[Chapter 1: Eight years earlier]
The room where junior high had their Saturday Night hangouts was nearly full with many people, both children and older teenagers. Service had already gotten out and many of the people were waiting for the staff to set up for the night's hangout, setting up the food stands and video games. The rest of the children were huddled together in their groups of friends. One girl, who didn't seem to belong to any of these groups, stood away from the crowds. She looked impatient, as if she couldn't wait for someone to arrive. She kept glancing at the door and checking the time. Finally, a tall boy walked in. She smiled, for this was the one she had been so eagerly waiting for. He walked up to her, and they walked back outside towards the back where the modulars were. The boy began to speak. "So, Rochelle, what's new? What has happened since I last saw you? What's been going on?"
"Just stuff," Rochelle replied. "Nothing really worth reporting. What about you, Stown? What's been going on?"
"Same, just been hanging out with friends. And stuff's been going on, you know, the usual."
Rochelle gave him a skeptical look. As always, she knew that Stown would be hiding something. But then again, if he didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't pressure him. "Yeah," she murmured. "The usual..."
Stown noticed this change of voice, but decided not to point it out. They walked in silence into the back lot of the church. Everyone was almost done setting up. Kids waited outside eagerly, ready to kick off their weekend with the hangout. Stown and Rochelle walked up to the modular and leaned against one side. Finally, the sound of their youth pastor's voice signaled the beginning of hangout. Some of the boys went into the parking lot to play football. Stown got up and signaled to Rochelle. "You gonna play?" he asked with a teasing note in his voice. Rochelle grinned. "Oh you're so on."
She raced after him to where the boys had begun to choose teams.
The next hour was filled with the boys and Rochelle playing football and basketball in the parking lot. As soon as the hour ended, everyone ran back into the modular for pizza and videogames. Stown and Rochelle waited outside, for they both didn't like being in the crowds. They were silent for a few minutes, and then they began where their conversation had left off. Stown was the first one to speak. He leaned in closer, in order to he heard over the noise of the other children. "You know," he began urgently. "I might not be coming to Saturday Nights for a while."
Rochelle glanced back at him. "Why, what for?"
Stown looked down at his feet. "It's my stepmom."
"What's wrong?'
"Uhm," Stown thought for a second. "A number of reasons, but mostly because she's pregnant."
"Oh I see." Rochelle nudged his shoulder "Well that should be somewhat fun. Boy or girl?"
"Boy."
"Oh, cool."
"Yeah," he grimaced. "Not as much as you think. My stepmom's being..." Stown couldn't even pick out words to describe how his stepmom was acting. Rochelle immediately got the implicit message. "Ah," she raised her eyebrows. "I get it. I completely understand.
"You do?'
"Yeah." she looked at him, faintly amused. "I'm a girl, of course I understand."
Stown looked at her, obviously trying not to laugh. "You're a girl?"
Rochelle punched him in the shoulder. "Well," she teased. "If I'm not a girl, then I am one understanding, sexy dude."
That choice of words did it. Stown turned around and began to laugh uncontrollably, banging his head on the wall. Rochelle laughed with him, for this was the response she had been trying to get. "Good,' she thought to herself. 'I've gotten him to loosen up. He doesn't need more drama in his life.'
Stown stopped laughing, but continued to grin. Rochelle was one of the few people he could so easily talk to. When he was with her, it seemed almost as if all his problems just faded away. There was no one else that he wanted to be with more than her…
And that's why he didn't want to get together with her. As easy as he could've asked her out, just like that, he valued their easy friendship more that he wanted to actually get together with her. He didn't want to push things too far. 'If we date, and then we break up,'  he wondered to himself. 'What'll happen after that? Who will I talk to?'
He knew that Rochelle had somewhat of a crush on him. Their feelings for each other weren't exactly equal; Stown had much stronger feelings for Rochelle, more than she realized.
'Stronger the she will ever realize.' He thought regrettably. 'Oh well, it is the price that I must pay.'
Soon after their previous conversation, Rochelle had excused herself from Stown to go to the restroom. She never really had to go, but she normally just felt the need to be alone, away from people, so she could get her thoughts straight. Yeah, Stown's one of her best friends of all time, but sometimes she just felt awkward around him. That, added to the fact that she has had the biggest crush on him since before the sixth grade, she just felt the need to escape. Sometimes, she wondered how Stown felt about her. 'Probably nothing,' she sighed. 'There's no point for you to be feeling anything for him either. He's your best friend…'
Her thoughts trailed off here, realizing the meaning of her own words. There really wasn't any point for her to like him anymore than she should. He was her best friend, and she was his best friend. Things were supposedly "better" that way.
Rochelle washed her hands and then dried them off. She walked outside, to where Stown was waiting for her. They then began their seemingly long, dragged out walk to the back as friends.
Friends…
That's all they would ever be…