First Time For Everything: ON HOLD

Chapter Six

Hello everyone!!! How are you all? :) Well. I'm in an undescribable mood right now, which tends to allow my creative juices to flow freely. Like a waterfall! Oh. Did I mention that it's raining here? Like pouring rain? It is! Yup. Well. This chapter and the next one were originally gonna be one chapter, but I decided to break it into two chapters. This chapter is a flashback of Veronica's life back in Springcreek. It reveals some stuff about her past that will be integral to the story. I'd tell you about the next chapter but I figure it's time that I actually let you guys read the chapter so as always, vote and comment and ENJOY!! :) -TayCee

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Being homesick sucks so freaking much, it's practically indescribable. I had struggled so hard to keep myself from pulling out my old photo journals, but I surrendered as soon as I walked through the door of my loft after my third day of work. I'd been in a nostalgic mood all day so it was only fitting that I would start to feel homesick again. But there I was, curled up on my makeshift sofa with a cup of hot lemon tea, flipping through my thickest photo journal and slipping in and out of my memories.

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"Ronnie! Ready or not, here I come!" Kyle yelled from my house's huge wrap-around porch. I shimmied further up the large magnolia tree that was planted along the winding, dirt driveway. I was completely confident that Kyle wouldn't be able to find me; not only because he couldn't climb trees, but Kyle never thought to look in the most obvious of places. I smiled to myself at my ingenuity. For a seven year old, I thought I was quite brilliant.

I surveyed the ground below me just in case Kyle did happen to figure out where I was. Seeing that he was nowhere near the tree, I sat contentedly and looked up through the leaves at the expansive aquamarine sky above me. A light breeze passed through the trees, gently tugging at random strands of my hair and bringing with it the soft scents of freshly bloomed honeysuckles. I stayed like this for I don't know how long; and soon enough, I drifted off to a peaceful afternoon nap.

"Ronnie! Where are you?! Ronnie!" I heard Kyle's frantic voice shout from nearby. I groggily opened my eyes, welcomed by the parting sun as it descended toward the horizon. I scratched my head, wondering how I'd managed to fall asleep in the magnolia tree. "Ronnie!" Kyle's voice cried out. I could tell that he was close to tears.

"I'm right here, Kyle," I answered as a climbed out of the tree. With not even half a foot on the ground, Kyle snatched me into his arms and bawled like a newborn. I squeezed him in return and patted his back. Between the two of us, I had always been the more emotionally stable one. But I was fine with that. I mean, weren't all girls like that? I slithered out of his death-grip on me and walked up the steps of the porch with Kyle in tow. "Momma?" I called as I walked into the house.

"I'm in the kitchen, Marie," Momma's voice responded. I dragged Kyle into the kitchen where I saw my mother busily, yet gracefully, bustling away at preparing our dinner. "Hey there, sweeties," she said as she swooped down to plant a quick kiss on both of our foreheads. "Who won this time?"

"Me!" I proudly proclaimed as I did my victory dance. Momma chuckled and ruffled my hair as she stirred the collard greens.

"Only 'cause I you climbed the magnolia tree!" Kyle huffed, pouting his lips and crossing his arms.

Momma placed the wooden spoon aside and kneeled down to where she was on eye-level with us. "Is that so?" Kyle nodded vigorously. Momma turned toward me and said, "Now Marie. You know that Kyle can't climb the tree and while it was clever of you to hide there, next time you should be a tad more considerate and hide somewhere just as clever, but more accessible for Kyle. Okay?"