I was so nervous driving home. The closer I got to my house, the closer I got to Connor and the closer to the reality of what I'd really just done... well, technically McKenzie had done it, but it was on my behalf. With each purchase of a ticket, flight, tour and accommodation, my heart had beat faster and faster until it was a veritable high-speed train hurtling towards, towards... what?

The thought of a year without Connor felt like a lifetime. Not being able to see him every time I wanted to. Not talking to him endlessly. I wasn't totally sure how I was going to cope, but I knew it was the right thing to do.

When we pulled into the driveway that evening, it was already getting dark and I willed myself not to look at Connors house—That lasted all of 30 seconds. His light wasn't on, which meant he wasn't in his room—Where could he be on a Friday night?

I tried to shake off the terrible feeling that maybe he was still mad at me. How was I going to apologize to him? And if that worked out, how was I then going to tell him that I would be gone the next year? As we grabbed our bags from the car, I felt my stomach lurch and I thought I was about to lose it a little, until I felt McKenzie's arm around me.

"What do you say? Movie night tonight?" She asked.

"I don't really feel like going out."

"Me neither. I'm talking about you and me in my room with our stash and some chick flicks all night."

"Oh God, please don't make me watch click flicks"

"Sadie." She stopped me from walking away. "You have seriously missed out on feminine guidance over the years. We need to make up for lost time, or else you're a lost cause. I have much to teach you."

I smiled, "Like what?"

"Um... like how to put on mascara for starters!

I laughed and we walked arm in arm toward the house. But when we got to the front door, it was my turn to freeze. An envelope was taped to the door, and it was in Connor's hand writing.

"Shit!" I took a step back, too frightened to approach and certainly way too frightened to open the envelope and read it.

My mother shouldered past us, went up to the door and ripped the envelope off. "This is a polished mahogany door, not a street pole to put pamphlets on." She tisked and put the thing in my hands and then walked in.

I opened the envelope with shaky hands and gestured for McKenzie to read it with. me.

Sadie,

For the last ten years you've taken me on many adventures. Now it's your turn, and since I know how much you enjoy a good one....

1. The Halloween dare that I was too shit scared to do.

Love,

Connor X

I turned the note over to see if anything else was written on it that could explain what it meant, then handed it to McKenzie who took a closer look.

"It's the big romantic gesture," she said with a knowing smile. Clearly, this was another one of those 'girl-things' I wasn't aware of.

"What should I do?"

"You should go!" she said, excitedly. "You have to."

I suddenly felt guilty. I was about to leave her again for Connor. "No, I can't. I'm not ditching our movie night for Connor, I'm not doing that again. We have plans." I put my arm through hers and started walking us towards the front door. McKenzie pulled against my arm.

"We can do movie night another time. I think you guys really need to talk."

I looked her in the eyes. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "On one condition, you come right home and tell me everything. Do not leave out a single detail."

I drew her into a hug. "I won't. Promise."

I read the note one more time and this time I got it. It was a treasure hunt and this was the first clue. It was actually easy to figure out. On Halloween, about five years before, we'd dared each other to knock on the Wooden Witch's house and wait for her to answer the door. We all called her the Wooden Witch because apparently she had a wooden leg.

She also had long grey hair (although no one had ever seen her long enough to confirm this) and was as scary as hell. She lived alone in the only crappy house in our neighbourhood and had five black cats. She never opened her curtains and had never mowed her lawn. There was a story that she had killed her husband and buried him under the lawn and that's why she never mowed it. Wow! The things we believe when we are younger. The memory reminded me that I had once lived in a magical world where everything was possible.

I walked off in the direction of the house. The Wooden Witch had moved years ago, and some developers had come in and demolished the place and built fancy townhouses that all looked the same.

I reached the grey walled complex and looked around, but I couldn't find anything—What now? Clearly Connor wasn't going to make this easy for me. I looked around to make sure no one was watching, and pulled myself up onto the wall. And there it was. He'd stuck another red envelope onto a door, this time a stranger's. And the strangers in question were all siting around their dinner table eating in front of a large window that overlooked the garden.

Crap! I climbed the wall as quietly as I possibly could, hoping to hell that those people did not have a Doberman. I ducked into a bush. Now what? The door was only a few meters away, but it would mean walking in front of the window and being spotted in a second. I'm literally breaking and entering! The only way to do this was to get low on the ground. So I got down and started leopard crawling across the freshly watered grass.

I finally got the envelope, leopard crawled back and stealthily scaled their wall.

Sadie,

A lot of things have changed over the last ten years...especially us. Now I'm ready to be more than just your 'best friend'. And, if you'll let me, I'll show you how much I love you every day.

My heart stopped and I was incapable of reading further—Holy crap! I took a deep breath and looked for the next clue.

2. Remember the moment we met?

Love,

Connor XX

Of course I remember the moment we met. How could I forget it? It changed my life forever. There was a thin strip of open land running along the border of our gated community and I'd often gone there when I was younger, imagining that I was some explorer in a far off land. It had felt so wild and big there, like a far off forest or jungle.

Grass-stained and wet from the sprinkler, I walked up the road and toward my next clue. The strip of land seemed smaller now and the grass had been trimmed and manicured, like most things in that place. It was nothing like I remembered it. In fact, it was barely recognizable without the weeds and tall weeds.

Connor had been sitting on a rock. I remember that. I'd already seen him move in and it was a few days later.

I walked the perimeter for a while looking for something familiar and then I saw it. Connor had made it more visible. A pink painted rock called to me from the middle of the field. That's where I'd first spoken to Connor. As I grabbed my next clue, I touched the rock and noticed the paint was still wet. It told me he'd been there just moments ago, and the thought made me feel a little giddy.

Dear Sadie,

The day you found me sitting here was the best day of my life. I just hadn't known it at the time. I'd been so scared of my new home and new school and there you were! And you never left. You've always been there for me. Always. It's my turn to be there for you now.

3. That time we nearly got into BIG trouble but managed to get ourselves out of a sticky situation.

Love,

Connor XXX

I burst out laughing. That was such a lame attempt at a pun! The woman across the road, much to my mother's absolute horror, had garden gnomes. One day, during an impromptu soccer match in the street, we broke three of them. The woman was nuts about those bloody things, so with some super glue we quickly, and secretly, glued them all back together. But, while doing so, Connor glued his hand to one of the pieces. It had taken ages to unglue him. To this day she still hasn't noticed that one gnome arm is glued onto the wrong gnome body.

I rushed to her garden and went straight for the one with the weird arm. Under its glued on foot was an envelope.

Dear Sadie,

Lets' fix this. I'm broken without you.

This time I felt a lump in the back of my throat and my misty eyes stopped me from reading any further. I wiped a tear away and looked down at the next clue.

4. The day we held hands for the first time.

Love,

Connor XXXX

Of course I remembered that, but I was surprised he had. I walked over to the park. it was a ten-minute walk from where I was. On the way I kept thinking about how many millions of times I'd walked that way with Connor over the years. I reached the park and headed straight for the roses. We'd buried my hamster there, under the pink rose bush. Connor and I had put the little guy in a box and given him a funeral. We hadn't really known what to do, so at the end of it we held hands, closed our eyes and prayed for his little furry soul.

The soil was loose, as if he had just been there too. I started pushing it away with my hands. And there was the little box. Still with a ribbon around it. The letter had been slipped under the ribbon. I was temped to look and see if Hamish, yes, that was his name, was a perfect little skeleton, but decided against it.

Dear Sadie,

We've come to the end of this little treasure hunt and walk down memory lane. But I hope this is just the beginning for us.

5. Where we promised to be best friends forever.

Love,

Connor XXXXX

My heart raced now as I looked over my shoulder at the tree. Our tree. I could just see the top of it peeping out over the hill. There seemed to be a faint light coming from it and my heart pounded more. Was Connor there waiting for me?

I had a sudden urge to fix myself up. I tried to straighten my hair, but instantly felt the sand on my fingers turn to mud as they connected with my damp hair. Shit! I tried to rub it off with the back of my hand and just felt a moist smear. The water and sand were not a good combination.

I walked up the hill slowly. I was both excited and hesitant at the same time. A few more steps and the tree would be in my sights. I stopped and took a deep breath, readying myself, then...

There he was!