CHAPTER 2.1

SHE SAID FOREVER

JAKE

SEPTEMBER 1997

I walk into my grade two class on the first day, scanning the room for my friends from the previous year, but someone else catches my eye.

Her gorgeous green eyes look straight at me from across the room. I can't look away. She's beautiful. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail, with bangs framing her face.

As I walk farther into the room, I notice some empty desks near hers. She looks up and flashes an adorable grin, a gap where her front teeth should be.

"Wanna sit here?" she asks, wrinkling her nose with a quirky smile and pointing to the neighboring desk.

"Okay." I force a weak smile as I sit down, my heart still racing. I glance around again, looking for my friends.

"I'm Kayla Jay. You can call me Kayla Jay." She smiles and holds out her dainty hand.

I can't believe she's still talking to me, but I try to play it cool.

"I'm Jacob Spryfield. Everyone calls me Jake, though." I shake her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Jake. Are you from here?" Her eyes sparkle with curiosity.

"Yeah, my mom sells strawberries at the farmers market," I say, hoping to break the ice.

"Your mom? Wow! I think our moms know each other! My mom gets strawberries from your mom every summer!" Her eyes widen in surprise.

That look, just now, the way she angles her head, eyes cast upward with a subtle tilt, is like a perfect photograph. No one has ever looked at me that way before. Is she even real, or is this what falling in love feels like? I pinch myself on the side she can't see, just to be sure. The idea that we have a connection sends a rush of excitement through me so strong, it's almost sickening.

"That's so cool!"

"Yeah..." She continues smiling, her eyes glued to mine, mesmerized by the way I stare at her without shame.