Page 18 of The Fate Of Us

And even though she’d been back in my life for three years now, I still don’t think mybody was used to having her so close again. I don’t thinkIwas ready to have her so close to me again.

I remember feeling similar things when I met her for the first time. Like I couldn’twalk away from her if I tried.

Thirteen Years Ago

“What the frick? Who was that?!”I screamed into the air, wanting to curse atwhatever just drenched me with water, but I held in the one and only curse word I knew, too afraid Mom or Dad would hear me and ground me for all eternity.

Through the water that was dripping from my hair down my face, I managed to scanthe white wood panels of the house next to mine, before my eyes landed on a cloud of fiery orange hanging out of the attic window.

“Oh damn it. I’m sorry! Just… wait there!”The cloud of orange shouted down at me,disappearing shortly after.

I stood there, still in shock, and waited in the side garden between my house and ourneighbours for the culprit to face me, whilst peeling off the splattered pieces of the pink balloon that had just hit me on the side of my face. I could tell the right side of my face was going to bruise because I was like a peach, one bump, and I’d be black and blue in seconds.

I waited a few seconds longer before I noticed a girl, about my height and a head fullof wavy orange hair, running towards me with a sorry smile stuck to her face.“I’m… I’m really sorry… uh…”

I could tell she didn’t know my name. I could see her trying to find it in her brain,trying her hardest to remember it. But she wouldn’t be able to. We’d never spoken before, nor had we even been introduced to each other.

But I knew hers. I’d known hers since her family moved in last month.

I was up in my room when I heard the moving truck pull up, the screech from the tyreswas loud enough to drag me away from my homework and keep my head out the window as I watched them leave the van.

I’d recognised her face as soon as I saw it. She was the girl from the Barbiecommercial that played right before my favourite cartoon every morning. I’d recognised her hair and smile from the Christmas movie my parents and I watched every Christmas Eve.

I found out her name when I heard her dad calling it from their car, while shedragged her body out of the truck and walked towards the house like she didn’t want to be there.

I haven’t stopped thinking about Adaline Moore since.

“It’s Nate. My name is Nathaniel, but don’t call me that; I like Nate better.”I managed, my voice just as shaky as my hands had become.

“Right… Nate.”She rocked back and forth on her shoes, white ballet flats, before sheheld out her hand, her freckled cheeks popping with the smile that just appeared on her face. My hands started getting even shakier, but I easily disguised it once I reached out and took her hand in mine to shake it. “I’m Adaline.”

“I know.”I blurted out, dropping my hand from hers when her smile grew slightly.

“You know my name?”she asked, taking a step closer.

“Doesn’t everyone?”

Her smile grew mischievous. “I wouldn’t say everyone. I’m pretty sure noteveryonein the world knows my name.”

“No, I just meant—”

“I’m pretty sure the newborn babies of the world don’t know my name, therefore, everyone can’t know my name,”

“Right, okay—”

“So I think you’re wrong, Nate.”

For a girl who was only twelve years old, she was pretty confident. I knew she wastwelve because we were both in the same grade at school,atthe same school too. Adaline Moore was in nearly all of my classes, actually, I just don’t think she’d noticed me before.

I noticed her the second she took the desk next to me in English class. I also noticedhow out of all of the classes, that was the one she liked the most, purely because of how mesmerised she looked when we were reading or told to do creative writing. She always had her head resting on her desk, and within minutes, both sides of her paper would be filled.

“I meant everyone atschoolknows your name,”I confessed, the rattle in my voice notas intense as it was before.

“Oh. Right.”One of her hands rose up to a fiery wave that skated past her face andflicked it behind her ear, the summer sun making the side of her face glow. “I think I like Addy better; Adaline is way too proper.”

I stayed silent for a few seconds, enjoying the way I was talking to a stranger… toanyone… and I didn’t want to run away and hide, before I remembered why she was even down in the yard and talking to me.“Are you gonna tell me why you threw a water balloon at me, Addy?”

Her eyes widened; whether it was because I called her ‘Addy’ or the fact I remindedher that she attacked me, I didn’t know.Probably both. “Oh, yeah… that.”Her hands twirled the ends of her hair, her eyes full of guilt.“I’m sorry. It’s just… I had a bad day.”

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