As I step, out of my moms car, she asks for a kiss.
"Gross." A distant expression passes my moms face.
"Oh right. Your too old for that, yeah?" I nod quickly walking away and to Elizabeth's front door. I turn around to see her waving from the car. I roll my eyes and turn back to the door. After a couple seconds I hear her drive away. I arrive at the doorstep and use the door knocker to knock obnoxiously loud.
"Yes?" A woman looking in her late 40s opens the door.
"Im Zac, Elizabeth's friend." The lady's face lights up.
"Come in, come in!" She says enthusiastically. "I'll get Elizabeth!" I walk in the house behind her. It doesn't have a lot of furniture, and doesn't seem very homey. "Elizabeth!!! Come down and meet your guest!!!" The lady yells, a bit less friendly than she was with me.
"Coming Mamum." I hear a voice. Elizabeth comes down the stairs in long pajama pants and a band t-shirt.
"Elizabeth!!! Go change into something presentable!" All friendliness is out of the woman's voice and she looks at Elizabeth coldly, disapproval showing strongly upon her face.
"Mum this is presentable.  It shows less skin than the clothes you call presentable anyways. Do you want me to show a boy more skin?" Elizabeth is smirking, but her eyes are void of emotion. I shiver. Elizabeth's mom now looks furious.
"Do whatever you want." Elizabeth's mom stalks away. "Sorry about her." The lady smiles at me, ignoring her daughter.
"What do you mean?"
"Well you have to work on this project with her." With that Elizabeth's mom disappears from view. I glance at Elizabeth, my jaw dropping. I only see sadness and hurt in her eyes. As quickly as I saw it, its gone again, masked again by an expressionless face.
"Let's go outside." Elizabeth leads the way. I follow not knowing what to do. She arrives at a tree with a swing on it.
"You can sit here." She points to the swing.
"What about you-" I stop talking as she starts climbing the tree. "Stop!" Elizabeth glances at me. "That's dangerous!" She looks surprised for a second. Then laughs eerily. "What?" I ask uneasily.
"Why would it be dangerous when I have nothing left to loose?" I just stare at her. "Besides," her expression softens into what looks like a real smile. "What's the point of being alive if you can't live?" I stare at her in wonder, awestruck. In that moment she truly looked beautiful. I shake off my thoughts as she continues climbing. She finally sits on a branch, her feet dangling near my shoulders. "How do you want to start?" She asks me as I open a notebook.
"How about brainstorming?"
"Oh. I don't do that." She sounds kind of surprised I asked.
"Oh, ok. Wanna just throw some ideas out there then?"
"Yeah. First though, what kinda story do you wanna write?"
"Realistic?"
"Okay, but what kind of realistic?"
"What do you mean?"
"Sad story happy ending, sad story sad ending, happy story sad ending, or happy story happy ending?" I've never really thought of those options because I wouldn't know where to begin with a sad story or sad ending.
"Why don't we start with a plot and work our way through it, then decide that?"
"K." I look up at her. Her green/brown hazel eyes are looking into the distance, far away. I can't help but stare at her. I remember when we met in 9th grade... I thought she was as beautiful then as she is now. And I'm scared of that. That and why she's so edgy. So I've stayed away. But now I have no choice. My mind is set on finding out what secrets this beautiful, sad, mysterious girl has.