It Started With A Kiss-->updated till chapter 18

annehuda

Currently writing chapter 4.  ntah ngape takde font italic la kt cari ni...

silalah gambarkan alex as this guy


hohoho ntah camne pas tgk i am number 4, tetiba dapat idea nk tulis citer ni. mcm takde kaitan lgsg

annehuda

Cam baca novel dari barat la pulak ...
bintang Post at 13-3-2011 15:39

    is that a compliment or else?  

kite kene kuar dr kotak.  hehehe

bintang

is that a compliment or else?  

kite kene kuar dr kotak.  hehehe
annehuda Post at 13-3-2011 15:49

    Tu jek komen untuk awalan neh... kisah cam gini biasa terdapat dalam novel-novel belah barat..

Tapi ok jek untuk variasikan bod neh...

Teruskan belum leh komen pape lagi... cuma satu, buat perenggan elok sikit, dialog jangan melemaskan ia dalam perenggan yang sama...

lesprincesse

my comment - it is not typical for a local novel but it is typical plot for Mills and Boons kind of books.

Grammatical errors of course are there but not too glaring to disturb the reading. Seen worst ;)

I would continue reading it though. Walaupun I just cant shake the gross feeling - siblings being intimates hhihi but thats just me. Apart from that good job

annehuda

Reply 24# lesprincesse


    i'm trying to write something between sweet valley and mills n boons.  so i won't include any sex scene because they are underage kids and i hope it not just another sappy tween love story.  chapter 4 coming up few minutes

KumbangPolkaDot

bookmarked

lesprincesse

anne... i dah tua .. so thats why dah tak excited ngan mushy2 kot..hihihi

annehuda

CHAPTER 4

He can’t sleep, at all.  He tried but he can’t.  Until he received a ‘good morning, honey!’ message from Cassandra thus he knows it already dusk.  Alex get up from his bed, grabs his towel and ambles lazily to the bathroom.  As he about to enter, Annelise exits from the bathroom, almost bumping into each other.  Her face is dewy, her hair partially wet and she smells like fresh cut strawberry.

Alex tries to act normal, but usually it was him who will wakes up first.  Every morning, they had the same routine.  It’s very unusual to see Annelise using the bathroom first.

“Morning, Anne.  Early riser today, eh?”

“Morning.  Can’t sleep last night.”  Awkwardness seeps in the air again.  “Well, last night there’s a dog, barking all night.  You didn’t hear it?”  Alex nodded. “Yeah, last night.  Just some crazy dog I guess”.  He did heard a dog barking, but for a minute or two.  

Annelise gives way to Alex to enter the bathroom, and as she dried her freshly shampooed hair, she heard Alex’s cell phone ringing from his bedroom.  His room and her room are adjacent, and since Alex is in the bathroom she decided it would be polite if she answers it for Alex.  But it was a call from Cassandra, and she instantly hit the red button on the cell phone.  “Who’s that from?”  Alex rushed out from the bathroom when he heard his cell phone ringing.  It is rare to receive a call so early in the morning; he thought it could be an emergency call from his parents.  “It was from your girlfriend, Cassandra” Annelise throws the cell phone to his bed, it bounce up on down the mattress.”Owh calling you so early morning for another make out session eh?” Annelise snickered.    “What are you talking about?  No, Anne, Cassie is not my girlfriend” Alex defends himself from the accusation.  Annelise slings her arms across her chest. “Oh really Alex?  You can’t kiss a girl and pretend she’s nothing to you.  Unless if you are drunk or she really is nothing to you”.  Alex sighed.  Should she really brought it all up again?

“You know what, yeah, she really is nothing to me.  I just want to make out, so I did.  Just for fun, that’s all” Alex fired back, like a piece of artillery. “Why do you have to be so jealous about it?  It’s nothing special”. It leaves Annelise speechless for a moment; her face grimaced with a hint of disappointment.  Somehow she keeps assuming the ‘she’ he’s referring to is actually Annelise, not Cassandra.  “You know what Alex, you are a jerk!” Annelise stomped out from his room, back to hers.   Back to her room, she heard a loud bang on Alex’s bedroom wall.  

She quickly packs all her things for school and dashed out from the house, to Amanda’s.  She can’t bear to be confined in a same vehicle with a masochist jerk like Alex.  A jerk that treats women like an object to fulfill his satisfaction.  Blame it on puberty.  And she saw Cassandra waiting in her car outside her house, waving her hand to her. Great, just great!  Annelise ignored her completely.

Cassandra feels discarded; she doesn’t like being ignored by someone like Annelise.  She realized she wasn’t treating her kind enough all this years, but it’s unavoidable when she’s friend with a freak like Amanda.  But now she’s dating her brother, she’s making an effort to befriend her.  She needs to score extra points with Alex, and Annelise is her winning points.  “Morning, Cassie.  Sorry my cell out of battery” Alex looks scruffy.  His bad mood clearly shows through his face, and he didn’t even comb his hair!  “What’s wrong with you?”  Cassandra caringly asked.  “I have a fight with Annelise.  Don’t worry about it.  Let’s go to school” Alex doesn’t want to prolong the conversation anymore.  He’s not in the mood about it at all.

annehuda

“What’s wrong with you today, Annelise?” Annelise wished she didn’t have to ask that.  “Did you talk about that scarlet letter with Alex?”  Annelise nodded weakly.   Well almost, and we did more than just talking.  “Well, I try to talk to Alex and…” Across the hallway, there she saw Cassandra, wrapping her arms around Alex.  Keller and a few girls clad in cheerleader outfits flanking them.  A typical scene of the gathering of flawless, popular guys and girls of Glenwood.  Finally Alex found his clique, and she’s not a part of it.  It hurts her a bit, and it hurts her a lot more when Cassandra affectionately tousled his hair.    Annelise opens her locker, and there, another scarlet letter.  Amanda gasps.  “Don’t you think you should show it to Alex?”  Amanda suggested.  Annelise stared at the letter.  She really doesn’t care about this anymore.  It doesn’t affect her so bad like it used too, now she knows she’s facing another tribulation in her life.  The fact she’s losing Alex to a hand of someone a lot prettier, a perfect match for Alex is what wound her the most right now.  Not threatening words.  Annelise crumples the letter, and throws it into the dustbin.  “You know what Mandy?  Why do we even bother about this stupid letter anyway?  It was just a letter. Not like it attached to a time bomb or it got Anthrax in it.  It just a stupid letter from a dumb psycho!”  Annelise lashed out.  “Let’s just ignore it, for once and get on with our own life.  Next time I’m just going to burn that letter” Amanda is so surprised with her reaction.  She suddenly lashed out like that, and half the hallway becomes quiet.  Isn’t this the same girl who went to her house last night and cried her heart out because of the same letter?  What has happen to her?  Annelise stomped to her classroom, followed by the flabbergasted Amanda.  

Annelise’s lashing out caught the attention of almost everyone in the hallway, including Alex.  Alex picks up the crumpled letter that she throws away.  It’s a red envelope almost like the one she found in Annelise’s bag pack.  “Dude, what are you doing digging out garbage?” Keller pats his shoulder.  “No, nothing” he stows away the letter into his pocket.  He’ll examine it later.

“Dude, I need your help.”

“Sure.  What can I do to help you?”

“Well, it’s about a dog.  I need your help to take care of my dog”

“You have a dog?  Since when you have a dog? “There’s a weird expression on Alex’s face.

“Look, you want to help me or not?”

“I’m sorry man, I can’t.  My dad is allergic to dog.  Just put it at an animal centre.”
Keller looks frustrated hearing his answer.  Putting his dog to a shelter is the last thing he wants to do.  “But you know what; I have this friend, Amanda.  She’s a volunteer at the animal centre. Maybe she can help you out or something.   She lives like two houses away from my house”.  

“Amanda?  You mean that skinny tall girl?  That stork?”  Alex nodded.  “Yeah, you want her number?”  Keller quickly says ‘no’.  He doesn’t want to be associated with the most unpopular girl in school, but it looks like he has no other choice.

annehuda

-deleted-

font ntah hape2...

annehuda

Everything seems normal to Amanda today.  As usual, taunted by the bulky football players, the cheerleaders yet again try to hide her books, classes and stuff.  Annelise is pretty pep up today, she puts on her serious face entire days, and even her jokes can’t bring a smile to her face.  Alex went to school with Cassandra, and words of their PDA spreads like wildfire throughout the school.  Amanda and Annelise both despised Cassandra.  Cassandra is nothing but stuck up, snobbish cheerleader who likes to look down on ‘regular’ students like them.  Maybe that’s why Annelise is so in bad mood, Cassandra is potentially her future sister-in-law.  Imagine having a witch hooking up with your brother and you have to live to see her everyday….  

Back at home, as she lies in her bed, cat napping, her mother wakes her up from her slumber.  “There’s a good looking guy with a cute dog wants to see you outside”.  Is she dreaming?  She puts on her glasses and looks through her bedroom window.  Keller?

Amanda invited Keller in, but he refused.  He goes straight to the point.  “I need your help” and he’s serious.  Amanda can see it from his expression.  

“Well, what can I do to help you Keller?”  Amanda looks her very best to be friendly, though all this years they never spoke to each other.

“I want you to take care of my dog” he points to a little black and white dog with dangling ears, sitting obediently.

“You mean you want me to take him to the animal shelter?”  

“No, I don’t want to take him to the shelter.  I want you to take care of my dog”

Is there something in the water?  Why is everyone acting very weird today? Amanda wonders.

“You want me to take care of your dog?  Do you know what that really means Keller?”
Keller knows what it really means.  They’re sharing custody over a dog, like a recently divorced couple.  But Keller really has no choice.  He dreaded sending this dog to the shelter, after his beloved Dalmatian died when he was 9 in the shelter.  His parents strictly prohibited pets in their private mansion, but Keller loves dog so much.  He will visited the shelter and play and feed them.  His favorite is a one-eyed Dalmatian he named Cookie.  But it broke his heart so much when Cookie died of an unknown disease at the shelter.

“I don’t care, I’ll pay for everything.  His shots, his foods, his tag.  I’ll visit him every evening and weekends, I’ll walk him every evening or night if I had to.  Please, I need you to take care of my dog”.  Keller looks so sincere, like he will burst into tears if Amanda says ‘no’.  Amanda squats down and pats the cute dog’s head.   “It’s a Teddy Roosevelt Terrier.  Where did you find it?”

“A….. what? Well never mind.  I was jogging at the grove and found him in a box”.

“He’s still a puppy.  Like 2 to 3 months old.  Does he have a name yet?”

“Yeah, his name is Cerberus” Keller answered proudly.  Cerberus, the three-headed dog of hell.  Amanda stars at him unbelievably.  

“You must be kidding me right?  It’s a Teddy Roosevelt Terrier.  The Teddy Roosevelt Terrier is considered a pet dog, the most playful type of dog.  And you want to name him after a mythical ugly creature?” She seems unhappy.  “Nope, let’s call him Kaleb.”  Now Keller is unhappy.

“Who do you think you are?  You can’t just change his name.  I found him first.  His name is Cerberus”

Amanda firmly puts both her hands on her hips.  “Nope, it’s Kaleb.  Cerberus is such an ugly name for a cute dog”

Keller is annoyed.  Ugly name?  What on earth this walking talking stork is thinking? “You know what, let it decide.  If he barks when we called him one of the names, we’ll name him that” Amanda agrees.  Keller squats down and stares adoringly at the black spotted Terrier, “Cerberus.  Hey boy, if you like that name, just bark.  Cerberus”.  It barks, once.  Keller smiled approvingly.  “See that?  See that?”  Amanda wouldn’t give up.  She squats down beside Keller, and cooed affectionately.  “Hey Kaleb?  Do you like that name?  Kaleb”.  It looks at Amanda and start barking for a few times.  Undeniably it looks a lot happier being called Kaleb.  Keller bow down, a sign of defeat and frustration.    But Kaleb, the dog come up to him and start licking his face.  

Keller thanks Amanda.  “Hey, promise me you won’t tell anyone about this”

“Why?  You don’t want anyone to know you are such a wimpy dog owner?” He glares at her menacingly.  Amanda sniggered.  She didn’t mean it.  Of course she will keep it as a secret.  She always did.

He glances at the rear mirror for the last times, waving goodbye at Kaleb who’s resting comfortably in Amanda’s arms.  

Neither did Amanda nor Keller know that this is just another beginning for a beautiful relationship…

Puteri_Naning

i feel like singing...you belong to me by taylor swift

Jaza2008

Reply 31# annehuda


    Good morning annehuda...

As mentioned before in our new rules and regular-2010 for Writters Room Classification or Rating Viewings for readers was
created as follows:-

-        [U] = *tiada RA dikenakan atau hanya RA 1 /2*

-        RA 1/2/3       = [U] Karya UMUM @ Penulis yang menghendaki RA sedemikian.

-        RA  4/5/6      = [U] Karya yang UMUM @ Penulis yang menghendaki RA sedemikian.

-        RA 7/8/9       = [18SX/18PL/18PA/18SG] Karya yang memaparkan kisah SERAM/THRILLER ataupun 18sx

-        RA 10/11/12 = [18SX/PL/PA/SG] [21SX/PL/PA/SG] Karya yang mempunyai unsur lucah serta tidak patut di baca oleh umum ATAU ia nya atas permintaan penulis tersebut.

-        RA 13/14/15 = Novel yang telah lengkap serta tamat jalan penceritaan nya.Ini bertujuan untuk kami memastikan tiada unsur ciplak keatas karya tersebut. Kami amat menjaga esklusiviti karya-karya yang di siarkan disini.

-        RA 16 dan ke atas adalah mengikut budi bicara MOD.


So, refer to your title above under category 18PL - [18PL (Pelbagai, literally Variety) - Under 18 requires an accompanying adult. Story may contain strong violence, gore, horror/terror, sex scenes, nudity, sexual dialogues/references, religious, social and/or political aspects people may find objectionable. (Example: A story with strong violence and sexual references will be classified as 18PL).]


I hope this statement wills clearly all the speculation about RA7 for your thread.
Your kind understanding appreciated.

Please do not hesitate to PM other WR's Moderators and ME for any further clarification.



Thank you.

annehuda

nileh rupenye teddy rooselvet terrier puppy yg Keller iye2 nak namakan cerberus tu.

girlphg

awak ada bakat menulis.. teruskan dengan bakat awak... boleh di gilap lagi...

Hana_Hirokawa

leh aje terima tajuk tu .. nk berangan ISWAK versi american plaks... hehehe...

kambeng_masam

few grammar errors are unavoidable...

err spoiler ni bukan sumbang mahram ye...in the e ...
annehuda Post at 13-3-2011 14:46

    ahhhh...come on!...janganlah reveal terlalu cepat pasal blood relation tu kat post ni....delete balik cepat! spoil arr....beng dah agak sebenarnya pun..tapi it's best kalau diam2 dulu..

this is really nice! well written. I always love to read something like this. grammar apa semer tu doesnt really bugs me at all. keep on what you're doing now.

annehuda

CHAPTER FIVE

Alex is bored to death.  He hates skating.  He just sits at the bench and watch Cassandra, Medee and Brianna skates around the rink at Park Centre. He glanced at his watch and its almost 7 now.  Usually, he’ll be at home cooking dinner for him and Annelise.

Annelise….

Alex remembered the letter he picked up from the dustbin.  A red envelope that Annelise ranted about at school.  He kept it in his pockets this whole time.  Maybe this is the right time to read it.  What is it about this letter that turns the ever so delicate Annelise to a furious woman in a snap of time?  He’s about to tear opened the envelope when his cell phone rang.  A call from his father, asking him to stop by at the café.  
  
He asked Cassandra to accompany him to meet his father at Midnight. Midnight is located at Glenview Park Golf Club and it offers fine contemporary cuisine overseeing the gorgeous view of the golf park.  Who could have guess a former construction worker like his father could actually make a good host?

“Well, what do you think?” Alec handed Alex a letter emblem with the symbol of Phillips Andover Academy. He skimmed the letter, and smiled instantly.  

“Did Annelise get admitted too?”

His first thought is Annelise.  He and Annelise applied together last January to Phillips Andover Academy for April enrollment.  They made it through the interview together, they always put a high hope that both of them would get to experience a boarding school life.  Kathy and Alec looked at each other, discontentedly.  They are expecting other answer that doesn’t involved Annelise.  

“I’m sorry dear.  Annelise didn’t make the cut.  Only you did”.  Kathy lied.  She already shredded Annelise’s offer letter, even before Alec got the chance to read it.  She knew that they can’t afford to send two kids to Andover.  So she chooses Alex, her blood over Annelise, their bargain.  Alex put down the paper, disappointed and hesitating.

“Oh Alex, why do you care so much for Annelise?  You should be happy.  I’m so proud my boyfriend is going to Andover!” Cassandra hugged Alex joyfully.  Now this is something she can brags about to her friends, or strangers.  My boyfriend is a student of Andover.

“Mum, we can’t afford this.  The tuition fee is just too high.  I don’t want to burden you with my education” Alex blurted out.  It’s true.  They can’t afford this.

“It’s okay Alex.  We can work this out.  The most important thing is that you get the best education at the best place.  You don’t have to worry about money, we’ll take care of that” Kathy Harrison put her wrinkly hand on her only son’s.  

“But mom, Andover is in Massachusetts.  Miles away from here.  If I stay here and did a good job, I still can make it to any college that I want.  What difference it will make?” Alex puts an end to his words “I’m not going”

The other three sat quietly still in their seats. Alex’s final words are the ultimatum to their discussion.  Kathy started to regret shredding Annelise’s offer letter.  Maybe if she didn’t, Alex would go.  Of course Alex will go; he and his so-called sister Annelise are inseparable since they were child.  Kathy bit her lower lips, exasperated.  Oh why did Alec has to bring that baby girl home?

“Alex, you don’t know how much this means to me” Alec tried to persuade Alex to accept the offer.  His face furrowed with grimace.  “If I could make Annelise go with you, I would.  But she didn’t make it and you did.  I bet she would want you to go, Alex.  I’d do anything to give the best for my two children”

Kathy wrung her napkin tightly.  She hated those words coming out from his husband’s mouth.  She never once considered Annelise as her daughter.  She’s a bargain, and now slowly becoming her burden. She once tried to find Annelise’s mother so her mother can take Annelise back, for 12 years she search for Guadalape Rodriguez, she even contacted her through a letter.  She was so close but then Alec’s business crumbled.  Not because of the recession, but they were sabotaged by the same gentleman who sent Annelise to them, who was furious with Kathy’s action of trying to find Annelise’s birth mother.  In a blink of an eye, they’ve lost everything, and had to stash away to here, Glenview.  Kathy detested Annelise even more after that.

“I’m not pushing you, Alex.  But you might want to think about this.  This is your future anyway” Alex gazed at his father’s wrinkly, bearded face.  He pitied his father, his father has experienced more downs than ups in his life, and his ultimatum added another down in his father’s list.  

“I’ll think about it” Alec’s face light up a bit.  “I’ll think about it at home” Alex excused himself.  “Let me send you home”, Cassandra offered him a ride.  But he declined “I need to be alone right now, Cassie”.  Then he sauntered to the massive glass door, leaving Cassandra with his parents.  

Alec stood up and went to the lounge, to entertain his incoming customers.

“We need to do something about this, Mrs Harrison.  We can’t just let Alex refuse this one time offer.   It would be a waste” Kathy couldn’t agree more with Cassandra.  

“It’s Annelise.  Annelise should be blame for this.  Annelise is the reason why he didn’t want to leave for Andover” Kathy’s ominous accusation about Annelise is not something that Cassandra would expect, but there is a little truth in it.  

“Then what do you suggest we should do, Mrs Harrison?” Cassandra is more than ready to execute any plans Kathy had in mind.  
Kathy smirks forebodingly.  She’s been waiting for someone like Cassandra to help her with what she’s been dreaming to do since Annelise entered her life. “Let’s get rid of Annelise from Alex’s life, once and for all”.  But she dare not say it out loud.

“We’ll think about it later.  You are his girlfriend, keep persuading him.  Maybe he’ll give in one day”

annehuda

CHAPTER SIX

It’s been days since Annelise and Alex spoke to each other.  Every morning, Annelise will go to school with Amanda, and in the evening, she’ll go to her parents’ restaurant and brought home some foods.  Her mother has been cold towards her those few days.  But she didn’t suspect anything.  Even when she was little, her mother favored Alex over her.  She resented it awhile, but it was her father’s affection towards her that makes her feel belongs.  She guessed, she’s a daddy’s girl and Alex is a mommy’s boy.  Maybe that’s the way it should be.

“Alex is still busy with his training, dear?” Alec asked lovingly as he handed her a paper bag containing fish and chips.

“Well, I guess so.  I mean, he has an important match, so he needs to double up his training.  He’s the captain, anyway” Annelise loves her father very much.  He has the kindest soul.  

“Well, about that, I need to show you something” Alec took out a piece of paper from the counter.  Alex’s admission letter to Andover.  “I’m sorry dear, you didn’t make it.  Only Alex”

Annelise smiled joyfully upon reading the letter.  She’s happy for Alex, she’s happy that Alex’s dream has finally comes true.  She scanned for his admission’s date.  April.  But it’s 3 weeks from now.  Why is Alex not preparing anything?

“He refused to go” Alec calmly answered.  Because of you, my dear.  “Maybe, maybe if you could persuade him to go. That’s would be the best for him.  We both knows that”   

Annelise realized that, but she is quite reluctant to do so.  Things are not going great between them, and Alex keeping such important news a secret from her just determined how erratic things are.  If he goes away now, she’s afraid their relationship couldn’t be patch again.  But it is for his best, she knew that. She held his father’s hands and promised him something she’s halfhearted to do.  

As soon as Annelise reached home, she called Alex but he didn’t answer.  She left him a message on his voicemail, asking him to come home sooner today.  She’s not sure if Alex would return her call, but she waited anyway.  Alone at the dinner table where they used to have a dinner together.

Annelise ran to the door when she heard the bell rings.  That’s was quick, she thought.  She opens the front door, and it’s Amanda, holding a spotted puppy.

“Mandy? When did you have a puppy?” Annelise is surprised.  She knows Amanda is a volunteer at the local animal shelter, but she never had a pet before.  

“Ah….well.  Someone asks me to take care of his puppy.  He doesn’t want to put it at the shelter” Amanda walked into the house and handed Annelise her puppy. “His name is Kaleb”

Kaleb yapped at Annelise and wriggled himself free from Annelise’s hold.  Kaleb ran back to Amanda and hid behind her legs.  “Owh I thinks he hates me” Annelise looked disappointed.

“Owh don’t mind that.  He’s not use to you yet” Amanda narrowed her eyes her eyes at Kaleb. “Kaleb has no manner. He needs to be trained, just like his master”.

“Who is his master?” Annelise asked.

“Well, you don’t want to know him.  Let’s say, he’s irritating, has no manners at all, he thinks the whole world revolves around him”.  Annelise really couldn’t figure out who she’s referring to.  

They retreated to Annelise’s room. Annelise wanted to show Amanda her notebook.  Annelise is fascinated with flowers.  Everytime she found an interesting kind of flowers, she’ll dried it and compiled it in a green hard covered notebook.  She’ll write down the details of the flowers; the smells, the textures, colors.  Sometimes, she will draw bouquet, corsage and nosegay of flowers.  She can’t afford to experiment with real flowers as it is expensive, and also her mother will be furious if she knows Annelise is wasting her time flower arranging instead of studying. It’s no secret Annelise wants to be a florist someday, an ambition deemed as not ambitious at all.  Amanda is always happy to support her, just like she shares with Annelise her passion towards pets.

Kaleb is a restless puppy.  It can’t sit still at all.  So quietly while the two girls discussed if the radiant Amaryllis would look nice if paired with soothing Delphinium, Kaleb sneaked out from the room.  It wandered around the upper floor, and then ran down the stairs.  His sharp eyes spot a little opening of the Harrison’s main bedroom door.  It slide in and instinctively crawled under the bed, and found an unlocked trinket of letters.  He tried to open the box with his nose, and paws, he tried to bite it, but it didn’t even nudge a bit.

“Where’s Kaleb?” Amanda suddenly realized Kaleb has gone.  

“Oh Mandy, he’s probably downstairs. Don’t worry; I’ve already locked all the doors and windows.  He can’t jump out from the house”.  But Amanda is still worried.  She worried that Kaleb would breaks something.

“I think I’ll search for him downstairs” Annelise shaked her head a little and smiles.  She was amused with Amanda frantic reaction.  The puppy seems to be so important to her, but it isn’t hers. It must belong to someone so important to Amanda.

Amanda searched for Kaleb at the kitchen, and the living room till she sees the Harrison’s main bedroom door was opened.  Thank goodness Annelise didn’t bother to follow her; she’ll be upset if she knows Kaleb is making a mess in Annelise’s parents’ bedroom.  Quietly she entered the room, and she saw Kaleb’s tail wagging, half of its body hidden under the bed.
She pulled Kaleb out, Kaleb is biting a yellowish folded paper.  She took it out from Kaleb’s bite and opened the letter, intently to smoothen the crease.  It was a letter from Mrs Harrison, to a woman name Guadalupe Rodriguez. The first paragraph catches her attention.  The letter didn’t start with ‘Hello’ or ‘Dear’, but ‘Take her back’.   She covered her gasping mouth, shocked of learning the truth of Annelise ‘s life through the letter.

annehuda

“Mandy?” Amanda heard Annelise’s footsteps climbing down the stairs.  She quickly shoved the letter back to it box and carries Kaleb out from the room.  She closed the door, making sure it’s firmly locks, and quickly walked to the living room.  Annelise is already at the kitchen.

“Oh Mandy!  There you are?  Where did you find Kaleb?”

“He’s…he’s playing at the couch” Amanda nervously lied. “Thank God he didn’t poops”.

Annelise chuckled.  “Yeah, thank God.  If he did, you and I have a lot of cleaning to do”.

Amanda stared solemnly at Annelise.  Her sweet friend Annelise.  Annelise looks so radiant when she smiles, so lovable. Annelise will never hurt anyone.  Amanda wondered why someone would hate her so much.   The content of the letter she just read pains her, didn’t Annelise knows she’s so unwanted by someone she called ‘mother’ for her entire life?

“Anne, I think I should go now.  I need to take Kaleb out, to poop”  Annelise laughed even louder. But she opened the front door for Amanda anyway, and sent her out with smile on her face.

Amanda stood awhile outside the porch.  Looking back at the closed door, she knew she’s holding a secret of Annelise’s life.  She wondered if Annelise knows about this already, maybe she should discuss it with her.  But she didn’t found out the truth straight from the horse’s mouth.  She walked weakly back to her house, Kaleb following her from behind.  She didn’t go straight into her house, instead she chooses to sits at a bench in her backyard, Kaleb snuggling comfortably in her lap.  

Suddenly Kaleb barked and jumped out from her lap.  It dashed to the picket fence door; Keller’s standing outside the fence.  He came with his Hummer, but she didn’t hear him coming at all.  Keller helped himself in.

“Hey boy.  How’re you doing? Miss me?” Keller crouched down, and Kaleb jumped onto him.  

Keller brought along a big bag of dog foods and some packets of chewy bones.  He took out a stick from the bag and threw it to the edge of the backyard.  Kaleb ran for it, trying to catch it before it lands. But he’s still not fast enough to catch it.  But still Keller rewarded him with a biscuit.  He can’t wait to teach Kaleb some tricks.  

Amanda just watched them with a blank expression on her face.  Keller is curious, though it’s only their third brief meeting, but Amanda is unusually silent today.  Even when he sat beside her, she didn’t say or do anything.  For a while, they sat silently, and Keller instantly fed up with the silence.  He pinched Amanda’s cheek.

“Auw!” Amanda winched.  “Why did you do that for?” Amanda clearly isn’t amused with that prank.

Keller sneered cheekily.  “No reason at all.  I just want to make sure you’re not dead”.  Keller tried to pinch her again but she nudged his hand before he could do so.

“If you do that again, I’ll bite you”. Amanda warned him.

“Really?” Challenged, Keller tried to pinch her again. This time Amanda seized his hand and sank her teeth into Keller’s arm.
Keller screamed in pain. Amanda lets go of his arm, she covered her mouth with both her hands.  She can’t believe she just did that. She just bite Keller’s arm.  “Owh Keller I’m so so sorry. Did that hurt?”

Keller peered at her skeptically.   He used to think Amanda as a freak, now he’s afraid of her.  He’s almost convinced that Amanda is a cannibal now.

“Owh Keller, I’m so sorry” Amanda pleaded guiltily.  “I didn’t mean to do that. It’s just…I’ve just found out something very terrible, and I can’t tell it to anyone, then you came, and tease me like that. I just lose all my control, and I hurt you” Amanda blurted out everything that has been going in her mind today to an unsuspicious Keller.  

Keller turned to face Amanda.  “Do you want to talk to me about it?”

Amanda looked at him disbelievingly.  Keller O’Donnell is offering her a pair of listening ears.  But can he keep a secret?  “If I told you about it, can you promise me, really really promise me, you won’t tell anyone about it?”

Keller nodded.  “Of course.  You didn’t tell anyone we have a dog together right?”

Amanda wanted to correct Keller that they didn’t actually have a dog together, it’s merely Keller asking her to take care of his dog, but she can do it later.  So she told Keller everything, about the content of letter that revealed the true history of Annelise’s life.  Keller listened attentively to every word she says, down to her last dilemma.

“Do you think I should tell Annelise about it?”

“Well judging from what you just tell me, you just had the answer.  You’re just not sure if it the right thing to do”
Keller is right.  She had the answer.  

“I don’t want to tell her Keller.  But I just wonder if she actually knows about this”

“Well, maybe she knows, maybe she didn’t.  We don’t know.  Maybe she knows but she didn’t want us to know about it.  But if she didn’t, and one day she found about it” Keller gazed at her thoughtfully “you should stay beside her, supports her in any way you could, and still be her best friend.  Friends through thick and thin”

Amanda couldn’t agree more. She smiled, and let go a sigh of relief.  No more burden on her chest.  Keller is absolutely right; she should stay by Annelise’s side no matter what happens.

“Thanks Keller.  I’m sorry I bite you” Amanda thanked him demurely.

“Yeah, about that…” Keller stretched both his arms, stood up and puts both his hand in his pants pocket.  “This is just our third long conversation, and you just tell me a big secret about my captain’s sister history.  You really trust I won’t tell Alex about it?”
Amanda gawped in confusion.  “But didn’t you just promise me….”

Keller laughed maliciously.  “What? That you’re just a nagger who likes to snoop around other people personal’s matter, and blurted it out to a total stranger? Hhmmm… sounds like a gossipmonger to me”

Amanda is utterly baffled with Keller O’Donnell.  Keller whistled as he makes his way to his Hummer, instructing Kaleb with his fingers to run to Amanda.  Amanda tried to stop him from going, but Kaleb kept on jumping and barking at her.  So she just watched dreadfully as Keller drove away from her house, carrying a secret that she didn’t even sure if Keller wants to keep it.

Amanda slumped down to the ground.  Why did she trust Keller O’Donnell so quickly like that?