I watched curiously from my porch swing as a U-Haul pulled up to the house next to mine. Scrambling out of my seat, I closed my worn copy of The Great Gatsby to get a better view. For some reason I was intrigued by the scene, so I went over to greet the new neighbors. The previous owners were a kind elderly couple that allowed me to go over after school for snacks, and lent me books.
"Hello," I greeted as I paced up to a man unloading boxes. He looked older than me, but younger than my parents.
The still nameless man wore long washed out jeans, and a faded T-shirt of Crestwood's local college Overton.
"Hello, do you live next door?" he asked in a tone that was meant for a puppy or a lost child.
"I'm eleven, not three," I huffed placing my hands on my hips, dropping my book in the process. He bent down to pick it up, examining the book seemingly impressed.
"You said your eleven and you're reading The Great Gatsby?" he nearly gasped, handing my book back. His whole attitude toward me altered instantly, and he began to treat me like an adult.
"It's one of my favorites. Whats your name?" I asked as I followed him to sit on his porch steps.
"Sam," he informed, playing with a loose string on his shirt, "Tell me about yourself."
"Well, I'm Alice Owens. I am going into the sixth grade, I grew up here in Crestwood, and I love to read and write. Oh, and I really like to draw too," I explained, thinking hard on which details to share. "How about you?"
"Um I'm Sam Canter. I'm twenty and going to attend Overton in the fall. I love to read and write like you, and the previous owners were my grandparents," he explained about himself.
"What do you like to write?" I asked.
"Short stories, poems, journals. Anything really," he said while running a hand through his floppy hair.
"Me too!" I exclaimed a little too excitedly.
"You read and talk better than most people my age," he praised, "If you ever want to borrow books I have a huge collection of classics."
"My favorite," I smiled, seeing the start of a new friendship.
...
There is the first chapter! Comment your thoughts and suggestions. <3