Prologue (Maddie)
The summer sun shines as I sit in my favorite meadow behind our high school. I cannot believe I am entering into my senior year already.
I’m sitting here watching the breeze blow my favorite yellow wildflowers as I wait for my best friend, Lucas and I cannot help but wonder if this will be the year he finally sees me as something more than his childhood best friend.
I have been in love with Lucas since I was six years old. I met him when I moved into the house next door. I know, how cliché am I wanting him to fall in love with the girl next door? Lucas is the quarterback of the football team. He has led his team to state championships since his freshman year. The first freshman of Boyd High School to make starting quarterback. He’s popular while I am a nerd, always with my head in book, but somehow, we have managed to stay best friends, even if the cheerleaders hate that fact.
The sun is starting to set, and I cannot help wondering if Lucas forgot about me.
It has been our ritual since as long as I can remember that we meet here the night before the first day of school.
We talk about our goals for the year and our dreams while spending the evening laughing and running through the mead- ow.
The fact that it is the night before senior year is not lost on me. This will be our last time to meet here like this and predict how the year will go and that honestly makes me quite sad, which does not make my disappointment that he seems to have for- gotten any better.
Maybe this is the beginning to the end? He and I are planning to attend different colleges. I am heading off to NYU, if I get in, and he will go wherever his football carries him.
While I sit here lost in my thoughts and enjoying the breeze, suddenly arms are wrapped around me in a tight embrace.
His wonderful cologne he started wearing a few months ago fills me with warmth.
“Sorry, I’m late,” he says softly.
My head lifts and I look into his crystal-clear blue eyes and smile. His dark hair is messy and longer than normal for him. He is wearing his red team tee shirt and black basketball shorts. His black chucks finishing his comfortable ensemble. His spicy cologne fills me with warmth, and I can’t help but smile up at him.
“It’s okay,” I mumble. “I haven’t waited long.” I say softly.
He doesn’t need to know I thought he forgot me. He sits down beside me and stares out into the meadow. It really is quite the view at sunset. With the sky filled with colorful rays and the wildflowers swaying in the breeze, it is almost romantic, if only he saw me that way.
As we sit side by side in silence, I notice he is fidgeting, some- thing he only does when he is nervous.
“Hey Maddie?” There is a slight tremble to his voice and has me worried. “Can I ask you something?” I smile up at him in hopes of easing his nerves.
“What’s up Lucas?” I watch him as he continues to fiddle and squirm around and suddenly, he takes a deep breath and blurts, “Do you think you could ever see yourself dating me?” He asks with a curious gaze.
I am stunned into silence; I am pretty sure my mouth falls wide open. Never in a million years would I have thought he would ever see me as anything more than a friend, but maybe he doesn’t and is asking as more of an open-ended thing. “Lucas, any girl would be beyond lucky to be with you.” I finally get out with a shaky voice with an answer that won’t give away the fact that I love him. Not sure where to go from here, con- sidering I am still shocked to the core, I sit, wait, and watch him while holding my breath waiting to see where he is going with this.
“Maddie, I have had this crush on you for years. I have been afraid to tell you and ruin our friendship, because we what have is so special to me.” He remarks sweetly.
He stops and shakes his head and takes a deep breath. “I would like to take you on a date and maybe you could” He looks around nervously before taking a breath and saying, “be my girlfriend at some point?”
I don’t even have time to think about what I am doing. Suddenly my arms are around him and I am smiling so much it hurts. When I pull back, he smiles at me and slowly comes forward. This is the moment I have dreamed about since I met him and I can’t believe my first kiss is going to be with Lucas. This is exactly how I dreamt it would be.
As his lips meet mine gently, I just know in my heart that Lucas Andrews is going to be my forever. He owns my heart, even if he doesn’t know it yet. He has had it for years. Little did I know, this would be the beginning of the end for Lucas and me.
