Chapter 1

"I'm sorry, Emily, but it's time to go! You've been with Alexia all week."

"But Mommy, no!"

The little blonde headed girl cried and screamed as her mother pulled her away from her best friend.

"Emily no! Don't leave. Please Mommy let her stay another day!"

Another little girl, this one with smooth, sandy blonde hair, yelled as her mother pulled her away.

"Alexia, you'll see her again in a few weeks."

The two six year olds finally gave up and Emily reluctantly left with her mother, waving out the window to her best friend as she left.

Emily and Alexia were cousins and best friends. Born the same year, they had been playing buddies practically since they were born. They only lived thirty minutes away from each other but didn't get to see each other as often as they would have liked.

When they would get together, they would play non-stop until it was time for them to be separated. They crawled around on all fours, pretending to be animals. They had names for all their animal characters and had plots they acted out each time. They would make forts in the woods, crawl on hay bales, dart around out in the yard, climb trees, and stay up all night talking. They were inseparable.

~ ~ ~ ~ Eleven Years Later~ ~ ~

"I can't believe you like him! He is such a dork!"

Emily laughed, "You just don't know him like I do."

"I know enough to know that you can do better than him." Alexia said, as she twirled the phone cord in her fingers.

Alexia had moved four years earlier and was now going to the same school as Emily. They had always lived further apart and had gone to different schools in the same county for years. Now that they lived closer together and went to the same school, they were closer friends than ever.

"But that's just it. I can't. You can, but I can't. I'm not like you, Lex."

"Don't say that. You could have any guy you wanted. You just don't try. I say you pick someone a little better than Nathan and go for it."

"How do I do that?"

"You know. Standard stuff. Flirting, talking, more flirting and pretty much be willing to give them anything they want."

"Alexia!"

"What?!"

" I can't do that. I'm not you, you know!"

"All you need is a little self confidence."

Alexia and Emily met outside the school in the courtyard as they did every day. They ate breakfast together and talked until their friends started showing up. They were each in different social groups, so they had different friends. Alexia was popular and Emily wasn't. Alexia was liked by everyone, especially the guys, and Emily was liked by her few friends and Alexia. They managed to keep a close friendship even though they were so different, and it became stronger each day.

"I still think you should ditch that geek, Lex." Alexia's friend Heather said as they walked to their first class.

"You've been saying that for years and it's never gonna happen. She's my best friend. She always will be." Alexia said shaking her head.

"Well, you never hang out with her." Heather argued.

"Not at school, because we have different things going on. But after school and on weekends and stuff we hang out all the time."

Alexia's friend Kelly chimed in. "One day you'll understand. That's the only flaw in your reputation. You have the perfect image built up and being friends with her is the only thing wrong with it."

Alexia sighed, shook her head, and entered her history class.

"Seriously Em. When are you going to break away from her? Don't you think you've clung to her long enough? Just because you're cousins doesn't mean you have to be friends."

"Tawny, why won't you just give it up already?"

"Because! She's a prep! Why do you want to be associated with someone like that?"

"She is not a prep. Just because she's into sports and cheerleading-"

"See? That is the definition of a prep. Plus, if she's not a snob, why does she ignore us?" Emily's friend Myra joined in.

"Because you don't like her." Emily said finally, making it clear that the conversation was over.

People were always trying to drive a wedge into Emily and Alexia's friendship. They stood strong though and never let anything anyone said affect their bond.