at me and left to go home.

Suddenly I wished he were still beside me smiling and talking to me. My heart suddenly began to ache.

~~//~~

The next morning, after breakfast, I decided to pay a visit to Atticus in his room. I found him reading yet another book in his armchair. He looked so deep in his book that no one would be able to distract him, not even a fly.

I looked around curiously at the room. Everything seemed normal to me, nothing very interesting.

Except for a small black box on the table beside his bed.

I picked it up and examined it. It was a wedding ring box. What would Atticus be doing with a wedding ring box?

"What's this, Atticus?" I asked him.

"Oh that's nothing," he said "I just found it when I was cleaning out the unnecessary objects in my drawer." His answer seemed suspicious, like he made it up at the last minute.

I put the box down and went out of the room. I could swear I saw his shoulders rise and fall, like he sighed with relief. I decided to go for a walk outside.

I walked a few blocks away from the house admiring the trees and the little birds flying over my head. My legs soon began to tire and I decided to take a nap behind a tree.

I went to the first oak tree I saw in a tiny park near my school. I sat down and leaned against it. I closed my eyes and began to fall asleep.

But I could've slept longer, if not for the strange sounds I heard behind the tree. After many failed attempts of trying to go back to sleep, I decided to confront the sound maker. It was probably Cecil Jacobs, sniggering with his odd laugh, trying to scare me again.

I looked behind the tree and nearly jumped out of my skin. The people making the noise were Jem and Abigail. But that wasn't it.

They were kissing.

Jem's face was so pressed onto Abigail's that I could hardly see the rest of her features. They were entwined tightly together, Abigail's fingers running through Jem's hair, Jem's arms pulling her closer.

I nearly threw up right then and there. My brother?! KISSING A GIRL?! I was horrified, mortified, terrified for my life. I tried to run, but I stupidly stepped on a twig, snapping it loudly.

The two broke a part and looked for the source of the noise. They saw me. Jem's eyes widened and his face turned an awful red. I ran away as fast as I could.

"COME BACK HERE SCOUT!!!!" he yelled after me. I heard his footsteps chasing after me and I knew if I went home now, Atticus wouldn't be there to stop him from finding me and choking the life out of me.

So I made my way to the only place he wouldn't find me. The Radley Place.

I went through the back gate and to the back porch, hiding in the shadows. I heard his footsteps stop on the road. He was probably scanning the houses, looking for me. I carefully placed a foot on the porch. It squeaked loudly. I held my breath.

Hearing no movement, I placed my other foot on the next step. It squeaked as loudly as the first step. I stood still.

Then I heard feet moving from the pavement to the grass. I was panicking internally. In a few seconds, I would die from oxygen loss all because I stumbled upon Jem kissing a girl.

Suddenly, the back door opened and a pale, thin hand beckoned me in. Seeing Jem's shadow growing longer on the grass, I wasted no time and bolted into the house, shutting the door tightly behind me.

~~//~~

So. This was initially supposed to be a one shot, but it got too long. So I'm only making it two chapters instead :D