Ever Reddness
By Chris Katchki (crudezoner464@yahoo.com)

Chapter 1
I walked home from school one evening after basketball practice with my friend Georgette. Georgette had been my bestfriend for such a long time. We've known eachother since 2nd grade we're in 6th now.

It was the last week of the school year and Georgette seemed to get figety. I looked past it because she always got like this at the end of school. She lives on the other side of town and it's hard for us to spend time together over the summer. The only time we can spend together is the time we sleep over at eachothers houses and for basketball practice.

"I'm so psyced for friday's game aren't you? We're going to bust Donaldstown wide open with our mad skills." I said pnching the air in excitement as we neared her street. I always walked her over to her house and took the bus with my older brother to my house. I looked over to her and she had her hands in her pockets. Bad sign.

"What's wrong George, you never put your hands in your pockets unless you've got something important to tell me." I put my arm around her shoulder assuringly.

"Well I do, Jordin. My dad got transferred again." she said and shrugged my arm off her shoulder.

"Oh, no. Tell me he got transferred somewhere close." I said. She kept her head down. I knew it wouldn't be anywhere close.

"We're moving to South Carolina." she said and looked me in the eyes for the first time that day. I saw tears begin to form in them and I knew she was just as upset as I was.

"No! You can't go, you're my best friend, George!" I hollered at her and felt the beginings of my own tears forming.

"Do you think I want to go? I grew up here, this is the one place the Navy let us stay longer than the others." She said full out sobbing now. I threw my hands up in frustration.

"Who'll I have when you're gone? You're the only one who doesn't care about me being a lesbian."

"You you think this is any better for me!" she screamed in my face. I begun to get truly scared now. Georgette is normally a quiet girl. Usually nothing can get her this loud.

"You have no idea how much I'll miss you. And I'll have to start all over again. From the begining. Make new friends, start a new "A" streak. Do you know how hard it'll be for me to play on a different basket ball team without you protecting me? I'll get slammed! Crushed without you." she said she turned away from me and thumped her head on the nearest wooden gate. I rubbed my hands on her back. I felt her tense and then release. This always makes her feel better. She turned around and wrapped her arms around me and sobbed into my shoulders.

"It's ok Georgette. Let it out, hun." I said and that's just what she did. She sobbed for ten minutes or so before she began to calm.

"Will you be here for the game?" I asked her she rose her head slightly and buried it in the crook of my neck. She would be leaving very soon I could tell. I could read her like a book.

"I'll be gone before graduation, Jordin." She told me and held on tighter. I grasped her waist and pulled her closer to me and begun to cry myself.

"Georgette!?" Her dad yelled from their house 7 houses down the street.

"But Graduation is Wensday, George!" I cried as I let her hold on to me. She let go and backed away from me.

"I'm sorry." She said and fled down the street to meet her father. I ran down the street as fast as I could so I wouldn't miss my bus.

By the time I got to the stop I was so weak from sobbing and running and toting my gym bag. I got there just as the bus did. I got on and showed my pass. I began to look desparatly for my brother. He would consol me. He would hold me and tell me soothing words. He would tell me that I could still talk to her and she would still be my friend.

I looked left and right for him but when I saw him he was kissing some girl I've never seen before. The seats on the bus are 2by2 and there was nowhere for me to sit owing to his new girlfriend.

"SAM!" I whined. He looked up at me and saw the tears in my eyes. They both just sat there looking at me with regretful eyes. She didn't want to move but I could tell she felt bad for me. I put a hand over my mouth and choked back a sob and moved to the back of the bus next to Hank Andrews.

He always babysitted me when I was younger and he was almost always on the bus with an empty seat. He looked up immeadeatly and gave me a big hug. I gave in to the hug and moved to sit on his lap.

"What's wrong kid?" he asked me. I couldn't say anything right then because I was sobbing so hard. As soon as the bus was done waiting it started up again and we beun to move. I took a few deep breaths and calmed my crying.

"Geogette Gearson is moving to South Carolina. And I'll never see her again." I cried silently. Hank is a couple years older than I am.

He and my brother used to be friends but Sam said that babysitting was a stupid girl thing and they stopped being friends. He was babysitting and Sam was playing LaCrosse. But when ever Sam needed money to take a girl to the movies or something guess who he asked? And he never gave him a dime either.

"Now you can't say that you'll never see her again. You have to believe you will." Hank told me. He pulled me closer and begun to tell me when he and his bestfriend parted because he had to move here. I sat on his lap and listened to the entire story on my way home.

He kissed me on top of my head and told me that Georgette and I would always be friends and to not lose hope. I thanked him and got off his lap. I ran down the aisle before Sam could stand up.

"Jordin!" He called to me I hopped off the bus and hurried to my apartment to meet my Uncle Kakoe.

You see, my mom died when I was about 4. She worked in a Chemical Laboratory and when she was mixing the vials something went wrong. My dad was never one for kids, he only stayed with us because he really loved Mom, and because we were important to her. So now we live with my uncle and sometimes like on special occasions my dad'll come over and visit us.

But for now Uncle Kakoe has been the best father figure I've had. And Hank has been more of a brother than Sam ever was. He didn't even come into my room that night to ask what was wrong. He and this girl, whom I know to be Kinsy Greenwalt, went into his room and begun to create all sorts of noises. I'm not stupid I knew that they were making out. And if I didn't have so much on my mind I would've run down the hall and told Uncle Kakoe on them. But for now I lay on my bed and cry.

Missing Georgette before she even left.