I remember it vividly. It was a bright day in the middle of summer. The sun shone brilliantly in the pale, blue sky, not a single cloud in sight. And yet, despite its harsh rays beating against the ground, both concrete and not, the air and ground itself remained pleasantly warm, enough to make you wish to lay upon it and bathe in the gentle kiss of the ultraviolet rays. It was on such a day that I was sitting on my porch, a rather well built one in front of my house, forged from deep, brown mahogany.

Crafted and built with love by my grandparents, me and my parents had recently moved here to tend to the place while my grandparents were on vacation, somewhere in the Bahamas, I do believe. I was sitting on the lovely swinging chair, situated a little towards the left of the door. Despite the fact I hadn't even graduated High Schooland was rather young, for whatever reason I had taken up the unusual habit of just sitting outside and watching the world and people around me. It was just relaxing I suppose, or something like that. Definitely not the sort of thing you'd expect from a teenager, especially since it was currently summer break. With a glass of cold lemonade in my hand, I took a sip of the tart liquid, enjoying the feel of its icy embrace quenching my thirst. It was then, that I noticed her. A girl, jogging, no, running, down the street. She did not look sweaty, there was nothing particularly remarkable about her, and yet, I found myself entranced with her. As she jogged I observed her clothing, which was suitable for running, of course: dull red shorts and a plain t-shirt, coupled with some sort of shoes I couldn't identify from this distance.

It was a wonder, I thought at the time, that no one should comment or wave to this girl. However, it wasn't until she came closer to my house, which was not at all far from the street, only a few feet of a pathway leading up to the sidewalk, that I was able to see her face. Her face was alight with a certain mirth, eyes shining with joy. She was in her element, and born to run. But I had spent a long time watching people. I had grown used to discerning what lay within. And within those eyes, I perceived a certain loneliness, and, even sadness. With blonde, straight hair, perhaps down to her neck, tied into a ponytail and streaming behind her, she quickly zoomed by my house,running down the street. She did not stop, and I found myself marveling at her stamina, at how easily she was able to move.

Indeed, eyeing my nearby neighbors, they did not even seem to notice her existence. The old man to the right, who lived in a relatively well built single storied house, who was outside watering his petunias. The nice lady to the left, who lived in a similarly built house. She was outside, observing her two kids playing with a soccer ball. None of them even looked at the girl. As I watched her form disappear down the road, I found it curious and indeed even strange to consider why a girl would be running down the street.

By happenstance, I checked my watch, a simple yet beautifully crafted analog clock with embezzled silver around the edges and crisp, old fashioned roman numerals in place of the more common alphanumeric system. Around 5PM, as it were. It was a perfect day for a Saturday, then, I thought as I went to take another sip from my glass....only to find it empty. How disappointing. It was comfortable to sit in this padded chair, slowly rocking back and forth. I lamented this dilemma, the unprecedented need to feel the touch of cool liquid against my throat, yet unwilling to get up. I wished my mom were here. She'd be able to get me some more.

Sadly, my mom and dad both worked daytime hours, and were rarely home most of the time. Despite how pleasant it was, I found myself still thirsty, for whatever particular reason. Ah, whatever. It's not as if there is anything to observe. I got up from my perch, albeit reluctantly, and slowly stretched, preparing my legs for the remarkably short distance into my house and to the fridge. Glass in hand, I reached out and opened the screen door, then the main one, entering into the living room.

"Home, sweet home..." I murmured to myself, slipping out of my shoes and leaving them beside the shoe rack, which was situated just to the right of the door. My living room didn't have much, to be honest. A large couch and two recliners were situated along the center, facing the northern wall, in front of which was our entertainment center and 32-inch flat-screen TV. Along several shelves were our movies, games, and in one, my gaming console, the ultimate reward I had earned with my own money from working the odd job here and there during my free time. Along the wall situated to the left of the wall the TV was situated in were two glass windows, their curtains spread apart to allow sunlight in. Of course, there was my cat, sprawled on the carpeted floor, bathing in the sun's lukewarm rays. A few bookshelves were along the wall to the left of the door. There were two entrance ways as well, one beside the entertainment center and one just beside the stairs that led up to the second floor. I entered my kitchen, which of course, looked about as what you'd expect from a kitchen.

Placing my glass on the counter, I went to open the fridge, observing the amount of yellowish liquid within the plastic gallon pitcher. Maybe around a half pint left. Groaning in despair at this sudden turn of events, I reluctantly poured the rest of the lemonade into my glass, hurrying, for the ice within had begun to melt, and I did not want the water to dilute the sugary sweetness of the lemonade too soon. The phone began ringing. Sighing, I reached forward and picked it up, bringing the wired phone to my ear. "Hello, Smith speaking!"

"Oh, hey Smith!" Came the crackling reply over the phone. I smiled, realizing who it was. It was Alexander, one of my two friends I had made during the days I had spent at school in this town.

"Alright Alex, what's the issue?" I asked in jest, not surprised at all that he had called.

"Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out, is all! I called Samantha, and she said she'd be right on over! I got a new movie, wanna spend the night?" I laughed, savoring the potential fun that might include.

"Is it any good?" I asked.

"It totally is man! It was a dollar and I'm pretty sure the actors in it aren't even D-list..." Oh boy, he'd gone and rented himself one of those B-horror movies.

"Ok, ok! Let me call my mother and ask her if I can come over, ok?"

"Smith, come on! You're sixteen; it's time to live your life a little!" I was unrelenting in my answer. "I'll call you back...oh, wait!" A thought occurred to me then. "Say, Alex, did you see a girl run down your street?" Alexander didn't live very far away from me, perhaps a block, if that. He was literally up the street.

"Eh? A girl? No. Then again, I don't have a habit of watching the neighborhood all creepily like you do!" I winced at that. Was it really creepy?

"Well, I just thought it weird because I saw a girl running down the road..."

"Ohhh, how spooky!" Alex said in a mocking tone, although it quickly shifted with his next words, "...so, was she hot?" He was more serious now. I sighed. How could we be the same age and yet have such radically different priorities?

"I'll call you back," I said, hanging up. Although...I thought back to the girl, musing on the question. Come to think of it, she was fairly cute. Perhaps not a bombshell, but definitely a looker. Wait, I shouldn't let myself be distracted!

What was I supposed to be doing? Oh right. Call my mom. I picked up the phone and dialed her work number. After speaking with the manager, I was forwarded to her office. "Hey, Mom, Alex just invited me over to watch a movie, can I go?"

"Alright, but James, I want you back by nine, alright?" I sighed in relief as she readily agreed. Then again, I can't really imagine why she wouldn't.

"Ok." Hanging up, I quickly exited my house, locking the door behind me. I walked to the road and began jogging up the road. As I did so, however, I felt a chill go down my spine. Why did I feel so uneasy? A quick glance to the left, a qucick glance to the right, but all was normal. Maybe behind me? There was nothing. Then what might the cause for this sensation be? Although, one thought did strike me; I realized I was going the same way the girl had come. Before I could form an idea about what I was thinking, the sensation passed, and oddly enough I quickly forgot about it upon arriving at my destination.

I had fun at Alex's house, and we and Sam had a great time poking fun at the movie's cheesy graphics. Under my laughter and good spirits, a manifestation I had not let realized was brewing. One that would alter my life in a direction that would bound me to the running girl.