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Welcome to the story, Nate! i gotta say Nate is one of my favorite characters, I'd feel like I'd absolutley love him if he were a real person. I'd see him like Liz first, obviously ( a little sketchy stalker like). But, not everyone can make great firs

 It was around 12:30, after lunch, and Gabby and I were a few steps away from Lighthouse Book Shoppe. I was smacking on some sugar free gum, and wore my hair down. It was fairly cool today, so it didn't stick to the back of my neck as it would.

 

        “Can I have some gum, Liz?” Gabby whined. I said No, since the last time I have her gum she swallowed it, and didn’t hear the end of it from mom.

The bell twinkled as we stepped in, just the way we left it, except for Carol wasn’t behind the register, Lia was.

 

           “Liz!” She waved me over, smiling.

 

“Hey,” I said, and pushed Gabby toward the kid’s section.

 

     “Do you bring her everywhere you go?” Lia joked. I was going to answer, but Carol came charging through from the back room, carrying a load of books. She looked at me.

 

  “Liz, right?” I nodded. She shoved the books in my hands.

      

  “Make yourself useful around here. Stock these over there in the history section.”

 

      “Easy Carol,” Lia began. “If you wouldn’t mind Liz. We just got these books in today.

 

      “Oh, no problem.” I said to Lia, leaving Carol scowling.

 

 

I could still see Gabby from the history section through the rows of books, and made sure it stayed that way. I had to admit, I didn’t quite know what I was doing. I was sure I was supposed to put them in alphabetical order or something, but the first few I placed on the shelf I put where convenient for me, in the bug gap to my right. Trying to find the two books that I had misplaced, I heard the door twinkle and a “Welcome!” from Lia. I hope I didn’t have to help anyone, because I barley know the Dewy Decimal System. Carol came behind me, and plopped a big box of more books for me to stock my feet, and walked away. I didn't know what her problem toward me was, other than the fact that I have to breathe her air as long as I'm volenteering here. I took a while to view the other customers while I had the chance. A long haired guy was sitting infront of the unlit fireplace contently absorbed in a comic book, eyes thrillingly widening every now and then, and then flipping the page over. Another girl was in the young adult section, which was the isle right across from me, inspecting the spines of the books before picking one out, and when she did, I noticed, she pulled out a book entitled The Truth About Forever. I was looking too closley at this, and noticed I wasn't stocking at all anymore, just looking around at the other customers.

 

I should be getting paid for this. I thought. I checked over at Gabby, to see her playing with the Beanie Babies, and then I suddenly didn’t see her anymore. Someone was standing in the way. He was looking over the books, at me.

 

 

        “Can I help you?” I thought would be the best thing to say at the moment, but it sounded weird coming out.  

 

 

      “No, I’m fine. Thank you, though.” He was around 19, I guessed, tall with brown hair and bright blue eyes. He was cute and all, but he was seriously in my way. I couldn’t see Gabriella. And there he stood, looking at me stock. Creep.

I was holding up a book, prepared to put it away, when I asked, “Are you sure?” With a little edge to my voice.

 

 

        “You know actually…” He walked over to my side, and took the book from my hand. I instantly looked to Gabby, who was exactly where I last saw her.

 

    “I’d like to buy this book.” Since the Beginning of Time, he picked. Cavemen. Ugga Ugga.

 

        “Oh,” I could actually help him out with that. I pointed to Lia. “Up there. She'll ring it up.”

 

  I returned to my book sorting, but he didn’t leave. Oh God, what’s his deal?

 

    “You need help?” He said, seeing me clumsily fumble with a book about Marie Antoinette.

 

         “No. I’m fine.” I said stiffly, there he stood still, silent. “You okay Gabby?” I yelled over to her. She gave me the A-Ok thumbs up.

 

        “She yours?” He asked, standing next to me, peering over at her. Jerk. Do I look like a mother?

 

        “Why do people keep asking me that?” I say, but don’t look at him.

 

        “Sorry, just asking.” He backed away from where he was, but still stood there in the isle.

God, weirdo. I turned around, and raised my eyebrows, as if saying, What the hell is your problem?

 

        “I’m Nate.” He said, and reached out a hand. I didn’t shake it, but instead remained looking at him. He put it down.

 

        “Yeah, I probably seem a bit sketchy I guess.” He scratched the back of his head and stretched his arms. I looked over at Lia, who was sipping coffee, staring over at the two of us, andCarol, who was peering from behind a magazine. So I guess I was the only one working here?

 

        “Yeah, a bit.” I continued on my book stocking, to see Gabby wasn’t there anymore, she was standing to my left. She seemed to be crying.

 

        “What’s wrong?” I said, and knelt down to her. She held up her finger, which appeared to be bleeding.

 

      “Aw, we’ll see if we could get a band-aid for that. What was it, a paper cut?”

 

  I held her finger up to me, to see a small scratch near her nail.

 

          “I hate paper cuts.” Nate interjected. “It’s the little things that hurt the most.”

 

  He pulled out his wallet from his pocket, and pulled out a band-aid.

 

          “May I?” He asked. I nodded. He knelt right next to me, close enough to share a close view of her finger, which was pretty close. He slowly wrapped the bandage around her finger.  

 

        “There you go. Good as new!”

 

I stood up, wishing he didn’t sit right next to me.

 

       “I saw you this morning...” Gabby said. I turned around to look at her, then at Nate.  “This morning,” she said again. “You were at the Radley house.”

 

       “I just moved in.” He said, before I could ask Gabby anything.

 

Oh great. He’s our neighbor. Great.

 

          “You know...” He quietly said, still kneeling in front of her. “Some say that that house is haunted!” Gabby widened her eyes.  

 

       “But I don’t believe that. Just very sticky walls. That’s all.” She giggled, and he stood up.

I realized I was done with the books, thank god. I walked back up to the front counter to ask Lia what I should do next. 

 

      “What you should do next,” She whispered, “Is give that guy some slack. He’s being totally nice!” She glanced over my shoulder for a bit, and returned to me.  “Your off. Come back tomorrow if you can.”

 

  I was off? So soon? It was only half past one. Gabby and Nate were still talking by the time I came back over there.

 

        “Okay Gabby, time to go.” I said, putting my hands in my pockets.

 

          “But Lizzie!”

 

        “Gabby, come on!” I grabbed her hand.   

 

       “Can you buy me a beanie baby?” She screeched.

 

        “Sorry, I don’t have money with me this time.”

 

 We still weren’t out of the history section, and Nate was watching us.

 

        “I’ll pay for it.” He said, and reached for his pocket.

 

        “No.” Totally unnecessary. “Thank you.”

 

        “But he said-“

 

        “Gabby, it’s rude. Lets go!” I lurched her forward.

 

        “Nate! Can you walk with us?” She yelled.

 

She liked to get attached to people, and get extremely disappointed when they let her down. I was like that once, then learned it was a nasty habit that can only lead to getting hurt. He looked over at me, and shrugged his shoulders.

 

        “Please?” She whined.

 

     “Sure.” I said reluctantly, and moved along, leaving Nate trailing behind us.

 

        “See you, Lia!” I said goodbye, almost forgetting her.  

 

       “So,” Nate said, as we were walking off the sidewalk to cross the street. “I still don’t know your name.”  

 

       “Her name is Liz!” Gabby shouted. “Short for Elizabeth!”

 

  He seemed to be thinking it over for a bit, and said, “That’s really nice.” I looked over at him, who was staring out to ‘wherever’ and he caught my eye with his.

 

         “Liz!” Gabby yelled, and I looked away. “Natie should come over to play tomorrow!”

 

She would always give everyone these cute little nicknames by putting ‘ie’ at the end of them.

 

         “Gabby I’m sure that-“

 

        “I’d love to.” He answered. Ok, a bit odd.

 

        “Yay, Natie!” Gabby skipped along ahead of us, and I remained quiet.

 

        “Well you’re a chatterbox.” He said sarcastically.   

 

       “Don’t have much to say.”  

 

       “That’s not true. Everyone has got something to say.” He smiled, and looked over to Gabby.  

 

       “Sorry about her.” I apologized. “She’s a bit lonely lately…”

 

        “No biggie.” He kicked a pebble. “She’s so cute.”

 

We walked on a bit, making sure Gabby didn’t walk out into the streets.   

 

     “You really don’t have to come. You probably have a life, something better to do. I’m sure you don’t want to spend your summer with a five year old.” I said under my breath. I didn’t want Gabby to hear. He looked at me skeptically.

 

“You don’t want me to.”

 

 Haha. True, but not why I was saying it. But, there may have been some underlying points in what I was saying.

 

        “So you don’t have a life?” Is what I ended up saying.

 

        “Now, now.” He said and motioned with his hands. “I didn’t say that. Just not so busy tomorrow.” He took a pause, and Gabby stumbled over a crack.

 

        “Plus, better to meet your family early!”

 

        “Early? What-“ I spluttered, but he was backing into his driveway, waving.

 

        “Bye!” Gabriella said. “And don’t forger about tomorrow! We’re the blue house!”

 

 I heard him laugh as he was pacing back into his house. I didn’t know him, but I hated him. I had this feeling about that guy, like, why would he want to hang out with a five year old? It was creepy, and he lives next door. Gabby would make it severley hard for me to avoid him.

 

        God. I had to go back to that store.

 

       “Liz! Over here!”

 

  Deb came running out of her house, tanner than yesterday if possible. I suddenly had a flash back, when she ran towards me. It was when we were both twelve, about five years ago, on the fourth of July. We wore matching outfits, exactly, down to the red, white, and blue toenails to the braids in our hair. We were so alike back then; staying away from the same food, shopped at the same stores, and hated boys. She got over all these points, however. But me, I stayed the same. I was finicky, yes, even more so than a spoiled cat, and about anything. Even in short summers you could really get to know someone, and love someone, like Deb. It was sad, pathetic would be the better word, that I haven’t grown up. I was like Peter Pan, except there will never be a Neverland in which I could hide myself, and forever be a foolish child. But yet, I felt like an old woman in some ways. Seeing my friends grow up made me sad, in a way that we were no longer alike. We were no longer children that were so easily pleased by one another, or worried about what other people think.

 

Deb had become very popular after we were thirteen, much like Mitch, where she grew more attractive, and she grew her curves and and the braces came off. I, however, stayed where and how I was. I was always a bit uneasy around her after her burst of popularity around town. Everyone seemed to know her. We couldn’t go anywhere without her bumping into two or three people that she knew. She was still Deb, though, still my summer pal, and she never treated me any different than she always had.

 

        “He was hot!” She said when she reached me. I made a face.

 

          “You can have him.” She could if she wanted. She had the looks, I meant.

 

        “Adam!” Deb reminded me. “And anyway,” She continued, smiling. “He seemed to like you.”

 

        “He’s just messing with me. And plus, we met like an hour ago!” I said.

 

        “Where?” She said, and flipped her hair around her shoulders over her sunkissed tan.

  

        “At the book store. Isn’t that perfect?” I said sarcastically. “Now he knows what I do during the day. And also,” I continued, looking at Gabby sit in the grass. “My little sister invited him over tomorrow, so he knows where I live. I tell you, this kid is insane.”

 

        “Insanely hot…” She chuckled, and picked up a dandelion. “You just need to open up to people!” She said.

 

        “It’s not about opening up! Its about being weirded out by this guy, who pops out of nowhere in the book store, suddenly fascinated in Gabriella, which may I say is creepy enough in it self, and agreed to a play date with her! I think you’d be sketchy on this guy too.” Saying it again made me even uneasier. She was taking this in.

 

“Maybe he is a creep. Or maybe…”

 

         “No! Don’t try to turn this into something about me! Not every situation has to be a stupid love story!”

 

       “No, that’s true.” Deb said. “But this one can.”

 

  I finished up talking to Deb, still arguing my point to the last minute. The only thing about Deb that I didn’t admire was her sense of reality. It didn’t exist. She believes that anything could turn out to be a fairy tale, a happy ending, a romantic journey. Just because it has for her, doesn’t mean others are that lucky. No, lucky wouldn’t be the word. If everything turned out like this for someone, they would turn arrogant, unaware of reality. Deb wasn’t stupid, her head was just a bit up in the clouds. She didn’t believe in sad endings. Sure, she had them, but to her, they were new beginnings.

 

This summer I needed to give her a reality check, and I myself, being exhibit A. I was laying down in my room, still bothered by what she said and her method of thinking. I looked out the window, and saw her on her porch swing, swaying back and forth. There must be something in her life that turned rotten. Something that triggers her to be positive all the time, besides the pure fact that her life has been perfect all along. Or maybe that was it. Maybe she just doesn’t have a reason to be like me. She’s never gotten extremley disapointed over anything really, left behind, or had any reason to distrust anyone. That was the thing. Trust. I don’t trust easily. Only because I’ve had a lot of friends in high school, and a lot of them can turn on you like you wouldn’t believe. Do things that can hurt, just to get themselves higher on the food chain. I shook these thoughts out of my mind. Not now.

        Nate must have thought I could trust him, right off the bat, easy peasy. Boy was he wrong.