Chapter 1

Love At First Sight

Once upon a time there was a boy named Marcus Bethea. He lived in a place called Far Far Away. Everyday there was pretty nice. Marcus was a 5'7 African-American boy who was only 145 pounds. He was a very friendly person who made friends pretty easily. Marcus had an older brother named Jameal and a younger sister named Osiris. 

On a hot summer day Marcus decided to take a walk down his block. As he was walking he saw a moving truck a couple of blocks away. Being the nice guy he was he decided to go and say "Hi". When he got there he saw that the family moving in had a daughter around his age.

"Hi, my name is Marcus. Welcome to Far Far Away hopefully you like it here." Marcus said.

"Hi Marcus, my name is Maisha. Thanks for the welcome, but I'm busy right now." Maisha said

"Well before, I leave if you attend Bad Meets Evil High School you might see me again. Bye bye Maisha." Marcus said.

The conversation didn't go how he thought it would go. She looked like she was a nice person from far away, but up close she was rude to him! Maisha was about 4'11 and probably around 115 pounds, from Marcus's eyes. To him she seemed like someone he would want to meet again. He had this gut feeling she only acted rude, because it was hot and she was busy. A few weeks later it was the first day of school. as soon as he walked into the school a boy named Irving came running up to him.

"Wassup bro, I haven't seen you all summer. You know a new girl moved into my old house and is going to this school?" Irving said.

"Wassup bro, I tried to contact you but my phone was acting stupid I had to get a new one. I know about the new girl I met her the day the moved in her name is Maisha." Marcus said.

"Yes Marcus? Did you call my name?" Maisha asked.

"Oh My God, you scared me! I didn't know you was behind me and yeah I did say your name. My friend asked me did I know that someone moved into his old house. Wait, why didn't you tell me that you was coming to this school? I could've came past your house and walked you here." Marcus said.

" I was busy getting all of those boxes into the house and plus it was way too hot. When I came back out the house after my parents told me I was coming here I looked for you, but I didn't see you anywhere. I wished I would have told you before you left, it took me 30 minutes to find the right school." Maisha said.

"Bro, the bell just went off we got to go find our new home rooms for this year. Wait, never mind I can find it by myself maybe you should help Maisha find her's." Irving said. 

"Yeah, I'm help Maisha find her's. That's if you don't mind?" Marcus said.

"No, I don't mind at all. Come on before I'm late." Maisha said

Marcus looked at her home room and realized he knew exactly where it was located. He grabbed her hand and started running to her home room not caring about anyone in their way. It only took them about three minutes to get to her home room  which was all the way on the other side of the building. When he got there he let go of her hand it opened the door letting her know they had arrived to her home room. She thanked him with a hug and went into the room. 

Now with only two minutes to spare he had to go find his room. He took off again running as fast as he could not noticing that his home room was right next to her's. After running out of time he decided to look at the paper with his room number on it and started to walk to the room. When he got there he finally realized that it was right where he started running from. He felt so stupid for running away from home room, like he was a kid running from a bully. He didn't want to walk in the room because he knew now everybody would be looking at him for being late, but he went in anyway.

When he walked everybody was too busy talking to pay him any attention. He walked to the teacher and told him who he was and then went to any open seat he saw. He was pretty bored in homeroom because he didn't know nobody in there. He wished time would just fly by so he could go to lunch and be with all of his friends again. I guess luck was on his side because ever period before lunch flew by. When he got to lunch he went straight to his old table where all his friends were at.

"Wassup everybody, how was summer?" Marcus asked.

"Aww man, summer was so boring without you guys. My family wanted to travel the world, so I met a lot of people but no one understood my jokes like y'all." Gloria said.

"I don't know about y'all but my summer was awesome. I met this new boy who was visiting my friend brother. I gave him my number, one thing led to another and now were dating. It's only been a couple of days so I don't know if he my forever boy yet." Alyssa said.

"Wassup bro, my summer was regular. I really didn't do anything that fun and nothing bad really happened." Troy said.

"Yo bro, summer was regular for me. I stayed in the house most of the summer it was too hot. I went to the Jason DeRulo concert though, that was pretty fun." Adam said. 

"Sounds like everybody had a different type of summer. My summer was boring, I really didn't do anything." Marcus said.

Marcus and his friends sat there the whole lunch time and talked about how amazing the school year would be now that they're all together again. Even though he was having fun being with his friends again he kept looking around for Maisha. He didn't know if she made any friends and he didn't want her to be alone at lunch. He couldn't find her so he decided to focus on being with his friends until they got kicked out the lunch from by security. He was really happy to be with his friends and really didn't want to back to class, but the security soon came and kicked them out. 

After being kicked out by the security he walked to class very slow almost being too late to enter the class. He entered class and walked to the teacher put his finger over his name and walked to a sit. He was too busy doing his work that he didn't notice him and all his friends had the same class that period. They tried to call him but he headphones in with the music all the way up so he could zone every one out. It was the last period of the day and he really wanted to get out of the school.

When the bell rang he gathered his stuff and started to leave school. He was glad the day was over and that now he could spend the day with his friends. When he reached the school door his friend Alyssa called him from behind.

"Marcus, do you remember the boy I told you I met you in the summer?" Alyssa asked.

"Yeah, what about him?" Marcus asked.

"It turns out that he goes here and he says he knows you." Alyssa said. 

"For real, he goes here? Wait what do you mean he knows me? Marcus asked.

"He said that y'all met last year. Wait, here he comes now.' Alyssa said

Marcus turned around only to see a whole bunch of kids behind him. It could've been any boy in the crowd. He turned around to try to see who she was looking at but as soon as he did a boy zoomed past him and grabbed Alyssa. He automatically thought that must have been the boy she was talking about. Now all he had to do was wait to see the boy's face to see if he really did know him. After hugging for a short minute the boy turned around.

"Wait wait wait, Irving you're dating Alyssa? Alyssa I met Irving last year when he was the boy in school. I was the one who showed him around the school." Marcus said.

"Yeah bro, I met her visiting my friend from old school. I almost didn't go because my back was hurting. I'm actually glad that I did go." Irving said.

"Well, I'm happy for y'all and I wish y'all the best of luck in the future." Marcus said. 

"Bro, I'm technically not supposed to tell you this but somebody you know has a small crush on you." Irving said.

"Who is it? Do I even know talk to her?" Marcus asked.

"Laughing my a*s off, of course you know her.I don't know how much y'all talk but she told me she was looking for you today to tell you herself." Irving said.

"Guys, can you walk and talk? I don't feel like standing here anymore almost everyone is gone." Alyssa asked.

"Sure we can. Where is she at now? Almost every kid walked past us. Did you see her? Marcus said.

"She got picked up early by her mom right after she told me. Marcus watch your step you almost stepped on dog pop." Irving said.

"Thanks man, that would have ruined my white shoes. Anyway this is where I turn to go home. I'm feeling a little bit tired, so I am not chilling with you guys today. Maybe next time bro." Marcus said.

Marcus turned the corner with nothing but questions running through his mind. Who was this girl that Irving was talking about? How long did he know this girl? Could it have been Maisha he was talking about? They barely knew each other so he kept that one in the back of his mind. Now, thanks to Irving he would be thinking about this all day. He wanted to go back to school to find out who she was, so he could see if they could possible have a future together. 

When he got home he arrived to the smell of his favorite food. He had forgot that it was Taco Tuesday and that took the question's straight out of his mind. No more questions were going through his mind, the only thing he was worried about was food. Taco's were his favorite food because of the crunchy taco shells and the fact he could make a mess without anyone saying anything to him. After eating 4 taco's he went up to his room and went straight to sleep.

When he woke up the that morning he was still a little bit stuffed from the taco's. He grabbed his phone from off the charger without even wondering who put it on the charger for him because his mom would always do it if he forgot. He looked at the time and noticed he woke up an hour early so with that hour he decided to play his game to stay awake. He wasn't expecting to go online and see that he had a friend request from Maisha. He didn't even know that she played games or that she knew his gamertag. He accepted her request and then went on to play his game for the hour he had.

When his hour ran out he was a little bit sad. He was having so much fun playing online with people he didn't know and hearing their reaction every time they died. He had even thought about lying to his parents that his stomach was hurting but he knew they wouldn't believe him. He got ready for school the usual way and left his house at the same time he did everyday. He wasn't looking forward to being in class without his friends. 

He got to school and saw that all of his friends were just going in the building. He chased them down and decided to hump on Gloria back when he was close enough. Just as he was about to jump, Troy turned around and screamed watch out. Gloria quickly moved out the way and Marcus landed face first on the floor.

"Are you okay?" Gloria asked.

"No, I'm not okay! I think my nose is broke!" Marcus screamed.

"Bro, get up and go to the nurse to get it checked." Troy said.

"Oh My God, what happened to Marcus?" Maisha asked.

"He tried to jump on my back but I moved out of the way." Gloria said.

"It was too funny. You should've been here to see it Maisha." Adam said.

"Come on Marcus, I'm going to walk you to the nurse." Maisha said.

She picked him up off the ground and helped him walk to the nurse while he kept his head tilted up. As they was walking to the nurse he couldn't help but think was she the girl Irving was talking about. She couldn't have been they barely knew each other and she acts like she already has a boyfriend. Even though he thought otherwise he couldn't help but ask her.

"Thanks for helping me to the nurse." Marcus said.

"No problem." Maisha said.

"Irving told me yesterday that someone likes me do you know she is?" Marcus asked.

"If you think it's me then, no I don't know who it is. I already have a boyfriend and he goes to my old school." Maisha said.

"No, I didn't think it was you actually. I was just wondering did you know who she was?" Marcus said.

" Ohh well, no I don't know who she is. Anyway we're here." Maisha said.

Marcus was happy that they had arrived at the nurse's office. He could now escape the awkward conversation he put himself into and get his nose checked out at the same time. The nurse's office was pretty empty because it was early in the morning and no one usually gets hurt by now. He got checked and found out that he didn't have a broken nose, so off to class he was.

He walked into class and this time all eyes was on him. He automatically knew why they were looking at him. The incident this morning spread faster than he thought it would. he went to his seat and heard one kid say his name.  He felt to ashamed to look to see why the kid had called his name. 

That school day for Marcus was like hell. Everywhere he walked there was eyes on him. He felt like he was a celebrity that everyone hated with a passion. He hoped that when he got home he could just play his game, do his homework, and not be disturbed by anyone.

He arrived him a few minutes after school was over. He went inside and went straight to his room without saying hi to anyone. All he wanted to do was get online and take his anger out on the people online. Just as he was about to get online his phone started to ring. He looked at it and noticed someone was calling but he didn't know the number.

"Hello, who is this?" Marcus asked.

"My name is Addyson and Irving gave me your number. I wasn't sure if I should've have called you or texted you so I called. I hope I didn't call at a wrong time." Addyson said.

"Lol, it's okay. Addyson why did Irving give you my number?" Marcus asked.

"He gave me your number because I seen what happened this morning and I wanted to know was you okay? I seen you in the halls with your head down and I was really worried." Addyson said.

"I'm okay. Why were you worried about me?" Marcus asked.

"Irving never told you?" Addyson asked.

"What was he supposed to tell me? Wait, are you the girl that likes me?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah, it's me. I told him to tell you yesterday but I guess he didn't. I know it's a little bit weird because we don't really know each other or talk at all but that can change. That's only if you want it to though." Addyson said. 

"So I finally know who you are but I still don't know what you look like lol. I guess irving didn't know that he was supposed to tell me. It's not all that weird because all friendships' and relationships start from nothing." Marcus said.

After saying that Marcus turned his game off and decided to give his attention to Addyson. He wanted to get to know this mystery girl some more. He respected the fact that she had the courage to call him and he liked that she was worried about him even though they didn't know each other.

They talked on the phone until Marcus had to eat. When they hung up he felt like he had knew her for a long time. They talked about everything from the time they were born to what they were going to eat that day. Addyson seemed like someone he would want to be in a relationship with. The only thing was that he still didn't know what she looked like. He thought about it the whole time he was eating.

When he got done eating he went back his room surprised nobody asked why was his face red. They must have been in their own little worlds because most of the time the table was quiet. A table of six is almost never quiet but his train of thought was messed up when his phone went off. It was a message from a number he didn't know. It couldn't have been Addyson because he saved her number in his phone, so who was it? He clicked on the message to see this:

"Hi it's Maisha... Gloria gave me your number today after school... I was looking for you to see if you were okay after the fall... Plus I was going to ask did you want to walk me home but I didn't see you... Anyway I wanted to say sorry to you if I sounded rude today... I kind of do like you but since I have a boyfriend I said no"

He read the message confused about a lot of things. Why was everyone just giving out his number now? Did Irving know that Maisha had like him too? Who else did she tell? Is this something she wanted him to keep between them? Not knowing he wrote this back:

"After school I went straight home didn't feel like talking to anyone... I understand why you said no... So it this something that is going to ruin your relationship?? I hope it's not because I know who like's me... But thanks for telling me anyway." 

He sent that message not sure how she would react to after reading it. He really didn't want to stay up to find out, so he started to get ready for bed. As he was getting ready he heard his phone go. He pretended that he didn't hear it and kept doing what he was doing. When he got done he wasn't tired so he played his game until he was and then went to bed without checking his phone.

When he woke up that Thursday morning he was in pain. The pain was coming from his lower back. He didn't think nothing of it because it wasn't like it was the first time it had ever happened. Every time he went to get it checked they would say that he fell asleep in a weird way. He got out of bed and grabbed his phone. Today he actually woke up at the right time. He remembered that his phone had off before he went to sleep so he went to his messages and clicked on the message from Maisha. The message said:

"No it's not going to ruin my relationship... It was just something I had to tell you to get if off of my chest... But you're welcome.. See you tomorrow in school..."

After reading that his phone went off. Marcus wondered who was texting him this early in the morning. He went back to his messages and saw it was a message from Addyson. The message said:

"Good Morning Marcus... I'm glad that we got to talk yesterday... I can't wait to actually talk to you in person.. I hope it goes just as good as it did when we was on the phone... Anyway see you later and be safe coming to school"

Marcus wasn't sure if he wanted to met Addyson anymore. He wasn't sure how Maisha would act when they seen each other. How would she act when Addyson came up to him? He didn't know why he was so worried about how Maisha would act. Was it possible that he liked her too? He thought about it for a second and thought it was no way he liked her.

When he got to school his heart was beating faster than normal. He was so nervous to see what Addyson looked like and was so scared to run into Maisha. He hoped that something had came up and both girls had to stay home, so he could have another day to think this out. He had never been this nervous in his life. As he was standing there waiting for one of the things he wished wouldn't happen today someone called his name. He turned around slowly trying to figure out who it was that had called him before he fully turned around but he couldn't.

"Hi Marcus." The voice said.

"Well here goes nothing. Addyson is that you?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah, I know I might not be what you expected but this is me." Addyson said.

Addyson was a 5'2 Puerto Rican girl who weighed 120 pounds. She had long black hair with red highlights. She had the sweetest voice Marcus had ever heard in his life. She was a very attractive young lady in Marcus's eyes. 

"Don't say that, I love the way you look. Uhmm, excuse me I mean I like the way you look." Marcus said.

"Lol I love the way you look too. I mean I like the way you look too." Addyson said.

"Lol Thanks. Anyway let's get inside so we can talk in a warmer place." Marcus said.

"Your welcome, and okay." Addyson said.

Once again Marcus and Addyson were talking about anything they could possibly think about. They were having so much fun being with each other. Being with Addyson made Marcus forget all about Maisha. Sadly for them their conversation was ended when the first bell of the day went off telling them to go to homeroom. They gave each other a big hug and walked their separate ways.

When Marcus got to homeroom he couldn't help but think of Addyson. He wasn't expecting her to be so perfect. He always said from a young age if he was to fall in love it would be with someone that matched Addyson personality perfect. Was he in love with Addyson already? Could he have possibly falling in love with her at first sight? Did she feel the same way about him?

Those three questions kept going through his head. He never thought about something or someone this long before. Everything about Addyson to him was perfect. He liked the fact that they could talk to each other without there being an awkward moment of silence. He liked that they didn't like the same things so they could get the other one to try new things. He liked that they didn't leave far away from each other so they could always see each other.  

When he got to lunch word had spread to all of his friends that they had met. As soon as he got to the table he was attacked by questions.

"Do you like her?" Irving asked.

"Do you think you would go out with her?" Alyssa asked.

"Is she cute?" Gloria asked.

"Can we meet this mystery girl?" Troy asked.

"Is she someone we would like?" Adam asked. 

"Well, Irving I do kind of like her. Alyssa, I would go out with her at some point. Gloria, if I would date her then yes she is cute. Troy, that's up to to her. Adam, I think y'all would love her." Marcus said.

"That's wassup." Irving said.

"So, you do like me?" Addyson asked.

Marcus didn't know but his friends had set him up. They asked him questions so that Addyson would have enough time to walk up behind him and hear his answer. 

"Oh my God, why does everyone keep doing that? How long were you standing there Addyson?" Marcus asked.

"Long enough to hear every last answer to these questions. Do you like me?" Addyson asked with a curious face.

"Uhmm, Yes." Marcus said blushing.

"I was so scared. I thought you wouldn't like me. I thought you would rather talk to Maisha then me." Addyson said.

"Well you don't have to worry about that she has a boyfriend. Speaking of Maisha has anyone seen her today?" Marcus asked.

Everybody then looked at each other and said "No". Marcus started to get worried wondering if she was in school or not. He reached for his phone in his pocket and went to send her a message. When he got to his messages he noticed he didn't close the message from Maisha. When he looked at it he noticed there was more to the message. He read the rest of the message to see this:

"No it's not going to ruin my relationship... It was just something I had to tell you to get if off of my chest... But you're welcome.. See you tomorrow in school...

I'm lying if I told you that was the truth. I'm not going to see you in school because I'm moving. The moving truck you saw that day was a moving truck to take my things out of the house. I pretended to put the stuff in the house because after seeing you I didn't want to move any more. When you came up to me to say Hey I fell in love with you at first sight. You were just everything I ever wanted in a boy. At first I wasn't sure but now I know that I was in love with you. I wish you the best in the future and I hope you and Addyson last long. Bye Marcus"

After reading that message he took of to Maisha house. He ran as fast as he could hoping he could get there before it was too late. While he was running it hit him. He wasn't in love with Addyson he was in love with Maisha. It was the fact that she had a boyfriend that made him think otherwise. Every block that he ran down he could just feel her slipping out of his hands.

When he got there he saw that the house was emptied. He ran around the house looking for a sign that they just left so he could stop them from fully leaving. He went to the house next door and asked them when did the people next door move out. The old lady at the the door said they moved out late last night. That answer broke Marcus's heart into a million pieces. The only girl he had ever been in love with was nowhere in sight. 

He walked back to school with tears coming down his eyes. When he got there all of his friends were standing outside.

'Why did you run off like that?" Addyson asked.

"Was it something about Maisha?" Troy asked.

"Why are you crying?" Gloria asked.

"She moved away. She was in love with me. I was the only thing keeping her here and I just pushed her away." Marcus said.

"It's okay. You didn't know at the time. You were just doing what was best for you." Adam said.

"It's not okay. She probably broke up with her boyfriend because of me." Marcus said.

"If she did, don't take it out on yourself. She knew you didn't know at the time." Alyssa said.

"Irving, I think you should tell him." Troy said.

"Tell me what?" Marcus asked.

"She told me yesterday in school how she felt about you. She made me promise not to tell you, but I didn't know she was moving. She made me promise because she knew about Addyson and she thought y'all would be cute together. I'm sorry bro" Irving said.

"Why would you keep that from me regardless of a promise? I thought we was supposed to be boys! I guess we not then, just stay away from me." Marcus said

To be continued....