Life Inbetween

1. The Inbetweens

Life has all sorts of in-betweens. Like midnight, and sunsets or sunrises.

And even though usually these are a few minutes of an in-between, summer lasted for three months. Well 2 ½ really. And I just turned 14 and exited middle school. Highschool is really close. Scary close.

But I don't really know how to identify besides being a 14 year old teenager trying to figure out the future. Which I guess is an okay way to identify. But it isn't solid or anything. This summer I want to find my statement of who I am, while I am still in-between living with some form of middle school innocence.

I still had my friends though, maybe they could help me find my statement as well. The positive thing was that I knew when I went to high school in the fall I would have friends there. It wouldn't be entirely new.

"Hey, Liz." Anthony said to me as soon as I clicked the flashing green button to accept on my old phone. Half the screen was cracked and didn't work. It was in terrible condition but it was my phone, and I wouldn't trade it for another.

"Look Liz I have to tell you something." Anthony said his voice dotted with bits of static, that still couldn't cover his ever present voice cracks. Poor guy.

"You know how I got into Yeller and I'm supposed to go with you and Oz?" Anthony asked. I felt my heart drop. Anthony was the one who pulled me into the group and made sure that I wasn't a lost puppy my first day of sixth grade. We were as thick as thieves. I was thrilled when we were both accepted to Yeller.

"Well turns out, where my dad lives and where I have to be next summer is out of Yeller's zone. So I have to go to Andrews Institute of Math and Science." Anthony sighed. He seemed more disappointed than I did. "Seems fancy." I said barely audible through my choked back emotion. "Yeah." Anthony muttered whatever he said next cloaked in static.

I was really nervous my first day of sixth grade. I sat on the bus all shaky like I had a few strong cups of coffee. I stared out the window and didn't notice when a boy sat down next to me. "I'm Anthony." He grinned at me, his bangs covering most of his left eye. "Liz." I said stuttering slightly, surprised someone had wanted to sit next to caffeine girl. "Are you nervous?" He asked me. And before I knew what was going on we were laughing and talking.

And I only realized when the bus driver told us to quiet down, and Anthony gave me a devilish smile, that I had made a friend, something I didn't think I would have done.

"Well I gotta go. I have a babysitting gig. Talk later?" Anthony said brushing off any hint of emotions he may have had. "Yep." I said watching as my phone changed from counting down the minutes we had spent talking to displaying a message that made my heart drop. "Anthony has disconnected."

Make that one less friend going to the new frontier with me.

It was the start of a big change in my life, that I hadn't been ready for.