Falling For Hannah

Chapter One

     The first time I saw Hannah I was hanging out in the old oak tree in my family's backyard. I was busy reading the final chapter to a new book when I noticed a girl with long blond hair laying in the grass on the other side of our wooden fence.

     At first I was confused, no one ever visited Beth next door. Then I was curious as to why a teenage girl would be laying in the grass with her arms spread wide and her face staring into the sky. I guess I was leaning a little too far over when I lost my balance and sent myself to the ground and landing on my right arm.

     I mention the arm not because I was afraid of actually breaking it, it wasn't like I was ever going to play in the Major league. Actually I wouldn't be playing in any league. This is all beside the point, I mention it because my mom was already a worrier and if I broke my arm it would just give her another reason to keep me inside for the rest of my life.

     I laid on the ground soaking in the pain and trying to avoid making a sound when a head full of blond hair popped up on the other side of the fence. “You okay?”

     Covering my face in humiliation I rolled over before climbing to my feet and nursing my arm. “Yeah.”

     “What the heck were you doing up there?”

     “Not trying to die, that's for sure.”

     Laughing, Hannah climb up to the top of the fence. “If you were going to watch me you could have just said so and come over.”

     “I was not watching you.”

     “Sure you weren't." She laughed with a smile, "I'm Hannah.”

     “Adam.” I answered.

     “You live here, Adam?” She asked pointing to my house.

     “Yeah, ever since I was a kid.” I shrugged.

     “Cool, I just moved in next door.”

     “With Beth?”

     “She's my aunt.”

     “Nice.”

     “Yeah.”

     Talking to her felt a little weird and as pretty as she was my arm started to throb. “Well I uh guess I'll go on in and get some ice.” I said.

     “Good idea, I'll see you later, Adam.” She called to me as she jumped down to the other side of the fence.

     As you can tell my first conversation with Hannah left a little to be desired. It was the first time any girl other than my younger sister or one of the girls in band had talked to me and I was pretty sure I messed up royally.

     I told myself I never stood a chance anyway as I walk through the glass door on our back porch so I tried not to kick myself but it was a little tough choking down the fact that she had seen me watching her and had watched as I fell.

     I went up the stairs passing the other rooms and up the stairs to the attic where my bedroom was. Flopping down on the bed I covered my face with my left hand and realized that I needed to nurse my wounded ego more than I would need to nurse my hurt and possibly broken arm.

     That evening when I finally came down stairs after avoiding eye to eye contact with anyone in my family just in case they could read the shame in my face, my dad was sitting at the dinner table finalizing some paper's for his big case the next day.

     My parents were both lawyers before my mom got pregnant with me and then my sister. At first she wanted to still practice law but decided having a nanny raise me wasn't going to give me the warmth she could offer. Anyone who meets her now would never realize that the typical stay at home mom used to put away bad guys for a living.