Absense Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Chapter 2- A Chance Encounter

Author's Note: thank you all so much for feedback of Ch.1! I wasn't expecting y'all to like it as much as y'all did, so thanks:) ...that is all.

Justin's POV

I turned off the radio as I climbed out of my car. I looked up at the building in front of me where parents were pulling their screaming children. Registration day. Nice. I, as principal of Byron Elementary, decided to meet some of the new pre-schoolers registering, incase some were nervous about starting school.

"Morning, Justin," Carol, one of the third grade teachers, greeted me as I walked in. "Did you have a good summer?"

"As a matter of fact I did," I replied. "How's that grand-baby of yours?"

The woman smiled. Misty, her granddaughter, was one of her favorite subjects. "Great, just great. She's crawling now, you know."

I smiled as I made my way to the pre-school registration section. I looked around. Dozens of young kids played happily in the plastic house area while tired parents chatted with teachers and signed papers. I started over to the plastic house, hoping to introduce myself. A plastic hamburger landed at my feet. I bent to pick it up, when I caught a glimpse of a pair of tiny black converse. I looked up. A young girl with familiar brown eyes and wavy dark hair was smiling at me. I glanced at her outfit: pink leggings, an unmatching shirt, a pink tutu, and silver and green antennas rested lopsidedly on her head.

"Hi!" she said instantly.

"Hi there," I smiled, offering her the burger, "What's your name?"

"Leah," she smiled.

"That's pretty. I'm Mr. Russo. Your principal." I smiled back at the tiny girl. I knew for a fact that I had seen her eyes from somewhere. I just couldn't put my finger on it. I mentally decided that I had seen her somewhere; I never forgot a face. "Can you tell me about yourself?"

Leah nodded and smiled a mile wide. Her antennas bobbed up and down every which way as she spoke, "Well my name's Leah Nicole Graybeck and my birfday's on Valentime's Day and I have a momma and a daddy that paint pretty pichers. I don't have any pets and I'm 'llergic to cats and my favorite color's purple. I don't have any gramparents or cousins of anything like that. I like the crust cut off my bread and-" she babbled on and on as I nodded and pretended to listen to every detail, until I caught on to one word.

"What did you say your last name was?" I asked her, my voice cracking.

"Graybeck," she repeated. I winced at the familiarness in that name.

"Can I ask you a question?"

The four-year-old raised and eyebrow and gave me a skeptical smile. "is that your question?" she asked sarcastically, then laughed. Now that was way too familiar.

"No. This is: What are your mommy and daddy's names?"

"Oh," she laughed, "That's an easy one. Mason and Alex, but the girl kind of Alex," she corrected, "Not the boy kind."

Suddenly, it all made sense. The familiar eyes, the crazy sense of fashion, the sarcasm, the name. I didn't know this girl. I knew her mother.

Before I could say another word, a very familiar voice innterupted me.

"Leah! We're done! Let's go!" the voice called. I knew that voice.

"Gotta go! Nice meeting you, Mr. Russo!" Leah took off, dark hair and antennas flying in all directions. I turned around. A woman no older than twenty-five smiled and scooped her up on her hip. Leah hugged her neck, squeezing her as tight as possible. The woman's face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. She hugged her back. I knew that woman. it was my sister.

Alex hadn't changed much in five years. Her hair was shorter and had dark purple streaks here and there. She was about the same height, but slightly slimmer. She looked different, but happy.

My mind drifted back a few years, from when I last saw her. How hurt she was when I won the competiton. I remembered reading her goodbye note aloud to our parents. Mom cried her eyes out. Dad and Harper were both bawling for days. Even Max and I were tearing up. Although she and I did fight a lot, Alex somehow always managed to lighten the mood with her clever remarks and street smarts. I have to admit, I really missed her calling me names. The house was just to dull without her.

"Alex?" I asked as I hesitantly made my way through the crowd. Her head turned. She spotted me with frightened eyes. She muttered something under a breath. She clutched Leah tightly and skidded out of the building.

"Alex! Wait!" I started after her. She started sprinting when she got to the asphalt. I chased her around the parking lot, feeling like we were eight and six again, until she made it to her car. She set Leah in the backseat and climbed in. I stopped as she drove off.

"Alex," I said softly, completely out of breath.

Alex's POV

"Alex?" I heared a too familiar voice call. I scanned the room. I looked through the sea of people until is spotted a face looking at me. I gasped. It couldn't be. No. It just couldn't. He made his way through the crowd, heading towards Leah and I.

"This isn't happening," I muttered to myself. I clutched Leah against my chest and walked quickly out of the building. I looked over my shoulder. He was following me. I burst into a sprint when I came to the parking lot. He did too. But I was faster, like always. I refused to let this happen. I quickly placed Leah in the backseat and dashed into the driver's side. I sped out of there as he stopped to take a breath.

"Momma!" Leah demanded. She reached from her booster seat and tapped my shoulder. "Momma, what happened?"

I took a deep breath, the previous event replaying in my mind. "Nothing, kiddo. I just thought we needed to hurry up before it got too crowded."

I watched her fold her arms over her chest in the mirror. "No. That's not what happened," she corrected me, "You saw somebody that you didn't want to see, so you ran outside and Mr. Russo chased you outside."

I pulled over and parked the car. I looked back at my daughter in complete astonishment. "How did you know who that was?"

"That's my principal, Momma. And he tried to stop you."

Principal? I asked myself, What are the freaking odds of that? I rested my head on the steering wheel. "Don't worry about it, Lovebug."

Leah sighed. She laid her head on the window, then froze. "Momma! My antennas! I think I left them!"

I stopped the car for the second time. "Are you kidding me?"

"No! I'm not kidding! They're in the parking lot! Momma I need my antennas!" She informed me, sounding completely serious.

"I'll get you new ones!" I guestered, "Please, don't make me go back there!"

It took me a minute to realize that I was reasoning with a four-year-old. Little teardrops began to form in her eyes. "I want my antennas!" she cried. She kicked her little feet in the air, nowhere near my seat.

"I can't believe you're making me do this," I sighed, turning the car around. Leah gave me a dazzling smile and clapped her little hands. I had to give her props. That little number was proof that she was turning more like me every day.

I slowly eased my way back into the parking lot, searching both ways incase he was still out there. I didn't see him. I decided it was safe and continued pulling in.

Leah instantly unlatched her seatbelt and scrambled out of the car. "I don't see them!" she pouted as she scanned the area. I caught a glimpse of something shiny and silver on the ground. I made my way over to it.

As I bent down to pick it up, a pair of dorky shoes approached me. I slowly looked up in horror. A kind familiar face smiled down at me. I gasped.

"Hello, Alex," He smiled.

"Hi, Justin," I replied solfty as i stood up.

"Its been a while." he said.

Review? :) I know this chapter kinda sucks, but it will get better SOON! :)