Dedicated to ilylily112 for reading all these chapters and being a super great writer. Check out her story Eye Enchanters!
Kit
How I first met Kris? Oh goodness. It's an interesting... it's... it's an interesting story, how we met and became close. I don't know where to start, actually. She tells me that she first saw me at a candy shop, but I must not have glanced her way. Honestly, I can't remember what I was doing there. Usually, if I'm downtown, I'm shopping with my best friend Sherry--or as I sometimes like to call her, Cherry.
Sherry and I met in fifth grade, when she was the new student in the middle of the year. Her skin is a dark russet brown, and her hair is always hidden in a hijab. She likes to be fashionable too; Sherry has a lot of colorful, long skirts. We had become friends when I invited her to get ice cream with me, back in fifth grade. I started calling her Cherry when she first ate a maraschino cherry and looked at me like she had discovered the secrets of the universe. She liked the nickname.
Currently, we're in the same book club, and we both like fashion. Sherry likes to wear long skirts with pretty colors and patterns, and my outfits usually include a cute dress. We often read fashion magazines and walk around town.
I was told by a certain someone that I was spotted at the candy shop just days before school started. This was the week for buying some last minute school supplies, or it was for me anyway. I found Sherry at the store, and she came with me to buy a few things.
"So where did you go to school before?" Sherry asked, sipping a slushie as we walked.
"You know the school by that busy intersection on Barnet Street?" I inquired. Though we had gone to the same elementary and middle school, we had split off to different high schools. Just last year, I had switched to her school for the second semester.
"Oh, that's right," Sherry nodded. "I think when I asked you why you switched, you said it was complicated."
"Yeah, well, my parents wanted me to go there, and I thought it would be okay, but..." I trailed off. "It just wasn't a good place for me. The people there were just kinda..." I decided to make a face instead of saying anything, which Sherry thought was funny. "I like your school though. It's more relaxed and there are more nice people there."
"It's your school too now, you know," Sherry grinned. "Are you ready to start eleventh grade?"
"Ah, I think so?" I shrugged. "I can't believe we're juniors, Sherry."
"Neither can my mom," Sherry commented.
"What will your mom do when you graduate?" I chuckled.
"Cry probably."
"Will you?"
"No," Sherry smiled. "Well, maybe. Hey Kit, have you been looking for a boyfriend?"
I took a moment to process that. It seemed like people were always asking that out of nowhere. Oh that's nice Kit. By the way, do you have yourself a man yet? I had tried dating a few times, but it never ended up working out. My last boyfriend was Nathan, a boy I met at church. He had been kind to me for a while, but had slowly grown impatient with the fact that I would not kiss him, among other things. "Oh, no," I tried to think of a response. "I haven't been thinking about that. When will I find somebody that I actually want to... you know... be with?"
"You'll find someone," Sherry shrugged. "Any guy would be lucky to have you," she assured me. I wasn't so sure what to think about that.
Finding a way to change the subject, I pointed out a lacey blue dress on display. "Isn't that cute?" I smiled.
"Oh! Yes, it would look nice on you. What would you wear with it?" Sherry roamed around until she found the dress on the racks, pulled one out in my size, and held it up to me.
"I'm not sure. I like to wear little uh--" I gestured to my shoulders, searching for a word.
"You like little shawls and jackets," Sherry nodded. "Don't you have a brown leather jacket? That would look nice with it."
"Oh yeah, it would," I beamed, checking the price tag. If you're ever in the mood to stop smiling, just look at the price tag. "Oh wait! I don't have any money," I announced, dramatically shoving the dress back in its place on the rack. "Maybe I need to get a job," I sighed.
"Have you ever had a job?"
"Not one I got paid for."
"Well good luck, then."
So now, in talking about my friendship with Sherry, I didn't actually talk about how I met Kris. Honestly, I'm not quite sure how to explain how that all went down. I guess it started with the love notes.