Perfect! Here's Chapter 2 of The Only Child, titled "The New Friend" — continuing Amanda's story with emotion, warmth, and a bit of myster
Two weeks after Amanda's fifth birthday, the Gilberts' next-door neighbors moved away. Their quiet house, which had been empty for months, was suddenly filled with noise—boxes, laughter, and the hum of new beginnings.
Amanda watched everything from her window as usual, her chin resting on the windowsill, her fingers tracing slow circles on the glass.
Then she saw him.
A boy.
About her age.
Brown skin, curious eyes, messy hair. He was chasing a balloon across their front lawn, his laugh echoing across the space between their houses like a song Amanda hadn't heard before.
She stared, heart thumping with something she couldn't explain. Curiosity? Hope?
"His name is Daniel," her mother said when Amanda asked later. "He's five too. Maybe you'll be friends."
Amanda wasn't sure. She had never had a friend before. How did it work? What if he didn't like her? What if she said the wrong thing?
But Daniel didn't give her much time to overthink.
The very next morning, as Amanda sat on the porch with a picture book, Daniel walked right up to her gate.
"Hi," he said, through the bars. "I saw you yesterday. What's your name?"
She blinked. "Amanda."
"Cool. I'm Daniel. Wanna play?"
Just like that.
No awkwardness. No questions. No rules.
Amanda stood, unsure, but something inside her said yes. So she nodded.
They played that morning—just in the front yard, with chalk and bubbles and laughter. Amanda laughed in a way she hadn't before. Not the polite kind for adults. Not the soft giggles she gave her dolls.
This laugh was real. Loud. Free.
And Daniel? He didn't care that Amanda lived in a big house or wore designer shoes. He liked that she was fast. That she made up cool stories. That she let him draw silly pictures on the ground.
From that day on, they became inseparable.
He was more than a neighbor.
He was the new friend.
And for the first time in her life, Amanda felt full.
But every story has shadows, even in the brightest beginnings.
Amanda didn't know it yet, but this friendship would shape her entire future… in ways she couldn't image