Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. That all belongs to the wonderful Katherine Paterson, and Disney. I just took their movie and twisted the plot.

Be warned that I have NEVER read the novel; only seen the movie so I'm sorry if things seem off. I'm doing the best that I can, and feedback would be wonderful. What I did was this took this scene where Jesse and Leslie first talk and make it into a completely different story. I hope you like what you see here today, and I'll be glad to hear your opinions on my writing so far.

-TellNoOne

Till' I Collapse

Part One: Discovering Leslie Burke

Chapter One

(Please read and review)

August 4, 2007 (Monday)

1300 Cora Perry Lane

3:02PM

Mellow sunshine and intense waves of quickly cooling air slapped an eleven year old boy in the face as he stepped off the ripe yellow transportation vehicle behind him. Inwardly, he hated the thing; it reminded him far too much of a soup can with all his least favorite vegetables in it.

Bus rides were always long and tedious when one had no companion to talk with, but today's ride had been even worse due to the fact of the taunting of other students. Each comment made him fume.

'He's the second fastest kid in the sixth grade, because he lost to a girl' and other such phrases. Most of which tore at his already hurt pride and made him want to wad himself tightly into a corded ball of shame and humiliation. As if seeing his sister's face fall when he'd told her he'd lost wasn't bad enough; he now had to listen to everyone on the bus—older and younger—mock him about losing to a girl.

No, he thought abrasively, of course it didn't matter that there were twelve other boys who got smoked by the new girl. The only thing that seemed to stick in their minds was the sight of him—at first—leading the pack, and then being suddenly overtaken by a girl in the homestretch.

Added to that, he noticed half-way through the incredibly irritating ride home, that the winner of the race sat two seats behind him. His wounded pride took another kick every time he glanced back and saw her blonde hair. He was angry and the troll that was Janice Avery wasn't helping matters as she sneered and mocked him for losing the foot race to a bean pole.

So by the time he got off the bus his humiliation and rage had reached an entirely new level. Stomping off, he heard the bus's doors close and was relieved, but his relief was short-lived as the bus braked again and the doors swung open to reveal something that caused his heart to freeze in his chest, before it started pounding again with a vengeance. His wounded pride swelled with indignation as he watched her walk down the steps, her bags in tow.

"Are you following me?" Jesse Aarons asked incredulously, his voice tinged with suspicion as he watched the new girl step off the bus from behind him. The girl raised a blonde eyebrow; responding to his question with an equally disturbed look.

"Uh, no," she said slowly as though Jesse had some mental processing issues. "I live over there," she finished, gesturing towards a large three-story house that had been uninhabited since Jess could remember. That house was three times the size of his own, and Jesse wanted to cringe at how stupid he must've sounded asking her that.

It's not as though he could help it though, he was still peeved that he had been so close to winning that race, and victory had been taken from him—by a girl no less.

Embarrassed and angrier than he'd ever been before, Jesse didn't say anything in response; he turned around not daring to look back at her. He didn't want things to be awkward, and he knew that if he opened his mouth right then something scathing and most likely offensive would slip out. Then he would have to deal with the guilt of hurting a girl's feelings, because his pride was howling away like a wounded puppy, and then his pride would be battered again because he'd have to apologize for acting like a pinhead.

Jesse stared resolutely forward, his mouth shut, determined to maintain his stony silence. This girl had caused him one loss today, and that was quite enough. The quiet was uncomfortable for the three of them for all of two seconds when something New Girl had said finally clicked in Jesse's little sister, May Belle's mind.

"We're neighbors!" she exclaimed, an excited look on her face that highlighted her childish features, "You got any little sisters?"

New girl only shook her head, the blonde locks flailing wildly as May Belle slowed down to walk beside her. "No, just me," New girl replied lightly, and May Belle slumped slightly in disappointment.

"Oh," his sister muttered softly.

Jesse felt bad for her of course because there were no younger kids for her to play with in the direct vicinity, and Jess knew he wasn't much help. He was a loner both at home, and in school. He looked away from his momentarily dejected sister in shame. What a brother he was.

"You got any barbies?" she asked happily, her sadness once again forgotten.

New girl nodded, "Yeah, I think I have a few. Do you have any?"

"Yeah; just one and a half," May Belle replied with a smile.

"A half?" New girl's bemusement was obvious—at least to Jess—and May Belle nodded excitedly.

"One got cut in half, playing super extreme Barbie. You flush them down the toilet, or drop them from the upstairs window. Stuff like that; its fun." Jesse's sister babbled exuberantly, and he saw new girl grin a little.

"It certainly sounds interesting," New girl agreed, and May Belle opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a tall man wearing glasses and a messy haircut ambling down the drive; keys in hand.

"Hi dad," New girl greeted brightly as she went to her father's side and the man smiled down at her, "Hey Hun; I was about to go to the store and pick up some supplies. Did you want to come with?"

New girl nodded, and said to May Belle and Jesse, "See ya."

"Bye," May Belle waved excitedly, seemingly glad to have found a friend in new girl.

The seven-year old took off down the road without her brother, and Jesse wondered why she was in such a hurry to get home, but his attention was caught when Mr. New girl's father smiled slightly as he and his daughter walked back down the drive in the direction they had just come from.

Jess glanced over his shoulder as new girl dropped her backpack on the ground and shrugged out of her jacket. He was surprised when he saw that new girl's father only had house keys, and not car keys like he had first thought.

"You're walking?" he blurted out in astonishment, and they both looked at him surprised.

New girl's father laughed, "You bet ya. We need the exercise and the day's gorgeous."

"But sir," Jesse protested hesitantly, "the store has to be a good five miles from here. Isn't that a bit far for you to walk, then walk back carrying groceries?"

New girl had a weird look on her face, and Jess felt his stomach churn with uncertainty.

He wondered why he was acting so concerned as new girl's father replied, "We won't be getting much, but I can see your point. Would you like to accompany us? Maybe we could use some help later on."

Jesse's eyes widened slightly. "Erm, no sir, I have chores and homework to do, but thanks for the offer."

"Well, that's quite alright son. I'm sure me and my offspring can figure things out. If push comes to shove, I'll give my wife a call and tell her to come pick us up."

Jesse nodded in consternation, and he watched as the two turned and began walking away. He was surprised when a minute later, new girl looked back at him over her shoulder, and waved.

"See ya later, Jess," she called out, and he was surprised that she remembered his name when he didn't even know hers. He felt guilty now for calling her new girl instead of learning her actual name. He'd find out tomorrow, but for now Jess knew he looked like a Class A jerk by not saying anything back, so he lifted his hand and waved back weakly.

"Yeah, see ya," he called out, and he saw her smile. That smile made him nervous, something he hadn't been expecting, and he watched as she turned back around and ran to catch up with her father.

The sun shining down on the pair made them look otherworldly in a very strange way, and Jesse wondered exactly why they—particularly new girl—made him curious.

"Jess, come on!" He turned and saw his mother standing near the door of their house, waving towards him. Jess waved back to her, making sure she knew he had acknowledged her presence before glancing back down the lane. New girl and her father were nowhere in sight, and Jess figured that her speed hadn't just been natural, but inherited as well.

He turned and ran home, where his mom was engaged in another argument with his older sister, Brenda. "When I tell you to watch the baby Brenda, that's what I mean," she was saying sternly as Jess walked inside, abandoning his "new" sneakers at the door.

"It's Ellie's turn," the curly-haired fifteen-year old returned scathingly, and Ellie shouted from the den, "I'm doing Algebra!"

Jesse couldn't contain his snort. Ellie never did Algebra; that usually translated into watching some stupid television show.

Brenda gave him a glare. "What are you laughing at dickwad?" she snarled angrily as she crossed her arms. His mother's head snapped towards her daughter, and their fighting returned with a new intensity.

"You don't talk like that in my house, young lady!" His mom practically screeched at her fifteen-year old daughter.

"Well, he is one! I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a—"

"Brenda May Aarons, you better not finish that sentence," she yelled, cutting across the girl's statement. Jesse ignored them and walked towards the stairs, managing to steal a handful of popcorn from his seventeen year old sister Ellie.

Ellie growled—causing Jesse to sometimes wonder if the older females in his family were related to felines in any way—and he skillfully dodged her kick that was aimed for his head.

As he walked upstairs, Jesse painfully admitted that this house was way too overrun with women, and they were all in some way incredibly annoying.

Entering his bedroom, Jesse plopped down on his bed, ignoring the sounds of May Belle doing artwork and chatting with her Barbie. Still munching on popcorn, Jesse flipped open his notebook and his eyes narrowed when he saw a finger-painting on one of the pages.

"May Belle," he hissed loudly, and ripped past the curtain that separated their "rooms". "I thought I told you to stay out of my stuff!"

"I didn't do anything," May Belle shrieked, scuttling back towards her bed.

"Don't lie to me," Jesse shot back, his patience for the day completely shot.

May Belle shook her head violently, "You can't prove it!"

Just as Jesse was about to take a step forward, his father opened the door and May Belle launched herself at him, "DADDY!"

"Hey pumpkin; is your brother picking on you?" he asked, kissing the small girl on her forehead. Jesse frowned, his hands fisted in anger, and he felt his face fall into his normal indifferent mask.

"She was in my stuff," he muttered quietly.

"What stuff?" Jesse's father asked instantly, setting May Belle back on the floor.

The girl bit her lip anxiously, and Jess handed over the notebook. It was silent for a moment, and Jess watched as his father looked at the notebook, at May Belle, and then at him, before he asked, "How'd that race go?"

"He lost," May Belle said immediately, speaking before Jess could say anything, "There was this new girl who beat all the boys, even Jess."

Jesse felt his humiliation return, and he looked at the ground, feeling his father's heavy gaze fall on him. He felt like crying, and he wanted his father—for once—to hug him or simply give him some caring advice. Jess was tired of observing as his sisters were showered with affection, but he was left out in the cold.

It had been a bad day, and Jesse really hoped that this would be the moment that could turn things around. He was severely disappointed—almost painfully so—when his father quietly handed him back his notebook. Jesse felt almost betrayed by his father, and was even more upset that the one place he could use as an escape had been invaded by his own sister.

He mutinously wondered if there was a sign stuck on his back that said he wasn't worth caring for. It was either that or he really didn't deserve to be hugged or have his privacy respected. Right then, Jesse felt like swearing off girls for life. They were nothing but pests who got all the attention and ruined good days by talking way too much or doing something they weren't supposed to be doing. And what was worse was that they got away with it.

Inwardly he sighed, and realized that not all girls were like his sisters, and May Belle wasn't all that bad really. She just didn't know when to keep her mouth shut, and she frequently crossed boundaries that had been clearly drawn. If it weren't for those things, he'd never have a problem with the seven-year old.

"Remember to get your chores done, Jesse," his father stated, before walking towards the door, May Belle in tow.

"Yes Dad," Jesse whispered to thin air as the door clicked closed. His hand tightened around his notebook as he turned away from the door, and for the first time, Jesse didn't know which of those possibilities was true.

--

August 4, 2007(Monday)

1301 Cora Perry Lane

The Aarons' Residence

7:03PM

Not saying anything, Jesse walked into the kitchen and started finishing off his last chore. He had been working for over an hour; checking plants for newly grown vegetables, pulling weeds out in the backyard, and feeding the animals. It always seemed to Jesse that any chores Ellie and Brenda didn't do, he had to do them before his dad found out, or he was yelled at for being lazy.

It wasn't an unusual occurrence for him to have to gather the chicken eggs from the coop, or remember to turn on the sprinkler system for the gardens out back. He even ended up pulling full grown potatoes, and corn; things his sisters were supposed to be responsible for. Jesse sighed quietly as he whipped a film of sweat from his forehead and gathered the trash from the house.

Brenda and Ellie were in an argument over the television remote again, and his mother was busy fussing over the baby—Joyce Ann—as dinner cooked. He spared them a second's glance before heading towards the door, but his mom's distracted voice stopped him, "Jesse, could you check the mower for gas? We're gonna need you to cut the grass tomorrow afternoon while I take Joyce Ann to the doctor and Brenda and Ellie need to stay after school for their audition at school."

Jesse stared at the door, and nodded lightly, "Sure mom." He walked out of the room, practically able to feel his older sister's smug expressions.

Jess knew for a fact that Brenda and Ellie weren't auditioning for anything. He'd heard them talking about it awhile ago. The only thing they were gonna do was sneak away with their friends, and not come back until dinner. He wasn't stupid nor was he oblivious, but Jess figured that it wasn't any of his business, and it wasn't like his parents would believe him anyway.

He quickly checked the gas tank on the lawn mower, and frowned at seeing it nearly empty. Jesse felt like sighing; this meant he had to talk to his father—something he really wasn't looking forward to doing.

Jess walked to the trash bin and overturned the bucket, hearing his father and May Belle talking. Setting down the pail, he silently peeked inside the greenhouse as their conversation finally reached his ears.

"These are gonna be May Belle's magical flowers," His father said, and May Belle smiled brightly, turning her head to kiss her father's cheek.

"Are they really gonna be magic, daddy?" she asked innocently, using the eyedropper to put a specific amount of plant food on each one.

"You can count on it princess," Jess's father replied lovingly, and May Belle giggled.

Jess felt his stomach drop to his knees, and he backed away, not saying a word. He didn't want to admit it, but he was jealous. His father had never done anything like that when he was May Belle's age, and Jess wondered why. He decided to talk to his father about the lawn mower later.

As he walked away from the greenhouse, Jess heard the sound of someone laughing, and he looked down the dirt lane. Spotting new girl and her father walking; both laden with bags and huge smiles on their faces, Jess felt even lower than low.

Why couldn't he have that same good relationship with his father?

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