Prologue: “How a Baseball Started It All”

~ Before school begins, and classes, homework, and after-school activities take over, there is a time in a childs life where the days are for playing, and you don’t have a care in the world. This is the all too short and precious time of summer vacation. You create your own games, stay up late, and form an unruly band with the other neighborhood children. Usually, you climb tree’s, play a lot of kickball, and scrape you knee. A lot. 

It was in one of these idyllic summers, the one before fourth grade to be exact, when Gwendolyn Glover met Holden Wozny for the first time. This is their story.~ 

PROLOGUE 

Part 1 

“How a Baseball Started It All” 

It all started when a baseball landed by young Holden’s feet, as he sat on a bench in his own backyard, reading a particularly good sci-fi book. The unceremonious thud caught his attention, and he looked up to see a skinny girl with bright orange hair and freckles running toward him. She pushed her way through his mothers flowers that lined his family’s property, without any sort of care not to damage them. 

“Hi, Im Gwen, Gwen Glover!” she said, extending her hand. Holden gave her hand a shy, limp shake, staring dumbly at her bright smile. 

“Holden, Holden Wozny” he finally said. 

“Wozny? Thats a peculiar name. Where did that come from?” she asked him. 

“What do you mean?” Holden asked her, confused. 

“You know, like, where’s your family from? My ancestors are from England, for instance. Cornwall, to be exact!” she said rather proudly. 

“Oh, that’s what you mean. Uh, I think my Dad is Polish.” 

“Poland, cool. I hear it’s cold there. Hey, so thats my baseball,” she said, pointing at the ball at Holden’s feet. “Brian always throws way too hard. He calls it a slam-dunk, but everyone knows you can only do that it basketball.” 

Holden felt a little less nervous now than he originally was when Gwen had trudged over to him and bluntly introduced herself. She talked really fast, and loudly, too, but she was friendly, Holden thought. Holden thought she looked like one of his mother’s sunflowers. And, she had just mentioned basketball, the only sport he knew anything about. 

“Yeah, basketball’s the only sport where you can slam-dunk, if your good enough, that is. You have to be tall and quick, like you. I know a lot about it, I used to play on a team where I used to live. I want to try out here when school starts this fall.” 

“Oh, so your new here! Thats why I haven’t seen you before! Why don’t you play at the courts at the park? At least, I haven’t seen you there yet.” 

Holden didn’t even know where the park was. He had just moved to Riverview four days ago, and he had barely been outside yet, with all the unpacking they had been doing. All he knew about Riverview was that it was quiet, rural, and school started in exactly three months, and he was already worrying he wouldn’t make any friends. 

“Well, I just moved in four days ago, and we haven’t even finished unpacking. Only my Mom’s gotten to explore the town, she went to buy plants to start her garden the other day. I still have a lot to learn about this place.” 

Gwen’s eyes sparkled. A new friend! She couldn’t let him spend his summer in solitude, while the rest of the neighborhood had fun. Besides, any chance to be in charge was great for Gwen, and she couldn’t wait to give Holden a tour of Riverview! 

“Well Holden,” she said as she picked up her baseball, and held out her other hand to him, “I suggest you put down that book for now, because I am going to teach you everything you need to know about having fun in Riverview!” 

Holden got nervous in large crowds. He was shy, so he never really felt like he fit in anywhere, especially not with people his own age. He prefered adults. But Gwen was really friendly, and he instantly felt like he trusted her, for whatever reason. He couldn’t explain it, but she seemed like some sort of guardian angel, ready to deliver him from his misery. So, he took her hand, and she led him off to the park to meet the other neighborhood kids. 

Holden had a feeling things were going to be alright. 

 

Part 2: A Friendship No One Else Could Touch 

Gwen brought out the best in Holden. He was more likely to try new things when he was with her, and she was the only one who he could talk to without feeling like she was bored or annoyed. And Gwen really was interested in everything Holden had to say! 

In fact, Gwen found Holden to be a breath of fresh air. His calmness was reassuring, and he knew a lot of really fascinating things. She was one of the few people who was able to experience his sharp, wry, sense of humour, because he trusted her enough to be himself around her. With Holden, Gwen could always count on a good conversation. She counted on him to be her escape sometimes, when she didn’t feel like being the ringleader or the life of the party. 

Gwen and Holden started to spend a lot of time together. Holden’s Mom would bake Gwen’s birthday cake every year, and once, Holden got to go on a camping trip with Gwen and her Dad in the mountains of Riverview. 

Gwen found out Holden was adopted a few weeks into their friendship. She punched Brian, the “slam-dunk” punk when he said something nasty to Holden about being adopted. Gwen’s Mom was furious with Gwen, until she found out why she threw a punch, and it was all okay after that! 

Nothing changed between them after school started, either. 

School often assigned you to a pre-determined group early on, whether ou liked or not. And so, Gwen, a born leader, with charisma to spare, was categorized as a Go-getter. She got the lead in the school plays, starred in Glee-club solo’s, and was generally well-received by everyone. Holden was deemed a “brainiac”. Being a shy, smart guy didn’t do him any favors.He did become the editor of the school paper, though. Holden was a gifted writer, and Gwen had no doubt he would pen a dozen great novels in his lifetime. 

But Gwen was always there for him. In fact, she made a point to show everyone she could that Holden was the best friend a girl could have. And he was. Their friendship was the only place that the two could be themselves. Sometimes, Holden told Gwen that she did way to many things for him, but she always told him that was ridiculous. Thats what friends were for. 

“Holden, everyone may see us and not understand, but thats only because they don’t want to. You and I get it, but nobody else does because they don’t bother to really look.”   

Gwen Glover

Part 3: Highschool Happens 

Highschool added one thing into the equation that the two friends had previously not had to deal with: Gwen started dating. 

-The first boyfriend was a fellow thespian in the drama club. He was a good actor, but not quite as good as Gwen. Holden knew that, because he sat in on rehearsals, and never missed a single performance.  

-The second was a popular guy, and he barely made time for Gwen. Holden knew this because Gwen would call him some nights crying because they would make plans, and he would stand her up. Gwen had really liked him, but Gwen had the fault of seeing the good in everyone. Holden saw this guy for what he was, a real jerk, and he felt immense relief when they broke up. 

-The third and last was their junior year. He was a football player, and although he treated Gwen half-way decent, she was way too good for him, Holden thought. Holden hated this ones guts the most, but he couldn’t quite understand why. Shouldn’t he be happy Gwen had a guy to take her out Friday nights? It all ended when Mr. Quarterback got drunk at a house party one night, and made out with another girl, and Gwen was actually relieved. The jock had started to bore her, and she didn’t want to hurt his feelings by breaking it off. Now she had a reason. 

The one thing all of Gwen’s boyfriends had in common was that they all had hated Holden Wozny quite openly. But Gwen, ever the peacemaker, had tried to be the bridge that connected the two worlds. She would always have to reassure her beau that she and Holden were “just friends”. Holden came to loathe that statement, but he continued to brush that feeling aside, telling himself that he was being rediculous, and maybe, if he actually tried, he would have other friends, and wouldn’t be so focused on Gwen and her relationships, and they wouldn’t bother him so much. 

Part 4: A New Beginning 

In the end, Holden won out. The two best friends graduated high school stronger than ever. They went to seperate colleges, but saw each other every other weekend, always having a better time than the weekend before. When they graduated, Holden and Gwen each got a huge cash gift from their families for all their hard work. 

Naturally, Holden and Gwen pooled their money together, and got a decent house in Riverview, furnished it with their unique styles, and became roomies…