When I was only five years old I moved to a small town surrounded by farmland not far from the coast. It was a huge change from the city lights, but I was so young it didn't bother me. On my very first day in my new home I met Archie and it was a day I would never be able to forget.

The doorbell buzzed and I wandered the house when my mother abruptly called my name. I followed the sound of her voice and there in the doorway stood a boy around my age. He wore a pastel blue collared shirt. His shoe laces were neatly tied and his brown hair was combed back to perfection.

"Kadia, these are our neighbors from next door, Marcella and her son Archer. They made us some brownies to eat after dinner, why don't you show Archer the backyard and go play for a bit while we have some grown up talk." So, that's exactly what we did.

"Wowwww," Archie says looking full of amazement, "that's a nice swing set!"

"Thanks, my daddy got it for me."

"Where is your daddy?" He asks looking around wondering why he hadn't seen him around the house.

"Mom says he is away on biziness," I tell him.

"What kind of biz-I-ness?"

"I don't know, maybe he is a se-cer-et spy!"

"Wow your daddy's job sounds way cooler than mine!" Archie exclaimed.

"What does your daddy do, Arch-er."

"My daddy sells cars."

"Can I call you Arch-ie?"

"Sure."

"Okay, we should swing now," he says as we race to the swings and thus began the beginning of a beautiful newfound friendship.

And since that day, Archer has been with me through it all.

Our first day of high school freshman was unbelievable. It bookmarked one of the best and worst days of our lives. We felt unstoppable. We didn't have every class together but we would meet up in between for all the details about each other's classes, teachers and classmates making sure not to spare any of the boring stuff.

Archie came home with me that day so we could work on our homework together, but when I walked in there were men in suits standing in my living room and my mother was wiping away fresh tears. It was in this moment that my life would forever change.

"Kadia, your father has been confirmed missing in action," tears began to stream down my face. I couldn't hold them in no matter how hard I tried to keep a collected front.

That was the first time Archie spent the night alone in my bedroom. He listened to my whimpers and just understood. I fell asleep on his chest crying that night as he massaged my back and ran his fingers through my hair. I skipped school for awhile after that. I only managed to keep caught up because Archie collected all my work from teachers so I wouldn't get behind.

Three months later, we attended a funeral with an empty casket. They ruled him dead, assumed captured by enemies and blown up in a building full of evidence. I listened to people talk about how great my father was, as if they knew. They may have known him, but they sure as hell didn't know the man I grew up with. I missed him all the time while he was departed and when he would come home I never wanted him to leave.

"Somebody's got to do it sweetie," I remember his voice. I just wish it didn't have to be him. Why was it him?

The night of my fathers funeral I decided I needed to get my mind off of things. I dealt with grieving a lot different than most people, some could say in unhealthy ways. So, Archie and I did what most teenagers do when they're all out of options for coping. We went to a party, the first of many actually. We were accompanied by Archer's older brother Daniel, the running back of their football team who was a junior at the time.

Archer and I were on a slippery slope. I was taking shots of anything that I put my hands on, we were smoking weed, dancing, throwing up and rallying. We were having a great time besides the vomiting factor to it all. We even shared each other's first kiss, and even though it should have been, it wasn't awkward. I can't imagine my first kiss being with anyone but him. At least it was with someone who I loved and cared about, even if it wasn't the type of love you would expect your first kiss to be with. it was safe comforting and forever a part of my memories.

Eventually, I came to terms with my fathers death and that I was never going to see him again. It was a struggle but I had a great support system.

The thing about having Archie as a best friend was that he liked to embarrass me, he also threatened to kick my ass when I was too shy to ask the guy I've had a crush on since the fifth grade out.

Aiden. Aiden had chocolate colored hair and blue eyes that had you dreaming of the sea and sometimes I found myself drowning in them.

It was February three days before Sadie Hawkins (a formal dance where the girls ask the guys). Archie had finally hyped me up enough to go in for the kill. I was no longer going to hold back. I, myself was proud of my efforts. Aiden was on the baseball team. Before a game I sat in the dugout waiting for the players to pile in and when they did I stood there smiling with complete confidence, although, it took a shot of tequila to do so. My poster said, "I'm stepping up to the plate... will you be my Sadies date?"

Aiden said yes and for the next three days I felt like I was on top of the world. There was no better high.

The night of Sadie's I waited and waited at my house and he never showed. So, I decided to go alone, not wanting to miss out on the fun or to ruin Archie's date. While, I was there standing in the corner I saw him. There he was locking lips with another girl. Hoping the tears wouldn't start streaming down my face I quickly found the punch bowl. I hoped for my sake it was spiked heavily and I began downing cup after cup.

"Hey, slow down killer!" Daniel's voice comes up behind me laughing and snatching the plastic cup out of my hand. Daniel always thought of me as a little sister. He took a good glimpse at me, "What's wrong?" His lip curling upwards getting himself upset, and I could tell he was getting ready to knock someone's lights out.

I wasn't sure if it was the punch to my heart or the liquid punch filled, but I word vomited everything to him from asking Aiden to be my date, to being stood up and him being here sucking faces with no-one other than Lacie Cavanaugh.

"I just don't understand," another tear trickled down my face; thank goodness for waterproof makeup, "Why would he say yes and then stand me up to make out with some other girl?"

He looked at me tightening his fists and clenching his jaw, "I'll be right back."

Before I could reply he turned around in full stride towards his target and gave Aiden a swift fist to the right cheek.

"Bro! What the hell was that for?" Aiden yelled looking confused as ever.

"Ohhh... nothing, I just decided that since you want to act like a tool bag you should look like one too," Daniel explained.

That's when Aiden's horror struck face found mine in the crowd, but I couldn't take his glare. So, I ran. I ran out of the dance and into the parking lot. I didn't know where I planned on going, but I didn't want to stop running. I wanted to flee away from the dance or better yet—existence.

"Kadia!" Part of me hoped that was Aiden coming after me with something to say, but I knew shit like that only came in fairytales and I was not Cinderella leaving the ball early.

"Kadia wait up!" Daniel yells running to catch up to me.

"What?" I say throwing my hands in the air breathing slightly heavy.

"Let me take you home Kadia," he says placing his hand on my shoulder.

"I don't want to go home Daniel!" I yelled.

"Okay, calm down, breathe and tell me where you want to go. We can do whatever you want."

"What about the dance?" I ask him, surely there's a date wondering where he is.

"Fuck that dance. I came stag anyways."

So, we drove around on his motor cycle and found ourselves completely hammered down along the beach. Everything between us was always innocent until that night. What was just banter and name calling would surely turn into something a little screwed up. We undressed and ran into the water. It was my first time skinny dipping, but that's not the only first that the night consisted of.

When we got out of the water we lie on the beach just laughing. It was a movie perfect scene. I don't know why but something came over me and I kissed him. I pulled away as fast as it happened, "I'm so sorry! That was stuuu-" maybe it was the liquor in his system but before I could finish what I was saying he grabbed me by the back of my neck and pulled me back in deepening the kiss. Our tongues were dancing the tango until we pulled away breathing hard, but left flustered-wanting more.

Daniel left a trail of kisses from my neck to just below my belly button, he looked up for approval and even though I knew it was wrong I said nothing, because part of me wanted it. So, he continued.

I awoke the next day from the sounds of birds chirping and crisp waves crashing. Daniel looked at me and I think he knew all too well that we screwed up. I felt sick to my stomach. He apologized nearly fifty times. He kept saying thar he took advantage of me, but I just kept saying "I'm fine," I truly was. He didn't hurt me.

"Archie cannot find out about this Daniel."

"I know," he breathed.

On the way to drop me off he stopped at a local pharmacy.

"What are we doing here?" I wondered.

"We're getting plan B."

"Why?" Obviously me being inexperienced didn't know.

"I want to be safe I know neither of us want a child right now and I was so drunk I doubt we used protection. You can stay here if you want."

"Have you done this before?"

"Once or twice," he says sounding not proud of his past decisions.

When he dropped me off he handed me the bag that contained the pill.

"How do I use it?" I embarrassingly asked.

"Uh, I'm not quite sure, there should be instructions," he awkwardly ran his fingers through his tossed messy hair.

I just nodded.

He dropped me off in front of my house and I stood on the porch replaying the night's events before heading inside to continue my life as if none of it ever happened.

And that's the story of how I lost my virginity to my best friends brother. It's romantic isn't it?

An: new story

4/17| An: I don't know why I unpublished this story. I actually like it a lot. So, here it is again.
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