Chapter Two

.::♫&♥::.

I sat on my front porch, strawberry bangs in my eyes. I was constantly moving them out of my vision, mostly because I was watching the movers across the street… The new family wasn’t here yet, and I really wanted to meet them. “Caitlyn?” a voice called my name, “What are you doing out here?” I turned around, seeing my big brother, Brain. Brain and I didn’t look alike, He had brown hair and eyes, and was a year older than me (eleven months to be more accurate). I smiled up to him with a shrug, “Just waiting on the new neighbors… He looked up, a confused look on his nine-year-old-face, “Who in there right mind would live here? There is nothing to do in Lubbock!” he was usually bored. None of his friend, or mine, lived within walking distance. Or, at lest walking distance that our mother permitted us to walk…

Suddenly, I looked back to the house, just in time to see a silver van pull into the driveway. The new neighbors were finally here! I jumped to my feet, my wavy strawberry blond hair bouncing with me, “They’re here!” I exclaimed. I brushed myself off, wearing my black and white stripped long sleeved shirt, and jeans. Out of the car came out the parents I assumed, the dad with brown hair, and the mom with wavy light blond hair. Then, out came three boys, one with brown hair like the dad’s, the other two had dark blond hair. Then the mom took out a little blond girl. Great, I thought to myself, they’re all boys and the only girl is a baby!

Brain smiled, “Hey,” He began, “they look around our age!” I looked back at him, he seemed, happy. I blinked my green eyes at him, “Can we go and talk to them?” I asked him. “I don’t see why not.” Brain started to walk across the dried out, dead lawn. I blinked and followed, “Brain wait!” I caught up with him, “Momma always said to never to cross the street alone!” I was eight, I was of course going to listen to my mom! He just laughed at me, “If you and me are together, then we’re not alone, right?” I nodded. He was right, like always. We looked both ways as we crossed the street to the new neighbors.

One of the boys with dark blond hair waved at us, causing his other brothers to look at what he was waving at.. Brain waved back, “Hey! I’m Brain, and this is my sister, Caitlyn.” I waved shyly, and smiled, “Hi…”The boy with brown hair smiled, “Hi! I’m James!” the first blond smiled, “And I’m Dennis!” the last blond smiled shyly and said, “I’m Andrew…” I noticed that he had glasses, that was one way to tell all of them apart.

Brain stood casually, “So, how old are y’all?” James stood tall and proud, “I’m eleven! And the Oldest!” I blinked, that was cool. Dennis smiled, “I’m only nine.” Brain smiled, “Awesome! So am I!” they both high-fived. Andrew smiled, “I’m eight…” I smiled at him, “So am I…” James pointed to the little blond girl, “And that’s Lizzy, She’s not two yet, but almost.”

I smiled, I liked our neighbors! They were so cool! We talked for what seemed like hours, learning that James, Dennis and Andrew were all from El Paso, Texas. We talked on and on, until Brain and I heard a voice call out to us, “Brain Donovan Reed! Caitlyn Moraine Reed! Where in the world are you two?!” we turned around. There, we saw our Mother rush across the street, she had long red hair. I remember that day she was wearing a Lavender shirt with a nice pair of black jeans. Her green eyes were blazing with furry. That was my mom, Deirdre Norah McCree-Reed, A very proud Irish from Cork in the Republic of Ireland. Anyone could tell this, even if they claimed to suck at identifying accents, that she was very Irish. I looked at Brian, “I told you Momma would get mad…” Brian blinked his brown-green hazel eyes and looked up at mom, “We were just talking to the new neighbors, mom…” she looked up, “Oh,” she drawled with a smile, “Top of the mornin’ to ya’s!”

“Hello!” said a voice behind the three brothers, who jumped in surprise. It was their mother, “You must be James’, Dennis’, and Andrews’ new friends mother. I’m Katherine Thomas.” Mom shook the Thomas’ brothers’ mother’s hand, “I’m Deirdre McCree-Reed. The pleasure is mine.” While the mothers talked, we wandered to a different part of the yard, “So,” Brian began again, “what school will you go to?” the Thomas brothers looked at each other, James blinked, “Well, I think we’re going to Whiteside…” Brian’s grin grew, “That’ll be good, ‘Cause we go there too!” Dennis smiled, “Yes! Maybe we’ll be in the same class!” they High-Fived again. I looked at Andrew, “And maybe you’ll be in my class!” Andrew smiled at me, “That’ll be cool!” It was then we all went into the Thomas’ house. It was, to me, an array of colors. Some of the rooms were white, but the living room was a dark cranberry like red. The kitchen and the rumpus room were a light periwinkle…

The rumpus room itself was cool. In the center of the room was a pool table, minus the colorful balls and sticks. A TV was set up on an Rumpus center in a corner of the room. And there were boxes with the word’s “Rumpus Room” written in black marker everywhere. The Thomas’ dad came in, “James, They found your Viola, You want me to put it in your room?” James nodded, “Yes please! Thank you!” His dad smiled and left to go up the stairs. I looked at him, “Viola?” I asked confused, “Don’t cha mean Violin?” James smiled and shook his head, “No, A Viola looks a lot like a violin, but it has different strings…” He smiled, “We do sit close to the violins and the cello’s though!” Dennis smiled, “That’s what I’m going to play next year. The cello… it just sounds epic!”

I blinked confused, “Next year? Why next year?” Brain looked at me funny, “What, you don’t know? Well, I guess you wouldn’t,” He shrugged, “you’re only in the fourth grade.” I blinked at him confused, “What don’t I know?” Brain looked up at me, “Our Elementary has an Orchestra…” I smiled, “Really? That’s awesome!” I exclaimed. I now knew what I wanted to do in two years… then Andrew opened up the entertainment center, “Aw, man.” He said and turned to us, who turned to him, “They haven’t found the TV yet… or the PlayStation…” James shrugged, “Well, tomorrow we might have it going.” We all sat down on the floor randomly and we just started talking. At one point, their dad threw in a pack of cards, and we began to play slap jack, and B.S. along with other games; it was a whole lot of fun. The time went by really fast, and it was suddenly seven thirty. The phone rang right after Andrew called B.S. on Brain’s play, and was right. “This is Daniel Thomas… Yes Ma’am, they are… Oh, okay… really, it’s no trouble at all! Yes, uh huh… thank you too… Alright, Buh-bye…” and he hung up the phone and walked into the rumpus room, “Hey, sorry guys, but Brain and Caitlyn have to go home now…” and all of us simultaneously groaned, “Aw!”

“Here,” Dennis said, “I’ll walk you two home…” Andrew looked up, “Me too!” James smiled, and picked up the cards, “Y’all be safe now.” We walked out the door and across the street. Dennis smiled at us, “And I do believe we will see you at school on Monday!” he said in a silly accent. I chuckled nodding, and I looked at Andrew, “I hope you’re in my class with me…” He smiled, a bit flustered and nodded, “Me too.” We waved and went inside.

After dinner, I went up stairs to my room, which was a lavender color and was strewn with stuffed panda bears, and the walls had some painted bamboo stocks on them. I laid down on my Yin Yang patterned bed with a warm smile. I had some amazing new friends right across the street. I closed my eyes and fell asleep, thinking of all the things we could do together…

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