The Heart Make of Ice

Chapter 2

Chapter 2: John

My name is John Peterson. I was born in London England on March 25, 1977. My father was not rich like my Uncles; he was middle class. My mother died giving birth to my sister Rose. My father took my mother's death hard and I didn't see him much. Rose and I lived with Aunt Molly and Uncle Ben. I wasn't angry with my dad because I understood he was hurting. I do not get along with my cousin James, I thought he was a jerk although a lot of girls liked him. I didn't talk to him often. My cousin Lisa was a good person and I couldn't believe she and James were sister and brother.

I received a scholarship to an English boarding school where my cousins James and Lisa were attending. While there, I didn't talk to James, but I talked to Lisa. Lisa and I had three classes together. I earned good grades while in school. My best subjects were math, writing, and reading. I enjoyed reading while Rose enjoyed watching TV. I hoped one day I could write a book and Rose wanted to become a ballet dancer. She was taking classes. Rose's favorite movie and book were A Little Princess.

One day I heard Aunt Molly talking about this couple with a niece that was moving to England. My sister was very happy about making a friend and she could not wait to meet Kate. James was not happy because his parent was making him be friends with Kate. James came over and said, "I do not know why I have to be friends with this girl. I heard that she is mentally challenged." John replied, " I don't believe she is mentally handicapped. She isn't any different from us, she just has a harder challenge then we do. Also, your parents are not forcing you to marry this girl in the future, they just want you to be friends with Kate."

"My parents only want me to make friends with Kate because her Uncle is rich and they want to be on good terms with him," James replied. "You need to stop being a jerk and stop thinking you're better than everyone else. Just give people a chance. Who knows, you might like Kate," John stated. "I will be a laughingstock in school," James replied. "If they really were your friends, they would not laugh at you. You might want to make new friends if they do laugh at you," John said. "What did your dad threaten to do if you didn't make friends with Kate?" John asked. "He said he would cut my allowance," James answered.

The next school day Miss Read introduced Kate Mills to the class. I thought she was the most beautiful girl at school. When James showed her around the school, I was so jealous, but happy that James was not being a jerk to her. Kate seemed to like James and his sister Lisa. She also hung out with Lisa and Rose. Rose told me things about Kate and her interests. I couldn't believe that we had so much in common. I was too much of a coward to introduce myself. I wished I could get the courage to talk to her. She only lived in England for a year then moved back to Mississippi.

I missed Kate after she left. James came by to visit. "I am glad that nightmare is over. I couldn't stand her, but I did put on a good act making that foolish girl believe I liked her. I even promised her I would write to her every day," James replied. I was going to tell James that I thought he was a jerk when Aunt Molly knocked on the door. When James left I told Rose everything that James told me. "What a jerk. I can't believe we share the same blood with him!" Rose replied angrily. "I feel bad for Kate and don't know what to do," John told Rose. "I have a plan, why don't you write to Kate and make her believe that James is writing? When the time is right you can tell Kate the truth," Rose replied. John agreed and started writing Kate pretending to be James.