For the First Time

Hannah:

I've known Thierry Carter since, well, forever. We've been next door neighbors since babies. Growing up, we'd been total opposites and have only tolerated each other's presence throughout our teenaged years.

As adults, we couldn't be more different. I teach at a private Catholic school in Nassau County. Thierry? Football star and golden boy--until his fall from grace. When he finally comes back from hiding out, he hasn't changed. Despite our differences, we're both invested in his two kids, who mean the world to me. For them, I'll tolerate their father's presence but one thing is for sure, I will not become another notch in his bedpost.

Thierry:

I've made a lot of mistakes, more than I'd like to admit. But my two kids, Sophie and Josh, aren't one of them. Without them, I'd be nothing.

Which is something my long-time neighbor, Hannah Vaughn, constantly likes to remind me of. Growing up, she was the bookworm and I was the jock, two elements that rarely go together in high school. But she's always had a special place in my heart, the one true person who tells me the truth, no matter what. And I've decided I need someone like that.