Terrifying, boring, dangerous. Those are just a few words I use to describe my high school. My name is Kaitlin Ross, I am 16 years old, and I go to Palms High. My best friend Bethany loves to surf. I love to surf as well. I loved my boyfriend Danny with all my heart! He had been my one of my best friends since about 6th grade, and he asked me out in 8th grade, I said “Yes!” and we have been together ever since! He loved to surf with me, but that all changed after a night out with our friends.

It was the summer before high school, August 16th to be exact. Summer was almost over so we went to a bonfire where everyone could eat pizza, dance, surf, and just hang with their friends. Bethany and I went along with Danny and Bethany’s boyfriend Drew. We had a great time! We were surfing, dancing, singing, and laughing! Soon, it was about 12:30 and we decided to head home. Danny drove us, I was in the passenger seat, and Drew and Bethany were in the back. We were all laughing and talking about what a great time we had! The road was deserted. Suddenly, the unthinkable happened. Danny pulled me in to him and begins to kiss me. He lets go of the steering wheel and we went head on through a wall and into the lake beside us. We all screamed and we scrambled out of the car as fast as we could. We swam to the shore so fast it could have been a NASCAR race. As we heaved ourselves out of the freezing water, Bethany and Drew embraced each other both thanking God that they were all right. I looked everywhere, on the shore, in the water, every place Danny could be. “Danny! Danny! Where are you?” I screamed, but all I heard was my echo. “Oh no.” Bethany said under her breath. I turned around and screamed at her, “What?” “Kaitlin.” Drew started to say to me. “No, no!” As I backed away from Drew, he said to me, “Kaitlin, I’m so sorry, but he’s gone.” “NO!” I screamed. Bethany ran up and hugged me tightly. “I’m so sorry.” She said to me. I broke away from her and fell to the ground. “I think we should call the police.” Drew said. “No.” Bethany said. “I can’t stand to see her like this and police would only make it more dramatizing than it already is.” She adds. I sat there crying for about an hour before Drew finally called the police. He to was crying. When they got there, they asked what happened. Bethany told them that Danny had lost control and drove into the lake. When they went down in the water to investigate exactly what happened, they told me, “Danny couldn’t open the door, and the water was too strong. He drowned in the car.” I burst out crying again. The police finally escorted us home and I told my mom the whole story.

“Honey, I’m so sorry!” she said, she is also crying. That night, I fall asleep in my mom’s arms like I did when I was little. As I drifted off to sleep, I started to think, “I didn’t want to be in love with someone again and have him ripped out from under me.” So, I promised myself, I would never love again.

Now I am half way through my third year of high school. I thought after that summer things couldn’t get any worse, but they did. Bethany transferred schools. Of course she didn’t want to leave me, but her parents thought that Movelt High was a better school. Now she goes to Movelt High, three blocks down the street from this school. I walk around the hallways, never speaking. I didn’t know what I was going to do! My best friend is gone during the day, my boyfriend is… dead. All I have left is Drew and I don’t talk to him that often anyway. As I was sitting in the middle of math class when an announcement comes over the P.A system. “Kaitlin Ross, please come to the front office.” Slowly, I get up, not knowing if I am in trouble or not. As I walk out the door, everyone looks at me kind of strange. I stare back at them grimly and walk out the door. When I get to the front office, I ask what it is I came down here for. “Mr. Jones would like to see you.” Ms. Potter said. ‘Oh no’ I think to myself. Mr. Jones is the principal of the school. I have never been inside his office but whenever I hear people talking about it, they say you come out changed forever. I never believed them, but then again, I have never been inside his office.

I walk inside to Mr. Jones’ office and he says, “Hi Kaitlin! I need to ask a favor, there is a new student coming to our school tomorrow, and I need you to show him around and be his guide because he is a little scared of changing schools.” I pause and think for a moment. “Sure.” I said unwillingly. “Great!” Mr. Jones shouted. “His name is Ty. I will call you down tomorrow morning when he arrives.” “Ok.” I said quietly.

The next morning, during homeroom, Mr. Jones walks in the room and takes me downstairs to the office to wait for Ty. After about 10 minutes of waiting, he finally shows up. “Hi Mr. Jones!” Ty’s mom says. “Good morning Lisa! How are you?” Mr. Jones said with a smile. Lisa replied, “I’m just wonderful!” “That’s fantastic! Where’s Ty?” “Oh he’s just grabbing his backpack in the car. He’s a little bit shy. You must be Kaitlin!” Lisa smiled. “Yeah, that’s me.” I said stupidly. “Well I just wanted to thank you for agreeing to take care of Ty until he learns his way around! I was beginning to worry that he would be lost!” Lisa said. “Oh here he comes now!” Mr. Jones said. As Ty walks in the door, I expected him to be a scrawny, thin, sheepish boy with glasses. What I found was a tall boy, who looked about my age. He has dark brown hair, bright green eyes a look of worry on his face. I found myself staring at him for a long time. He occasionally stared back at me and smiled. Mr. Jones and Lisa were talking for quite some time. I was beginning to think that this was going to be an all day talk, when Mr. Jones finally said, “Kaitlin, why don’t you take Ty up to class, you are in all the same classes so just show him around would you?” “Sure.” I said. I walked out the door with Ty following close behind me.
“Um… hi.” He said shyly. “Hi!” I said almost happily. “Um… are you going to be in all of my classes?” He said hopefully. “Yeah, I think so.” I replied. “Good! You are the only person I sort of know here.” “Yeah.” I replied, not knowing what to say. As he follows me to science, I can’t help but staring at him. I notice that he keeps staring at me. I just smile and turn away awkwardly.
Later that day, I go to find Ty after class. When I find him, he is sitting in the cafeteria with all the football players and the cheerleaders. “Well, I guess he found his place.” I say under my breath. I’m happy that he’s fitting in, but I can’t help but feel kind of abandoned. I just thought that I had found my new Danny. No! What am I saying, no, I cannot possibly like Ty Smith. No, I promised myself I didn’t want to like someone again. Slowly I walk away convincing myself that I don’t need him. But I did. “Kaitlin! Kaitlin!” Ty screams across the cafeteria. I turn around with an angry look on my face, but when I see him, it turns into a smile. Wait, no! Why am I smiling? I don’t want to have anything to do with him. I don’t need him to be happy. Whatever. I’m freaking out. “Yes?” I say, my voice cracking. “Well… umm” he starts off, “Well uh… you have been a really good friend and I kinda… umm…maybe… like you.” He stammered. “Really?” I said excitedly. “Yeah, so I was wondering… maybe you wanted to go out with me sometime?” he said quietly. I think quietly in my head, should I? I don’t know, I’m still not quite sure what I think of him. He is cute… but still. I take a deep breath before I respond, “Yes.” He smiles and says, “Thanks!” He walks back down the hall in the other direction. I smile as I think to myself, for the first time in a while… I’m happy.