1 Chapter One (John Newman)

Smiling and playing on the sunroof was always my favorite thing to do with Amelia Collette. She was the nice girl from down the street with the hazel eyes, baggy jeans, and a cropped T-shirt. She became my best friend when we were old enough to talk. We did everything together from riding bikes, going fishing, playing board games, sneaking out of our houses at night to play cops and robbers, and egging people's homes. Then there was me John, John Fitzgerald Newman nothing was that spectacular about me. I used to be the nerd, who wore big bifocals, who had only seen a girls, foot before, until I made it to high school. Then, I was what a lot of girls wanted but couldn't have. From ages three and up Amelia and I had our parties together. My birthday was March eighth, and hers was March tenth at that time we were very inseparable, our parents were even better friends. Her mom and my mom even carpooled for one another.

Some nights I stayed over at Amelia's. But only when my mom pulled double shifts at the hospital where both of our parents worked. Their were nights when I kept my window unlocked and Amelia did the same encase we had a bad night. At ages eleven through sixteen we only had each other, I mean we had Carla and Colby also but they wasn't around until special occasions. We made pacts, we added more moves to our secret handshake oh, and we kissed.

By the time we started high school, our bond grew closer. Freshman and sophomore year was a breeze honestly those two years was the years I finally got out of my shell, I would say it changed me and made me more of a man. I lost my virginity to Deanna Straggly. She was so damn beautiful, but she wasn't Amelia. And the only way she implied that we'd stay together was if I ended my years of friendship with Amelia. And honestly that wasn't happening, and she knew that.

This year we were turning eighteen years old. It was also our last year of high school, so we wanted to make every moment count. Amelia and I decided to cherish our last year and do everything that we had wished to do our whole life. Weird right? We were just in the twelfth grade, and we had our whole life ahead of us so why did it seem like Amelia wanted to rush.

It was Monday morning our first day of our senior year my alarm went off exactly at 5 a.m. I brushed my teeth, sprayed some oil shine on my hair to make my hair stay and got dressed. I put on my school uniform of course. We only wore khakis and a navy blue polo shirt. All the guys had to wear a tie. But girls could wear exactly what they wanted as long as it consisted of our school colors.

We assumed us guys were only able to wear the bare minimum because they thought we would be in some type of gang related things.

But anyway, after I was done getting dressed I made my way to Amelia's door.

"Good morning Mrs. Collette"

"Good morning John, Amelia will be down in a second. Do you want breakfast?"

"No mam". I replied.

"You go on upstairs and get Amelia before you guys miss the bus," Mrs. Collette said.

As I sprinted upstairs I overheard Amelia saying not again. I pushed open her door to see Amelia standing holding her head back trying to stop her nose from bleeding.

"Good morning Amelia," I said.

"Good morning John, I don't know what's wrong with me, I keep having these freaking nose bleeds three times a day now. I don't even know if that's normal but I assume I'm fine."

"Amelia maybe you should go to the doctor", you're losing a lot of blood especially if it's happening so often. I would lose my world if something were to happen to you." I replied.

"Mr. Dramatic", she said jokingly, Let me just tell my mom. So, she can schedule an appointment for me, and then we can head to the bus stop before we miss the bus. Amelia said".

At the bus stop, Amelia and I chatted a bit while eating sour strings. I soon zoned out and stared at a beautiful laughing Amelia. Interrupting my trance of thoughts Amelia punched my arm to tell me that the bus had arrived.