Kellene M.'s Short Story

Everyone Needs A Friend

I leaned my exhausted head against the icy glass of the school bus window. Even though it was a summer day the glass was cold which felt refreshing. I didn’t have anyone to talk to, no friends to sit next to. My one and only friend, Maribeth, had moved to Oregon last summer leaving a hole in my heart. When tears began pushing on the back of my eyes and when I started thinking that the ride would never end, the bus pulled into my bus stop. I quickly scooted out of the brown leather seat and down the isle, finally gaining confidence to a nice afternoon. I bounded across my freshly cut lawn, kicking the grass clumps left by the lawn mower. With every hop, kick, and step, the woods became closer and my happiness grew. I was finally there, my favorite place in the world, the woods. I slowed my pace, taking in everything. The air just hung there, no breeze on this hot summer day. The air smelled of musty leaves and it added moisture to my already sweaty skin. A few birds chirped and a few bushes rustled giving me a nervous feeling but it quickly subsided when my tree house appeared out of the dense trees. From the outside my tree house looked just like any other house in a tree. It is built from brown wood which was worn from the rain and dew that had slipped off the green leaves above. I scaled the ladder that led to my tree house and shoved open the door which opened with a creak. Even though the outside looked like any other tree house, the inside was my own world. Off to my left was a wall without windows. Just last summer my dad had inserted rough wooden shelves onto that wall and now they hold me belongings. Some junk, some special. Among some of the special belongings is my hacky sack. It was once white and bright blue but now its brown and navy blue due to all the use I get out of it. Maribeth gave it to me the day before she... left. They day before she left ME. Left... me. It just wasn’t fair. Why did she have to move? I thought she liked it here with me. That day Maribeth moved had such an impact on my life. We hugged and cried for hours. Maribeth and I tried to make those last few hours memorable but we couldn’t help but cry. We had learned to ride bikes together and gone to the mall together every weekend. We even pulled out each other’s first loose teeth. Maribeth was like a sister to me and it left a hole in my heart when she left. I felt like I would never have a friend again. I snatched the well loved hacky sack, tossed it up into the air and stalled it on my foot. It lied there as a lifeless lump no my sneaker. After a few more tricks I placed the hacky sack on the shelf again, grabbed my pad and pencil, and ambled over to my folding chair. Drawing was probably my favorite hobby. I just loved how the pencil glided over the paper, leaving marks all the way. The marks become shapes and forms and those shapes and forms become pictures, some good and some bad. Sometimes I try to sketch a family member’s face and by accident, give them a huge nose or lips. Or sometimes I draw a passing bird and accidentally give it one wing that is much longer than the other. Some days though, the pencil makes scratching noises because I am putting so much force behind those marks but I sometimes believe it’s because it’s upset with having to be rubbed against paper.
I glance around the tree house looking for something to draw. Hmmm I think to myself, not that... not that. My eyes come to a stop on the tree trunk that emerges from the floor and explodes through the roof. On that trunk I tack up sticky notes that have important memos scrawled across them. A bright yellow one reads:

Test on Monday in Social Studies
STUDY!!!
A purple one that isn’t so bright reads:

Soccer Practice Every Friday Night
DON’T FORGET!!!

Finally, a green sticky note, held up by a red tack says:

Christmas 163 Days Away!!!!

My eyes wander around the tree house a bit more stopping here and there to look at a painting or a poster, and then back down at my drawing pad. Still blank. I guess today isn’t an artistic kind of day and I stand up stretching my arms towards the heavens above. As I exited the tree house I tossed my drawing pad and pencil onto the shelves and climbed down the ladder. The air seemed to still stand there, still and silent, so did time. With my back pack still slung over my shoulder, I sauntered in the direction of my house hoping that the A.C. would be turned up high.
I slid open the front patio door and stepped inside onto the brown welcome mat which I gladly wiped my shoes off with. I flung my backpack onto the floor next to the coat hanger which it landed with a loud thud.
“Mom, Dad!” I called, “I’m home!”
“Hi dear.” My mom replied as she stuck her head around the corner of the wall to look at me.
“Mom, let me go tonight. Please! The weather is perfect, not a cloud in the sky, and it’s so warm that tonight I won’t need a jacket!” I argued.
“Now Acadia, you know how we feel about letting you camp out in the woods. What if you get lost? What if you get hurt?” I just stared down at my shoes and shaking my head. It just wasn’t fair.
The rest of my evening went okay as usual, well for a while. I completed my homework and studied for my social studies test on Monday. Then I helped Mom make spaghetti for dinner. The spaghetti was made in silence except for the occasional, “please” from me and then the quick reply of, “no” from Mom.
Once dinner was ready we all sat down around the big dinning room table, Dad, Mom and I. The open windows cast an orange light on the table as the sun set. Only an hour more of daylight left before another night would pass without the woods being my bed for one night. The clinking of silverware grew as we all started spinning the spaghetti on our forks. Nobody said anything as I inhaled my spaghetti sloppily. Why couldn’t my parents just let me go camping for just one night? It wasn’t like I was asking to stay out there for the whole rest of the summer!
As I was nearing the bottom of my pile of spaghetti I became as annoyed as a dog with a scratch it just couldn’t reach. I wish it was as easy to get Mom and Dad to say yes as reaching for their backs and pushing a few buttons. But it wasn’t.
“Mom, Dad,” I said as I looked at each one firmly, “This is the last time I am going to ask nicely. PLEEEEEEEEASE can I go camping out in the woods for one night?” My Dad stared down at his plate, clean of spaghetti and started shaking his head. He let his fork drop to the place mat and he brought his folded hands onto the table. He slowly raised his head to look at me. My eyes looked right into his eyes looking for the answer yes or no but all they found was pure annoyance. When parents said no, they meant, well, no.
“Acadia... honey.” Dad said, “You’re too young to go by yourself. Maybe in a few years.” The last part of that sentence, the “maybe in a few years”, kept ringing in my head. This just wasn’t fair, not fair at ALL! Dad had said the same, “maybe in a few years” put-off a few years ago.
“Acadia, when you’re 13 you can go but for now I think it is best if you sleep in your own bed.” Mom compromised.
“Mom! Dad! Two years is too long to wait! I want to go NOW!” I flung my fork across the table, knocking over my milk and I ran up to my room. My face was read with anger and as I charged up the stairs I stomped extra loudly for the bonus effect. If my parents wouldn’t give me permission then I would have to just give myself my own permission. I flung open my bedroom door and raced inside. I hurled objects around until I had my flashlight and my sleeping bag that I had received for my 7th birthday from Maribeth, in hand. I then raced out the front door leaving only a warm breath of summer air and a loud BAM! when the door shut.
“Acadia wait!” I heard my mother and father shout behind me. It was too late; I was nearing the woods with probably 20 minutes of daylight left.
“EEEIK!” I gasp as I tumbled to the ground. I must have tripped over one of those grass clumps. There was just enough daylight for me to find my flashlight and sleeping bag. Unfortunately my good luck had just run out for my flashlight broke when I took that tumble. Oh well, I’m not going back inside for a new one.
I stumbled into the woods feeling around because my eyes were useless. I felt a near by tree, its bark rough and sticky in some spots. I could just imagine the leaves rustling above in the wind that had now picked up. I felt small and alone. Maybe Dad was right, I was too young to do this by myself, and I needed a friend to come with me. But I’m a big girl; I’ll just find my tree house and stay there. But what if I... my thoughts were cut short. I stumbled over a branch. I was expecting a large CRACK when it snapped but I never did, all I heard was a bush rustle to my left. My heart skipped a beat leaving my body tense but I kept on moving.
In the day time it is amazing how easy it is to find a tree house but at night it’s impossible. Why did I have to be such a klutz and drop my flashlight? OH MY GOSH! How didn’t I remember?! It was exactly 1 year from today that Maribeth moved. Maybe that’s why I was so mad at Mom and Dad, and that was why I was so irritable today.
A low growl rumbled through the air stopping me dead in my tracks. The temperature had probably dropped 20 degrees but the noises kept me overly warm. That’s when I hear it, the confirmation that it was a bear or wolf come to eat me. Loud breathing coming from behind me. The only puzzling thing about the breathing was it was quick breathing, like if it was scared. I slowly turned around still feeling blind when I couldn’t see anything in front of me. I cautiously took a step for-AAAAAAAAH!
“AHHHH!” I lept backwards and fell into a rock scraping my palms. I continued screaming letting it all out but the tense feeling never left my body.
“AAAAHHHH!”
“AAAAAHHHHH!” Wait. I suddenly stopped screaming.
“AAHHHHH!” I no knew that I was not alone. Pushing away from the rock and hoping not to fall on top of the person I ran into.
“Hello?” I questioned timidly. “Who’s there?” I continued. A flashlight snapped on and pointed right into my eyes. When I shut my eyes I saw white spots all over my eye lids. Finally, the spots cleared and I reopened my eyes and started taking a good look at the (I noticed it was a girl) girl I had run into.
“Uhh hi” I said.
“Uhh hi right back at you.” she replied.
“I’m Acadia and you are...?”
“Sam.”
“Where are you staying tonight?”
“I was going to pitch my tent but you scared me!” We both chuckled a little when we thought about how scared we had been.
“I have a tree house around here somewhere if you prefer.” I offered hoping that she would say yes and she did.
“Do you mind? I admit that I’d love someone to sleep next to.” Sam replied.
“I don’t mind at all. I need to borrow your flashlight though to find it.”
“Oh yeah, here.” Sam said as she handed over the flashlight. I directed it into the top of the trees. We both used our eyes and scanned along with the flashlight. It finally landed on my tree house. Ahhh... I let out a deep breath as all my fears melted and my heartbeat slowed back down to normal speed. I grabbed my sleeping bag that I dropped while meeting Sam and together we marched over to my house in a tree.
Once inside we laid out our sleeping bags and crawled inside.
“So what are you doing out in the woods at this time of night?” Sam asked.
“Well I kind of got mad at my parents and ran away. What about you?” I wondered.
“Same here and thanks for sharing your tree house its really nice I mean... well you’re nice for letting me and your tree house is nice.”
“Haha” I laughed.
“Do you come out into the woods often?” I questioned.
“Yeah, you could say that I bet you do if you have a nice tree house like this.” Sam replied and she was right maybe sometime we could hang out I kept thinking... a new friend. “I kind of... need a friend.” I said.
“I would never be your friend! Just kidding I think we would be great friends.” We had switched off the flashlight but I knew Sam had a huge smile plastered on her face because I know I did.
Wow, I thought to myself, friend friends can be made in the weirdest situations and in the strangest places. The first day I met was a little fuzzy but I still remember. I had just arrived at lunch, from recess, and I was stripping off my heavy coat and gloves. Once I was done I had sit down, I pulled out an apple and took a bite. OWWW! It knocked my tooth loose and now it was bleeding so I headed to the nurses’ office with a tissue in my mouth to stop the bleeding. When I got to the nurses’ office I let out a groan. The nurse that was in today was helping a young boy that had scraped up this knee badly. Another girl that looked by age and had dark brown hair was also waiting so I knew my stay would be a long one. I slowly and quietly opened the door which was already slightly ajar. I took a seat in the chair next to the brown haired girl.
She gave me a huge smile and asked, “You loosing a tooth too?”
I couldn’t help but smile back and say, “Yeah.”
“I’m tired of waiting here do you think you could maybe pull mine out?”
I giggled innocently and replied, “Okay but only if you pull mine.” That’s exactly what we did and from that day on we were best friends doing everything together. Friend can be found everywhere and anyone can be your friend if you give them a chance. If I had said “eww no way” to Maribeth in the nurses’ office then we wouldn’t have become friends. Friends, I have realized, are important parts of our lives and without them, life is very boring. If I had a friend that would come camping with me Dad might had let me go camping without me running away. Maybe it was good, in a way, that Maribeth left because it left room for me to make new friends like Sam.
“Night Sam.” I whispered
“Night Acadia. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.” On that note I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
The next morning Sam and I went our separate ways. My parents forgave me and they walked me to my bus stop for once. I climbed on when the yellow vehicle came to a halt and I took a seat next to a boy abut my age.
I smiled my prettiest smile and asked, “What’s your name?”