The girl opened her eyes as she awoke from a nice dream. They shined a brilliant blue. She gasped and smiled, as she remembered what day today was, her eighteenth birthday. Then she sat up in her bed, still smiling. She threw her blanket off of her and she ran down the hall to the bathroom, hastily straightening her brown hair that framed her beautiful face. She then ran out of the bathroom and down the stairs and into the kitchen.

    "My, my, someone's excited about today," her mother said.

    "Today's a special day," the girl said as she sat down at the dining table.

    "Is it?" she asked, unbeknownst to her daughter, feigning forgetfulness. She rubbed her chin, as if in deep thought.

    "You forgot?!" her daughter asked in dismay. Her day ruined already! Before her mother could say what she would guess she yelled: "TODAY IS MY EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY!"

    "I knew that," her mother smiled awkwardly. "But," she stated sternly, "If you're going to yell then you can forget your present." Her daughter gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh, so you want your present?" Her daughter nodded quickly many times not removing her hands. "Well..." she dragged as she placed a plate of fried eggs and toast in front of her daughter on the table. "If you want your present, then you have to eat your breakfast and then go get ready for your special day." Her daughter gasped and she wolfed down her breakfast and after a glass and a half of orange juice, she wiped her mouth and she ran upstairs to her room. She threw her closet doors open with determination. She looked at her clothes for a moment before she dropped her head with a defeated groan.

    "I don't know what to wear," she whined. Before she broke down on the floor crying, she told herself something. "Come on, Electra, don't be defeated by fashion, especially on your eighteenth birthday." She rifled through her tops. "No, no, no," she came to a cute shirt, "Ooh... nah," she said after a moment. "No, no, no." She sighed and she brought her hands to her face. Then she dropped onto the floor and broke out crying. Her mother came into her room a moment later.

    "Electra, what's the matter?" she asked getting down and hugging her daughter.

    "I don't know what to wear!" Electra bawled. Her mother helped her stand up.

    "Don't be like that. In fact..." she said as she walked into her room and she pulled something out her closet and she came back over carrying an outfit over her arm. "I think you deserve to wear this." It was a black blouse with a green and black striped jacket. She had matching skinny jeans with it. Electra looked at it for a moment.

    "Are you insane?! I can't wear this! It's too..." she trailed off.

    "Too what?" her mother asked with a tone showing that she was mildly upset with what her daughter had said.

    "You know... too out-of-style."

    "Out of style?" her mother repeated.

    "Yes!"

    "Well, before you be so judgmental, I should let you know: I wore this outfit on my eighteenth birthday. That was also the day your father fell in love with me. Maybe the same will happen to you."

    "Yeah, yeah," Electra said as she snatched the outfit from her mother. "Now get out of here. I need to change." Her mother smiled wryly and she left her daughters room shutting the door behind her. She walked back down to the kitchen to clean the dishes. After about fifteen minutes she heard her daughter coming down the stairs. She walked to the living room.

    "Let me see you," she said. Electra came into the room. She looked really beautiful. The outfit fitting her perfectly. Her mother gasped and she folded her hands together. "Aw you so beautiful!"

    "Mom, stop," Electra said blushing slightly.

    "It's just missing some final touches," she said as she hurried back to her room.

    "Wait, what final touches?" Electra asked up the stairs.

    "Just come back up here!" her mother called. She sighed annoyed and she walked back up the stairs. Her mother was digging through an old wooden chest. She pulled out a bottle of lipstick. It was green colored. She gave it to her daughter as she continued digging. Electra took the small bottle and looked at it.

    "Green?!" she asked.

    "Matches the outfit," her mother stated. "Go put some on." She then had some earrings in her hand. She double checked them as Electra put on the lipstick in a nice even layer. She walked to the bathroom where her daughter was looking at herself in the mirror. Her mother came up behind her. "Let me put these on," she said. She put the earrings shaped like little lightning bolts in her daughters earlobes. Electra looked at them. She scoffed.

    "Lightning, Mom?" she asked.

    "Just hold on a bit, let me style your hair." She took a brush and after she had combed all of her daughters hair up, she styled it downward and forward. It was wrapped around the back of her head and with it styled forward like her mother had set it, she looked like a 1970's superhero.

    "I look like a comic book character from 1976," Electra said.

    "Don't be so bad about it," her mother almost cried. "You look just like me when I was your age. Like I'm looking back in time." Electra looked up at her mother. There was a sad, but happy smile on her face. Electra smiled. "Electra you look beautiful." Then Electra figured what the bolt earrings were for. It was her namesake, that's why her mother made her wear them. That's when the doorbell rang.

    "Oh, my friends!" Electra exclaimed as she forgot that her plan was to go have fun with her friends than come home to a massive party later tonight. She was about to run out of the bathroom when her mother stopped her. "What?" she whined as she was eager to join her friends.

    "Have fun today. Be safe."

    "I will Mom," Electra smiled. She hugged her mother. Her mother hugged her back Then Electra ran down the stairs and to the front door. She opened the door to reveal a group of kids her age.

    "Electra!" the girl in the front exclaimed. It was her best friend Peace.

    "Peace!" Electra exclaimed. They hugged each other in a friendly manner.

    "Wow, you look awesome," Peace said.

    "Really?" Electra asked, blushing mildly.

    "Yeah! I am loving your outfit!"

    "Thanks." Electra got more complements from the rest of her girl friends, Cedar, Randi, Kizzy, and from her guy friend Lenox, who was a foreign exchange student from Scotland.

    "Be safe guys, and have fun," Electra's mother said appearing be hind her.

    "We will, Mom," Electra said. They walked off the porch, Electra's mother waving good-bye. The walked to Peaces car, her mothers minivan, a metallic beige Honda Odyssey. Peace climbed into the driver seat, Electra riding shotgun in the passenger seat. Peace drove the van out of the driveway, with music over the speakers. As they drove on into the city, they were exchanging friendly conversations, laughing, and having a good time. They were having such a good time, that Electra didn't see the truck that slammed into the van as they entered an intersection. Electra screamed at the moment of impact and her world went black.

2: Again?

    The girl opened her eyes as she awoke. They shined a brilliant blue. She remembered what day today was, her eighteenth birthday. Then she sat up in her bed. She scratched her head.     "What a weird dream," she yawned. She thought for a few minutes as she remembered what she had dreamed about. She climbed out of bed and she walked down the hall to the bathroom where she straightened her brown hair that framed her beautiful face. After that, she walked down stairs into the kitchen and dining room. Her mother was there, making her breakfast. Fried eggs and toast.

    "Morning, Electra," her mother said.

    "Morning Mom. Today's a special day," she said as she sat down at the dining table.

    "Is it?" she asked, unbeknownst to her daughter, feigning forgetfulness. She rubbed her chin, as if in deep thought.

    "You forgot?!" her daughter asked in dismay. Her day ruined already, as it was in her dream. So she simply said: "Today is my eighteenth birthday."

    "I knew that," her mother smiled. "Now eat your breakfast and go get ready for your day today." Electra ate her breakfast and she walked up the stairs to her room.

   "I don't know what to wear," she whined. She rifled through her tops. "No, no, no," she came to a cute shirt, "Ooh... nah," she said after a moment. "No, no, no." She walked to her mothers room. "I don't know what to wear." Electra said.

    "Oh. I just remembered..." she said as she walked into her room and she pulled something out her closet and she came back over carrying an outfit over her arm. "I think you deserve to wear this." It was a black blouse with a green and black striped jacket. She had matching skinny jeans with it. Electra looked at it for a moment.

    "Are you insane? I can't wear this! It's too..." she trailed off.

    "Too what?" her mother asked with a tone showing that she was mildly upset with what her daughter had said.

    "You know... too out-of-style."

    "Out of style?" her mother repeated.

    "Yes. That's it."

    "Well, before you be so judgmental, I should let you know: I wore this outfit on my eighteenth birthday. That was also the day your father fell in love with me. Maybe the same will happen to you."

    "You think?," Electra said as she snatched the outfit from her mother. "Now get out of here. I need to change." Her mother smiled wryly and she left her daughters room shutting the door behind her. She walked back down to the kitchen to clean the dishes. After about fifteen minutes she heard her daughter coming down the stairs. She walked to the living room.

    "Let me see you," she said. Electra came into the room. She looked really beautiful. The outfit fitting her perfectly. Her mother gasped and she folded her hands together. "Aw you so beautiful!"

    "Mom, stop," Electra said blushing slightly.

    "It's just missing some final touches," she said as she hurried back to her room. She sighed and she walked back up the stairs. Her mother was digging through an old wooden chest. She pulled out a bottle of lipstick. It was green colored. She gave it to her daughter as she continued digging. Electra took the small bottle and looked at it.

    "Green?" she asked.

    "Matches the outfit," her mother stated just as she did in her dream. "Go put some on." She then had some earrings in her hand. She double checked them as Electra put on the lipstick in a nice even layer. She walked to the bathroom where her daughter was looking at herself in the mirror. Her mother came up behind her. "Let me put these on," she said. She put the earrings shaped like little lightning bolts in her daughters earlobes. Electra looked at them.

    "Lightning?" she asked.

    "Just hold on a bit, let me style your hair." She took a brush and after she had combed all of her daughters hair up, she styled it downward and forward. It was wrapped around the back of her head and with it styled forward like her mother had set it, she looked like a 1970's superhero. "You look just like me when I was your age. Like I'm looking back in time." Electra looked up at her mother. There was a sad, but happy smile on her face. Electra smiled. "Electra you look beautiful." Then Electra figured what the bolt earrings were for. It was her namesake, that's why her mother made her wear them. That's when the doorbell rang.

    "Oh, my friends are here!" Electra exclaimed as she forgot that her plan was to go have fun with her friends than come home to a massive party later tonight. She was about to run out of the bathroom when her mother stopped her. "What?" she whined as she was eager to join her friends.

    "Have fun today. Be safe."

    "I will Mom," Electra smiled. She hugged her mother. Her mother hugged her back Then Electra ran down the stairs and to the front door. She opened the door to reveal a group of kids her age.

    "Electra!" the girl in the front exclaimed. It was her best friend Peace, with her other friends, just like in her dream.

    "Peace!" Electra exclaimed. They hugged each other in a friendly way.

    "Wow, you great!" Peace said.

    "Really?" Electra asked, blushing mildly.

    "Yeah! I am loving your outfit!"

    "Thanks." Electra got more complements from the rest of her friends.

    "Be safe guys, and have fun," Electra's mother said appearing be hind her.

    "We will, Mom," Electra said. They walked off the porch, Electra's mother waving good-bye. The walked to Peaces car, her mothers minivan, a metallic beige Honda Odyssey. Peace climbed into the driver seat, Electra riding shotgun in the passenger seat. Peace drove the van out of the driveway, with music over the speakers. This time, there was no truck.

3: The Fun In The Park

    Peace drove the van into the city.

    "So what are we going to do first?" Cedar asked.

    "Yeah, what's your plan?" Kizzy prompted.

    "Well..." Electra thought, pulling her cell phone from her pocket. She scrolled through her list of things that she had typed out. "First, I want to go to the park. I want to get some pictures."

    "Ooh, sounds like fun!" Peace said. "I have my Daddy's camera. Lenox, can you reach it?" she asked the boy in the back seat. Lenox turned around in the seat and he reached into the back and he pulled up a black bag.

    "Aye," he said in his native Scottish accent.

    "Cool." She drove down the street and she parked the van by the curb. They climbed out of the van. Electra breathed the park air. Peace put her fathers camera together. Good thing she knew what she was doing. Peace took great pictures. As she was finished putting the camera together, Lenox fetched the tripod. When he rejoined the group, Electra was posing by a tree and Peace was snapping some pictures. She took some nice portraits of Electra and they also took some pictures of themselves on their day of fun. They continued walking through the park and taking pictures until they came to the center park square. There were stands set up and venders were selling many different goods. Electra walked up to a trailer that was selling some drinks.

    "Can I get a bottle of water, please?" she asked the man working inside.

    "Sure," he said. A moment later he gave her a bottle of water. "99 cents." Electra gave him a dollar. He tossed a penny out the window and she caught it in her hands. She looked at it. It was a weird looking penny, if you could call it that. Her friends joined around her to look at the strange coin.

    "Weird," Peace said.

    "Is that a penny?" Kizzy asked.

    "I don't know," Electra said.

    "Maybe it's just old," Cedar decided.

    "Yeah," Randi said.

    "Yeah, you're probably right." They continued walking through the square. The group continued on as Electra stopped by the bathroom. After a few minutes she came back out and she looked around, hoping to find her friends. She shrugged and she walked in the direction she knew her friends were going. She passed by a tent that was set up under a group of trees, sitting perfectly in the middle with four trees perfectly at the corners of the tent.

    "There goes one who is lost," a mysterious voice wafted from the tent. Electra gasped quietly and she stopped. How did this strange woman know she was lost? She walked into the tent. Electra then knew that this woman was a fortune teller. "I'm glad you stopped by," she said to Electra and she offered for the girl to sit. Electra sat on the mat in front of the teller. "I have a special on palm readings today. I'll read your palm for the discounted price of a mere single Drachma."

    "A what?" Electra asked.

    "You have recently acquired a strange coin, no?" Electra was shocked. This gypsy must be legit. She pulled the strange coin out of her pocket. She slowly offered it to her. "That would be one Drachma," the woman said and Electra dropped the coin in her hand. "Now let me see your right hand." Electra held out her right hand. The woman took her hand. Her skin felt old, but soft. She traced her finger along the creases in her palm. "Today is your birthday?"

    "Yes," Electra said.

    "I see. You live... alone?"

    "I live with my mother."

    "Ah, yes. Only your dear mother I see." Electra nodded. "You are enjoying your special day. You take a break, and you become lost. Your friends must be worried." Electra gasped. The woman was probably right. Her friends must be worried sick. "Before you rejoin your friends, I see you have a deep desire for something."

    "Yeah," Electra said. Did she know what it is?

    "You have a desire for... love. A handsome man..."

    "Yes. Will I find him?" she asked hopefully.

    "No," the woman stated flatly.

    "Oh," Electra said sadly.

    "You do not find him. He will come to you." Electra's hope came back.

    "He will?"

    "Yes. You must wait under the tree in the center of the park. Wait for him. He will come." The woman let go of her hand. Electra held her hand over her heart.

    "He will come to me," she repeated. She then remembered her friends. She stood up to leave. "Thank you," she nodded to the teller. She then turned and left.

    "No, thank you," the woman said running the coin between her fingers.

    Electra went to the center of the park. In the middle of the square, there was the Memorial Tree. A tree dedicated to the city's founders. Her friends were there as well.

    "Electra!" Peace exclaimed. She ran to her and she hugged her. "I thought we lost you."

    "Sorry," Electra said. "I had to stop by the bathroom."

    "But you've been gone for ages!" Cedar said. "Where were you?"

    "I was having my palm read," she said as she looked at her hand.

    "A fortune teller?" Kizzy asked. "You know they're bogus right?"

    "Maybe," Electra said, her eyes not leaving her hand. "But maybe this one was right."

    "How?" Peace asked. Electra looked up at her.

    "She knew I was looking for you guys. She knew it was my birthday. She knew what I wanted."

    "What did you want?" Lenox asked.

    "I want a boyfriend." Peace sighed, with a tired smile.

    "Electra, everybody knows that you've always wanted a boyfriend."

    "Yeah, everybody at school."

    "Come on, you can't fall for this bull crap," Randi said. "It's just a coincidence." Electra thought for a few minutes. Maybe her friends were right.

    "Yeah," she conceded. "You're right."

    "Come on," Peace said, "Don't let this drag you down! Today is your day. Let's go have fun!" Electra's face lit up with a smile.

    "Yeah!" she said.

4: The Day of Fun

    They all loaded back into the van. Peace drove to the mall, their next stop. They went from store to store looking at all of the latest things they just had to have. Electra was staring at a beautiful sky-blue blouse in a store window.

    "Wow, that is so stylish!" she exclaimed. "I want it so badly!"

    "Well, let's hope your Mom knows that," Peace laughed. They continued on, and Randi quietly held back to buy the blouse in Electra's size. She and the others all did this, so Electra was left stupefied when they stopped in the food court for lunch.

    "Wow, you guys did some serious shopping," she said looking at the large number of bags they were carrying.

    "Yep," Kizzy said.

    "So... what ya get me?" Electra pried. Kizzy nearly choked on the soda she was drinking.

    "I don't know," she said simply.

    "Come on you guys," Electra said slyly. "What you get me?"

    "I'm not telling," Randi said.

    "No comment," Peace said. Cedar shrugged.

    "You will simply have to wait until later tonight," Lenox said.

    "Aw!" Electra whined. She hung her head in defeat.

    "Stop crying and eat your tacos," Peace said. "Besides we still have mini golf and the arcade to hit up before we party."

    Later, after they were done eating their lunch, they left the mall and they headed to the mini golf course. They grabbed their clubs and they hit the 18 holes. Lenox kept score.

    "Eighteen holes," he said looking at the score sheet as he wrote their names down. "One for each year," he said with a laugh.

    "Oh, I get it," Peace said laughing. Electra couldn't help but laughing too. "Electra you go first," she said as they walked to the first hole. Electra set her green golf ball on the black square. She looked toward the end of the putting green. She squinted her eyes at the hole.

    "Come on Electra, hole-in-one here," she told herself. She took a deep breath and she swung the putter. They watched with bated breath as the ball moved up the green toward the hole. Closer and closer until it rolled right past the hole. "No!" Electra cried. The others laughed. She gave her friends a death stare and they immediately stopped laughing.She sighed and she walked up to her ball and she putted it back into the hole.

    "Hole-in-two," Lenox muttered as he scribbled the score down in his handwriting. Peace and Cedar made the hole-in-one. Lenox couldn't get it in one. He made a score of four, and on the first hole! Electra laughed at him. Randi scored two. She high-fived Electra as she walked off the green. Later, by the time they were at hole 10, Electra finally made a hole-in-one. She cheered and she jumped up for joy.

    "Okay, so these are the totals so far," Lenox announced, "Electra: 20. Peace: 21."

    "Ha!" Electra bragged.

    "Randi: 15." Electra's heart stopped. She turned dramatically and she stared at Randi.

    "Look who's bragging now," Randi said in her laid-back tone. Electra sighed sadly.

    "Cedar: 19. Kizzy: 23. I have-" he stopped as he was afraid to read his score.

    "You got what?" Electra asked teasingly.

    "29," he muttered.

    "What?" she asked putting her hand behind her ear and she leaned closer to him.

    "29," he said a little louder. The girls laughed at him, causing him to blush. Later, they arrived at hole 18. Electra bent down to line up the ball with the final hole. The hole lead to a box that held the days worth of golf balls. If you wanted to play again, you'd have to buy another round. If you made a hole-in-one, or the farther hole up the steep slope at the end of the green to be specific, you win a free coupon for the next time you play, and Electra really liked this place so she really wanted that coupon. She took a deep breath, and she swung. The green ball sailed along the green and up the slope. The ball went up toward the top of the slope.

    "Come on," Electra prayed. "Come on!" The ball went into the hole at the top. "YES!" she screamed happily. Her friends congratulated her. Lenox wrote down 1. Then the others took their turn. Peace and Randi made the hole-in-one also. Cedar and Lenox did not. Lenox actually had to take a second swing.

    "That's two!" Peace said teasingly. Lenox groaned. He sighed as the ball went into the hole at the bottom of the slope. They took their putters back to the counter inside and they gave it to the employee there, a woman about 20 years old. Her name tag read: "Hello! My name is Thankful" Electra thought that was ironic because the look on Thankfuls face suggested that she would be thankful to be anywhere but here working.

    "Alright," Lenox said. "Final score. Electra: 31. Peace: 33. Randi: 27. Cedar: 30. Kizzy: 32. And I: have 45."

    "Prize for the winner," Thankful spoke up. Randi was given a bag of M&M's. Randi nodded thanks and they left. Then they went across the street to the arcade. After wasting another couple hours there, they all climbed back into the van. Surprisingly, Lenox was very good at the "Tokyo Drift" game. He really knew how to drive. Peace drove the van back toward the suburbs.

    "We all have plenty of energy?" she asked them.

    "Yeah!" the girls spoke up.

    "Aye!" Lenox said.

    "Time for the party!" she said as she drove back into Electra's driveway. They were fizzing with excitement. Electra was ready to enjoy the large chocolate cake that her mother had made, and especially, she was ready to see what her friends had bought for her.

5: The Party

    Electra climbed out of the van. She walked up to the front door. She opened the door and: "Surprise!" Her mother yelled. Electra gasped. "Happy 18!"

   "Wow," she breathed, as she tried to cover the smile on her face. Her mother kissed her on the cheek. There was so many presents on the table, and her friends were just now adding theirs to the collection. Electra was so happy that today was her special day. All of her friends from school were here. Peace wrapped her arms around her.

    "Yay! Happy eighteenth, El!" she said.

    "Thanks," Electra breathed, "I'm still shocked that so many of you showed up."

    "Today is your eighteenth birthday," Cedar said, "You deserve all the attention." Electra blushed and laughed. Her mom was lighting the candles on the cake. Soon, all eighteen candles were lit and Electra was brought over to the large chocolate cake. That's when the singing began. "Happy birthday to you..." and after the song was done, Electra took a deep breath and she blew out all of the candles. There was applause. The cake was cut and the ice cream was scooped. After everyone had their slice with scoop they ate.

    "Mom, this cake is great," Electra said.

    "Thank you," her mother said, "I knew you would like it." After everyone ate their cake and ice cream, it was time for presents. Electra walked over to the table. She opened the bad that Randi had placed on the table. Electra began to open it. "Wait who's it from?" her mother asked.

    "It says: "Happy 18 from Randi"," Electra said. Then she opened the bag. "I knew it!" she said as she pulled the sky blue blouse out of the bag. "Nice try Randi, but you couldn't fool me." Randi simply shrugged. Electra laughed and she let out a happy squeal while she hugged the blouse. She tried it on. It fit her perfectly. "Yay, it fits me perfectly!" She hugged Randi. "Ohmigod, Randi I love you so much!" Randi laughed awkwardly with a mild blush. She opened another gift, the one from Lenox. It was a stylish t-shirt and skirt. "Thanks, Lenox," Electra said to him.

    "Aye, you're welcome," he said.

    "I guess you do know American styles," she teased. Lenox blushed and Peace laughed. "Hey, I was teasing," Electra said with a grin. She then opened up all the others. She got some more stylish clothes, a pair of Sketchers, a very nice handbag, some earrings, and gift card for her favourite clothing store. "Wow, $150?!" she asked.

    "Yep," her friend Angela said. "I know you really like to shop there, so I thought I would get you that."

    "Wow, Angie, thanks so much!" Electra said as she gave her a hug. "You're so nice!" Electra looked back at the empty table. "I guess that's all of them."

    "Wait a minute!" her mother said, "There's one more!" She came up to her daughter.

    "What is it?" Electra asked, hopeful since she hoped she saved the best for last.

    "Follow me," her mother said. Everyone followed her out front. She stood in front of the garage door.

    "So, what is it?" Electra pried. Her mother pressed a button on the controller for the garage door that she had hidden. The garage door opened slowly. Electra gasped. Sitting in the garage was a light blue convertible. A BMW 330i. Electra was so happy, Peace thought she was crying. "Mom..." Electra said, "I... LOVE IT!" She ran to her mother and she cried happily into her. "I love it so much!"

    "I'm glad you love it," her mother said.

    "Can I drive it?"

    "Tomorrow."

    "AW!" she pouted. Everyone else laughed. After a few moments, she couldn't hold back her laughter as well.

    "Come on, let's go back inside and have some more fun." She led them all back inside. They continued to play some party games and they had a contest to see who would get the last slice of cake. Randi won it, but since it was Electra's birthday she gave her half of the slice. Even later that evening, after everyone had left Electra was still full of energy. "Electra, I'm going to bed," her mother told her after they finished cleaning up.

    "Okay, Mom," Electra said. She walked up to her bedroom. She opened her laptop and she went online. She checked her social status. After a bit of skimming around online, that's when she met him.

6: Meeting Him

The notification chime softly rung. She looked at the message.

    Happy Birthday! It read.

    Thanks. She typed back. She looked at the name of the person who sent the message: Zephyr Soto. She had no idea who this person was. Whoever this guy was though, he certainly was nice.

    Are you still partying?

    No.

    So I'm not keeping you from anything important?

    No, you're fine! :) She added the happy face symbol, a colon and a right parentheses.

    That's good. She didn't respond to that, as she wasn't quite sure how. The pause was almost becoming awkward. My name is Zephyr.

    I know. She typed, considering that was his profile name. She almost laughed.

    My real name is Leaf.

    I'm Electra.

    I know.

    No, see that's my actual name.

    Is it really?

    Yeah. Electra wondered what she was doing. But my friends call me E.

    That's cool. My friends don't have a nickname for me. For some reason, she could almost hear sadness in this message.

    Aw. Why's that? Who ever this Leaf guy was, he seemed in need of a friend.

   Cuz I don't have any friends... Was he legit? Or was he some sicko just looking to stalk helpless 18-year-old girls? Half of her wanted to just leave, but the other half of her felt bad for the guy.

    Why don't you have any friends? There was a pause before he responded.

    Idk... She hesitated before succumbing to her feelings for him.

    I'll be your friend, Leaf. Another pause.

   You will?

    Sure! :D

    ... thanks.

    :) She typed the happy face emoticon. She smiled, as it felt really nice to be there for other people. That's when he typed another message, the one she would never forget.

    Are you single?

    Way to drop a bomb, Leaf... she typed. This message, was so out of nowhere.

    I'm sorry... I just couldn't help myself.

    It's okay...

    Idk about you but I'm Leaf and I'm 19 years old.

    So, you're legit?

    Yes. I am who I say I am. Another soft notification tone. It was a video. It was a boy with blond hair and green eyes from behind black glasses. She clicked the play button.

    "Hello Electra," the boy said with a nice smile. "I am Leaf. Hi, yeah... this is me." The video then cut out. She stared at the screen. This boy was so handsome.

    You sent me a video?

    Yeah. Did you get it?

    Yeah. I watched it already.

    Cool. Ya know... maybe you could do the same? She felt a little unsure about him though.

    Why should I?

    Because your profile pic is nice. But I want to see the real you. Electra blushed.

    Uh... um... she typed, really unsure with what to do.

    Am I coming on too fast? Why would you say that, she wanted to ask him, nearly forgetting that she was chatting with him.

    Why would you say that?

    I'm sorry, I love you. It's just that I have no real friends, I have a decent amount of friends online, no one has ever been this nice to me before and I just... ya know, I'm sorry, okay? She read his message again. She gasped at the words at the beginning: "I love you".

    Y-You love me?

    Maybe... She was trying to catch her breath. This guy, saying that he loved her. Was this the love she was supposed to wait for? He had to be. She guessed that her friends must have simply been wrong and that the fortune teller lady was right. All she had to do was wait for him to say "I love you". She wasn't sure what to do, but she didn't want for the guy to leave because she hadn't said anything for the past minute.

    -runs away- she typed in dashes, to show it was an action that she did, but wasn't actually doing. Just some "RP", as the online world called this kind of communication.

    -catches you- the boy typed. Why are you running? She knew she had to be honest with him.

    Cuz I love you. -runs again-

    â€‹-catches you again- Why run from love?

    Idk...

    Well, I don't want to be the guy whose first love ran away from him. Electra blushed again. This boy really loved her, and... she really loved him.

    I'm sorry Leaf -hugs you- I guess we're destined to be together.

    What are you sorry for?

    For running.

    Oh. Electra giggled to herself.

    -laughs-

    What's so funny?

    Nothing -walks flirtatiously away-

    -Smiles and follows-

    Oh, so you want some, huh?

    I just... wanna be friends. "Aw, Leaf," she whispered. She wished that where ever he was, she was with him.

    -kisses you- she typed.

    -blushes-

    -laughs-

    What's so funny now?

    Again, nothing.

    Darn it.

    What is it, Leaf?

    I have to go. But could you tell me where you live?

    Richmond, Virginia.

    Hey, that's not too far form where I live!

    Where do you live? Her heart rate increased.

    San Diego.

    Really?

    Aye. (That means yes)

    -laughs- I know... but, if you live in SD, then, that means...

    ...Our love is separated.

    -nods and starts to cry-

    Aw, E, don't cry. -hugs you- I'm sure we can work something out.

    We will? -asks hopefully-

    Yes.

    Yay!

    Now I have to go. Bye -kisses you- She stared at the screen for a moment and then the live feed showed him signing out. "Leaf..." she said, staring at his profile picture. "I love you."

7: College Plans

    A few weeks went by, and Electra was talking to Leaf everyday. She told her mother about him.

    "And where did you meet this boy?" her mother asked her.

    "I met him online. He's really nice, and he's willing to have an open relationship with me," Electra said. "If that's okay with you." Electra's mother hugged her.

    "It's wonderful. I'm glad you finally found love."

    "Mom..." Electra said blushing. Then, Electra's computer beeped a soft tone. It was Leaf. Electra clicked on the pulsing icon on the screen. Leafs face popped up on the screen.

    "Hello," he said nicely.

    "Hi, Leaf!" Electra said excitedly. She squealed with happiness.

    "Hello, Electra. Hello Mrs. Buchanan," he said to her mother. "You're both looking nice today."

    "Thank you, Leaf," Electra's mother said. Electra blushed and laughed. "Now, this is the first time I've met you, so could you tell me a bit about yourself?" She sat down in Electra's desk chair.

    "Certainly," he said with a smile. "I'm Leaf Soto, I'm nineteen years old, and I live alone in an apartment. I take computer animation classes."

    "For college?"

    "Yes, ma'am," he said with a nod.

    "That's wonderful."

    "Thank you very much. If you want to see some of my work, then you should check out my YouTube channel."

    "I'll be glad to do that. Electra found it and she showed me some of your great work. You should have seen her she was like: "Mom, check out my boyfriends channel!" and I was like: "Alright, alright."," she said with a laugh.

    "Mom," Electra whined, blushing as she did so.

    "I'm sorry. Now Leaf, where do you go to college at?"

    "San Diego."

    "Oh, so you live on the other side of the country?"

    "Regrettably, yes," he said with a heaving sigh. Electra looked on her screen at him longingly.

    "Why do say that?" her mother asked him.

    "Well, one thing, I love your daughter, and the other thing, it's hard to keep up a relationship that's 2,500 miles apart."

    "I see."

    "Electra, you said your nearly done with your Senior year, right?"

    "Yeah," Electra said.

    "Ever thought about where you wanted to go to college at?"

    "Virginia Tech, but-" she stopped and gasped. "I change my mind," she said to her mother.

    "You do?" she asked.

    "Yes! I want to go to San Diego, to be with Leaf." She gave her mom sad puppy eyes that begged for what she wanted. "Please?"

    "No, that's okay," Leaf said, dismissing her with a wave of his hand. Electra looked at him for an explanation. "I'm nearly done here anyway. Besides, my professor said that I should go to one of those tech schools to continue my work."

    "So, you'll come to me?" Electra asked, with hope rising within her.

    "Yes, my dear, I will." He gave her an honest smile.

    "Well, then..." Electra fought back happy tears, "okay, I'll wait for you, Leaf." She put her hand on the screen. He did the same. If only they could hold each others hand.

8: The Waiting

    Electra waited against the tree, like she remembered. Leaf told her to wait. He would come. He sent her a message saying he promised to come. She was hopeful, and she waited. After the first day went by she didn't give up hope. The next day, still no sign of him. It was the very same. Day, after day, after day, after day. She lost a little bit of hope everyday. Soon, a couple weeks went by. It got to the point where she sent him another message.

    Are you coming or not?!

    My dear, I'm sorry. Just keep waiting. I will come.

    She continued to wait. Waiting and waiting. Eventually, it was a month since he said that he would come. She went home in tears. The next day, after forcing herself to retain her hope, she went to the tree in the middle of the park, and she waited. Minutes turned to hours. Hours turned to days. Days turned to weeks, and soon, weeks turned to months. The months then finally became a year. Christmas Day, she called him.

    "Where the heck are you?!" she asked in tears. "I've been waiting for nearly a year for you! Are you coming, or not?!"

    "My beautiful Electra, please forgive me. I am having problems of my own. I don't have time to say. But please, don't give up on me."

    "Fine," she sniffled. The call ended. She decided to go back home. When she arrived home, she decided that her friends had been right. The fortune teller was a lie, it was all fake. Her love would never come. She decided to move on with her life. She went onto a four-year college. She graduated with a degree, and she settled down in a house near her mothers. She still thought through all those years. Where is he? Will he even come? Then, she got a call one day.

    "Are you still waiting?" It was him.

    "Yes," she said. "Are you almost here yet?" She hoped that he would say yes.

    "I have left my problems. I will come for you. This I swear." The call ended. With her hope rekindled, she continued to wait. Minutes turned to hours. No love. Hours turned to days. No love. Days turned to weeks. No love. Weeks turned to months. No love. Months turned to years, and still no love. Many, many years have gone by since she was told to wait, and still he has never came. She walked to the park and she stood by the tree where she was told to wait. After a few minutes of standing in the freezing cold weather, she decided to call him again.

    "It's been years!" she cried into the phone. "Where are you?!" There was no answer. "I know you're there, answer me!"

    "I'm here," a voice behind her said. She gasped and she brought the phone away from her face. She turned around. It has him. The boy with the blond hair and green eyes behind his black glasses. He looked just like he said he would, only she didn't like the real him.

    "What took you so long?" she said tearfully. "I've waited 23 years for you to come. Where have you been?"

   "I had to work my way across the country," he said. She said nothing. "Aren't you going to say something?"

   "Now that I see the real you," she said slowly, not looking at him in the eyes, "I regret life."

    "No!" he said. "You can't be like that!"

    "I'm sorry," she said not shedding a tear, "I'm just too tired. Waiting and... you never came."

    "Electra, I'm sorry!" he said desperately.

    "No," she said, "I'm sorry." She gasped as the breath left her body and her world went black.

9: Waking Up

    Electra opened her eyes. They were a dull blue. She turned her head to the side. She was in a hospital. She turned and looked to the other side. Yep, she was definitely in a hospital. She groaned and she rubbed her forehead slowly. That was when the doctor walked over. He was a man about 35 with a full head of brown hair. His brown eyes looked nice.

    "Nice to see you up," he said with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

    "F... Fine," Electra said. "Wh... Where am I?"

    "You're at Mercy Hospital, downtown Richmond, Virginia."

    "What happened... to me?" Then her mother walked into view.

    "Electra, the van was hit by a truck. You survived." That's when she remembered. Her waking up, breakfast, her mothers outfit, leaving with friends, then impact.

    "What about Peace, and Randi, a-and Lenox, a-and-" her mother stopped her before she could break out into tears.

    "They're fine. They're recovering a few rooms down the hall."

    "No one died?"

    "Not a soul," she said. Electra hugged her mother and she began to cry. "It's okay, it's okay." Then there was a knock at the door.

    "You have a visitor," the doctor said. Electra looked over. It was a boy. He had nice looking blonde hair and green eyes showing concern behind his black glasses.

    "Who are you?" Electra asked.

    "I'm Leaf Soto. We're friends online. I heard you were in an accident, so I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He rubbed his head and averted her eyes, blushing as he did so. That's when she noticed the bouquet of orange roses in his hand.

    "Are those for me?" she asked and her mother helped her stand up. Leaf nodded a few times. Electra blushed. He walked over to her and he gave her the flowers. She looked at them. She looked up at him. He was still red faced. She then figured that he loved her. Was he the love she was supposed to wait for? She then pushed this thought out of her head as she figured out that he was. Sure he wasn't the most handsome of guys, but she liked the way he came from where ever he lived to out here, just to see her. She smelled the flowers. "They're beautiful, Leaf."

    "Thanks," he said.

    "Just like you."

    "What?!" he asked surprised. She leaned forward and kissed him. She had finally found her love.

    Later, as she found out, she was in a coma for a week. Leaf lived in Kansas and when he heard that she was in a deadly car crash, he came to Virginia to see her. All of her friends were alright, although, Lenox had a slight, but permanent limp. A year later, Leaf asked for Electra's hand in marriage. She said yes.