1 Chapter 1

"Juniper!"

Ugh, here we go again. I turned to my friend Mayla as she ran towards me. Her arms were full of books and her glasses were just balancing on the edge of her nose.

"You better have a good reason this time, Mayla, be cause I swear I will never invite you over ag-"

"Oh, cool your jets, ya know you love me!" She sat down on the bench beside me and proceeded to shove all her books into her already-full back pack.

"And anyway, I'm not gonna ask you to go with me again, okay? Besides its not like you care anyway."

Ouch. Well, I may not care about the party, but I love Mayla. She the best friend everyone wish they had. She's like the sister I never had.

"I care plenty. I just don't understand why you insist on me going with you to these parties. I mean, whats the point?"

Mayla gasps as though I've just said something scandalas.

"The point? Oh, whats the point, she asks. The point, Juniper, is to have fun, which you seem to have been doing SO much lately." Her words are heavy with sarcasm. I just look at her. She stares right back- until the glasses that were so precariously balanced slip off her nose and hit the ground with a crack.

"Aww shit! My glasses! Thats the second pair this week."

Im struggling to hold in my laughter and Mayla must sense it because she turns and mock glares at me. That does it and I start laughing so hard my sides hurt.

Mayla's mock glare breaks and shes laughing right along side me.

"W-why was that so- so funny?" I ask. "Because its true!" Mayla wipes imaginary tears from her eyes and smiles broadly.

"Anywho, what were you so busy with before I so galantly interupted you?" I sigh before swinging around and reaching for my project.

" I was working on a project for history. Its about some guy called Garth, I guess, whos supposedly a legendary warrior or guard or something. I dont know, its stupid thats all I know."

Mayla grimaced. "I remember his class. It was brutal," She shuddered, ", it still gives me the heebie-jeebies!"

Mayla is a year older than me, but we've been friends since I was in kindergarden, drawn together by our shared love of the outdoors.

I chuckle before putting my project back in my bag.

"Maul, heebie-jeebies isnt a word."

"Maybe not, but thats how it felt!" She shudders agin before glancing past my shoulder. Her eyes widen and she glances at me. 'its jeff', she mouths. I jump and then immediately hide my face behind my hair before glancing around and realizing that no ones there. Jeff has been my crush since the 3rd grade and just thinking about him gets me all flustered.

Mayla shakes her head at me, chuckling, before taking a deep breath. " Seriously though, you should come with me, please? I would be the happiest person the world if you just went with me." (talk about a subject change)She holds her hands up like shes praying, giving me puppy dog eyes.

I sigh, knowing that no matter how much I try to avoid it, she'll somehow end up dragging me with her. "Fine, I will go, but on one condition."

Mayla's eyes light up and she jumps to her feet twirling and jumping up and down, like she just won the lottery.

" Yess! Finally, you're going to a party with me!" People are staring at us, so I grab Mayla and force her to sit down. When she does, I remind her of he condition I mentioned.

"Oh, well, whats your condition?"

" I get to choose when we leave and theres no drinking involved." She poutsand immediately tries to convince me otherwise.

"But thats no fun! Thw whole point if the party is to havefun and-"

" Do you want me to go I not?" She just looks at me for a minute.

"Yeah, I want you to go. I agree to your terms."

I smile and Mayla smiles back.

"So when is this party anyway?" I asked, somehow the details just flew over my head.

"Tonight, around 8, at Jeff's place."

"WHAT?!" How did I just agreed to go over to his house for a party?!

" Well, I wasnt going to tell you because I knew this would happen. You'd get all flustered and automatically say no. Sooo, I thought I wouldnt mention it, you know, until later." A sly smile spreads across her face as I feel my own start to flush.

I groan, before I stand up, " You soo owe me for agreeing to go to his house!"

Sh just smiles, "You'll thank me later!"

"I highly doubt that, " but I'm smiling right along with her as we start towards the park in lot, sharing stories about our day at school.

Little did I know that this would be the last normal day of my life for a long time...