Chapter-One

     Leo Delaney stood on the bank of the large pond. The water was still, and the sky was

bluer than powerade. His best friend, Randy Zachary, reached in front of him to pick up

a small stone.

"Have you ever kissed a girl?" Randy asked

Leo blushed. "How do you mean kissed?"

"On the lips." Randy answered.

The boys were skipping rocks less than a mile from town.

Leo didn't respond.

"Surely you kissed at least one " Randy implied hesitantly.

     

     The pond had a creek that ran off of it and led all the way into the small town of

Milford, Pennsylvania. There was a heron on the other end of the pond fishing for

breakfast.

     The area was alive and thriving with the small critters of the land. Leo

pretended to be distracted by their movement in order to evade the awkward question,

but he knew that Randy was not going to let up until he was satisfied with Leo's answer.

Leo shrugged his shoulders. "Sure I have. What's the biggie?"

Randy was not so sure that Leo was being completely honest with him, and started to chuckle.

"What's so funny about kissing a girl?" Leo asked shyly.

"Oh! Just the fact that you haven't." Randy nudged Leo on the shoulder causing him to slightly lose balance.

“So what is it like then?” Leo asked.

“Have you ever had a pie shoved in your face?

“Not that I can remember.” Leo laughed.

“Well, it's like that, but without the sweet cherry taste.”

“Yuck!”

“Have you ever tried to kiss a girl?”

“You ask alot of questions Randy.”

Randy picked up a large rock and threw it as far as he could into the pond, chasing

the heron away.

*

      In his twelve years Leo had never done anything to purposely make an animal feel

threatened or scared. It just was not in his nature. He knew first hand what it was like

to be scared when his father had lived with them.

Leo sat down on the rocky soil that crested the pond and looked up at Randy.

“What did you do that for anyway? That heron wasn't hurtin' nothing.”

Randy continued to toss small rocks into the pond without focusing his attention onto Leo.

“Why are you acting like such a sissy?”

Leo stood up and said, “Don't call me that!”

“Why?”

Leo displayed a puzzled expression.

“I don't like it, that's why!”

“You know I'm just messing with you Leo.”

Randy turned towards Leo with an arrowhead in his hand.

“Look at this Leo?”

“Leo stepped forward so that he could get a better look.

“That's really cool!”

“Do you think it was ever used to kill anything?”

Leo stepped away in shock.

“What?”

“Do you think this arrowhead was ever used to...”

“I heard you Randy, I'm just wondering where your mind goes sometimes.”

“I wonder that myself.” Randy said.

Leo glanced down at his wristwatch.

“I've gotta head back, you coming over after lunch?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Randy hung is head down sadly.

Leo turned back towards him and said, “Unless you want to come to my house for

lunch.”

Randy couldn't remember the last time Leo invited him over for a meal. He didn't

know why he hadn't invited him for so long, but he wasn't going to question him about

it either.

“Hey, do you want this?” Randy asked.

“Want what?”

“The arrowhead Leo!”

“Yeah, but don't you want it?”

“Okay, nevermind then.”

“No, I want it!”

Randy handed Leo the arrowhead and said, “You're ridiculous Leo.”

“Why am I ridiculous?”

“Can't make up your mind, like a woman.”

“Jeez!” Leo rolled his eyes and said, you're just full of compliments today, aren't you?”

“So what about Amanda?” Randy asked.

“Amanda?”

“Yeah, she seems to have the hotts for you.”

“Huh, no!”

“Yeah she does, she's always smiling when she looks at you.”

“I never noticed.”

*

      Leo strolled along the alley that led across town. He didn't seem very interested in

getting a girl for no other reason other than a first kiss. Besides, Amanda was probably

smiling in laughter. Why would she want to kiss a freckled faced redhead like Leo?

      Leo squinted as he looked up into the early noon sun. It was almost painful on his

light-colored eyes. Sometimes he felt as if here were defected. He wasn't athletic like a

boy should be. He spent much of his time occupying the artist's easel that his mother

gave him years ago.

      He never wished to be anything other than what he is. He did wish his father would

accept him for it, but lately he couldn't care less. The man barely has any contact with

him anyway. He recently decided that he wasn't going to waste his love on a man that

didn't seem to care if he existed.

      He has many times confronted his father in his mind. He says, I know you don't want

me and you never did, but someday I'll make you proud. Someday I'll be more

successful than you'll ever be, and you're gonna need me, but I won't be there. Oh, and

by the way, I'm not afraid of you anymore. I'm not afraid of anything.

Randy interupted his thoughts.

“Would you kiss Amanda if you could?”

“No!”

“No?”

“I don't like her that way.”

“Well, who do you like then?”

“Nobody.”

“You're lying!”

“Why would I lie about that?”

“Cause you don't want to tell me?”

“You're right!”

Randy walked quietly for a moment in deep thought.

“Ooooh, I know who it is!”

Leo turned toward Randy and attempted to change the subject.

“Who did you kiss anyway?”

“Julia Vandermark.”

“What a lie,” Leo said.

Randy stepped in front of Leo, his shadow towering over his thin frame.

“Don't believe me?”

“No, I don't!”

“Well, I did, and but then she got mad because I didn't want to be her boyfriend.”

“Even if you did kiss her, it was probably the other way around.”

“Oh, I kissed her alright.”

“When?”

“Last Friday.”

“Where?”

Jeepers Leo, at the movie theater. Do you want to know how and why too?”

“Actually, that was my next question.”

Randy shook his head.

“You're such a nerd Leo.”

“I know I am, but I still don't believe you.”

“You don't have to, only Julia and I know the truth.”

“No, now I know too.”

“See, you must believe me then.”

“Nope, but I wonder if Julia knows that she kissed you.”

“Why don't you believe me?”

“Julia Vandermark is one of the most popular girls in school.”

“So now she's too good for me?”

“I'm just saying, cheerleaders don't go around kissing rebels.”

“Why would I tell you I did if I didn't?”

Leo rolled his eyes and sighed. “I believe you kissed a girl, but it wasn't Julia. You don't

want to tell me who it was.”

“I think you're just jealous.”

Leo laughed. “Jealous that you supposedly kissed Julia, or jealous that you kissed a girl,

period?”

“Jealous that I kissed Julia.”

“I can't be jealous of something that never happened.”

“We've been friends since kindergarden Leo. When have I ever lied to you.”

“It's alright, I know you're just trying to protect your reputation.”

     Leo walked ahead of Randy expecting a sly comeback, but after a few moments of

silence he turned back towards Randy.

Randy stood motionless ten feet behind him. His eyes appeared to be glazed over in

thoughts that ran deeper than the sea.

“Randy!” Leo ran up to his friend. “Are you okay?”

Randy seemed to be shaken back into awareness once Leo got close to him. He looked

down at Leo without saying a word.

“Randy! Can you hear me?”

“Yeah! I hear you! You don't need to shout.”

Leo couldn't tell if Randy was playing a joke on him, but either way, something wasn't

right.