“I love you” are the three words that everyone fears of hearing yet dreams of it at the same time. It was these words that saved a young man’s life. The story took place over a year ago between a country girl and a want to be gangster boy. The girl was quiet and shy, she was a brainy kind of girl who loved school, and her name was Catty. The boy was loud, not very bright, and all he wanted was to be a thug, his name was Tristen.

They met when he was twelve and she was fourteen. Not that surprising, they met through another want to be thug. The girl was still quiet but when she saw him, she saw what road he was headed down and knew that she could still save him. They hung out here and there but when they became best friends was when he kissed her tongue! Yes, he kissed her tongue. This is where I will start.

Tristen, Catty, and another guy named Jesse were all lying on Jesse’s bed. Catty wasn’t shy no more so she showed them some tricks with a lighter and cologne. She caught her pants on fire as her first trick. She did this and Tristen became amazed, Jesse flipped out and kept putting it out. After a while they were all laying down and she decided to lick the flame Jesse, who was also her boyfriend now, said her tongue was burnt and she sarcastically said “You want to kiss it and make it better?”

Jesse replied “No but Tristen will” Tristen of course does anything Jesse says so he agrees with a very slow “okay”. The first time they do it Catty pulls away.

Jesse says “You’re not supposed to pull away!”

Catty being the kind of girl to prove people wrong, decides next time she wasn’t pulling away. As Catty and Tristen moved toward each other, Catty’s tongue out, Tristen finally gets close enough for him to kiss her tongue. Once his lips touched her tongue they jumped back, wide eyed and open mouthed. Jesses laughter is what broke the awkward silence.

From that day on Catty and Tristen were inseparable. As they became closer Catty learned how bad of a road Tristen was going down. She had found out he smoked cigarettes, weed and drank liquor. She also learned he was following around local gang members, trying to join them. As they got closer so did their families. They became like brother and sister.

A couple months later Catty had found out Tristen stole from her. They were just hanging out when he said “I’m sorry. You know you’re iPod that we have been looking for? I stole it when we first met. I was going to give it back the day after I kissed your tongue but then someone stole it from me I’m really sorry! Please don’t stay mad!”

Catty just stared at him, and then when it finally hit her brain she said “I’m not mad but I am very disappointed in you. I would have been mad but you are like my brother now and I love you like my brother.”

He just stared, in awe then asked “How could you still by nice after that? Anyone else would have punched me and beat the crap out of me.” Catty replied simply “That’s the difference between me and your other friends. I love no matter what and they pretend to love you as long as you let them use you”

It was this day that she saw him change directions. They hung out more and he stopped hanging out with all the bad kids, (the want to be thugs), as much. Catty got him to stop smoking weed. He smoked cigarettes and he drank liquor still. At least for now Catty thought.

As months passed they became closer to each other than to their own families. They would hang out up at their friend Carl’s house, and they would do whatever they wanted up there. It was open and free spirited. At least it was till Carl got mad and punched Tristen in the head. Catty was protective over Tristen so she took him and left, and didn't go back for a long time. As they walked home from Carl's that day a car pulled up and the passenger side window rolled down revealing one of the want to be thugs. The guy looked from Catty to Tristen and when he spoke Catty could actually see Tristen flinch! This made Catty mad because she didn't want Tristen to be scared of him.

The guy said “Hey, where ya been?”

Tristen looked up at the guy and replied “I've been around, bro.”

The guy looked at Catty again and she just stared at him, finally he looked away. He asked “Who’s the chick?” Catty stepped up and replied “My name is Catty, and don’t talk as if I'm not here.” The guy was taken back and Catty was going to say something else but Tristen said “Aight bro we’re leaving, good-bye.” They started to pull away then stopped again. Tristen whispered “Come on before he says something.” Catty looked over at him and saw fear in his eyes, so she walked away with him, fast.

As the days passed, Catty noticed Tristen changing. He was still him but he also seemed more free spirited. She also noticed he didn't smoke as much and that he stopped drinking.

School ended and summer began. Tristen would spend the night almost every day. Catty thought he was finally on the right road again, at least till he got dropped off in the same car that had pulled up

beside them that one day that felt so long ago. Catty didn't ask him questions right away but finally she couldn't take it and asked “Why did they drop you off?” Tristen just looked at her, and then replied “They wanted to hang for a bit so I went with them.” She didn't ask any more questions that night.

As a few days passed they didn't hang out at all. Catty started thinking she had lost him to the want to be thugs. Finally the day came when Tristen showed up at house holding a painting of a panda bear. He explained that he’s been working on it all day, every day just for her. As they were hanging out that day he got a call from one of the want to be thugs. The guy asked Tristen to come hang.

Tristen said “No, I’m with my best friend and my sister right now.” Catty looked at him in surprise.

She said “I thought you would go hang out with them since they are "your boys"?”

Tristen simply replied, as he lay back on Catty’s bed, “That was the old me, the me before you came. Ever since that day you told me you loved me because we are family, I decided to change.”

Catty realized he was finally away from that bad road. She gave him a hug and said “That’s right, I do love you, and you’re my little brother no matter what.” Her and Tristen just sat there and looked at each other. Tristen silently said “It’s because of you that I chose a better way to live. Thanks and I’m glad you’re my sister. Ever since then, they truly are brother and sister. She changed his way of living and he gave her a friend and a brother. They helped each other a lot. He taught her how to love somebody and she taught him that he could always choose a better road.