A/N My first full-length, complete novel. Hope you guys like it.

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Entry #1 May 24

This is the first entry of my newest journal and probably one of the most important journals of my life. Happy birthday to me! I’m finally sixteen.

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My name is Collin Garner, but everyone calls me Cole. Believe me, I was very right when I said that this journal would be the most important one of my life. It saved someone very dear to me with its contents, even though I had no idea it would in the beginning. When I turned sixteen I thought that it was just going to be another year of the rest of my life, just like I had when I turned fourteen and fifteen. It wasn’t a big deal then I was just more excited with the fact because I could finally get a job and start driving and all that other happy stuff. Oh well. It’s not that big a deal any more. Why? Well, if you read that handsome little black book then I’m sure you’ll find out. As a matter of fact, I’ll read it for you. Be forewarned, I like to talk, so expect commentary outside of the actual entries. Now, where were we? Ah…

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Entry#2 May 25

Yes! First day of school as a sixteen year old! I know it’s probably not going to be any different but you never know what’s going to happen. They could have some kind of weird award for sixteen year olds or something… I know, I dream too much but hey, I’ve got nothing better to do with my time. Anyway, a few of my friends said they had something special planned for me when I get there. I hope they aren’t going to throw a bucket of ice water on me again. That was cold and I got in trouble since I was wearing a new shirt my mom had got me. Don’t tell her I told you but she’s too serious when it comes to new clothes. She got me a pair of new gym shorts once and I had to wait a week before she’d let me wear them. She’s convinced I ruin everything I wear.

I’m probably going to get picked on today. I usually do and it’s not really a big deal, but it’s getting really annoying. People just can’t seem to keep their two senses to themselves. Better keep this hidden so it doesn’t get stolen or read. I know there’s not much in here but those people will laugh about anything if “Jimmy the Terrible” (give me a break) gets a hold of it and tells them to laugh their asses off. God I wish he’d just get over himself, no one really likes him anyway.

Got to go, we’re here.

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Yeah, I was that excited about everything. Give me a break; I’d spent a good deal of my life a little too sheltered. It didn’t get better until eighth grade when I had to suddenly switch schools and people helped me realize what a prude I was. My mom wasn’t too happy but I sure was. Finally I realized that not everything needed praying for, I didn’t have to read the bible once or twice a yeahr, and having fun wasn’t a real sin. Believe it or not it didn’t take me that long to open up and start enjoying myself. I went out on the weekends; I started doing stuff the church told me not to, like having fun in general. But my mom started to get really pissed off when I started missing church to go to the mall with my friends. She told me to either forget them or forget god and enter myself into hell. Guess what I chose.

Anyway, I couldn’t wait to see what they were going to do. They all knew what I wanted but they hardly ever had the time or money to get it. This yeahr it wasn’t much of an object and it was way out of my league. I knew that they’d figure something out either way and that whatever it would be it would be awesome. I bid farewell to my dad and climbed out of the car, running over to my group of friends.

“Hey guys!” I shouted.

“Hey, Cole! Happy birthday,” said Andy.

“You’ll never guess what David got you. You are going to freak,” said Angi, Andy’s twin sister.

“What?” I asked. I was getting excited when I saw the looks on their faces. As I stood there and asked them where David was a piece of paper appeared in front of my face. It was an application to McLeod Estate. I had heard the old man was looking for extra help and when I heard what he was offering I freaked and started trying to get one but the people handing them out said that the adults were the ones that deserved the jobs and they turned me away. I stared.

“Where the hell did you get this?” I asked excitedly.

“I got it from the old man’s son. My cousin knows him so he asked and he gave. What do you think?” asked David, smiling because I was so happy.

“This is awesome. Do you know how long I’ve been trying to get a hold of one of these things?”

“Yeah. Happy birthday, man,” he said, clapping me on the back.

“Dave, this is great. I owe you so much,” I said, staring at the piece of paper.

“No you don’t, it’s a birthday present. But fill it out and get it back to me so my cousin can get it up there, okay?”

“You bet. This is great. Thank you so much,” I said. I just couldn’t get over it. Here in my hand was the one thing that I knew I would succeed with like nothing else I had ever done. The guy paid almost one thousand dollars a month for gardening and another thousand for indoors. I couldn’t believe that I was actually going to get a chance to get the job and make that kind of money. I was only sixteen.

I filled it out during homeroom and got it back to David by first block. He laughed at how enthusiastic I was but didn’t say anything bad about it. My friends knew I was into anything I could get and they supported me all the way. He took it and gave it back to his cousin and a few days later I received my answer by phone.