A New Neighbor (A Josh Hutcherson Story)

Chapter 1- The Big News

Hey Guys! I just wanted to say that with this new book, I want ya'll to leave lots of comments, please! Please leave comments on my other book as well, but I just want to know if I should continue this one. Thanks guys! :)

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“So, Oklahoma, hm?” I ask my friend, Caleb.

 “Yupp…” he replies.

 Caleb has been my neighbor since I was 3. His family moved into my neighborhood a month after we moved in, and we had been friends ever since. Being 17, Caleb and I had been to the moon and back together. He helped me through all my troubles, and comforted me whenever I needed to be comforted. All in all, I was pretty upset that he was moving.

 “Why did your parents only tell you now? Your leaving in two weeks!” I ask.

“They said that they wanted me to move on quicker, you know? They thought that it would be better if I had less time to spend here knowing about it, because I would grieve over it with my friends longer. I think they did the right thing…” he says.

I nod, and hug him again. We were sitting in our clubhouse; an old tree house in Caleb’s backyard. His dad and my dad built it together when we were 5, and we have been coming up here ever since. I sigh as I look out to the trees. One side of the tree house had the view of Caleb’s house, but the other had the view of what was behind Caleb’s back fence: the thousands of trees making up George Bush Park. It was amazing.

I lay down, putting my head in Caleb's lap, and look up at him. He looks down and smiles.

“Can I ask you something, Poof?” he asks.

My name is Madison, but Caleb calls me Poof. He decided on that nickname in the third grade, when we did a science experiment together. Our parents helped us make a volcano, and told us that we had to wait until we got to school to make it explode. But, with my impatience, I had to make it explode sooner. When our parents were in the kitchen, talking, I told Caleb to follow me into the living room, where our project stood. I looked at him and pressed the red button, triggering the volcano to explode. As we stood, watching the couch and living room carpet get covered with red paint, I looked over at Caleb and said, “Poof!” We laughed for hours hysterically, and at that moment, Caleb decided to call me Poof. The name stuck and he has been using it every since.

“Sure, lay it on me.” I say, sitting up.

“Did you ever…you know,” he says, biting his lip, “…have, feelings for me? Like, more than friends?”

My face turns red, and I just look at him. His big, brown eyes stare back at me, and I feel my cheeks grow hotter. He swallows and starts leaning into me and I soon finding myself leaning towards him as well. I close my eyes, and his lips touch mine. After a while, I break away and look at him again.

“Do I have to answer that question now?” I ask, laughing.

His face turns red and he shakes his head, no, smiling. I always had a small crush on Caleb, and I know that half of the girls at our school liked him too. He was everything a girl could want. Smart, caring, athletic. He was the total package. I watched him as his floppy, blonde hair blew in the wind.

“I’m going to miss you.” he says.

I scoot over to him and put my head on his shoulder. He puts his arm around me and I feel relaxed; free from the all the drama of the world.

“I’ll miss you too.” I say.

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