Chapter 1: A Night Like Any Other

Amy Abbott's night had begun simply enough. She had just gotten off the phone with her boyfriend, Colin Hart, who was almost fully recovered from his recent surgery but too tired to do anything that particular Saturday evening. Just as Amy had prepared herself for a long boring night of watching mindless TV, her doorbell rang. Being the only person in her house at the time, she grudgingly lifted her body from the comfy couch that occupied her family's living room and stumbled lazily to the front door. Opening the door, she revealed her green-eyed best friend, Ephram Brown, standing on the other side.

"Hi, Ephram, what's up?" Amy was puzzled as to why the pale, darkly clad teenager was at her house on this quiet spring night.

"Hey, Amy. I know this sounds weird but I'm supposed to be picking up some food for my family at the diner and I just had a feeling that you might want to come along." Ephram tucked his hands awkwardly into his jacket and blushed as he berated himself for following his whim. He was sure that Amy was busy and he was embarrassed that he had come by at all.

Amy smiled as she watched her friend's cheeks turn a cute shade of pink. Sometimes, the New York native amazed her. Only Ephram could have guessed that she was bored out of her mind and willing to do anything, even if anything was merely running to the diner to buy food for his family.

"Well, it seems that your feeling was right. I'm going stir crazy. I've been sitting on the couch dreading doing nothing for the last half hour."

"So, I guess that means you want to come." Ephram said, hopeful.

"Absolutely, just let me write a note to my parents and lock up. Come on inside while I go find something to write on." Amy replied, opening the door wider as she turned to the kitchen to find a notepad.

Ephram stood in the entryway of the Abbotts' house, marveling at his luck. He knew he was being stupid getting all worked up over something as simple as a trip to the diner, but he didn't care, he loved being around Amy, boyfriend or not.

Amy finished the note to her parents, turning off all the lights in the house on her way back to the entryway. Grabbing her jacket, her keys, and Ephram's arm, she drug him out of the house, locking it behind her.

As the two friends walked down the street they chatted about little insignificant things, avoiding serious world issues, family problems, or the subject of her boyfriend. The soft Colorado breeze that flowed around them made the night too nice for such discussions.