Lemon County

Chris sighed as he entered his dorm. He took off his coat and threw on the side of the couch. The couch that hadn’t been there before. He looked back at the entrance way and saw another pair of shoes, that weren’t his. He kicked off his sneakers in a rush and walked to his room, sighing with relief that nothing had been touched. He walked back out to the small kitchen and opened the fridge, disappearing behind the door. He grabbed a can of pop then stood back up. As he closed the door, he saw the reason for all the extra stuff. There stood a guy, who looked around seventeen, with short light brown hair, green eyes, wearing a blue t-shirt and jeans. He stood there and looked at Chris for a moment before he spoke.1

“Hey, you must be Chris. Mr. Demonte told me you were already here. I’m Josh Branson. Your roommate. I know I’m early but my parents kicked me out earlier then I thought they would.” He said that all in a calm voice that suited him. Chris stood there his face expression less for a moment before he found his voice.2

“Ya, I’m Chris. Chris Martin. You’re Josh? Nice to meet you. Where you from?”3

Josh smiled, “Sacramento, California. What about you, where are you from?”4

“Los Angeles. I wonder where that other guy, what’s his name is from.”5

Josh shrugged, “Don’t ask me.”6

Chris opened the cn of pop and took a mouthful, walking over to the window and looking down at the town again. An image of the girl he saw earlier popped into his mind and he sighed. He wanted to talk to her, he wanted to know more about her. He turned around and walked over to the kitchen placing his pop on the counter then walked to the couch picking up his coat and throwing it on. He talked to Josh over his shoulder as he put his sneakers on, “Seeya later Josh. I’ll be at the football field, if you need me.” He opened the door and left the room, leaving Josh to head back to the boxes and finish unpacking. 7

Chris got to the football field a few minutes after he left his dorm and looked around him. The field was in very good condition. He looked at the bleachers surrounding him on both sides. Then he looked back at the field noticing something he hadn’t before. He walked towards the girl sitting in the middle of the field writing or drawing in a notebook. As he drew closer he saw that she was drawing, but what she was drawing he couldn’t tell. He sat down beside her and looked over at what she was drawing. It was a beautiful fairy, surrounded by grass covered in dew. Suddenly the girl looked at him and spoke in a soft but harsh voice, “Hi. Who are you?” 8

Chris smiled and felt a luquidy substance like happiness flood up in him. It was the girl from earlier, from the café. It took him a minute before he finally found his voice.9

“Chris Martin. You draw beautifully.”10

The girl smiled, showing all her perfect, pearl white teeth, “Thanks. I know that this is going to sound weird but what are you doing here?”11

“I came to check out the field. I’m hoping to join the team here if it’s any good.”12

The girl thought for a moment then spoke, “You must be one of those new guys from California. Why are you here, in Lemon County.”13

Chris shrugged, “My school kicked me out for drinking on school grounds, skipping classes and starting fights. A lot of schools offered to have me go to them. Something like I had one of the best results in the country on some test I took a while ago.”14

The girl smirked as she listened then stopped and smiled, “Wow, sounds interesting.” She looked down at her watch then sighed. She closed her book and stuck her pencil behind her ear, before standing up. She looked at Chris who was still on the ground, “I’m sorry but I have to go now.” She started to walk away before Chris jumped up and walked over to her, “Can I at least know your name before you go?” The girl looked at him and smiled sweetly, shaking her head before walking away.15