Splinters: Part One

Part One | 16

I frowned. I was getting there. Was she still at a faraway distance?

Almost

She didn't take long to answer.

I'll be there soon. (: Cant wait to see u

I smiled at her response. I kind of smiled the whole way there, too. Thinking about her and the way she talked and smiled, it just made me happy. I couldn't wait to spend time with her. I actually couldn't believe Melissa actually let me do this.

I'd hate to lose her trust and I'd absolutely hate to lose my time and privacy with Collie.

I began thinking about what we were. I've never ever been with a girl like this. The only girl I really knew was Josephine and she was like my best friend after Jake left. I told her everything. Well, not everything, but about as much as I can handle telling her, and she told me a lot, too. Again, not everything.

Josephine lived in a crap hole before St. Anne's. I wanted to protect her there.

I shook my head. I didn't need to contain my thoughts about Jo. She's okay now. She's fine at St. Anne's. I don't need to worry about her right now. Not when I'm so close to being with Collie. My thoughts were completely interrupted when my phone vibrated. Without unlocking it, I saw the text message.

I see you!!!

As scary as the text message might've seemed, it only made me grin and jerk my head upwards. Across the street was Collie sitting on a blue low swing set. Her hair was pulled up into a pony tail, her dirty blond strands being pulled back. It almost looked like she spent a lot of time doing it, making the darker strands go together with the lighter once, but I had a feeling it was just Collie's natural hair which might just be my favourite thing about her.

I looked both directions before crossing the street. Collie stood up, both her hands on the metal chains of the swing. When I approached her, she opened her arms and hugged me for what felt like two seconds, but might've been forever, and when she was done, she stepped back and kissed me.

Gosh, Collie. All I could think of was how great Collie was. I didn't even care if I was a bad kisser to her; all I thought was that she was so great. Even though it's so not fair, if I were to be given a survey about the best thing about getting adopted, the first thing I'd write is Collie. Nothing else. Just Collie.

When her lips left mine, I frowned. She giggled and hugged me again, wrapping her skinny arms around my neck.

"How was M. A.?"

"Good," I said. "It was really good."

"I'm glad!" she exclaimed, stepping back, but leaving her hands on my shoulders.

She walked backwards until she was able to sit back on her swing. I sat in the one next to her.

"How was your Thanksgiving?"

Collie tilted her head to the side. "It was okay. My family came to town."

"What family?"

"Grandparents and all that," she waved off. "I wish you'd have been here, though. It would've been nice to think you were somewhere near while I was having a boring time."

I knit my eyebrows. "You were having a boring time?

Collie sighed. "My grandparents and my parents, they don't really... care. Like, I could've not been in the dining room at Thanksgiving meal and they probably would've thought I went to go eat in my room and carried on."

I frowned. If Collie was present at my Thanksgiving, she'd be the only one I'd pay attention to. It's not every day you have her around and man, would it be great if she was around more often than not!