Chapter 1- Laughter Mixed With Sadness

"Hey, Sarah," I call excitedly, while getting into my car, "Think coach is going to cancel the rest of the practices for this week?"

Jumping into the passenger seat, she quickly runs her hands under her deep brown ponytail, "I don't know if he does, I might just buy that big devil a Christmas present next year, if I remember." Laughing, I turn on the car and crank the windows down. "So…to your place? Or mine?"

"Mmmmm…I was thinking your place. Remember? We have to take Toby to his play date?"

"Ah, you're right. Reminding me again of things I forget," she teases while nudging me.

Retaliating I push her arm away, laughing, "Awe can-it missy. Just because I remind you of your commitments means I can forget them just as quickly… When is your job interview again?"

We both continue to laugh until we run out of breath and our faces could be mistaken for tomatoes. Pulling into her driveway, parking, turning off and exiting my car, I jump up, grab my track-and-field gear, and dash into the air conditioned for Sarah in her doorway with my hand on my hip, I shout back at the heat drenched car, "Come on slow poke! Thought you were one of our best runners in school!"

"I am! But you run quicker when you have an incentive waiting for you at the finish, Rose!"

"And what is the incentive I wanted?"

Walking up the steps and closing the door behind her, she gives a tired burst of laughter, "Air conditioning."

"Sarah, for once, I think you are right." Smirking I run up her stairs before I get another hard nudge, and plop down on her bed, spreading my golden brown hair into a fan from my own ponytail.

Dropping her sports bag onto the floor of the room, she says, "I'm going to go check on Waldo."

"HEY I'm not Waldo," cries out a stubborn seven year old voice.

"Awe Toby," I comfort as I gently toss my legs over the side of the bed while I start creeping towards him. "No you're not; because…I just found you silly!" I exclaim. I pick him up and set him on top of my shoulder while he squeals in fun.

Sarah joins in the fun, tickling him right after I sat him down on her bed, "Wait a second, this isn't Waldo. This is a little piggy! Waldo doesn't make noise!" Laughing, as that is all we seem to do, we have a tickle fight ending up with us all in a tangled bundle of limbs and hair. "Okay-okay guys, we need to get going or we'll be late," chastises Sarah as she goes to get the phone ringing down the hall.

"Fiinnneee mom," I tease as I untangle myself from the tickle aftermath. I start to walk with Toby back to his room to make sure he has all the toys he wants to take to his play date when Sarah comes to us.

"Guys that was Freddie's mom. She said she would pick up Toby since she was running a couple errands close by. So, Waldo, that you need to get your toys ready quickly!" she ends with a smile as she shoos him back off into his room before turning to me. "Rose, still wanna stay over? I want to find out about what's going on between you and Chris," she says, ending with a wink.

I laugh, "Sarah, if I have told you once, I told you one thousand times, nothing, I repeat, nothing is 'going on between' me and that…," I growl softly. "I'll explain soon," I finish to her worried face.

She nods and continues to hurry along Toby to the front door and out to Freddie's mother's car.

After they've gone down the stairs, I go back into Sarah's room for the few fleeting moments of peace I have to collect my thoughts before she comes rushing back. "So what is going on? Did he do something to you, 'cuz if he did, I swear I'll kick his-"

"Sarah!" I interrupt, "He didn't do anything to me. That is the problem."

"Huh?"

"So he came and picked me up from my home, okay? He then drove me to the Dairy Queen on the other side of town. We parked and went inside. But, to my dismay, he left me to go to flirt with other girls. I was so embarrassed, angry, confused, you name it…" I trail off, leaving us to our own thoughts.

"Wow, Rose," she says in a soft voice, "I would never have, well I guess I would have, imagined he would do that." I look up with a hurt expression. "Wait! I didn't mean it like that-!"

I respond acidly but quietly, "I know how you meant it but it still hurts all the same, Sarah." She reaches over across the bed and hugs me close. I start tearing up, "I just thought he would be different…" The droplets slowly make a path down my cheeks, onto the bed cover, falling into a shape vaguely resembling a broken heart.