Taking Chances

Prologue

PROLOGUE

Charlie’s POV

I was 8 years old when I first met her, I was playing on the street, just outside my house with the other neighborhood kids and one boy decided to be mean to me by pushing me around. I ended up on the ground with scrapped hands, I quickly went to the front of my house, sat there and started sobbing under the bright sunlight, a few minutes later, a shadow blocked the sunlight, I looked up and saw a girl smiling at me. She had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes, a dimple showing on her left cheek, she was prettier than the other 8 year old girls I know.

The girl then sat next to me and asked “why are you crying?”

I pointed at the boy who pushed me “h-he didn’t want me to play with them so he pushed me to the ground” I spoke then I showed her my scratch-filled palms “my hands still hurt”

She gently took my hand and examined it

“Looks like we need to clean this before it gets infected” she then stood and reached out her hand

“Let’s go to my house” she said

I looked at her hand for a few seconds, I was hesitant to go with her but I decided to go anyway, so I stood and took her hand, she guided me towards her house which happens to be right next to mine

As we walked I noticed that she was taller than me by 2 inches I guess, this is the first time I met a girl who’s taller than me, I’m usually the tallest

When we entered her house, she suddenly shouted “Mom! I brought a friend, we’ll be in my bedroom!”

“Okay sweetie!” a voice shouted back

She then pulled me towards her room

I sat on her bed as she walked around the room trying to find something. After a few minutes, she sat next to me, in her hand was a small bottle of rubbing alcohol and some cotton, she wet the cotton with the alcohol and asked for my hand which I hesitantly gave

“Don’t worry this won’t hurt” she reassured me “and if it does I’ll quickly wipe the alcohol away”

I slightly nodded and she began wiping my scrapped hand with the wet cotton, it didn’t hurt at first but then it did. She saw my pained expression and she quickly wiped the alcohol away with her hand. Her touch was soothing and soon enough the pain was gone

“Hey, what’s your name?” I asked

She giggled a bit as she continued cleaning my hand “my name is Elise” she smiled “How about you? What’s your name?”

“Charlotte but everyone calls me Charlie, so I guess you can call me Charlie too” I smiled “why aren’t you playing outside like the rest of us?”

“I think I’m too old for playing outside”

“Too old? That’s not true, no kid is too old to play outside and you’re definitely a kid”

Again, she giggled “that’s true but I’m already 10 years old and I kinda don’t like playing outside anymore, I still play with toys, just inside the house”

“That’s boring and lonely”

She was finally done cleaning my hand. An idea then entered my head

“I know!” I exclaimed “I’ll just come here every day and play with you so you won’t be lonely, is that okay with you?”

Elise smiled warmly “I would really like that”

That day was the start of our friendship

As years pass, we eventually grew closer and became best friends despite the 2 year age difference. It was difficult at first since we have totally different interest but once I hit puberty, we’re pretty much on the same wave length, of course she knows more things since she’s older but at least I can relate