I grew up in one of thoes neighborhoods that you relly only see on T.V. you know the cookie-cutter houses painted white or "eggshell", as my mother says, with the green or "pine" colored shutters. Where all the cars are mini vans and where violence in the home is thought to be some myth created by the news casters,where the sun always seems to be shining, and everyone smiles and complments eachother as they get in to their mini vans to go to their offices. No I don't live on some movie set, sometimes it feels like it though, I wish I did then I could just move from set to set till I found one I liked, no, this is relly the type of place I grew up. Sound boring? Yeah it is. Our house sat right in the middel of the most decorated street in the neighborhood. By decorated I mean, headges always perfectly trimed, rose bushes always perfect, lawn the perfect shade of green and decorated with lawn ornaments such as small nomes, pink flamingos,and more decartively cut shrubs. Our house was no different.Oh no it was exactly like all the rest, perfectly cut headges, perfectly green lawn with just the right amount of decoration. Our house was perfect too, perfect "eggshell" paint with perfectly painted, perfectly straight, "pine" colored shutters. The street was a perfect example of what happens when you drink the kool-aid when you're little, in other words, it was the perfecrt example of what happends when everyone is constantly trying to out do eachother, to be the best, or in this case trying to win the coveted "lawn of the year award". An award that is given out once a year to the best lawn on the street. All the winner of this coveted prize gets is a chunk of metal that says: " You're lawn is a cut above the rest. You should be proud of what you have done with your lawn. Thank you for being an upstanding citizen." and the years worth of bragging rights that come with this chunk of metal. You see my mother had one this award for 10 years in a row, that is until Mr. & Mrs. Stevens and their family moved in across the road 5 years ago. Ever since then my mother has been losing to them. I on the other hand refuse to "drink the kool-aid" and become what Mrs. Stevens's daughter Ammie is. Yes, there is no dought Ammie "drank the kool-aid" she is 3 years older than me,making her 20. She is already married and expecting twins at last notice, she and her husband, John Palace, are already living 2 houses down from her dear mother, father, and younger brother. Ammie's brother Jason Stevens is 17, like me, but thats where our similarities end. He just like his sister drank the kool-aid.He is you're perfect son, if you like stuck up jocks, that don't have the brains God gave an ant. These are just a few exampels of the kind of people i was raised around. That is until they moved in next door. The Davis'. Mr.& Mrs. Davis had, like all the other parents in the neighborhood, drank the kool-aid. But their twin son and daughter had not.They like me had refused to drink the kool-aid and be brain washed into thinking like "they" did. They being the people that A) drank the kool-aid B) made the kool-aid and C) everyone else in the neighborhood except me, Lacey, and James. Lacey, James, and I became good friends. My mother did not like the fact that I was hanging around with them. she told me one day as I sat on my bed,being anoyed because she had intarupted a very good song, " They are a bad influence on you Alexis." Yes my name is Alexis and everyone, but Lacy and James call me that. Lacy & James call me Alex. "Look at you're poor hair." she said grabbing a lock of cherry red hair " I do belive I told you not to cut you're hair." my mother said in her im you're mother how dare you go against what I told you to do voice. "Yes you did mother" I stated matter-of-factly "but I didn't cut it mother, I dyed it." "Well still you just blew all you're chances at Mrs. Stevens' son." she said shaking her head slowly. Oh yes she wanted me to marry him and drink the kool-aid, but no way was that going to happen. "What im trying to say is that you can no longer be around thoes kids." she said. "Thats so unfair! Just because I dyed my hair!" I said gaping at her. "No, not just because of you're hair. All the new piercings, the breaking cerfew, and the way you dress now." she said looking at me and my open closet. The only new piercings I have were two on my lower lip and a few more in my ears, nothin that horibble. "Breaking cerfew! I wouldn't have a cerfew if it was Jason I was with!" I shouted. " No more hanging around with thoes kids." she said,turned and walked out of my room. I just sat on my bed in utter and complete shock. She hadn't just told me I couldn't see Lacy and James any more. I was still going to see them. I walked over to my window, and just as I had been expecting James and Lacy were crouched under my window sill. I opened the window and James was the first one up and climbing through my window, Lacy followed. "We heard everything." she wispered. "Yea, I thought you might have." I said crossing the room to shut and lock my door. While Lacey closed the window and pulled the curtians together. James was stretched out on my bed. I looked at him and without even looking at me he picked up the control to my radio and turned it up loud enough that my mother wouldn't hear us talking. Lacy took up her normal spot on my big lether beanbag. I laughed quietly and crossed the room to lay next to James on my bed. "Shes way off base to tell you you can't see us anymore." James said quietly as I stole my pillow from under his head. "Yea. I mean it's all about image with her. If Jason Stevens was the one I was spending all my time talking to. She would be very happy." I said closing my eyes. "Image. Thats all everyone cares about here." Lacy said anoyedly. "Yea, that and their stupid lawn of the year award." I said through clintched teeth. I opend my eyes and stared at the celing while James began singing a song on the radio. "Well I don't care what she says i'm not going to stop seeing you two." I said looking at James as I spoke. "We arnt going to stop seeing you eather." James said looking me in the eyes. "good" I smiled closing my eyes. He laughed then Lacy said, " Why would we want to stop talking to you? We love you. Well I think James loves you a little more then I do." She said laughing. I sat up on my elbows and looked at her. "What are you taling about?" I asked surprised. She looked at James and shook her head. "He didn't tell you? You should tell her." she said shaking her head. "Well I was going to, but I was waiting for the right time. I guess that time is now. Thanks to you." He said shooting her a look that said you messed up my plan. I laughed as he took my hand in his and pulled me up that i was sitting up on the bed. "I love you." he said as he looked in to my green eyes with his dark brown ones.I blinked at him in surprise. From behind me I heard Lacy laugh, "I'll go and let you two figure this out. Bye Alex." she said as she walked over to the window and climed out leaving me and James alone in my room. His hand holding mine, his eyes melting my heart. Then there was a sharp knock on my door fallowed by the voice of my mother ranting about my music again and telling me to open the door, but for some reasson none of that mattered, not my mom, not the image she wanted to uphold, not Jason Stevens and his family, not even how all the people in the neighboorhood would talk when they found out that James Davis and I had be found alone in my room. I looked at him and said quietly, "You better go." "No." he said, "No, if you love me you won't care if your mother knows. Do you love me? Alex, do you love me?" his voice wasn't pleading he wasn't forcing me to say I loved him. He wanted the truth. The real truth. In that moment with my mother ranting just outside my door and James Davis sitting on my bed holding my hand I realised, I did love James Davis, I loved him with all of my heart, and I didn't care what my mother, or anyone else thought. I loved him and he loved me. I looked him in the eyes and said, "I love you too." Thoes were the four best words I ever said. He smiled a smile so big I thought his face was going to rip in half. I got up off the bed, walked to the door, unlocked it and opened it. My mother who was still standing outside the door her hand poised to knock again froze when she saw James sitting on my bed. "What is he doing here?" she demanded. "Telling me he loves me mother and I was telling him that I loved him too. An before you say anything I don't care what you think. Do whatever you have to do to be able to sleep at night, but I love him and he loves me and there is nothing you can do about it." I said walking back toward the bed and sitting on the eadge. I turned to look at her, she had let her hand drop and it was now limp at her side. Her face was frozin in
shock, her eyes looked as if they were going to pop out of her head. "Get out." at first she said it quietly like she was saying it to herself , then she looked me in the eyes and said louder, "Get out! Get you're things and be out by the time you're father gets home." she turned shaking her head. I turned to look at James, he looked happy and apoligetic all at the same time.