A/N (author's note) this is my favorite book series in the entire world. I read "the summer I turned pretty" and "it's not summer without you" and I have "we'll always have summer" on my bookshelf right now as I'm writing this, but I haven't actually read it yet, because summer's coming soon and it would be an awesome book to read at the beach so I haven't read that book yet. This takes place before the first book but it takes some of

Belly P.O.V (point of view)

Age Thirteen

I took a breath, almost in tears. I sat up in my bed, in cousins. I stared at the clock for a moment. It seemed as if it stared back at me, with its bright red, numbers. It read 10:06. Though the wall I heard the boys. Conrad, Jeremiah, and Steven all giggling and whispering. Like little gossiping girls.

It was times like this I wished I was different. I was too little, too young, too girl. I remembered, earlier in the day what happened.

The boys were shooting around, playing basketball in one of our neighbor's yards, and using our neighbor's basketball hoop. I got bored at the house, so Susannah told me where the boys were, and said I could go there. I walked over to the "court". Steven was the first to talk.

"What are you doing here?" I remained silent for a moment thinking what to say.

"Susannah said I could come, I got bored." I told him truthfully.

He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but you don't know how to play basketball." Conrad said, and Steven's face got red.

I could play basketball. It was my best sport.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, really." Conrad said again.

I glanced over at Jeremiah, the only nice one. He had a mix of "I-agree-with-Steven-and- Conrad" and "I-feel-bad-for-Belly" look on his face.

"Pass me the ball." I said to them.

Conrad snickered.

"No way, get it, if you can." I shrugged.

He started to dribble, and I started to play defense on him. I stayed on him, not letting him get around me. He went to shoot and I stuffed him. I ran around fast and grabbed the ball that was rolling across our neighbor's driveway.

I dribbled, and before Conrad could get to me, I made a perfect shot. I was 99% sure that ball was going to go in and prove "little girls" can do anything boys can do. But that 99% was on the boy's side and it bounced off the backboard.

Conrad already tried to humiliate me, and I proved him wrong, but now, it was Steven's turn. Steven's turn to really humiliate me.

"You can reeeally play basketball, Belly." Steven said sarcastically. Rage filled my whole body, but I kept it under control, somehow.

"That was just an unlucky miss." I told him.

"No." He replied.

"That was just a lucky stuff you had on Conrad."

Conrad chuckled and now, Steven and Conrad were both on the same page, Jeremiah stayed silent, as he did this whole time.

"C'mon then." I said. This is where that rage would come out of me.

"Me and Jeremiah verses you and Conrad." I told him.

"There's no way in hell that Jeremiah would be on your team, right Jere?" Steven said back to me.

Jeremiah didn't reply with agreement. But he suddenly joined their side, and plotted against me.

"Whoa. Watch the language. She's only thirteen."

The 2 boys sat in shock. I wasn't sure if it was because they were impressed with my playing after remembering that I was only thirteen, or because Jeremiah actually remembered my age, when even my own brother didn't know.

I broke their silence by saying "C'mon you babies, you're afraid you're gonna get beat?"

"Yeah, actually," Conrad said

"But not by you, by Jeremiah." Steven added.

"Yeah, he's a pretty beast basketball player."

I glanced over at Jeremiah who didn't say a word.

This is when it got mean. Really mean.

"Go. Home. Belly." Steven told me.

I snickered. "I don't need to take orders from you." I told him.

Steven grabbed me by the shoulders and brought me to the side of our neighbor's house. He then backed me up into the side of the house until I was pinned there.

"Maybe you won't take orders from me. But Conrad doesn't know about your little secret, now does he?" I held my breath.

I forgot about the secret. I forgot I liked Conrad. While he was so mean to me at least. But strangely, I still did. Still liked him. Still loved him. Still. Even after he met Angie at the board walk last year. Even after this game. Still. Conrad. Just Conrad.

"You. Wouldn't." I said to him.

"Yeah, I would. Unless you leave. Now."

I had to leave. Never. At least not now. Conrad would never find out. Not now at least. My crush didn't last long, and I needed it to last longer. Longer than just a summer.

"Fine." I said to him.

He smiled, knowing my one weakness and knowing where he can blackmail me from. The secret.

I pretended to have a text.

"Oh yeah!" I said in a fake tone. Conrad and Jeremiah didn't see through my fake tone.

"I have to go guys. Later." I said and ran off.

I wanted to cry but I wanted to scream all at the same time. Steven just blackmailed me into leaving, and I was screwed.

Steven would never stop now. He knew just the trick to get me to leave. In the summer at least. My proven skills meant nothing to them. If I was a guy, I'd be better. If I was a guy, they'd let me stay. If I was a guy, then they'd think I was good. Being the little girl isn't always easy. That's why I'm here. Now. Excluded from their little group and conversation. Being a girl, meant I was different. I was just an outsider to them.

That's my first chapter so far! Hoped you liked it!

~Blacklove190