Title: Too Young

Summary: It's sophomore year at Eden Hall and #99 Adam Banks is in love. Kelsey is the total opposite from Adam and everyone has their doubts about them. But when a tragedy takes place, everyone gets a taste of exactly how much in love they were.

Rating: PG-13 for some language

Author's Note: REVIEW PLEASE!! I'm horrible at romances, but please give this a shot.

Warning: There is reference to a gay couple in here so if you are extremely homophobic, please do not read even though this story mainly revolves around Adam and his girlfriend.

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone except for Kelsey.

Kelsey

***

            I stormed over to the picnic table where all my stuff was. Dylan was going to get an ass kicking once I was dry and…Oh my God! The boy sitting at the picnic table was definitely the hottest man I'd ever laid my eyes on. I sat there, pretending to dab myself with a paper towel, wanting to open my mouth and say something to him. Hard as I tried, I couldn't bring myself to utter the simple word of greetings, which frustrated me. I prided myself on not being shy. In fact, most of the time, I was quite the opposite. Sometimes, I intimidated people with my outgoing outlook, but for some reason, this particular boy whisked my bravery away. He looked up and my breath almost caught in my throat. He had blue eyes; the bluest of all blue eyes I'd ever seen. I took in a breath. It was now or never.

            "H-hey," I told him, stammering. I mentally slapped myself for that one. 'Great job, Kelsey. Now he thinks you're a nutcase.'

            "H-h-hi," his deep voice shakily responded. Was it just me or was he just as nervous as I was? No, it was probably just me.

            "What are y-you doing?" I indicated the binder on the table and the textbook in his lap with a trembling gesture. He blinked twice before realizing that I was talking to him.

            "Oh, homework."

            "On the first day of school? Wow, must be some tough school," I laughed nervously. To my surprise and pleasure, Blue-eyes laughed with me.

            "I-it's a prep school, what do you expect?" he seemed to relax a little bit now. At least that was more than I could do at the moment.

            "What school?"

            "Eden Hall." Oh I knew that school. My mom had wanted me to go into that school so badly, but I flat-out refused. I wished I hadn't though. If I had known what was going to happen to her…I quickly shook those thoughts out of my head and turned back to Blue-eyes.

            "That's cool."

            "Not really," he smiled a little, "What school do you go to?"

            "Edina Memorial High. It's public," I explained to him. He nodded.

            "I live in Edina. If I didn't go to private school, I'd go to Edina Memorial High."

            "Really? That's pretty funny."

            "Yeah," there was an awkward silence before he continued, "So do you come here everyday?" No, I didn't, but he didn't have to know that.

            "Y-yeah. I come and do my homework here usually, but we didn't have much homework since it's the first day so my friends came by and we were playing flag football before Dylan threw me in the sprinklers," I scowled when I said Dylan's name. Blue-eyes laughed and my confidence was boosted up a little more, "Do you?"

            "I come often," he offered.  I nodded. I looked at my watch and practically jumped at what time it was. I had to be getting back home.

            "I have to go," I told him, "Will you be here tomorrow?"

            He shrugged almost indifferently, "Probably."

            "Okay, I'll see you then." I started to walk away when he called me back.

            "Wait!" I turned around. He smiled almost sheepishly, "I didn't get your name." I smiled discreetly and shrugged, "I didn't give one!" And I walked away. Yes, I was definitely coming back tomorrow.

*~*

            As soon as I stepped foot through the door of my house, I saw a note on the mantle. My dad had left it for me. It read:

Kelsey:

I won't be home for dinner. Can you fend for yourself?

           "It's too late to do anything about it if I can't," I muttered at the letter. My dad was practically never home for dinner. Ever since the year before, my dad had been running around doing things unknown to me. Whenever he was home, which was only for maybe an hour at a time, he'd always say, "Business." But how much 'business' could a psychologist do? But I'd already gotten used to being home alone in my huge house. I looked at the calendar. The date was September 5. There was only a week left until the day that I dreaded the most.

            One year ago, on September 12, my mother passed away. She'd gotten into some freak car accident and died on impact so everyone assured me that she didn't feel anything. But the guilt remained inside of me. We had been arguing on the phone just moments before that dreadful accident. She was on her cell phone and she was saying how the offer to go to Eden Hall still stood.

*Flashback*

            "Kelsey, honey, I'm just saying that Eden Hall is a great school and you'll be really happy starting high school there. I'm sure you'll meet lots of new friends!" my mom said reasonablely.

            "No, mom. We've had this conversation before! I'm not going to some stupid prep school just because you want me to. I'm happy going to Edina Memorial High and that's where I want to go! I don't want to be stuck with some preppy jerks for the four years that are supposed to be the best years of my life!"

            "But Kelsey, I went there and I was very happy there!"

            "Just because you went to Eden Hall doesn't mean that I have to go to Eden Hall! It doesn't work like that, mom! I don't want to go to that stupid boarding school! I don't want to be in classes with those stupid preppy bastards!"

            "Kelsey Elizabeth Henderson! You will not speak that way of other people!"

            "Mom! I turned 14 two days ago, can you at least speak to me as if I'm 14?"

            "If you want to be treated like you are--" There was a horrifying scream and a thud and the line went dead.

            "Mom? MOM? MOM!!" I screamed into the phone. I was afraid to put the phone down in the cradle. Afraid that it would lose all connection to my mother. I needed to know what was going on!!

            "DAD! SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH MOM!!" I screamed throughout the whole house, trying to find my father. He jumped out of his armchair in the den and rushed out the door with me in tow. We got into our other car and drove along the slippery roads in the general direction as to where my mom was coming from.

            We saw our care, completely totaled. And we saw the paramedics cover someone in a white sheet. When the police officers came to interrogate us, they told us to help them identify the body. It was my mom.

            Ever since that night, my dad hasn't been the same. The first week, he mourned with me, he comforted me. But after that, he took off for days at a time. The refrigerator was always stocked so I had something to eat all the time, my dad made sure of that. He dumped food in the fridge, left me a note on the mantle, and took off. Sometimes, he'd be gone for weeks, sometimes for only a day or two. Sometimes I'd come home from school and find him reading the paper in his favorite armchair in the den just like he'd been doing that night of the accident. When he saw me, he'd stand up and fix me something to eat. Then he'd leave. Most times, I would come home to an empty house. And that was the way it was ever since.

*End Flashback*

This is NOT the tragedy. Please Review!!!

Thanks to those who did review:

WeBuiltThisCityOnRockAndRoll: haha, I don't like Dylan much either. Thanks for being my first reviewer! I knew I could count on you! =D

Percussion: Surprisingly, you're right. Is it really that predictable? Hehe, well anyway thanks for reviewing!

Luv alwayz,

Crazy4nc128