I sat, bewildered at my reality, under a strong tree taller than most I've seen so far in my life. It was fall, a beautiful one too. As the orange leaves corresponded with my hair, flying in the wind, while my mind was elsewhere, almost as if I was in another world...

" Ms. Camberley Oupptäckt, as it is your right to choose whom you'll be living with even though it may not have the final decision, who would you like to be with? "

I shivered as the memory kicked in, freaking me out. I noticed I haven't worn much clothes so I had thought that might have been the case. But suddenly, I could hear the voice, and that voice never left me, it's been repeating again and again like a broken recorder and it's been making me go nuts. It's been there for 4 years, 5 months and 23 days.

" I… I would like to be… With my mother… "

Ugh. It does it again, there goes me. The court floods into imagery, as I look at the lawyer with fear and nervousness covering my face. My short hair tickled my neck, but I could never laugh in a place like this. The mood was so tense and the people behind me were hushing words I couldn't clearly hear.

I got back to reality again. And as I got up from the spot under the tree, unable to bear the cold any longer, I saw someone from a distance… Ahhhh… It was dear Richard… My 1st friend since I landed in Canada. Shivering already, I called up to him with the top of my lungs -

" Hey Richie! It's freezing here, do you have any jackets I can borrow? "

He looks at me with concern before walking faster, always having to act like the father around me.

Father…

An image of my biological father was then slammed onto my memory. With brown hair, a short beard, some muscle, a few minor scars on his face. And that smile, it matched so much like Richard's, thoughtful and warm.

" Hey! Krigare! Wake up! "

I jerked as I found myself so close to him already.

' I could've almost sworn that he was yards away just a minute ago, then how did he get to me this quick?  '

I looked into his eyes, brown yet bright with his black hair matching perfectly. He gazed upon me as I started to get the feeling I had fallen asleep once again. At least, that's what I call it. I saw that he was very worried about it and seemed to stutter while talking too.

" You… You were s-standing there a while ago, b-but your… your body… it didn't move at all and… "

He became even more closer to me, as if looking through my eyes for some information. My heart beats faster as he kept talking, but with a more steady voice.

"... Your eyes were… blank for a moment… Is there something you haven't told me about… whatever that was? "

I wanted to run away, escape, anything not to look into his eyes again after what he said. But all I could do was stand, my legs still paralyzed, as he looked into me with concern, unlocking all of the guilt and surprise within me. Straining for some air, then I said this -

" Well, to be honest… I do have a serious problem at hand… "

' But wait! I can't tell him about my conditions, mom won't approve of telling him, not to mention, the fact that I had made a boy as a friend had already made her mad. ' I had thought in the silence between us.

" … But… I am not completely sure about what's going on, either… " I finally said, with as much of a calm tone as I possibly can.

I then noticed that he had wrapped me with one of his many jackets he wore (since he gets cold easily) and I had properly worn it before he let go of me. But then I fell, my legs unable to carry the rest of my body. As my butt had landed on the ground, a leaf landed gracefully on my nose. Just by the sight of it, I chuckled a bit. But as I looked up, I could only see Richie's face full of concern and seemed to have a hint of guilt too.

Before I could say anything though, he quickly pulled me up and took me over to my house, which wasn't too far away, just a few houses away from where we were.

Ever since the divorce, my mom had changed where we were living, routines, and even my name from Camberley, as I was named by my father. Counting 4 years, 5 months, and 23 days, I'm known as Kelly by my new home in Canada after leaving Sweden.

Suddenly - I wanted to talk, get to know him better. What I mean is that I've only known the basics about him: He's a human being, He's a boy, He's the same age as me, He sits behind me in most of the classes we're in. He likes games a lot. He's super good at History and PE but terrible at Maths. But there's no more that I actually know of.

Like… What kind of friends don't know each other's phone numbers!? Addresses!? Birthday!? Favourite food!?

" Richie… "

He turns to me, unable to make any smile. He was in a serious mood, holding tight onto my hand. I couldn't bear the thought that even though I don't know much about him, he knows so much about me instead. I finally spoke up, but it wasn't really what I wanted to say…

" Would you… Would you come over for a shopping spree this weekend? Just the two of us…? "

' Shopping Spree!? Where did that come from!? ' I bent my neck, not wanting eye contact after that awkward request.

" … Sure… Why not? But… You need to promise me one thing… "

' What could it be? A favor? A condition? ' Thoughts raced my mind as I looked into his eyes, hoping for a nice easy request back that wouldn't be too tedious.

" Promise me that you won't be absent from there when I arrive. And another thing… "

He gets even closer, and my heart beats a lot faster than before. He got his face close to my ear and said in a very low voice -

" Tell me wherever that thing is perking up again… Promise? "

I didn't know what to say… It was so thoughtful of him to think that way. The thought didn't leave my mind as I had them reach my home, a comfy G+1 house with quaint colours and a nice mailbox with a good, large front and back yard. I blushed a bit as I saw him gazing upon the house. Sure, It was a dream home, but it seemed a bit vintage compared to the rest which were modern and looked like apartments.

" Sure… When are you free? On the weekend? " He said absent-mindedly, still staring at my home while approaching it.

As I thought about it, this may actually become to be our first hangout.

" Let me think… "

We had reached the door and he ranged the doorbell, making a cute bell sound.

' Of course we won't do it on nighttime, nor can we do on the afternoon, where people would be too packed since it'll be on a weekend. ' I thought as a frown grew on my face.

" What about around the morning? If we start early, then we'll have plenty of time to go through everything before it becomes crowded with all kinds of awful people. " He said with a smile, as if he read my mind.

I didn't thought about that, but then again, I would have never. I hate it when I'm rushing to somewhere (especially school) in the morning. He rang the doorbell again, but no one answered.

" Ok.. 10 O'Clock sharp, then? " I said, wanting to get my morning off on a lazy start.

Noone answered the door yet, so with all my strength, I held out a spare key from my pocket and opened the door.

" I'd like it a lot earlier though, maybe like… 8 … Good enough if you ask me… " He said with a grim smile. He knows I don't like to wake up early.

As I opened the door, the living room took sight. The interior isn't the worst, it had more natural and less vibrant colours but the furniture was the best. I sat down on my big sofa, clearly tired. Richard sat at another part of the sofa, keeping his distance.

" Richie… I have another favour to ask of you… " My voice barely above a whisper due to my sudden fatigue.

" What is it? "

" Could you stop calling me Krigare? "

He looks a bit astonished about what I said.

" That may be my family name, but I've thought about it really well, and… Just call me Kelly from now on… "

He then looked around, trying to cover his face. He was either going to laugh or going to blush, I would never know for sure. But I did see a bit of red under his eyes. But I quickly brushed off the thought before I was talking again after that awkward silence.

" You're fine with that, right? "

He was looking astounded as I said this, and it wouldn't be amazing considering that I'm the one who insisted on calling me like that when we first met…

" Kelly dear! Where are you? "

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