Chapter 1: The Beginning

It was a gorgeous day. The sun was shining through the trees and the temperature was perfect for picnics and lazy days outside. Dawn was staring up at the clouds from her hiding spot behind the school building. She often came here to day dream and wait for her opportunity to see him. He always passed by this building on his way to 4th period. Even though it was just a fleeting glance, she was more than happy to wait for any chance to see his face. She glanced at her watch and saw that it would still be a bit before he was due to walk this way so she settled back in the grass and thought about the first time she had seen him. It was a day not to different from this one. The sky was full of white puffy clouds and she was sitting alone on a bench near the east building. She was sore that day from the previous night and was having trouble breathing from the cracked rib she had sustained. She felt hopeless and was tired of hearing people ask why she always wore long sleeves even though Summer was almost here and the weather was sweltering. She was already labeled strange by the other kids so she hated standing out even more than she already did with her bright red hair and freckles. Just as she was thinking about hiding in the bathroom for the rest of the day to escape, he walked up to the bench and stopped. "Hi! I'm Matt! Mind if I sit here? I'm waiting for my friend but he's always late." She nodded and made room opposite her on the bench. She didn't think he would want to talk to her any more so she stayed quite and kept her gaze on the ground. After some time he started talking again. "I like your freckles. They look really cute on you." Dawn jerked her head in his direction. "What?", she asked in awe. No one had ever complimented anything about her before. Much less one of the things she hated most about herself. Before he could reply, his friend came around the corner and they left with a happy conversation already started. Ever since that day she had taken every opportunity to watch this boy who was so kind to her that day. Of all the people in her world who brought shadows, he brought light. Suddenly she was brought back to the present. It was almost time for him to walk by so she snuck out from behind the building and started walking in the opposite direction that he would come. Sure enough she saw him walking towards her with his friends. She lowered her head but smiled when he was close and did a small wave. He waved back like always, but then something unexpected happened. He left his friends and started walking towards her.