Not too distant future.

A slow breeze blew though the autumn trees as the sun slowly set in a small town of Georgia. Senior citizens sat on their front porches listening to Saturday Night Country Gold on a local radio station while holding the hands of their old, familiar companions dreaming of younger days and happier times. The younger children played tag and Red Rover in the streets, scattering every five minutes when a car drove slowly by. Teenagers walked around the block, trying to ignore their younger siblings as they walked past them. Then, at a quiet house, where no one ever visited, a middle-aged woman sat in her car, watching the door. She bit the inside of her lip as she waited for a sign to tell her it was okay. Past memories flooded her mind, almost bringing her to tears. All the things she had gotten over, love, fear, hate, was now lingering in her mind. She didn't know why she had come back; maybe it was for love, or fear. Fear that if she didn't, it would haunt even more than it already had. She finally sighed slowly and lifted herself from the car.

Thirty Years Earlier.

Elizabeth lay horizontally in the back of her parent's old mini-van, staring out the window watching the trees pass over her head. She faintly heard her family speaking to each other as she daydreamed, but she was entitled to a little quiet time to herself. It was the last time she would ever have a summer before normal school. She was about to start her senior year in high school. She loved the thought of it, she would hardly be in class, because of all of the senior meetings, and it would be her year. Nothing could ruin it. She was going into it with her best friend's, Derek Brooks and Brittany Laseter, and only needed one more class to graduate. This meant goofing off in whatever she was pleased with. Plus, she was a senior; she could get away with anything. Nothing could bring her down from this natural high. When the van pulled into the driveway, Elizabeth jumped out of the vehicle and ran inside to use the phone. She wanted to go to Derek’s house, she was just checking to see if it was all right. When it was, Elizabeth jumped on her bike and rode to the familiar house.
Elizabeth loved the small neighborhood she lived in. She often wondered how she would survive not being there when she was away at college. She waved at everyone she saw, and when she was on a deserted road, she flew. The wind whipped past her, blowing her long free flowing hair in all directions. Elizabeth laughed to herself as she thought of any passerby. They would probably be frightened into thinking she was Medusa, and run home to pray. Elizabeth closed her eyes and let the wind roll over her body and threw her thin summer clothes. At the last second, Elizabeth opened her eyes and saw an orange cat sprinting across the road and Elizabeth swerved so that she would not hit her. The cat, fondly known by all the neighbor's as Damn it, turned and watched the young girl crash her bike not so gracefully into a near by tree.
"Damn it!" Elizabeth shouted over her shoulder. The cat skittered away as if in delight for causing such pain. Elizabeth groaned and started to go on with her journey, her ego slightly hindered.
Finally, she got to the home of her best friend and stepped inside, freely. Derek’s mother, Helen Brooks, shouted a welcome to her from the kitchen in the back of the old place and Elizabeth hollered back to her.
"Um Helen, do you have a band-aid or something? Damn it made me fall from my bike," Elizabeth stepped into the small kitchen and casually opened the medicine cabinet.
"It's at the top," Helen said over her shoulder.
Elizabeth stood on her tiptoes and extended her arm, but there was no luck. "Mrs. Helen, you know I can't reach that far. I'm too short."
Helen looked over her shoulder and laughed, "Sorry, dear, I forgot. Oh damn, Damn it did a number on you, your chins bleeding. Come on, I'll fix you up."
Helen took Elizabeth, set her in the dining room, and cleaned her up, as if a mother would her child. When she was fixed, Elizabeth went up the stairs to Derek’s room. She opened the door to find Brittany writing in her journal, while Derek sat at her feet reading a book on Julius Caesar.
"Hey, geeks!" she said while jumping into Derek’s lap.
"Hey, hooker," Brittany said over her journal. She set the book down and then also sat in Derek’s lap, who didn't seem to notice the weight of the girls. "Oh, looks like Damn it got in your way again. I swear that cat is out for you."
I don't see why it’s always me., why can’t he scratch Derek? He used to tie firecrackers to his tail." Elizabeth smiled widely.
"Elizabeth, how tall are you now? Five foot three, if even?" Derek said setting the book down.
"I'm five foot three and a half I'll let you know. Don't go down grading me!" Elizabeth giggled and then laid her head on Derek’s shoulder.
"Fine, I'm almost a foot taller than you are. That cat fears me! That's why he doesn't mess with me. He picks on you because you're his size," Derek said.
Elizabeth shoved him. "How did he get the name Damn it?"
"I dunno, something about him biting Miss Kathy’s ankle and that’s when she said her first cuss word and she said ‘damn it.’ I think that’s when she was about four years old.” Brittany said sitting on Derek’s other empty lap and resting her head on his.

“So how is James doing?” Elizabeth asked Brittany. Brittany always seemed to have a new boy every week. This week, however, that boy was James. Elizabeth didn’t agree with the way her friend went in and out of relationships as if they were outfits, but since she loved her she never said anything about it. “I haven’t heard much about him recently.”

“We broke up yesterday…” Rebekkah said getting suddenly quiet. Elizabeth could tell there was something else she wanted to say, but she waited for her friend to say something. “Hey, let’s go to the square and walk around.”

Derek then stood, letting the girls fall off of his lap and picked up his wallet off his dresser. “That sounds like a plan.”