Chapter 2

"So you live to the left of us?" Robbie asks as the group walk out of the cafeteria.
Ephram nods, "Do you guys want a ride home?"
Crystal shakes her head, "thanks but we have to pick our sister, Rosie, up from the elementary school on our way home."
"That's fine." Ephram responds, "Listen I'll drop Amy and Colin off and then we can pick your sister up on the way."
Crystal smiles and nods, "That'll be great, thanks."
Ephram watches Crystal converse with everyone else and he doesn't even realize the bell has rung until Amy jabs him in the ribs. "What?" He asks turning on Amy.
"The bell rang." Amy responds, "Crystal has science with Colin so their going to go."
"Oh right. I'll see you guys after school." Ephram responds as he and Amy walk toward Algebra 3-4.
"She's pretty." Amy states.
"What?" Ephram asks turing quizzical eyes on Amy.
"You should ask her out." Amy states.
"Again, what?"
"You couldn't keep your eyes off her the entire lunch period." Amy points out.
"I feel like I've known her from somewhere, I just can't place here." Ephram responds.
"Right." Amy's sarcastic response comes as they pull the door open to their classroom. "You should really have come up with a better excuse."
"It's not an excuse. " Ephram responds. "It's the truth."
"Right." Amy states, and after looking at the chart she took the first seat with Ephram right behind her.
Ephram's chin drops onto the palm of his hand as the teacher drones on about the class rules. About 10 minutes into the class a note, written on pale blue paper drops onto Ephram's desk.
Ham-
If you're not going to admit to liking Crystal, at least invite her to go to Sal's on Friday.
Ephram stares at Amy's back, her shoulder's shaking with laughter, Ephram leans forward and poking her in the back whispers, "fine."

"Bye Ephram." Amy states as she and Ephram get out of Ephram's Civic, "Crystal, Robbie it was nice meeting you. See yah all later."
Everyone else calls their good-byes as Colin follows Amy out of the car. "I'm going have to pick my sister up too. " Ephram states as he pulls out of Amy's driveway.
"You have a sister?" Crystal asks. "How old is she?"
"Delia is 10." Ephram responds as he pulls into the elementary school parking lot.
Once Ephram has pulled into the long line of cars of parents waiting to pick their children up from school Robbie unbuckles his seat belt, "I'll stand outside so Rosie knows where to come."
"Ephram! Ephram can we go to dad's office?" Delia asks running up to the car, not even giving a second glance Robbie and Crystal's way.
"Delia..."
Before Ephram can finish Delia stops looking curiously at Crystal in the front seat, "Who's that?"
"Delia this is Crystal and over there is her brother Robbie, they just moved in next door. " Ephram introduces.
Delia smiles, adjusting her baseball cap, "Nice to meet you." Once the statement is over Delia launches into her question again. "Can we go to Dad's office?"
"Why Delia?" Ephram asks as a dark haired girl runs up to Robbie.
"I want to tell Dad and Edna and Mr. Irv everything about the first day." Delia states quickly.
"Later Delia let me take everyone else home and then I will drive you over." Ephram responds.
Delia pouts for a minute but then pulls open the backdoor smiling again, "OK."
Robbie approaches the car by now holding the hand of the girl, with waist length black hair and the intense blue eyes both Robbie and Crystal share, and a pink and white checked dress. Robbie pulls the door open and let's Rosie scoot through into the middle. Crystal makes the introductions this time and Rosie just smiles shyly at Ephram and Delia, leaning against Robbie.

By the time Ephram had dropped Rosie, Crystal and Robbie at their house and then preceded to drop Delia off at his dad's office Crystal was eating away at his brain. When he had told Amy that Crystal looked familiar he hadn't been lying, there was something about her that struck Robbie as very familiar.
Ephram had asked Crystal and Robbie where they had moved from and they had responded Florida, not New York like Ephram had kind of assumed they would. Crystal had said they moved around a lot, since Mr. Carter was constantly looking for a new job, so that meant that New York wasn't ruled out.
Ephram pulled open his closet door pulling out the stacks of yearbooks his mother had insisted on him buying. After going through his single high school yearbook Ephram ruled out high school, and then 2 junior high school books were ruled out. Finally pulling out the yearbook on the very bottom Ephram was ready to give up, Crystal couldn't have gone to his elementary school in first grade, how could anyone remember someone from first grade.
But even before he flipped open the year book a memory popped into his head, of a tomboyish blonde girl Ephram had spent all of his time with. Confirming the memory Ephram flips open to the page with Mrs. Rowling's first grade class, and standing next to him wearing a baseball cap was Crystal Carter, Ephram's best friend from kindergarten and first grade. Suddenly Ephram could remember being devastated when he had found out that Crystal had to move to a state across the country and he was never going to see her again.
2hours later Ephram still can't get over the fact that Crystal was in the first grade with him. Since Crystal and Robbie were only one year apart, Robbie was in the second grade during that time. Ephram even remembers him and Crystal having a short little crush on each other during the year of first grade. As he was in engrossed in his thoughts, he doesn't even hear someone knocking on his bedroom door.
"Ephram, are you in there?" asks Delia
"Yes, Delia. What is it you want? Ephram replies.
"Dad, wanted me to tell you that dinner is ready now."
"Okay, thanks I will be right down".
When he comes downstairs, Dr. Brown asks how Ephram's first day back was and Ephram starts to inform his dad, "there's a new family living right next door to us, the Carter's and I know their oldest daughter Crystal because she and I went to first grade together."
"Well that's great! Does Crystal know that you know her from first grade?" asks Andy.
"No, because I haven't told her yet."
"Ephram, when did they move in?"
"Just this weekend."
"Well, I think after we finish this, we will stop by and give them some pie I picked up from the diner. I got two of them since they were having a special this evening, what do you two think?"
Both Ephram and Delia reply with "Sure dad!"
"Great, right after you two are done, let's go then"