Fusion

My stomach did a weird flip-flop when I saw her. She was still wearing her Michelangelo shirt, and I couldn’t stop the grin from forming on my face.

“Mom, this is Jeremy, the boy I was telling you about,” she said.

Something about knowing she’d told her Mom about me made me happy inside. My grin grew even wider.

“Ah. Your new best friend?” her mom asked.

Sierra’s face turned pink. My own mom laughed and handed over the cookies she’d brought.

Leaning in close, my mom gave my own secret away. “Jeremy said the same of Sierra. I guess we’re fortunate you moved in when you did.”

When Sierra smiled, I didn’t even care that I’d been outed.

Her mom smiled warmly and looked from me to my mom. “The girls were just about to watch a movie. Would Jeremy and Je

Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes. The chant was so loud in my head that I was almost surprised they couldn’t all hear it.

“They’d love to,” Mom responded.

I barely resisted the urge to let out a resounding “Yes!”

“Sierra, why don’t you go get the movie started? We’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything.” Then she turned back to Mom. “Wine?”

Mom laughed and looped her arm through Sierra’s mom’s. “Vicky, I believe this is the begi

I couldn’t help looking at Sierra and thinking the exact same thing. By the beaming smile that was returned to me, I could tell she agreed. At least, I hoped so.

She mimicked her mom and grabbed my arm, pulling me into the living room, where Je

When the movie was over, we chanted, “Go Ninja!” repeatedly, not plopping down on the couch until we were worn out and out of breath. Still, it felt all too soon when Mom and Dad came into the living room, saying it was time to go home. I wanted to protest, but Mom reminded me that Sierra lived right next door and I’d probably see her the next day. I didn’t know what my problem was, but I wanted to be around her all the time. Saying bye, even if just for the night, sucked. But, as I went to protest again, Mom gave me her don’t push it look and I zipped it.

Later on that night, I was lying in my bed, tossing my football up into the air, unable to sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about Sierra and how pretty she was the first time I’d seen her. Her long, blonde hair, which looked so soft that I wanted to touch it to see if it really was. Her skin, tan and smooth, with freckles I wanted to play co

I shook my head at the thought. She’s just a girl.

Just a girl.

A girl I was going to marry one day.

It didn’t quite hit me like a bolt of lightning or anything like that. I just knew. It kind of dawned on me, and I had no reason to question it.

Because let’s face it. Why wouldn’t I want to spend my life with a girl who was as pretty as she was and who liked the same things I did? To me, we were already a match made in Heaven. It was kind of a no-brainer.

And, with that, I fell asleep, a smile on my lips and the memory of Sierra Sullivan in my dreams.

When my parents sat Lexi and me down to tell us that we were moving to Florida because of my dad’s job, I was devastated. Even though I was only eight years old, I’d already thought I’d made lifelong friends, and I couldn’t imagine saying goodbye.

Those friends had nothing on Jeremy Banks, and from the moment I met him, I knew he was going to be my new best friend. I just hoped he’d felt the same.

I soon found that he did. He didn’t look at me like I was another a

Late one night, we were in his backyard, pretending to be camping. School was starting soon, and we wouldn’t be able to hang out as much, so we were both savoring our last “sleepover.” We lay in our sleeping bags, looking up at the stars as the crickets chirped around us. Lexi and Je

“Did that story scare you?” I asked.

He looked over at me and shook his head. “Sierra, I’m a boy. Nothing scares me,” he declared, his jaw set tight.

I sat up and narrowed my eyes, peering at him. “Oh, come on, Jeremy. There has to be something you’re scared of. Like me… I’m scared of the ocean.”

His eyes widened as he rose, twisting so he was facing me. “You are? Why?”

Dad let out a deep snore, so I scooted over until I was closer to him. “Jellyfish and sharks,” I admitted, feeling silly.

“Really?” he asked.

I nodded as I bit my lower lip. “Yeah. My mom says I don’t need to be worried about sharks and just that I need to keep my eyes out, but it still scares me. I’ve only put my feet in the water so far. I haven’t even been able to go into the water completely.”

“I’m scared of sharks, too,” he whispered in return.

I choked on a gasp, my eyes widening. “You are?”

“Yeah. My dad made me watch Jaws and it scared the crap out of me. I haven’t gone in the water since.”

I laughed and poked his shoulder. “I thought you weren’t scared of anything.”

He shrugged and then yawned before lying back down. “Just sharks. But if you want, maybe we can face our fears and go in the water together.”

I snuggled up in my sleeping bag and looked over at him. “You’d do that for me?”

Jeremy smiled. “I’d do anything for you, Sierra.”

That was the last thing either of us said before we fell asleep, but I knew I’d do anything for Jeremy, too. I hoped he knew it.

The next morning, we got Je

Jeremy seemed as nervous as I felt. When I sca

“Are you sure about this, Jeremy? I know you’re scared of sharks, too, and that’s okay. I won’t be mad at you if you want to stay here.”

He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment while his eyes surveyed the water, becoming alert and focused when they returned to mine. His jaw set with determination as he grabbed my hand, curling our fingers around each other.