“Can we?” I asked, a little too excited at the thought even though I’d just seen her a few minutes ago.
“Well, Lydia,” Dad said, grinning. “It seems our boy here is smitten with the girl next door.” He gave me a wink.
My cheeks turned red with a hint of warmth. “Eww, no. She’s a girl, Dad. I’m not smitten,” I protested, practically choking on the word. I wasn’t exactly sure what it meant, but the last thing I wanted was my dad thinking I had a crush on the new girl next door. Jenna would go blabbing as soon as she could. Big mouth. “That’s the cool thing. Sierra isn’t girly or anything like that. She didn’t mind playing in the mud or the sand, and when we said we were going to play kickball tomorrow, she got excited. We’re just friends.”
What I didn’t tell my parents was that Sierra was the prettiest girl I’d ever seen. Or that her big, blue eyes were the color of the sky over the ocean. Her smile was as white as the sand, and so friendly, too. Something about it warmed me right up, so much more than the sun ever had.
“Just friends?” Dad teased with an eyebrow raised and a half-cocked smile.
“Yep. And I think she’s going to be my new best friend.” I didn’t tell them we’d spit on it. Mom might have scolded me for that one.
“Well, then,” Mom said, smiling at me. “We better get on over there. I need to meet this girl who you already know is going to be your new best friend after just one afternoon.”
I was antsy all through dinner, eating quickly and silently wishing for Jenna to do the same. She spent the meal telling my parents about playing with Lexi, Sierra’s younger sister. Even though we’re twins, I was secretly glad Jenna had Lexi to play with. I didn’t want Sierra playing with her instead of me.
By the time we finally went next door, I could barely contain my excitement. I rocked back and forth on my heels, only stilling when the door swung open wide as tall man answered our knock. My parents made their introductions, and I peered around the house once we had been invited inside, waiting for a glimpse of her. Her dad called for the family, and another round of introductions happened as her mom, Lexi, and Sierra came in.
My stomach did a weird flip-flop when I saw her. She was still wearing her Michelangelo shirt, and I couldn’t stop the grin from forming on my face.
“Mom, this is Jeremy, the boy I was telling you about,” she said.
Something about knowing she’d told her Mom about me made me happy inside. My grin grew even wider.
“Ah. Your new best friend?” her mom asked.
Sierra’s face turned pink. My own mom laughed and handed over the cookies she’d brought.
Leaning in close, my mom gave my own secret away. “Jeremy said the same of Sierra. I guess we’re fortunate you moved in when you did.”
When Sierra smiled, I didn’t even care that I’d been outed.
Her mom smiled warmly and looked from me to my mom. “The girls were just about to watch a movie. Would Jeremy and Jenna like to join them? We can go into the kitchen and chat over a glass of wine if you’d like. Get to know each other.”
Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes. The chant was so loud in my head that I was almost surprised they couldn’t all hear it.
“They’d love to,” Mom responded.
I barely resisted the urge to let out a resounding “Yes!”
“Sierra, why don’t you go get the movie started? We’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything.” Then she turned back to Mom. “Wine?”
Mom laughed and looped her arm through Sierra’s mom’s. “Vicky, I believe this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
I couldn’t help looking at Sierra and thinking the exact same thing. By the beaming smile that was returned to me, I could tell she agreed. At least, I hoped so.
She mimicked her mom and grabbed my arm, pulling me into the living room, where Jenna and Lexi were already sprawled out. For the next couple of hours, our sisters played together on the floor with Barbies while Sierra and I watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II. I might have watched her more than the movie, but I didn’t mind. I’d already seen it at least fifteen times and could recite almost all of the words—much to Mom’s annoyance. I wasn’t sure why I was so fascinated by the way her eyes lit up every time there was a “cowabunga,” but I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was entranced by the movie; I was entranced by her.
When the movie was over, we chanted, “Go Ninja!” repeatedly, not plopping down on the couch until we were worn out and out of breath. Still, it felt all too soon when Mom and Dad came into the living room, saying it was time to go home. I wanted to protest, but Mom reminded me that Sierra lived right next door and I’d probably see her the next day. I didn’t know what my problem was, but I wanted to be around her all the time. Saying bye, even if just for the night, sucked. But, as I went to protest again, Mom gave me her don’t push it look and I zipped it.
Later on that night, I was lying in my bed, tossing my football up into the air, unable to sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about Sierra and how pretty she was the first time I’d seen her. Her long, blonde hair, which looked so soft that I wanted to touch it to see if it really was. Her skin, tan and smooth, with freckles I wanted to play connect the dots with. Bright, blue eyes that watched my every move. And her smile, big and wide. I wanted to make her smile all the time.
I shook my head at the thought. She’s just a girl.
Just a girl.
A girl I was going to marry one day.
It didn’t quite hit me like a bolt of lightning or anything like that. I just knew. It kind of dawned on me, and I had no reason to question it.
Because let’s face it. Why wouldn’t I want to spend my life with a girl who was as pretty as she was and who liked the same things I did? To me, we were already a match made in Heaven. It was kind of a no-brainer.
And, with that, I fell asleep, a smile on my lips and the memory of Sierra Sullivan in my dreams.
When my parents sat Lexi and me down to tell us that we were moving to Florida because of my dad’s job, I was devastated. Even though I was only eight years old, I’d already thought I’d made lifelong friends, and I couldn’t imagine saying goodbye.
Those friends had nothing on Jeremy Banks, and from the moment I met him, I knew he was going to be my new best friend. I just hoped he’d felt the same.
I soon found that he did. He didn’t look at me like I was another annoying girl trying to pal around with him. In fact, I fit right in with him and his other friend, Chris—even if I had threatened him for messing with Lexi the first time we met. All the kids from the neighborhood played together, and I was excited to make friends before school even started. Still, I was drawn to Jeremy the most. No matter what kind of mood I was in, he never failed to make me laugh. I liked being around him. He was so nice and inviting, and he made me feel brave. I’d like to think I did the same for him.
Late one night, we were in his backyard, pretending to be camping. School was starting soon, and we wouldn’t be able to hang out as much, so we were both savoring our last “sleepover.” We lay in our sleeping bags, looking up at the stars as the crickets chirped around us. Lexi and Jenna had already fallen asleep, but my dad was snoring, keeping me and Jeremy in a fit of giggles. I snuck a peek at him, thinking about the scary story Chris had told us about some creature called Big Foot, who apparently liked to eat little kids.
“Did that story scare you?” I asked.
He looked over at me and shook his head. “Sierra, I’m a boy. Nothing scares me,” he declared, his jaw set tight.
I sat up and narrowed my eyes, peering at him. “Oh, come on, Jeremy. There has to be something you’re scared of. Like me… I’m scared of the ocean.”