"Michael, can you take out the trash?" mother asked.

"Yes mother." He got up from the couch and took trash to the side of the house where the garbage can was. He threw the trash in the can and as he walked back, he glanced to the house to his left and saw a girl sitting on the porch reading a book.

She looked about his age. Fourteen. She had long, straight, light brown colored hair that fell about her face as she hunched over reading the book and had honey colored skin. He could only see one side of her face but he could tell she was beautiful.

He felt like he could stare at her all day but he had to get in the house before mother began to worry. He walked back into the house and sat on the couch.

Everyone was watching The Brady Bunch. Michael tapped his older brother's, Jermaine, shoulder and Jermaine leaned his head over to show he was listening. "What?"

"Who's that girl sitting on Mrs. Mayweather's porch?"

Jermaine looked out the living room window and saw the girl reading. "I don't know. She's cute though. Why? You like her?"

"Oh uh, nah, I just wanted to know who she was," Michael lied.

Jermaine smiled at his little brother with a face that read, yeah right.

Michael got up from the couch and went to the bedroom. Everyone was in the kitchen and living room so he could get some privacy for now. Sharing one bedroom between six brothers tended to make one savor privacy...

He laid down on the bottom bunk of the bunk bed and flashes of the girl's face invaded his thoughts. He put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. He remembered her caramel complexion and how it shone in the dimming sunlight. He wondered what her name was...

Trudy? He thought. No, thats not it. How about Rachel? No, no she doesn't look like a Rachel. Maybe her name is Janet like my sister? Oh gosh, I hope not...Liking a girl with your sister's name is very awkward. Imagine dating a girl with your sister's name. "Oh I kissed Janet last night..." or "Oh I think I might marry Janet..."  geez talk about incest...

Thoughts ran through his mind a mile a minute and soon his thoughts drove him into a deep sleep.

**********

Michael was playing cards with his little brother, Marlon, on the kitchen table while his mother, Katherine, was cooking.

"Shoot," his mother mumbled under her breath.

Michael looked up. "What is it mother?"

"I forgot the carrots when I went to the corner store today. I need them for the soup." She walked over to her purse that was on the counter and took out her wallet. She pulled out a five dollar bill and walked over to the kitchen table where Michael and Marlon were playing and handed the bill to Michael.

"Here, go down to the store and buy me four carrots. I want my change when you get back."

"Yes ma'am."

A bell tied to a string that was connected to the door rang as Michael pushed the door open. Richie's Corner Store had literally everything from groceries and candy to records and tapes, even shoes and sneakers!

Michael walked over to the produce section and grabbed four carrots and put them into a plastic bag. As he walked to the cashier, he bumped into someone and they dropped their groceries.

"I'm so sorry," Michael said as he bent down to help the person with their groceries.

"It's okay, I wasn't looking where I was going." The voice belonged to a girl. Michael looked up and realized it was the girl sitting on the porch and this time he could see her whole face. She was more beautiful up close.

Her eyes were two dark brown pools of chocolate that could enchant anyone who gave her eye contact.

When they were finished picking up her things, she thanked him for helping her and started for the door.

"Hey wait!" Michael called out.

She stopped in her tracks and turned around. "Yeah?"

"Are you related to Mrs. Mayweather?"

She smiled which made Michael feel warm inside. "Yeah, she's my grandmother. How'd you know?"

" Well, your grandma's house is next to mine and I saw you reading on her porch yesterday evening so I assumed maybe you were some kind of relative." Michael smiled this time.  

They stood there smiling like fools then the girl broke the silence. "Well I better go, my grandma is cooking and she needs these groceries pretty soon."

Michael remembered himself that he too needed to get home because his mother was also cooking. "Wait, before you go..."

"Yeah?"

"What's your name?"

She smiled again. She's so smiley, he thought. "Parker, Parker Anderson."

"That's a nice name. I'm Michael, Michael Jackson."

"Thanks. Yours is also a nice name...um I should really go now...bye Michael!"

"Bye!"

He watched her leave the store and walk down the sidewalk. He didn't know how long he stood there before he remembered that he had to go!

He paid for the carrots and thought to himself.

Thank goodness her name's not Janet...

When he got back to the house, Michael asked his mother if he could go say hello to Mrs. Mayweather's granddaughter after supper.

She said it was fine as long as he was home before the streetlights were on. The gangs liked to come out around that time and she didn't want him getting hurt.

That evening, Michael scarfed down his food like he was in a famine for ten years.

"Slow down boy! If you eat too fast, your food won't digest good." His mother nagged.

"Oh mother, he just wants to hurry up so he can go see his girlfriend," Jermaine teased.

Michael stopped eating long enough to shoot daggers at his older brother. "She's not my girlfriend. I'm just going to say hi."

Jermaine shot his brother the yeah right face once again and continued eating his dinner.

After dinner, Michael helped wash the dishes with his sisters and mother then headed for the door. "Bye mother, I'm going to Mrs. Mayweather's house!"

He took slow strides to Mrs. Mayweather's and was glad to see that Parker was sitting on the porch reading again. Once he reached the walkway, he realized her hair fell about her face again and it made her look  even more beautiful close up.

When he reached the porch, she looked up from her book. Her face lit up when she realized it was the boy from the corner store.

She closed her book. "Hi...Michael, right?"

He nodded. "Right." His name on her tongue made him feel warm but he kept his composure so she didn't know he was melting on the inside.

"You can come sit with me if you want," she invited.

She was sitting on a floral porch swing. He sat down next to her, leaving enough room betwixt them that could fit a third person.

"So..." she said.

"So..." he said.

They sat there for what seemed like forever.

"Are you visiting for a while?" Michael asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, for my whole summer break actually."

Yes! That means I get to spend lots of time with her. "That's cool. Do you live around here?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm from Marietta, Georgia. Born and raised," she said with a wide, toothy smile. "You?"

"I'm from right here in Gary, Indiana."

"That's nice. Hmm... so what do you guys do for fun around here?"

"Well, we go to the park and skip rocks on the lake or go to the corner store and get candy. Since it's summer, the ice cream truck comes along and we usually go to the park and sit under the big oak tree and eat our ice cream there."

"That sounds really fun!"

Michael smiled. "I could show you around and we could hang out if you want."

Parker moved her hair behind her ears and smiled. "That sounds fantastic."

A few moments later, some footsteps were heard. "Parker, who are you talking to—oh hi Michael!"

Mrs. Mayweather opened the screen door just enough to stand just outside the door frame. She was wearing a blue dress with a plaid apron that covered her waist down.

"Hello Mrs. Mayweather. How are you?"

"I'm good sugar and you? How about your brothers and sisters, how are they doing?"

"They're good, thanks. I'm good too."

"That's good. Tell your mama I said hi. You all want some cookies and juice or something?"

Before Michael or Parker could say yes or no, Mrs. Mayweather was already leaving to get them some. Mrs. Mayweather's name really suited her. She was a big ball of sunshine. Even when her husband died, she just said it was God's will.

A few more moments later and Mrs. Mayweather was back with a plate of cookies and two cups of red flavored Kool Aid.

"Thank you, Mrs. Mayweather," said Michael.

"No problem sugar. You two have fun now."

She walked back in the house and shut the screen door.

Parker was the first to grab a cookie. They were homemade chocolate chip. Michael took a swig of Kool Aid and grabbed a cookie as well.

They sat there in silence but it wasn't a boring silence. It was a comfortable silence.

They sat there in the silence and ate cookies and drank until there was one cookie left. They just so happened to reach for it at the same time and their fingers grazed each other's.

Michael's eyes widened but he she didn't see. He let his hand stay there and waited for what she'd do. But she didn't do anything. Her hand laid right there on the cookie underneath his fingers.

Had this been any other boy, she would have pulled away and let him have the cookie. But there was something about Michael that she just couldn't pin point out.

By now the chocolate chips began to melt because of their body heat but they didn't care. It was like their touch was magnetic. It felt...right.

Just then flickers of the street lights began to come on.

Although he didn't want to, Michael pulled away and licked his fingers of the chocolate.

"Hey Parker, I gotta go. My mother said I had to be home once the streetlights came on," Michael said as he got up

She pulled away too and licked her fingers as well. "Alright then. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Well, um...goodnight! It was nice meeting you. By the way, you have a soft hand..."

Parker giggled. "Thank you."

They said goodbye again and Michael walked home. Parker made sure Michael was at his house before she started to go into her house. Before they went in they waved each other.

Parker closed the screen door behind her then the regular door and locked it. She took the cookie off the plate and ate it then put the plate and cups in the sink. She washed them and headed to her room that her grandma had set up for her.

She changed into her night gown and got ready for bed. She glanced at the clock radio on the bedside table and it read 10:43 P.M.

Wow, she hadn't realized how late it was. She climbed into bed and turned off the light. Her dreams were invaded by Michael's handsome face....

Once Michael walked in through the door, his siblings attacked him with questions.

"Did you kiss her?" Jermaine teased.

"Did you touch her boob!" Marlon asked. Giggles erupted from the youngsters.

"What did her feet look like? If she's got gnarly feet, break it off now." Tito warned.

"Is she nice? She doesn't get around does she?" LaToya asked.

"Did she touch your peepee?" Marlon again. More giggles.

Oh brother...

The next morning, Michael got up super early. He couldn't sleep because he was thinking about spending the day with Parker.

He decided to just get up instead of staying in bed until his regular time. When he took a shower, he forgot how great it felt to use hot water. Having a big family had it's inconveniences at times but he loved them.

"You're up early," Katherine said as she made herself some oatmeal. It was about six thirty in the morning and she was about to go to work.

Michael was eating some Corn Flakes at the kitchen table. "Yeah well I couldn't sleep. I'm going to the lake today to hang out with Parker."

Katherine furrowed her eyebrows. "Who's Parker?"

"Oh, she's Mrs. Mayweather's granddaughter."

She sat down next to her son and began to eat her oats. "Well you two have fun but not too much fun," she said as she pinched his cheek.

Michael giggled. "Yes ma'am."

It was about twelve o'clock in the afternoon and Michael was sitting on the couch while the youngsters watched Sesame Street. Everyone else was in the kitchen eating breakfast.

A few minutes later, Michael heard the doorbell ring. He ran to the door but Tito got to it first and opened it.

"Hello are you Parker?"

"Tito move!" Michael said as he tried to push his brother out of the way. Sadly he was failing.

"Um yeah, is Michael here?"

"Yeah he's here," Tito said fighting against his little brother's attempts to push him. "Are you his girlfriend?"

"Parker don't answer that! Tito move please!"

Tito laughed and moved away from the door frame. "I'm just kidding around. You guys have fun."

Michael shot an irritated look to his brother as he walked out the door to meet Parker. She was holding a wicker picnic basket over her forearm. 

"Hey Parker, I'm sorry for my annoying brother. What's in the basket?"

She smiled. "It's okay, I didn't mind. I have an older sister and she always embarrasses me. Oh and this is my polaroid camera and extra film. The lanyard that came with the camera hurts my neck so I keep it in this basket. I wanna take some pictures to take home."

"Oh cool."

They walked down the sidewalk and talked all the way to the park.

"Woah woah wait a minute...you don't like Superman?" she asked.

Michael scrunched his face. "I mean Superman is alright but my favorite comic character is Morph."

"But Superman is Superman. He can fly, he has x-ray vision, he has a cape!"

They laughed.

"Those are all cool but Morph can shapeshift into anybody. He could shapeshift into Superman himself if he wanted to! Morph is the ultimate superhero," Michael said matter-of-factly.

Parker playfully rolled her eyes and they kept on walking.

When they got to the lake, Michael looked around for some flat rocks that were good for skipping. Once he got enough rocks he laid them out at their feet.

"Okay, have you ever skipped rocks before?"

She shook her head. "Nope."

He picked up a flat, smooth grey-ish rock and showed her how to hold it. "Here, you hold it with your index finger on the edge and your thumb on the front and your middle finger on the back. Then you bend your knees and flick your arm. Kinda like you're throwing a ball but instead of overhand, you throw it from the side."

Michael demonstrated and the rock flew gracefully from his hand across the water. The water danced around the rock through beautiful ripples. It hopped about five times across the surface before it sank to the bottom. It almost made its way across the whole lake.

"Wow, it almost made it to the other side!"

Michael beamed. "You wanna try?"

"Totally."

She grabbed one of the rocks he laid out and grasped it the way he demonstrated then flicked her arm from the side. The rock didn't fly far across the surface with grace but sank straight to the bottom a measly two feet away from where she stood with a big plop.

Michael bit his bottom lip to keep himself from laughing but when she looked at him they both burst into a fit of laughter.

"I think that was pretty good for my first try," she said with a pleased look. "Lemme try again."

Parker bent down and grabbed another rock. She grasped it once again like he'd shown her then flicked her arm from the side. This time the rock went farther but it still sank into the water with a plop.

"It went farther that time," she said. "Yet not a single skip. I don't think the rocks like me Michael." She giggled as she picked up another rock and grasped it.

"Here wait," Michael said as he walked up behind her. "May I?"

"Sure."

He put his left hand respectively on her hip and his right hand on hers which was holding the rock.

Having her this close felt amazing. She smelled like something that Michael could only describe as girl.

Parker felt like she could melt right there. There was just something about the way he touched her that sent shivers up and down her spine and gave her a feeling deep inside her gut.

"The trick is, you gotta bend your knees a little," he said softly into her ear. They both bent their knees. "Then wind back from the side."

He wound back her hand then flicked his arm so that everything he did was mirrored through her. It was like they were one body, mind, and soul. The rock soared and skipped beautifully across the surface of the lake before it sank.

Michael let go of her hand and Parker turned around with a beaming smile and hugged him which caught him by surprise.

He laughed and she felt the vibrations through his chest and it felt good.

When they pulled away, they stared into each other's eyes briefly. All Michael wanted to do was just hug her again.

Parker put her head down shyly and moved away from him. "Sorry, I got excited."

Michael scratched the back of his neck. "It's okay. I enjoyed the hug."

By now Parker was a pro rock-skipper. They've been skipping rocks for well over two hours! They'd once tried to make a contest of who could skip a rock to the other side of the lake. None of them made it fully across but Michael made it closest.

For lunch they walked down to the corner store and bought two hot dogs, some chips, and two cokes.

They walked back to the park and sat across from each other on one of the picnic tables near the lake.

"So, tell me about yourself," Parker said.

"Well," he began. "As you saw, I have eight annoying siblings." He laughed. "Although, I do love big families. My birthday is August twenty-ninth and I love comic books, climbing trees-just nature in general, singing, dancing, and helping people. How about you?"

"That's a lot of cool stuff. I love to read, I also like comic books, learning about new things. One thing I'm very passionate about is nature and the children. I love being outside and hearing the birds chirping away. I love the way that if you're in a forest and you stay quiet, you can hear the trees breathe. It's mesmorizing. Then there's the children. When those commercials for the starving children come on, I literally cry for them. It makes me want to grow up already so I can make money and send it to them so they can get food and have decent homes. Ya know?"

There was a sparkle in her eye as she spoke about the things she was passionate about and it almost brought Michael to tears because those were the very same things he was passionate about. There was nothing more gravitating to him than someone who had the same passions as him. He literally fell in love at that very moment.

Parker had brought her polaroid camera to take pictures of the park to hang in her bedroom once she got back home. She'd taken one when they got there and as they ate, she produced a black sharpie from her pocket and wrote "THE PARK" in capital letters on the bottom of the photo.

"Can I take one of you?" she asked Michael.

Michael blushed. "I don't like pictures of me..."

"Oh why not? You're unbelievably handsome, I must take a picture of you. Please?" she intertwined her fingers together like she was begging.

Michael huffed playfully. "You can take a picture but I won't smile."

"Oh fine. Better than nothing." She took her picture and the film came out of the front. When it dried, she showed it to him. "Cute." She wrote on the bottom in capital letters "MICHAEL".

After they ate, they climbed up into the big oak tree and watched people play in the park. Michael had his arm around her shoulder and even though his arm was getting sweaty because they'd been like that for a while, he dared not move it because he wanted to hold her for as long as possible before they had to go home.

They were so relaxed they fell asleep on the branch. Michael woke up first and saw glanced at his watch: 5:32 P.M.

He gently tapped on Parker's shoulder to wake her up.

"Parker, I think it's time we should be headin' home."

They climbed down from the tree, grabbed Parker's camera and photographs and walked home.

When they got to Mrs. Mayweather's house, Michael walked Parker to the porch. The screen door and regular door were both shut.  

"I had a really nice time Michael."

"I had a nice time too Parker."

They stood there awkwardly for a few moments.

"Um well I better let you go. It's almost dinner time," Parker said.

"Yeah, I should—"

Michael was interrupted by Parker leaning in to kiss him on the cheek.

He felt the blood rush to his cheeks and his eyes widened.

Her kiss was like fire. A good kind of fire...

"Goodnight Michael," she said as she walked inside. "See you tomorrow."

"Uh...y-yeah," he stammered.

Michael stood on the porch for a minute as he tried to regain the use of his brain so he could move his legs to walk. When he finally did, he grinned with the biggest smile ever and bounce-walked home.

He heard some voices ahead of him and saw his brothers and sisters crowded at the window making kissy faces through the living room window.

Michael shook his head at them and readied himself for the noise.

The whole family was playing in the backyard. Katherine had gotten watermelon for the kids to eat. It was kind of like a summer family tradition. Michael asked if he could invite Parker to come over and Katherine said yes without hesitation. Michael and Parker had been hanging out for the past two weeks and she was always welcome.

Michael and Parker sat in the shade under the lemon tree in the yard.

"Oh my gosh, I haven't had watermelon in years," Parker said with gusto.

"Really? Why?" Michael said as he spit seeds out onto the grass.

"My mom hates watermelon so we never buy it."

When they were done with their watermelon, they threw the rinds in the woods to decompose.

"That was really good," Parker said.

Michael looked at her face. She had a piece of watermelon on her chin. "Hey you got a little something on your face."

He reached over and pinched the piece of fruit from her face.

She blushed. "Thanks."

They stood there and smiled at each other.

"Do you want to see my room?" Michael asked.

"Sure."

They walked inside and went to his room. There were three sets of bunk beds. One on each wall. Also, there were posters and pictures of great singers and entertainers like The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, James Brown and Fred Astaire.

"Wow, you like all these people too?" Parker asked with the kind of enthusiasm you get when someone likes the same thing as you.

Michael nodded. "Yup! I want to be just like them one day."

"That is so cool-I literally will be the first person to buy a ticket to your concert."

They both giggled.

Parker spotted some records in a small wooden box against the wall. Next to it stood a record player that sat on a small table. "May I?" she asked pointing to the records.

"Yeah sure."

She walked over to them and flipped through them. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw it. Let It Be by The Beatles.

"Can I play this?" she asked.

"Yeah sure, of course."

She put the record on the record player and moved the needle to a spot on the record. She sat down on one of the bottom bunks, the one that just happened to be Michael's, and laid down.

"Join me," she said as she scooted over.

Michael obliged and went to lay next to her on the bed. She closed her eyes as she listened to the soft piano and Paul's voice as the title track filled the room.

Once Michael was situated next to her, she grabbed his hand and spoke.

"When this album came out, my dad bought it right away. He was a big Beatles fan. He used to sing this song in particular all the time. My mom would get mad sometimes but I knew she secretly liked it when he sang."

"Does he not sing it anymore?" Michael asked.

"No," she said. Her voice was beginning to get shaky. "He got shot on his way home from work. These men were running from a cop and they shot my dad and stole his car. The police found them and they're in jail but my dad didn't make it. He was pronounced dead on the scene."

"I found out when I came home from school and didn't hear singing. I looked for my mom and saw her at the kitchen table and I joked with her asking if dad had gotten tired of singing and when I walked up to her, I realized she was crying. I asked her what was wrong and she told me what happened. I didn't cry though. I knew I had to be strong for her because when my grandpa died, she went downhill and I knew she'd break down again for my father's death.

"She seemed fine- well as fine as you can be at a time like that. But after the funeral was when she completely shut down. She cried constantly, she went straight to bed after work, she stopped talking to people... I think it really set in that my dad was really gone and he was never coming back. My uncle suggested she go to this place where they help people with depression. He said she could go during the summer. I obviously couldn't be home all by myself for the whole summer and he couldn't take me because he traveled a lot for his job. Grandma Mayweather said she'd love to keep me for the summer so here I am.

"This morning when you came to see if I wanted to hang out with your family, I thought about my dad- I mean I think about him everyday but I really thought about him...I miss him Michael...I really miss him..."

Tears were furiously falling from her eyes. He let go of her hand and turned to pull her close to him. She sobbed into his shirt but he didn't mind. He wanted so much just to erase all her pain and grief but this was what she needed. She needed to grieve. She'd been holding in all this pain and now she could finally be free.

**********

They were laying on a blanket on the grass and held hands in Mrs. Mayweather's backyard. It was night time and the stars were shining bright. Katherine said Michael could stay out a bit later at Parker's as long as he came home before eleven.

"Parker?"

"Yeah?"

"You see that star over there that's really bright?" He said pointing to the sky.

"Yeah it's beautiful."

"Yeah, it reminds me of you."

Parker smirked. "What, you're calling me beautiful?"

Michael let go of her hand and rolled over on his side to face her. She rolled over as well to face him.

"I think you're gorgeous Parker. From the first time I saw you, I couldn't keep my eyes off you- I couldn't stop thinking about you. I've never felt like this before. Whenever I'm with you I get nervous and every time you say my name, I melt on the inside. I-"

"Michael! It's almost eleven, you should be headin' home now!" Mrs. Mayweather called from the back porch.

"Yes ma'am!" Michael said as he sat up. He turned back to Parker who was sitting up now too.

Michael turned back to Parker. "Meet me by the oak tree tomorrow around three. We're going to visit my aunt up in Griffith so I won't be home until then."

"Okay, goodnight Michael."

"Goodnight," he said as he got up.

"Michael..." she called out.

He stopped and turned around. "Yeah?"

"Thanks, you know, for earlier..."

He smiled. "No problem."    

"Oh shut up you fat head rascal!" Michael said as he joked with his cousin.

Michael liked visiting his Aunt Joan's house. She had a big house. Four bedrooms and two bathrooms! They even had a second floor. His cousins Lyle and Raina, who were Michael's age, shared a room upstairs and his other two cousins, Tammy and Richard, who were sixteen and eighteen, had their own bedrooms downstairs.

Michael was in Lyle and Raina's room playing a board game and Lyle kept talking smack.

"See Michael, you're losing 'cause you don't got no strategy," Lyle said.

"Oh hush up Lyle," Raina said. "You know Richard had to teach you a billion times how to play this game before you were any good."

Lyle pulled his mouth to the side and rolled his eyes.

"Lyle! I ain't gonna tell you to take this trash out again! Come on down here before I go get a switch" His mother yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

Lyle widened his eyes. "Yes ma'am!" he said as he quickly got up. He turned quick to Michael and Raina before leaving. "Y'all better not move none of my pieces while I'm gone." With that he left.

Raina scooted closer to Michael and raised her eyebrows. "So..."

Michael raised a curious eyebrow. "What?"

"I heard you've got a girlfriend...Parker," she said with a big grin.

Michael rolled his eyes. "She's not my girlfriend...well not officially. We just hang out-how'd you find out anyway?"

"How else would I have found out?" she said.

They both said her name at the same time. "LaToya."

They laughed because the both knew LaToya was the Queen of Gossip.

"Anyway so this Parker, from what 'Toya told me, seems nice. Have you kissed her yet?"

"Well she is and not really..."

Raina squinted her eyes. "What do you mean not really?"

"Well she kissed me...on the cheek." he blushed thinking about it.

Raina shook her head in disapproval. "You are going about this all wrong. You were supposed to kiss her first. It's like the unwritten law of love or something."

"Unwritten law of love?"  Michael said.

"Yeah. If you really like a girl, you gotta kiss her so she knows you like her. And you have to kiss her on the lips or she will want to end whatever you guys have." She reached out and touched his shoulder. "Trust me I'm a girl so I know this stuff."

In reality Raina only knew what she read from sappy magazine articles and those romance novels her mother kept under her bed.

"Well how do I know it's the right time to kiss her?" Michael asked.

"You just know when the moment's right," Raina said as she squeezed his shoulder before letting go.

What Raina said made Michael worried. He really liked Parker and he didn't want to lose her.

**************

Parker arrived at the tree first. She brought her camera again and snapped a photo of the oak tree. When the picture dried, she wrote in the same big letters as the other photos with her sharpie: OAK TREE.

She sat at the base of the tree and watched as people passed by. There were some kids playing football, a woman playing fetch with her dog, and a scatter of people just walking and enjoying the park itself.

A few moments went by and Parker heard footsteps coming toward her. She looked up and smiled when she saw Michael approaching her.

He smiled and waved to her and she waved back.

"Hey," he said as he sat down next to her.

"Hey, how are you? How was your aunt's house?"

"I'm good and it was nice. I got to see my cousins so that was good. How about you? You do anything fun while I was gone?"

"Nah, I just read some more of my book until I got ready to come here."

They talked some more until they heard a familiar jingle in the distance.

The ice cream truck.

"Hey Parker, you want some ice cream? I've got enough money for both of us to get an ice cream sandwich," Michael said as he turned to her.

Parker smiled wide. "I would love that!"

They sat under the tree eating their ice cream sandwiches. As they ate, Parker thought about the things Michael said last night. She finished her ice cream and folded the wrapper and placed it under a rock so it wouldn't blow away.

"Hey Michael?" she said as she licked her fingers.

"Yeah?" He answered as he shoved the rest of his ice cream in his mouth.

"Did you really mean what you were saying last night...about how you feel about me and stuff?"

Michael turned to her and she turned to him. "Yes...I meant every word." He remembered Raina's words.

You just know when the moment's right....

"Do it," he thought. "Kiss her now! The moment is right. Kiss her!"

"WATCH OUT!" yelled a boy from far away but neither Michael nor Parker heard him.

Just as he was about to lean in, the kid's football hit him in the face.

"Oh my gosh Michael are you okay?!"

The kid ran over to the tree. "Holy crap, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

Michael couldn't respond by talking so he just groaned and held his face. When the pain went down a little, he removed his hands from his face.  

"How does it look?" Michael asked them.

Their eyes widened.

"What?" Michael felt something like liquid running over his top lip. He used his hand to wipe it away and when he looked down, he saw red. Oh no...

"Let's get you home Michael. Your nose is bleeding pretty bad," Parker said as she got up. She grabbed their wrappers and stuffed them in her pocket and grabbed her camera along with the picture.

"Pinch your nose Michael, that'll help stop the bleeding. If you feel dizzy or if you're about to faint, tell me and I'll go call someone.

Michael nodded and got up. Parker handed the boy his ball back and the boy apologized again. Michael said not to worry about it and he and Parker quickly walked to his house.

********************

By the time they got to Michael's house, his nose had pretty much stopped bleeding. Katherine nearly had a heart attack when she saw all the blood but Parker explained what happened to Michael and they tended to him. Parker's older sister, who is grown and lives on her own now, used to have nosebleeds all the time so Parker knew her way around nosebleed first aid care.

Michael and Parker were sitting alone in the grass in Michael's backyard. Michael had changed his shirt because it had gotten blood it. He had a handful of tissues in case his nose started to bleed again.

"I'm sorry Parker," Michael said as he turned to her.

Parker furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and turned to him as well. "Why are you sorry Michael? It's not your fault you got hit in the face."

"No, I'm sorry because I didn't kiss you on the mouth." He said as he hung his head in shame.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, still confused.

Michael sighed and began to ramble. "When I went to my aunt's house, my cousin Raina told me that if I didn't kiss you on the mouth, it meant I didn't like you because it's some unwritten law of love and that you wouldn't want to hang out with me anymore but I do like you, I swear and-"

"Michael!" she interrupted. "I already know you like me. You don't have to prove that to me by kissing me on the lips," she said with a smile.

"I don't?"

"No, of course not. I like hanging out with you because you're nice and charming and sweet. Also because you taught me how to skip rocks," she said with a wink.

They laughed.

Parker leaned in closer to Michael and whispered. "You want to know a secret?"

"Sure," Michael whispered back.

"You're my first boyfriend."

Michael's heart fluttered when she said boyfriend.

"Well Parker, you're my first girlfriend..."

There was an awkward silence between them then Parker gently laid her hand upon Michael's.

Michael bit his lip nervously and then let out a slow breath. He leaned into Parker's face and placed a soft kiss on her lips. It lasted five seconds but it felt like it lasted a lifetime. Nobody said anything, they just sat there blushing and looking at the blades of grass beneath them.

July 4th, 1972

They were at the Indiana State Fair. Every summer the fair went all across the state and this year they finally came to Gary. Michael and his family brought Parker with them because Mrs. Mayweather didn't really like the fair. Katherine gave all the kids two dollars which got them one hundred tickets each so they could have as much fun as possible. Rebbie and LaToya, Michael's older sisters, were in charge of the younger kids i.e. Janet, Marlon, and Randy. Jermaine, Jackie and Tito went on their own and Michael and Parker paired up. Katherine had a sweet tooth for funnel cakes so she stayed around the funnel cake kiosk. She made it clear that everyone was to meet back up at the van as soon as the fireworks were over.

"Looks like we have a winner!" said the man running the game. The task of the game was to throw a ball at three milk bottles and after some persistence and 84 tickets later, Michael finally hit all three. Although Michael was skilled at dancing and singing, sports weren't his forte at all. His aim was worse than that of a blind man.

When he won, his happy dance was a nifty James Brown impression. He shuffled his feet and led himself into a spin.

Parker laughed and clapped for him. "Go Michael, go Michael! I swear when you make it big, I'm gonna be your biggest fan."

He laughed and jumped up and down.

The carnival man laughed. "What prize do you want little man? You can choose anything from the middle shelf."

"I want that purple monkey please!"

The man smiled and grabbed the stuffed animal and handed it to her. "Here you go."

"Thank you, sir."

Michael took the monkey and gave it to Parker. "Here, this is for you."

Parker smiled. "Oh Michael, you don't have to give this to me. You worked so hard to get it."

"But I want you to have it," he replied.

Parker hugged him. "You are too sweet, Michael."

Michael smirked. "I know." They laughed and continued to scope out the fair.

Michael and Parker went around to all the carnival games and saw a man going around taking pictures of people for a ticket.

"Hey Michael, let's let that guy take a picture of us."

Michael pulled his mouth to the side. "Parker, you know I don't like pictures."

"Oh pretty please Michael?" She gave him the puppy dog eyes and poked out her bottom lip.

He looked her and couldn't say no to her cute little face. "Okay fine but only for you," he said with a wink.

She jumped up and laughed. "Yay! You've got to smile in this one okay? Mister! Over here!"

Parker got the attention of the guy with the camera and gave him a ticket. She put her arms around Michael's shoulders from the side and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He half smiled but it was a smile.

The guy gave them their picture and went on to the next person. Parker looked at it once it dried and smiled at Michael's little half smile.

She showed the photo to him. "See! Look how cute you are! You can keep this one so you can remember how cute you look when you smile in a photo."

She handed him the photo and he put it in his pocket. Just then a man's voice on a loud speaker sounded over the fair:

"Alright everybody, the fireworks show will be starting soon. If you would like to sit and watch, move over to the clearing where we have set up chairs for your viewing pleasure. Please do not move the chairs from their original spots because they are there at that distance to ensure your safety. Enjoy the show and Happy Fourth of July!"

"Ooo the fireworks are starting! Let's go get our seats now before they take all the good ones," Parker said.

They got good seats in the middle where they were able to see the fireworks shoot up in the sky very well. It was pretty dark out so whenever a firework went up and exploded in the air, it illuminated everything with color. Big bursts of green, red, yellow and white made the sky shine so sparkly and bright!

As they watched the fireworks, Michael draped his arm around Parker and she nuzzled up against him. Right after he did it, he felt something get thrown at the back of his neck. He looked back and saw his brothers with bags of popcorn. They snickered at him and Michael rolled his eyes.

After the fireworks show, all the kids met up at the van and Katherine drove them home. When they got to the house, Michael walked Parker home.

When they got to the door, they stood there for a while.

"Tell your mom I said thanks for letting me come to the fair with you all. I really enjoyed myself also thank you so much for little Bubbles here," Parker said referring to the stuffed monkey in her hands.

"Will do and I enjoyed having you with us also no problem."

They smiled at each other for a while then Parker leaned in for a kiss. Michael kissed her back and then they pulled away.

They said goodnight and hugged and Michael walked back home.

Michael walked into the house and went to the kitchen and looked in the junk drawer. He found a maker and fished the picture out of his pocket. He wrote in his best handwriting: PARKER AND ME on the bottom of the photo.

 (lol excuse my rachet attempt at making a photo edit of Michael and Parker :P)

He looked at the photo and smiled then held the photo to his heart.

"Girl, I don't like to smile but for you, I'll smile any day...." he thought.

******************

Michael sat on her bed and watched as Parker packed her things into her suitcase. He couldn't believe she was packing to leave already. It felt like it was just yesterday that he saw her reading on the porch. He'd never forget the first time they spoke. She made him feel something no other person could make him feel. She was very special to him and he hoped he was as special to her as she was to him.

Parker folded her shirts slowly and carefully before placing them into her suitcase. Even though she wasn't leaving until tomorrow, she didn't want this moment to end. This would be the last full day she got to spend with Michael before she went back to Marietta. She held back tears and took in slow deep breaths.

When she finished packing, she zipped up her suitcase and placed in front of her bed.

She crawled onto the bed and sat next to him and grabbed his hand.

"I'm gonna miss you," Michael said.

"Me too," she said. Her voice was quiet for she didn't want to cry.

Michael turned to her and looked her in the eyes. "Promise me we'll see each other again."

Parker smiled but a tear ran down her cheek. She wiped it away and said, "I promise."

When it got pretty late, Michael had to go home. When he got to his house, he went into his room and grabbed a piece of paper and began to write:

I found my happiest days

when you came to see your grandma in May...

I bumped into you at the corner store...

Your grandma's house was next to mine...

We were together most of the time...

But summer's getting away from us

time's movin' too fast for us

Bye-bye, don't turn around ‘cause you might see me cry...

Farewell my summer love...farewell...

Girl, I won't forget you...

When you return to your hometown

And you discuss your trip...

Will I be the guy that you put down?

Or someone that you don't forget, no?

I'll never forget you....

And maybe next year when you're out of school

you'll return, but until you do...

Bye-bye, don't turn around; you might see me cry....

********************

The next morning Michael woke up super early so he wouldn't miss seeing Parker off. He walked over to Mrs. Mayweather's house just in time.

Her uncle came and got her around eight in the morning.

When they finished packing Parker's things into her uncle's car, Michael and Parker stood in front of each other for what seemed like a lifetime until Parker just fell into his arms. Michael held her tight. He didn't want to cry in front of her but he couldn't help it. A few tears escaped and landed on her shirt.

Before they let go, Parker whispered something but it was muffled by their hug. He was pretty sure she said. "I love you..."

Parker went to hug her grandma and then she got into her uncle's car. She waved through the window all the way down the street until she couldn't see Michael's face anymore.

Michael waved too and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Farewell my summer love...farewell..."