Note: This story has very little sex and this chapter has none.
*****
Janice adored Yvonne. Though they were only cousins they were as close as any real sisters could be. Yvonne was older than Janice by only two years but she was almost half a foot taller and much worldlier than any other twelve year old Janice knew. In every way she could think of she looked up to Yvonne who was bright and energetic and always ready for another adventure.
The two girls lived next door to each other- their yards separated by a little side gate that was never locked so that the girls could move freely between the two houses. Their fathers who were brothers were glad to see their daughters grow so close and bond together. Both families had tried for another child and had failed. It felt as if fate wished that these two girls be brought up sisters.
When Janice was a little over nine, her mother passed away in a car accident. She was on her way home when her car was slammed into by a drunken truck driver. The crash was so bad that the service needed to be a closed casket one. Losing her mother was bad, not being able to say goodbye to her felt worse. Yvonne's mother treated Janice as one of her own and a second bed was put in Yvonne's bedroom for the times that Janice wished to stay over.
The girls were inseparable even though they were dissimilar- Yvonne was constantly seeking ways of getting into mischief while the slightly younger Janice always tried to be the voice of reason knowing well enough that once Yvonne made up her mind to do something she, Janice, would end up being an accomplice if for no other reason than to make sure that Yvonne wouldn't get herself into even more trouble than expected. For ten years the girls were the best of friends and the closest of sisters with no one else between them. That was till Edward Dupont moved into their neighbourhood.
Edward's parents had left France after having lived there for fifteen years and moved to their city when his father got a promotion on the condition that he would manage sales and distribution for their New York sector. They bought the largest house in their neighbourhood and quickly settled into the community that was eager to accommodate someone of their wealth and standing.
While the parents got into the suburban rhythm like they'd always lived there an awkward and gangly fourteen year old Edward struggled all the time. Even though his parents were American having lived in France all his life his English sounded odd to the other kids who thought he was being pretentious. His choice of clothes and music didn't help his popularity much either. Failing to make any friends even after a month he drew within himself and started staying aloof and by himself while desperately longing for some friends. His parents weren't too concerned with his behaviour; they figured his brooding was just a part of being a teenager.
One day when Edward was walking home from school he decided to try a different route that would take him longer to reach home. As he was walking past one of the yards his ears perked at the sound of kids yelling. He turned round the corner to see a couple of kids standing around two girls. One of them defensively stood in front of the other who was clinging to the taller girl and whimpering.
"Give it back, you asshole." The girl in front yelled to the groups. She was almost as tall as Edward but possessed none of his awkwardness in her stance. She looked spectacular with her bright blue eyes blazing in fury and her dirty blonde curls flying about her face.
"Sure," said one of the boys from the group and opened a box and began tossing its contents across the yard. Edward was unable to tell what had been tossed out but it must've belonged to the younger dark haired girl because she scrambled to her knees searching for parts of her collection amongst the fall leaves. The kids watched her and laughed as they began to disperse.
Edward watched in awe as the tall girl chased after the offending boy and flung herself at him. Taken by surprise the boy went down and had to deal with a wild girl sitting on his back pulling at his short hair. No one appeared to want to intervene and help the boy out. Within minutes they could all hear him begging to be spared. Afraid that she may accidentally cause some serious damage Edward intervened.
"I think he's had enough now." He said to the bright eyed girl and held out his hand to her. "I think we should go help your friend instead."
The girl squinted at him and then at her friend on her knees. She must've recognised the soundness of his argument for she took his hand and hauled herself up. She leaned towards the boy still on the ground and said, "If you ever act like a shithead to Janice again I will beat the shit outta you."
Edward tugged on the blonde's hand, which was still firmly placed within his own, to direct her attention to her friend.
"What happened here?" he asked as the other kids scrambled off and they joined the younger girl who was sitting almost as if in shock.
"Those asswipes grabbed Jan's box and tossed the stuff out. Didn't you see?" the blonde asked him annoyed with his poor observation skills.
"I couldn't tell what it was."
"Shells." The younger girl stated blankly.
"Shells?"
"Yes shells." Replied the blonde sounding further annoyed.
"Can't you just look for new shells the next time you're at the beach?"
His question made the younger girl burst into tears. He was smart enough to realise that the shells meant something special to the little girl for her to respond the way she did. He approached her and placed his hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner.
"Can you describe them to me, so I can help you look for them?"
The little girl nodded through her tears and smiled at him before she began to describe each of the eight pieces. Over the next two hours they combed over the yard and left no leaf or stone unturned while the searched for the shells. They worked in silence and he turned to watch the blonde every few minutes. Edward was smitten; he hadn't seen a prettier girl before.
"Thank you!" the little girl said when they'd found every piece of her precious collection and hugged Edward's legs. "I'm Janice by the way and that's Yvonne."
"Hello. I'm Edward."
"Hey, aren't you that new kid who moved here from France?" asked Yvonne.
"Yes."
"I heard French women don't shave their pits." said Yvonne proudly displaying her knowledge of all matters worldly.
Janice eyes went wide and she looked at Edward to confirm if this was a fact. He shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't know."
