All characters, events, and situations are fictional. Any resemblances to anyone or to a real life story are coincidental.

Dedicated to Chris.

She is the one who introduced me to ‘Salad Days’…

~ Love is the moon pulling the tide, unfathomable in its strength ~

I was never an outgoing guy. So, when I moved to a different high school, no one really cared or missed me. It was all right; I didn’t really have any friends there anyways. People seemed… different to me. People my age anyways. They were always nice to me though. When I first got settled in the new high school, classmates tried to befriend me. After a while, when they realized the true ‘loner’ that I was, they would give up and leave me alone… alone.

There was really only one group of people that I could ever get along with, children. The ever happy, compassionate and energetic children would always be there for me. Whenever I am with them, I would ‘drop the mask’ and actually be happy. That was why, when I first moved to that town, I signed up to work at a daycare center. That was where I met her for the first time…

She was also a daycare volunteer. Judging from her youthfulness I concluded that she was also a high school student. Never being around girls, I could not have asked her the questions that were burning inside me to ask. Every time that I looked at her I would get a beating feeling in my chest, my legs would get weak, my mind would go blank. Feelings that I have never felt, thoughts that I have never gave time to think, overwhelming emotions…

She approached me once, while I was playing with several of the children. I will never forget her words, “You are so sweet to come and play with the children.â€