"If you are lucky enough to be different, don't you ever change."
-Taylor Swift
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Often, Cherry would sit around, listening to the tip-tap of the rain on the window pane, deep into thought. What would she be when she was older? Would she always be different? Will people remember her for her past, the goods parts and the bad parts? She was a big thinker, but it wasn't always that way. In fact, she could remember clearly when she used to think to herself. It wasn't that long ago, only one year. It was amazing to Cherry how much she changed in a whole year, but she was still different, to her dismay. One event could change your life forever, she thought, thinking back at those memories. One event could make you into a thinker, a hero, a villain, or anything, really. If only Anttonina didn't leave her green jacket out on the cherry trees that June day, Cherry would've never overheard Quinn, and she would still be a scared, tired little girl, stuck in complete differences.
Some people didn't understand Cherry, because of her overwhelming differences. For one, she was the only red head in a family full of jet brunettes, leaving Cherry to still believe to this day that she was adopted. Not only did she have red hair, but the shade was so vibrant, it lead to most people thinking she dyed her hair, even though she hated hair dye and didn't understand it. Another fact that lead her to think that she was adopted was the fact that everyone in her family was a natural math geek, though Cherry hardly could do simple equations.
Cherry herself wasn't the only thing different in her life, however. Mostly, it was her town, her school, and their cherry trees.
At Apple Maple, a teeny school for kids and teens as young as pre-K, and as old as Seniors, Recess was granted to all young and old. The only problem was it was hard to find fun when your town in drowned in cherry trees. It was only natural that the students would be allowed to climb them that hour, and yet after the years of students climbing in them, the trees were still healthy as ever.
Apple Maple also happened to be the top school in the east coast, and most populated. Yet, all of the students had enough room to roam in the teeny school that it was hardly noticeable how many there really were, somehow, and the little town still was as little as ever.
It was that day, that changing June day, happened to be the first day in the last week of school. Cherry remembered feeling sluggy on that changing Monday morning; with grades and finals to stress about, the talent show, and the sad fact that Charlie was moving, yet again, but this time for good, sat on top of her rounded shoulders, weighing down like monsters growing hungry for sweat. It did happen to be the last week, though, so Cherry placed her best smile on and went in to get the year over with.
Cherry hardly had a talent for all she thought, for everyone in the whole, strange, town had perfect, star-quality abilities but her. Chrissa was the perfect student, (not that Cherry cared how good-two-shoed her older sister was) there was Anttonina with her drama, both in real life and in theater, and Charlie with that weird video-game talent that he would always use when Cherry and her guy friends went over to her house after school every day for cookies, study hall, and games. According to Anttonina, though, she had "one of, like, the best singing voices ever." Since Anttonina always had to have her way, she made Cherry sign up for the talent show the moment auditions opened.
Cherry, back out of memories, smiled as she sunk down in thought yet again of the time her best guy friend asked about it. "So why did you let her hear your singing voice in the first place?" Charlie asked over the shouting of Tyler and Kevin running away from zombies, back when it was the first time Cherry told him the story.
Cherry giggled. "She came in to my room during my Taylor Swift time, expectantly." Cherry turned around and started to hum Better than Revenge in her mind, just in time to see Kevin stumble down, allowing a zombie to catch up to the terrified gamer.
"Cherry!" Chrissa screamed, keeping Cherry up away from her thoughts, this time for a while. Her sister stood on the edge of Cherry's room and the hallway, with her college papers in her hand. Chrissa was going into her senior year in the fall, and schoolwork was her main focus point, leaving Cherry's time with her into the dust. Her sister stood there for a minute. Ever since the two had gotten into that stupid fight about bubblegum in May, they hardly talked anymore, so Cherry was surprise Chrissa dared to enter her room during thinking time. Slowly and awkwardly, Chrissa asked, "Hey, remember the whole Cherry Street thing?"
Cherry's eyes wandered to the window, as she watched thunder attempted to take out a tree. The storm had gone from bad to worse.
"Yes, I was just thinking about it. Why?"
Chrissa shifted uncomfortably. She glanced at the paper in her hand, and slowly said, "Mr. Jones is giving out extra credit for the person who writes the best news article based on something that happened in the past two years. This could raise my GPA, a lot." Chrissa paused, leaving Cherry to wonder if she would ever care about extra credit for school in the summer. She guessed not.
"I want to write about 139 Cherry Street. Will you help, please?"
Cherry paused for a second, wanting to say no. What happened then was done and gone, and Cherry wanted to forget it. She closed her eyes for a second, and replied.
"Sure."
