I was walking around the neighborhood when a dog suddenly started sniffing me. I tried to shoo it away but then it just barks at me. For a moment I thought it would bite me but then Avery ran towards me and picked the dog up.

"I'm sorry. She ran off while we were walking around," he apologizes, scratching the back of his neck with his other hand and carrying the little dog with his other.

"Is that your dog?" I ask the most obvious question.

"Wow, you're actually talking with me," he says and laughs. I ignore this and was about to walk away but he stops me. "Can we talk for a little while?"

"About what?" I say and his face becomes serious.

"Come with me," he says and I follow him to wherever he would take me. When I realized that we arrived at the old playground Chelsea used to hang around, I stop walking.

"I think I better go home," I tell him and turn to my heel right away.

"Please, just hear me out," he pleads. I turn around to face him as he places the dog down on the ground, gripping on its leash. I nod and walk towards him. He sits on one of the swings and beckons me to sit on the one beside it.

"What is it?" I say, my voice sounding impatient.

"Can you please tell me what really happened?" he asks, his voice cool but I can feel the tension.

"What happened with what?" I say even though I knew right away what he was referring to.

"What happened that day with Chelsea," he replies and I just look at him with a blank face. How can he even ask me to tell him such thing? How did he even muster up the courage to ask me?

"I'm sorry, I don't think I'd like to," I say and stand up to leave. For a moment I thought he won't stop me but then he suddenly stood up and hugged me from behind with one of his arms.

"Please, Amy," he begs, his breath just right at my ear. "Just, please," he repeats, whispering straight to my ear.

I remove his arm away and face him, my whole-body trembling. I feel like my insides are being squeezed, I feel like my lungs are about to burst.

"Let's sit down, shall we?" he says as he escorts me to sit on the swings once again. "Take your time, I'll listen," he adds.

"It was an accident," I start, looking to the dried-up soil. It hasn't rained ever since summer. I grip the rusty chains of the swing as I try my best to hold back my tears. "We were in summer vacation," I continue. My voice cracks ever so slightly but I'm pretty sure he didn't miss it because he offers me a bottle of water, he was holding on to since earlier. I shake my head to decline.

"By the way, I've always wanted to talk to you ever since we started dating, Chelsea and I," he butts in before I can say anything else. I raise my eyes from the ground to meet his. He still looks the same but his features are more defined now.

"Wh-why didn't y-you?" I ask before I even realized what I said.

"Because I was in love with you ever since we were little, Amelia," he says without hesitation. "I went straight to Chelsea that time because I wanted you to become jealous."

I stare at him with disbelief. I can't seem to process whatever he's saying.

"I saw how surprised you were but you didn't do anything. That's when I stepped up the game a bit," he continues as he stops looking at me and instead looks far away.

"What are you t-talking a-about?" I stammer, my mind confused with every single word that he's uttering.

"It has always been you, Amelia," he says and looks back at me again. "Chelsea was just your sister. She looked like you but she wasn't you. I wanted you not her," he emphasizes.

"S-stop it," I say, my whole head spinning. "H-how d-dare you play with my sister's heart," I accuse and stand up to leave. "I no longer want to see your face."

I tried to run away but he grabs my hand and when I try to pull away, he tightens his grip on me.

"Let go of me," I order him but he doesn't. "Don't touch me, you asshole!" I yell at him but he doesn't flinch at all.

"Just hear me out, Amy," he says, his voice still soft and calm. "Hear what I have to say."

"There's nothing left to hear!" I shout even more, hitting his hand that was around my wrist.

"Amy, I have a lot to tell you," he presses even further.

"I don't want to hear anything else from your damn mouth, Avery! Don't blame me for rejecting you when we were in middle school, you're definitely not worth it at all! I can't believe that my sister wasted her heart on you!" I ramble as I struggle to let go of his grip. His dog starts to bark at me. Suddenly, he lets go of my wrist and I end up losing my balance.

To my surprise, I didn't fall to the ground, I felt someone sturdy behind me. The person grabs me by the side of my arms and helps me stand up. I turn around to see who it was. It was someone I wasn't familiar with.

"I'm sorry," I mumble and he flashes me a smile. It's a guy. He's about six-foot-tall, his hair was dark and shaggy, and his eyes were the most captivating feature he has.

"Are you fine?" he asks, looking from me to Avery. "Avery? What are you doing to the young woman?" he speaks to Avery. Avery stands up and picks up the little dog.

"It's none of your business, Cole," he mutters under his breath and hits him slightly on the shoulder as he passes him and walks away. He leaves without saying anything else.

"Are you fine, miss?" the guy says and I can't help but stare at his eyes. I nod slowly and swallow. He brushes his messy hair away from his face and sticks out his hand. "My name's Cole, Cole Beckett," he introduces. I take his hand before I can say my name.

"Amelia," I simply say and he smiles once again.

"What a pretty name," he comments and I pull my hand away. I hide my face with my hair and look away. "This is my first time seeing you. Do you live around here?" he asks and I nod. "How come I don't see you at school?" he adds, trying to examine my face.

"I'm not going to school yet," I answer meekly.

"Huh? Why not?" he says and I brush a strand of my hair behind my ear before facing him again. My eyes meet his and I feel like my whole soul is getting sucked inside his ocean eyes.

"Personal reasons," I answer. He nods at this and stares back at me. When I can no longer bear it, I look away once again.

"Will you go to Gilbert High, though?" he asks.

"Yes," I say, clearing my throat.

"I guess I'll see you soon again, then?" he says, his voice sounding so cheerful. I give him surprised eyes and he just laughs. "What are you so surprised about? It's one of the best schools around here and my mom really wants quality," he tells me.

"I was supposed to go at Harrison," I say.

"Oh, why did you decide to transfer?" he asks.

"My sister forced me," I reply shortly.

"You have a sister? Older or younger?" he says and I don't even know what to tell him.

"We're twins actually," I say and he gasps.

"I'd love to meet her!" he exclaims and my whole-body freezes. "Will she be going to school the same time you will?" he asks. I can clearly sense the excitement in his voice.

"I'm afraid not," I say, looking to the ground.

"Why not?" he asks, the excitement in his voice fading.

"It's complicated," I say and he suddenly places both of his hands on my shoulders.

"Hey, if you have any problems, feel free to reach out to me," he softly says with an assuring tone. "I may be just some stranger but I'll definitely listen to you," he adds as he squeezes my shoulders slightly.

"T-thank y-you," I say very softly I feel like he didn't hear me at all. He removes his hands on me and keeps silent for a while. "I better go," I tell him without bothering to raise my face and look at him.

"Sure," he says as I start to walk away. "See you soon, Amelia," he managed to say before I can leave entirely. "I hope I could meet your sister as well."