Gradual Change

Ch. 2

Ryan sat in the backseat of his mom's black SUV car while listening to music on his tablet. George sat in the front seat beside Heather, seeing that his school was on the way between Ryan's and their home, they drop George at school first.

Ryan was glad that Heather and Jeff agreed to let him sit in the car without a car seat. He didn't lack in height when it comes to kids his age. Being 4'6 and with George's help, he was able to convince his parents to let him ride without a car seat.

Being the baby of the family and the fact that he almost died when he was a baby made them very overprotective. In a way that Ryan didn't like sometimes.

Reaching George's school Heather pulled over in front. Just as George was getting out of the car, a girl his age approached. "Good morning Miss Heather," the girl said smiling.

"Good morning Nancy, how are you today honey?" Heather asked the girl.

Heather loved Nancy and considered her the daughter she never had. Both her and George were friends and both families were close. Close enough to frequently go out for dinner together or have dinner in one of their houses.

"I am fine," Nancy said, taking a look at the backseat where she saw Ryan. He was so busy doing something on his tablet, he didn't notice her.

Walking over to the back of the car just as Heather lowered the window beside Ryan, Nancy leaned in and kissed Ryan on his cheek. "Hi, cutie," Nancy said smiling at him.

She was always the only child, and before her cousin came to live with her, she lived alone with her parents. She would spend a lot of time with Ryan at his house or at hers. For her, Ryan was the cute little brother she always wanted to have.

Surprised a bit by the kiss Ryan looked up to see Nancy smiling at him, he smiled back at her. "Hi, Nancy," Ryan replied. He always enjoyed being around Nancy, she even played video games with him and George.

Across from them, Nancy's mom seemed to have trouble with her car. "Honey, why don't you tell your mom to ride with us? We can drop Ryan and Oli at school then we can go home," Heather suggested.

Nancy nodded and with a smile, she headed over to her mom. Oliver, a shy 10-year-old boy who was Ryan's classmate and friend was also Nancy's cousin. After his parents died, he went to live with his uncle and Nancy. Nancy was more than happy with the idea and so was her mom.

Nancy told her mom what Heather suggested, and she was more than happy to accept the offer. "Thank you, Heather, you really saved us," Nancy's mom said, getting into the front seat. Oliver had just got in the backseat beside Ryan.

"Not at all, we're heading to the same place," Heather said smiling.

She pulled out of the parking lot of the school.

"It's nice to see you again Oli, how are you?" Heather asked while looking in the mirror to see Oliver who had already become hooked on some kind of online game he was playing with Ryan.

"I'm fine," Oliver replied shyly. Oliver had always been a shy boy before he moved to live with Nancy, he didn't have any friends. It was a different story in his new school due to Ryan introducing Oliver to his friends, he now has friends he could hang out with. While Oliver doesn't understand it yet, he was developing a deep crush on Ryan.

Arriving at school both Ryan and Oliver left the car and headed into the school. Something they could brag about is having lockers even if they were just elementary school. Lockers without locks. Talented Youth Academy or (TYA) is a school for all grades, starting from kindergarten and ending at high school.