Free Come Back to me:Short Story by Candice Terry Page A

she smiled. “Thanks.”
    I knew at that exact moment things would be different here in Georgia and maybe ..just maybe.. it wouldn't be so bad after all.
    “Are you okay?” I asked.
    She nodded, kicking a rock with the toe of her shoe.
    “Do they always treat you like that?” 
    She sniffled.” Only when my mom packs me peanut butter sandwiches. They usually take them and nobody helps me get them back.”
    This made me wish I could punch the boys again. “Well they won’t mess with you anymore.What your name?"
    She wiped another tear off her red cheek and pushed her long brown frizzy hair behind her ears before replying." AnaLee.What's yours?"
    " I'm Jayse."
    Her mouth spread into a bright full smile showing her white teeth. It was the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen.
    As the years went by we became inseparable. We were always at each other's house or in the woods playing tag at our special place by the small creek. Sometimes she would play the princess locked away in a tower and I'd be the the brave prince coming to save her. I loved every minute I spent with AnaLee but things started to change once we hit highschool.
    By tenth grade girls started to take interest in me and I could tell this bothered AnaLee but she never said anything. I wanted her to. Even hoped she would. I needed to know if she felt for me the way I did about her but I couldn’t ask knowing things would never be the same between us. When eleventh grade rolled around one girl in particular paid close attention to me. Stacy Holdenmich.
    She was pretty with blonde hair and brown eyes, but of course she was nowhere near as beautiful as Ana. Walking to my locker one day I found Stacy waiting for me. She was a slender girl with the body of a cheerleader-well she actually was a cheerleader- and she bounced whenever she talked.
    “Hi Jayse.” She said flipping her hair.
    “Hey Stacy, what’s up?”
    “Not much. Well actually. “Nervously biting her lip.” I was wondering if you wanted to go bowling sometime. It could be fun.” She smiled.
    Putting my books away, I shut my locker and looked around for Ana.” Um…yea sure . Sounds fun.”
    Little did I know that one night out would start a never ending feud.
    “ Was that Stacy Holdenmich I saw walking away from your locker?” AnaLee asked at lunch.
    “ Yeah ,she wants me to go bowling with her tonight.” I was too busy shoving food in my mouth to notice Ana’s expression.
    “Oh.”
    Hearing her tone ,I dropped my fork and looked at her. “What’s wrong,  An?”
    She tried to smile but it didn’t work.” Nothing  . ”
    “An.”
    “Really , it’s nothing. I just- I just remembered I was supposed to stop by study hall.” Ana quickly gathered her things and walked off before I could question her again.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Two: AnaLe e
     
    It's strange how life can deal a completely different hand when you least expect it. I'm not sure when it happened or if it was even a decision on my part. All I knew was at some point in our friendship my heart changed and I wanted more.Maybe it was how Jayse's shoulders had broadened over the summer or  how his green eyes sparkled when he laughed. It could even be how he pushed his hands through his dark hair when he was frustrated. I didn't want to just be the girl that lived next door to him, the girl every guy knew not to mess with in school because they would get their ass kicked. I just wanted to be his.
    Jayse Broadson.
    I hadn’t expected him to be my savior from the brothers who stalked me every Tuesday to get my lunch.  Just like I hadn’t expected for Stacy Holdenmich to get her claws into him.
    I didn’t hate her exactly but I didn’t particularly like her either. She was a bitch- plain and simple. She tortured girls that didn’t look like she thought they should. Too fat . Too skinny. Wasn’t a cheerleader.  Didn’t buy name brand clothes.  Basically if you weren’t her you were nothing. Even