Chapter 1: We can

Alexander's POV

June 18, 2017

Meadowhee. A small town on the shore of a river. It's a place where people come to hide. No tourism, no big shopping centers, no Starbucks, no Taco Bell, nothing. Located in the state of New York, but 4 hours away from the big city, making it just a meaningless trip. Cold winter, fresh spring, hot summer, and rainy fall.

The town is divided into two: the Northside—from two-floored sweet family homes to rich mansions, from the local diner to the local gay strip club—and the Southside—from family huts to trailer parks and bars. The Northside is the place where families who are rich, wealthy, or at least have enough money to send their kids to college live. The Southside is the place for low-lives or people who can't make enough money to get food for their children. There are no wars, but people on the Northside can't really stand us, Southsiders. Apparently we're "dangerous". Or that's what the grownups think.

Luckily, my generation is better. I'm fifteen and some of my best friends live on the Northside. We all have to share a school and it really makes us closer. Some, obviously, are bitches and jerks, but I try to keep away from them. My three childhood best friends are really the best: Nora, Daniel, and Sophia.

I'm Alexander. My hobbies are writing, reading, watching series and movies, and eating. I eat every time I have the change. Because food is life.

Right now, I'm walking down a street on the Northside. Children are playing on the super green grass in their gardens, happy that it's finally a hot summer day without any rain. The sky is clear from the clouds, celebrating the first day of summer vacation. I'm on my way to Nora's house. I haven't really told her I'm coming, but I've known her since we were born and she is my best friend. Of course, when people ask who my best friend is I can't just name her, because they'll think I have a crush, so I usually just name Daniel. But Nora knows that it's her. She doesn't need words or verification for that. She's simply the best.

Her mom and my dad have always been best friends too. That's how we kind of hit it off so easily. They never not let us stay over at each other's homes for the night or worry if it's safe enough on the opposite sides of the town. Because our parents trust each other and her family is kind of like my second one.

I ring the doorbell to her house after climbing up the stairs on her front porch. The house has two floors and the attic (the third one), it's simple, looks like a great home for a happy family. And it is.

Mrs. James opens the door and smiles, seeing me. She looks a lot like Nora, only that an older version of her. She has blonde hair, falling onto her back, always light clothes and always a smile on her face. Nora doesn't really handle the last two rules great, but she has blonde hair as well.

"Hi Alexander," she smiles and lets me in.

"Hi, Mary. Is Nora here?" I ask. She never lets me call her Mrs. James, so I've just called her Mary for my whole life.

"Yeah, in the dining room," she says and I follow her there.

They're all eating breakfast together as every year on the first day of summer vacation. Always pancakes.

Nora is 15, born on the same day as I am, May 12, 2002. She has crystal green eyes, a beautiful jawline, perfect lips and nose, and blonde hair which yesterday reached her waist but not anymore. I swear to god, she's even more beautiful this way.

Next to Nora is sitting Zoey, her older sister. She is 17, starting her Senior year in September. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Not even half as beautiful as Nora in my eyes, but pretty too. She looks more like her dad though.

Conner James. Blonde hair, blue eyes, 47 years old. He owns the town newspaper with his wife, Mary James. Mr. and Mrs. James are high school sweethearts. They fell in love when they were 17, during their Senior year, and created the perfect family. They're really strict, but also kind and understanding.

I remember when I was 6, my mom had just been told she was redundant at work and my dad had just lost his job as well, so the Jameses let us stay with them for a month until my dad got the trailer back. They fed us, they gave us a roof, everything. This family is the kindest one I've ever met.

"Hey," I say to everyone and they all say it back as I take a seat next to Nora, who's concentrated in her book. I move my hand in front of her face and snap my fingers two times, making her smile and look at me. "Hey," I say again, softer than before.

"Hi," she smiles. Oh, that smile. Her crystal white teeth are in a perfect row (a feature she got for wearing braces for two years), but that's not the most beautiful part about it. I love the way her left cheek gets a dimple and her eyes get small wrinkles on either side.

"You have a new haircut," I say, pressing my hands against my thighs so that I wouldn't make a move to touch this soft blonde hair of hers.

She frowns a little. "Is it okay? Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's beautiful," I say before I can even think about it. She smiles at my little widened eyes as I understand what I just said and gives me a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you," she says, still smiling down at her plate. I sigh quietly, looking down as well, holding myself back from getting blush all over my cheeks and neck.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, trying not to express whatever feeling she's feeling right now. Her family didn't hear, fortunately, or we would have never caught a break anymore.

"Uhm," I chuckle and pull a plate with three pancakes on it in front of me. "I came to eat these."

She chuckles at me quietly and nods. "I know. Just don't take Zoey's or she'll kill me," she continues seriously, poking my chest with her right index finger.

"I won't, I don't like chocolate chip any more than you do," I say, making her smile big. She takes a few more bites and then looks back at the book on her lap, looking for the place she stopped probably "What are you reading this time?"

"Romeo and Juliet," she says quietly.

I smirk. "Norey, seriously? Isn't that one in your head already?"

"It is kinda, but... I don't know, every time I read it I discover new things and places I didn't actually understand the last time. It's fascinating." She smiles at her own words, not looking up at me.

"And I can't read my books that many times?"

"No," she grins and looks at my face after placing her finger on the right place in the book. "Yours are crime mysteries, they can't get better," she continues.

I narrow my eyes at her and turn my face away when she wants to push the loose strand of my dark hair on my forehead under the grey beanie I'm always wearing.

"Aley," she giggles, making me smile. Her hands frame my face and turn my head to face her. When she has accomplished that, she pushes the hair back under my beanie with a smile. "Eat and then we're out of here."

"Where are we going?" I ask with a frown.

"I don't know, outside?" she suggests.

I shrug and nod. "Sure. Taking the others with us?" I ask, looking at her now.

Her face wrinkles up a little and she looks at me. "Can just the two of us go? I mean I love Soph and Dan, but they're making out like all the time now." She sounds so annoyed.

I chuckle. "You're just jealous, cause you don't have a boyfriend," I tease.

"Maybe," she murmurs, glances at me for a second and then keeps eating. I raise my eyebrows and freeze on the place. I've had a huge crush on her ever since we were little. Does she like me back?

The doorbell rings. We look at each other and she gulps the food down. "Please don't be Daniel," she sighs quietly as her dad goes and opens the door.

"Hey, Conner, is Alex here?" I hear my dad's voice. I let out a small groan and let my head fall on Nora's shoulder, making her giggle.

I see all of them coming into the dining room. My dad, Barrett, looks exactly like me. He has thick black hair, blue eyes (I have green), wears dark clothes. My mom, Gianna, has brown hair, wears dark as well, but she's not the tallest woman. And then there's Reni. She's 11, looks like my mom, light brown hair, sassy comebacks.

"Hey, you, you went out before even telling us," my mom says, I assume to me.

"I came to eat," I say, looking at her with raised eyebrows.

"Since you're all here already, sit down, we have enough for all of us," Mary says. My sister smiles big and takes a seat rapidly.

"No we don't, I was planning on eating all of this," I say with a whiny voice, making them chuckle.

"We can get some Pop's later," Nora smirks, calming me down. I give her a thankful nod with a grin, making her giggle once more.

"Where are you going?" dad asks, ruffling Nora's hair and then sitting down next to her.

"Away from you," she teases with a grin. "Hey, by the way, since you're all here... Can we go to the summer camp? We're 15, we're accepted this year."

"As long as you won't share a room," her mom says, making me snigger.

"And won't call us after two days because you ran out of the money we gave you," Conner says, pointing his finger at Nora, who chuckles quietly while cutting her pile of pancakes and syrup, poking her fork into them.

"If I promise you that, you'll let us go?" she asks, lifting the big appetizing bite up with her fork and waiting for an answer before eating it.

"Yeah, sure," her mom says just as I close my mouth around Nora's fork and pull the pancakes into my mouth.

Nora's eyes fly to me, suddenly not even interested in her question and its answer. "Dude!" she exclaims and hits my cheek with the back of her hand. "That was a perfect bite," she protest and groans, dropping her head onto her nape.

"I know," I grin after swallowing. My eyes go back on her plate covered in syrup and half of a pancake. "Are you gonna eat that, or..."

She gives me a mad look at pushes her plate more towards my dad, turning her back to me and eating the last bite. Everyone chuckles at us. I lean closer to Nora and rest my chin on her shoulder. I can swear that she smiles at that.

"Where are we gonna go?" I ask her.

She pulls her shoulder away, making my head fall a little, but both of us chuckle. "To Emilia's."

"I thought we weren't gonna get anyone else?" I ask, confused.

"If you keep acting like a jerk and eating the best parts of my food, I might just leave you here," she says, both of us standing up now.

I roll my eyes with a smile. "To where?"

"The river," she says, grabbing her book. I grasp it away from her and drop it onto her chair.

"No books," I say and push her out of the room, making her laugh.

"Here," she chuckles, handing me one of her skateboards, taking the other one herself. "I don't have my phone, call Alex if you need to!" she shouts and with that, we're out of the door.

She pulls me from my wrist towards the right direction and then we run and jump on the boards after dropping them. We're on a pretty fast speed at the moment, me a little behind her, so she widens her arms to her shoulder height and probably closes her eyes to enjoy the wind.

"Norey, eyes on the road," I chuckle, finding her actions completely adorable. "I don't want you to die yet." She giggles at my words and we start racing towards the river instead.

#

"Aley?" Nora asks. I turn my head to face her. My arm is under her head so that she'd be comfortable while her backpack is under my head and my hand is in her short blonde hair which perfectly falls onto her shoulders, fingers massaging her scalp while running them through the strands.

She turns her face to see me with a smile on her lips, one appearing on mine as well the moment I see hers. "Hm?" I hum.

She brings her hand to my forehead and brushes the loose strand of my hair together with the others. "I like you like this," she smiles, rolling close to me, her bikini covered body against my bare one, only wearing my swimming trunks.

"Like what?" I ask with a nervous laugh. She's too close to me to handle.

"Without the beanie," she smiles, locking her eyes with mine. I chuckle and my arms wrap around her unconsciously, pulling her even closer to me.

Her expression changes. Her eyes get a little wider, a blush creeping on her cheeks and I feel her fingertips against my chest tingling. "Alex," she says so quietly that if people would be talking around us, I wouldn't have heard it.

After I don't answer for a minute, she whispers out the last thing in her mind. "We can't do this."

"We can," I say back, whispering just like she is.

"Yeah?" she breathes out, relieved. I give her a few slow small nods and she presses her lips against mine immediately.