Raspberry, Amanda Forgei [each kindness read aloud txt] 📗

CHAPTER ONE
August 10, 2007
I heard her singing behind the bushes, and eating berries after she picked them. "People killing people dying, children hurt and you hear them crying, would you practice what you preach, and would you turn the other cheek, father father father help us, we need some guidence from above. People got me, got me questioning, where is the love." I recognized that song. It was...Where is the Love. Her voice was so soft and sweet, even when she was so young like she was now. She was only seven at the time, but her voice was so beautiful and innocent. Now it has developed even more, at the age of sixteen.

I peeked around the bush, but she was so into her song, that she didn't notice me. I noticed her long, golden, hair, flowing in the soft wind. Her bright blue eyes sparked in the sunlight. I can remember that exact moment even now, at the age of seventeen. Her voice floated with the wind, traveling to every inch of the globe. Her hands delicately picked a wild raspberry, and she popped it into her moth just as delicately.

It was then that she saw me. Her mouth opened and she just stared at me. Oops. "What are you doing watching me?" she asked timidly.
"I- I- I'm sorry! I heard you singing!" I stammered.
She smiled. I smiled. That was the day we became friends. Someday, we would become more than friends.


CHAPTER TWO
September 3, 2008
That was the second year that we- Rachel and I- went to school together. Rachel had just moved to my neighborhood, and my street, Woodly Place. Our mothers waved goodbye to us as we left my house.
"Are you coming to my ninth birthday party Luke?"
I pretended to act stunned and Rachel giggled.
"That was a silly question wasn't it. You always come to my parties!"
"And I always will." I replied matter-of-factly.

That day after school, we went to the Raspberry Bush where we met. Rachel started humming the tune to Where is the Love, and I joined in. Ten minutes later we were on full blast, singing as loud as we could while laughing. When we finally stopped singing, we were both lying on the grass looking at the clouds, finding animals and plants. "Oh oh! There's a raspberry!" Rachel exclaimed.
"Where?"
"There!" When I finally found the raspberry shaped cloud that Rachel had pointed out, we were laughing so hard that we couldn't even talk. We both turned onto our side so that we could see each other, and sighed. I noticed how smooth Rachel's skin was, how bright her eyes shined, and how soft and long her hair was. I admired her eyes, her cute nose, and...I leaned closer to Rachel. "NO!" I thought to myself. I had never had the urge to kiss Rachel-anyone- before, so why now?


Chapter Three
October 2, 2008
As I was walking three houses over to Rachel's house for her ninth birthday, I thought about how I felt that day by the Raspberry Bush. I thought about how I had felt a feeling that I had never felt before. I thought about how Rachel's hair had flown in the wind. I thought about how Rachel's voice had floated around me. I thought about how close I was to kissing Rachel. I thought about what Rachel could have been thinking and feeling- did she feel what I felt too, or was she creeped out?

After that moment by the Raspberry Bush, nothing had quite been the same. I always thought of Rachel differently. It was a bit awkward because I think I love her. As I neared Rachel's house, I heard music coming from it. Rachel's tender voice was echoing off all the houses on the block, and spreading everywhere, just like it did that first day I saw her.
"I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairy tale, I'm not the one you sweep of her feet, lead her up t he stairwell." I knew that song...White Horse. That was the name of the song.

As I walked through the gate of Rachel's backyard holding a small wrapped gift, Rachel ran and greeted me. I looked deep into her eyes and found love. I didn't know how I found that love, and I still don't eight year later, but I'm sure that there was love deep deep into her eyes, just like there was in mine. We stood inches apart for who knows how long. We both leaned slightly in, not meaning to, but we did. Just before our lips touched, we both leaned back out. Neither of us knew what had come over us.


CHAPTER FOUR
December 31, 2008
It was minutes away from midnight, and minutes away from the year 2009 too. I was having a party at my house with Rachel and some other friends. Rachel was singing I'd Lie, "I could tell you, his favorite color's green, he loves to argue, born on the seventeenth. His sister is beautiful, he's got his father's eyes, and if you asked me if I loved him, I'd lie." Gradually, other guests started joining in on the singing, but I was first. Rachel and I sang together, laughing the entire time, like usual.

The count down to 2009 started. 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... we all cheered and blew whistles.
January 1, 2009
While everyone was in a frenzy, Rachel took my hand and brought me to the basement, where we ate popcorn, laughed, and watched America's Funniest Home Videos. We continued this until about 3:00 am, when we both stopped laughing, and gazed at each other in the dim light of the TV. We both leaned in towards each other, but my cousin came down right before our lips touched. We both pulled away before my cousin could question us, although he did look quite suspicious.


CHAPTER FIVE
February 14, 2013
At school, we had a Valentine's Day Party, in which we all decorated boxes to put valentines in. Rachel's was decorated beautifully. It was covered in red paper, and had pink heart cut outs glued all around it. In small, curly, white letters in the corner of the box, I saw a word; Raspberry.

I put a red heart with a dum-dum lollipop stuck to it in everyone's box- everyone's besides Rachel's, I had a special Valentine for Rachel. It was a pink heart with a box of nerds on it (Rachel loves nerds), and it read:

Rachel,
My feelings for you have changed over the years, I don't think of you as a friend- now it's more. What do you think of me?
-Luke

I hesitated as I put my Valentine in her box. The second I dropped my Valentine into her box I regretted it. What if she didn't feel the same way I felt about her? Too late.

At the end of the Party, we all opened our boxes. Most of us just took the candy from the valentines, and didn't read the writing. Not Rachel though. Rachel was too caring to not read what it said on the valentines. I glanced at Rachel every few minutes to see if she had read mine yet. Finally, I saw Rachel's eyes grow a tiny bit wider, and her mouth dropped open, just like it did that first time she saw me by the Raspberry Bush. Rachel smiled.


CHAPTER SIX
February 15, 2011
I heard a knock on the door while I was home alone, so I went to answer the door. When I opened the door, Rachel put her hands on her hips, cocked her head, and smiled. Then, Rachel kissed me.

The rest of the day, Rachel and I ate popcorn, laughed, sang, and my favorite, kissed.

Publication Date: 12-17-2010

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