Hey there! Soo… I’m kinda new with posting original stories on the net. I started writing this I think a year back and I’m still not done with it. Lol. This story was inspired by The Notebook. But anyway, let me know what you think by leaving a review :) They’ll be very much appreciated. Constructive criticism is also very welcome. :)

All places in this story are purely fiction and are merely a work of my overactive imagination. I don’t even know if such places really exist o.o

Chapter 1

It all started on the summer I turned fifteen. My parents thought it would be great if we spent my fifteenth birthday in the countryside instead of the city. Delightful right?

I was never really the country gal type. I was more comfortable with city living. So I, of course, protested. Sadly, my parents were deaf to my protests and dragged me the countryside anyway.

We had a rest house in the country. It was in a small country town where my grandfather first started our business. He built a rest house in his hometown shortly after his business started to reel in some big profits.

I groaned as I saw our rest house come into view by the car window. In the front of the car, my parents were chatting about how to renovate the house. Beside me, my two older brothers were talking about how they’d spend the summer swimming in the river, hiking down the mountain trek, and exploring the forests. I said nothing.

Unlike the rest of my family, I didn’t anticipate this summer. In fact, I was dreading it. My perfect vision of my fifteenth birthday was spent in Paris, shopping, sight-seeing, meeting rich and hot French guys. And this was so not that vision I expected.

I got down from our BMW X5 and groaned more when I felt the hot dusty air touch my skin.

“Aw, honey, why so glum?” asked my mother, her hand on my shoulder.

“Mom, you know I didn’t wanna come here for my fifteenth birthday.” I responded through gritted teeth, walking away before she could say anything else. I walked towards the cobbled pathway leading to the large front porch of the house. As the rest of my family stood on the front yard admiring the house, I trudged up the front steps of the porch and into the house, slamming the front door on my way in.

“Alisa, mom wants you down. She wants to talk to you.” said Oliver, my eldest brother. I got off the four-poster bed and made my way down the wooden stairs which creaked every time I stepped on it.

I found my parents sitting by the couch, admiring the picture frames with photos of my grandparents, sitting by the tables and hanging on the walls.

My mother must have heard my footsteps because when I entered the living room, she turned her head to me instantly. Her expression was one of sympathy.

“Alisa,” My mom cooed. “We know you didn’t really want to come on this trip,” She sighed. “And to think we forced you on your fifteenth birthday.” My mother added quietly.

I didn’t say anything. Countless times, we’d had this conversation. And I always lost. So what was the point in saying anything now that we arrived in the country?

“Oh, Alisa, why don’t you go out to the town center? I’ve heard there’s some sort of carnival down there. And there’s gonna be kids your age.” My mother suggested with a small apologetic smile on her face.

“Yes Alisa. You’ll have a chance to socialize, just like you wanted.” My father added brightly.

“Ugh, you guys might not have noticed, but I don’t think teenagers here are on the same page as I am.” I pointed out. “The country isn’t exactly like the city.” I added, folding my arms across my chest.

“Aw, honey, it’s a great way to experience new things and interact with new people.” My dad suggested, a warm smile plastered across his face.

“Fine,” I shrugged, walking out of the living room and back up the wooden stairs and into my room. For all it was worth, I might as well just barricade myself in for the entire summer. I didn’t really think that would make much difference anyway. I headed for the wooden desk by the window where I put my cell phone. I flipped it open and checked for any messages my friends might have sent me. Sadly, there was no signal.

I picked it up and hurried downstairs, and out the front door. My parents didn’t even have time to ask me what I was doing. I held my phone up in the air and waved it around, running around the front lawn, trying to look for some decent signal.

There had to be some way I could interact with my friends back in the city and I was most definitely not going to use the telephone. I don’t even think they have those here.

“What are you doing?” I heard someone ask me. I jumped and turned around and saw a boy who looked about my age. Well, I was guessing he was around my age or older. He was staring at me with an expression of pure amusement.

I must’ve looked like a complete moron. I mean, really, who wouldn’t if you were running around the front lawn with a cell phone in hand raised to the sky?

“Uhm…Hey… I was just trying to get some signal.” I coughed, unable to meet the boy in the eyes.

“Oh, well, there’s no use for that here. We haven’t got decent signal in ages.” The guy said, a hint of a laugh in his voice. I looked up at him. He had warm bright green eyes that were staring at me. He had a pointed face and a long nose. His caramel blonde hair was messy as though it had never touched a comb.

“Are you from New York?” He asked me conversationally.

“Uh, yeah. Manhattan, actually. How’d you know?”

“Lucky guess.” He shrugged, giving me a charming smile.

“Oh…Well, I’ll uh—see you around then…Bye…” I finished lamely as I shuffled back into my grandparents’ house.

I walked back to my room, feeling like a complete idiot. I walked over to my suitcase and just as I was gonna pick up my clothes and hang them in the closet; a knock came on my door. “Come in,” I called out, hanging a cute designer sundress in the closet.

My mother came into the room with a beaming face. “Guess who’s here.” She giggled.

“Who?” I asked flatly, my hands on my hips. Suddenly, a familiar blonde came into view behind my mother.

“Lilly!” I cried out happily.

“Alisa!” Lilly cried out, jumping over to give me a large hug.

When my brothers and I were kids and my grandfather was still alive, we used to spend every single special occasion with him in this house. And Lilly was one of our neighbors. And after quite some visits, Lilly and I became best friends each time I came to the country. We were technically inseparable. But when my grandfather died, there was no more reason to come to the country and we never came back for six years until now. This severed my relationship with Lilly especially because there was no decent technology in the country.

“I’ll leave you girls alone.” My mom said quietly before quietly exiting my room and closing the door softly behind her.

“Oh my gosh! I can’t believe it!” I squealed. “You just made my summer way better.”

“Wow.” Lilly gasped as she caught a glimpse of the clothes I hung in my closet so far, the shoes I arranged on the rack, and the clothes still left in my many open suitcases.

“Well, wanna help me unpack?” I suggested cheekily.

“Sure.” Lilly grinned. “Maybe later we can go down to the carnival. Some of the most influential kids around the countryside are gonna be there and I want you to meet them.” Lilly beamed at me.

“No prob.” I shrugged, giving her one of my best smiles. I didn’t exactly want to point out to her that in the country, there was no such thing as influential kids.

After we finished unpacking, it was around four in the afternoon. Lilly and I sighed, plopping on my four-poster, staring up at the wooden ceiling with its ornate flower carvings.

When the clock stroke 4:30, Lilly and I headed for the carnival at the town center.

When we first entered the town center, the first thing I saw was the large Ferris wheel covered in bright lights by the end of the center’s entrance.

“C’mon,” Lilly pulled me closer towards the ticket booth of the carnival. She waved to a few people standing by the side of the ticket booth.

“Hey Lil, who’s the chick?” asked one of the guys in a simple red shirt and khaki overalls. Well, that’s certainly a decent first impression. I thought dryly.

“Oh, she’s a family friend. Alisa, meet Hans. He’s one of my friends.” Lilly explained.

“Hey. Great to meet you,” I said as Hans and I shook hands.

“So where are the others?” asked Lilly.

“Uh, Sammy and Carol are already in. They couldn’t wait apparently. And Tom went to the bathroom. Once he comes back, we’ll join Sammy and Carol in the carnival.” Hans responded. Lilly nodded.

A few moments later, the same boy with messy caramel blonde hair I’d seen earlier that day strode over. His face lit up with what I supposed was recognition upon seeing me.

“Tom!” Hans greeted the boy with a hi-five.

Tom turned to me then. “Hey!” Tom said to me.

“You guys know each other?” Hans asked curiously.

“It’s a long story.” I mumbled sheepishly, hoping Tom wouldn’t recount the embarrassing tale of our first meeting.

“Hey, I’m Tom Montgomery.” He said, sticking his hand out for me to shake.

“I’m Alisa Cartwright.” I smiled sheepishly, taking his hand.

“Let’s go!” Hans exclaimed happily, handing the lady at the ticket booth some money. The lady gave him four tickets. Hans and Lilly led the way side by side, whilst Tom and I awkwardly walked side by side, following Hans and Lilly.

“So, erm, is-is this your first time coming to the country?” Tom asked, trying to sound casual.

“Not really.” I responded nonchalantly. “My family and I used to come here every summer to visit my grandfather when I was young. That’s how I met Lilly. But we just stopped when my grandfather died.” I explained.

“Oh, I’m so sorry about your grandfather.” He said quietly.

“It’s alright…”

There was a moment of awkward silence that passed between us as I took a chance to look at the different stalls and the different things they offered.

“So you’re Johnson Cartwright’s granddaughter, eh?” He broke the silence with a nonchalant question.

“Yep. You know my grandfather?” I asked him.

“Oh yeah. Montgomery isn’t exactly a huge countryside town. And he and my grandpa were best mates.” Tom shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets.

I smiled. “My grandfather hated the city.”

“I know. Most of the old folks around here do.” Tom replied. “So how’s your visit to the countryside so far?” asked Tom.

“It’s alright.” I gave him a small smile. “I mean, I’d much rather spend my fifteenth birthday in Paris but I guess this is kinda okay.” I shrugged although I would never admit it to my parents.

“To be honest, I don’t really picture you as the type of girl who’d come to the countryside. I picture you more of the city type who’s willing to do nothing but shopping and meeting guys.” Tom winked.

How the bloody hell did he know?! I laughed. “That is not always the case!” I said in my defense, a huge smile on my face. I could tell Tom was flirting. And normally, a guy like him wasn’t my type. But something about him made him so charming and cute to me that I simply couldn’t just tell him it was never gonna work out.

As we talked and flirted, we were lost in the crowd. Hans and Lilly were way ahead of us and we couldn’t see them anymore.

“Ah, it’s alright.” Tom shrugged. “We’ll find them soon. The carnival’s not exactly very large.” He added. I nodded and we continued walking to wherever.

“Hey look!” I exclaimed happily, pointing to a stall with boats floating on water whilst some people were trying to shoot down some with a pellet gun some few meters away.

“You’ve never seen that before?” asked Tom incredulously, folding his arms across his chest. I looked at him and noticed he was a head taller than I was.

“We don’t have much of that in the city.” I shrugged.

“What? And you want that lame teddy bear too?” Tom snorted.

“Well, it couldn’t hurt for someone to get it for me.” I batted my eyelashes and winked at him, running towards the stall. I knew Tom was following me because when I stopped, I heard him stop behind me. “Do you have a quarter?” I asked him.

“Here,” He replied, handing me a quarter.

I gave the quarter to the man and the man handed me a pellet gun. I aimed at a boat in the corner of the tank where there were less waves and shot. But missed. The pellet hit the wall instead.

“Aww, better luck next shot little missy. There are only three pellets per quarter.” The man in charge of the stall said.

“You have extremely horrible aim, you know that?” chuckled Tom, leaning against the stall counter.

“Oh, as if you have any better!” I taunted cockily, a hand on my hip and the other holding the pellet gun.

“Give me that gun and I’ll show you.” Tom winked at me. I scoffed and handed the pellet gun to him, stepping aside.

Tom positioned himself and aimed steadily on one boat in the middle of the tank where the waves were most treacherous. He shifted his point of view several times before finally shooting. And hitting the boat square in the middle.

The man chuckled. “Well, what’d ya know? You’ve won this here bear son.” The man said getting a large stuffed bear with a polka dotted ribbon on its neck from the top shelf of the stall.

The man handed it to Tom. And Tom wiggled his nose at the sight of it. He sighed. “Here,” He said, handing the bear to me.

“How’d you do that?” I asked curiously, taking the bear.

“Get over here and I’ll show you.” Tom smirked. I rolled my eyes, put the bear down on the counter, and stepped in front of him. He put both of his arms on top of mine, which were outstretched and holding the pellet gun. He caressed my arms and I kicked him in his shin.

“You’re supposed to be teaching me.” I reminded him.

“Just get a steady aim on your target.” He whispered into my ear. I could feel his chin only a few centimeters from my shoulder. I shrugged off the fast pacing of my heart beat and the fluttering feeling in my stomach. There was absolutely no way I would fall for some poor country boy. It was simply too cliché and too pathetic for me. Plus, he was so not my type.

“Alisa?” Tom brought me back to reality as I accidentally pulled the pellet gun’s trigger and hit the board behind the boat instead of the boat itself.

“Nice,” Tom whistled sarcastically. I turned to give him a glare.

“Better luck next time lil’ missy,” said the man guarding the stall.

“Well this is sort of cliché for a first date,” Tom said sheepishly as I picked up my stuffed bear and turned to him, an eyebrow raised and a quizzical expression on my face.

“Date?”

‘Well, yeah.” Tom smirked. “This is one, isn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t call it a date really,” I shrugged. “More like hanging out,”

“Well then, would you care to honor me with a date?” Tom asked smoothly.

“No.” I responded quickly, quickly walking away from him as fast as I could.

“Oh come on!” Tom said behind me, running to catch up.

“No!”

“Why not?”

I sighed. “You’re not my type.” I turned and smiled sweetly at Tom before throwing him back the stuffed bear and running off into the crowd. And as soon as I was sure I was out of his sight, I took a look back at him and saw that he was standing in the middle of the crowd, holding the stuffed bear by an arm with a frustrated expression.

I found Lilly with Hans by a smoothie stall, sipping one smoothie with two straws together, gazing into each others’ eyes. I nearly barfed. City dates were far from country dates. Obviously.

“Hey Lil, I gotta go!” I called out to Lilly, running towards her.

“What? Why?”

“I just have to.” I responded quickly, hoping she wouldn’t ask anymore.

“Well, will you find your way back, or-” Lilly stood up from her chair.

“No, no,” I shook my head, putting my hand on her shoulder to sit her back down. “It’s okay. I’ll find my way back home.” I assured her.

“Okay…” She responded slowly. “So, see you tomorrow?”

“Definitely.” I winked, running off into the crowd to find the exit and make sure I wouldn’t run into Tom.