Chapter 10 #2
“And she’s way cooler than you,” Stan added, now standing a few feet away from us, but with still enough distance to get away from Scottie if he needed to.
I didn’t mean to ignore Stan’s words, because he had never really said anything so nice to me.
He was never rude or mean to me, but I had never heard him say I was cool.
But I couldn’t stop staring at Scottie. Something about her made me curious, and while that strange feeling was still lingering in my chest, I really wanted to be her friend.
Stan just couldn’t let it go. “You want to know why she’s way cooler than you?
Milow never chases me or pushes me to the ground, and she always lets me use her colored pencils.
And she has a way cooler name,” he said, breathing heavily as if what he had said upset him.
“You have a boy’s name. Girls aren’t supposed to have boy names. ”
That confused me, because Wesley once said that my name wasn’t really for girls, either. He said it was a… a… uniform… no, a uni-something name… um… I couldn’t remember the word for it. But he said my name was rare, and it made me special.
Scottie’s expression changed, and she looked angry now. She glared at Stan and huffed as she crossed her arms, still standing her ground. “I’m named after my dad, whose name was Scott, and he died just before I was born, so you’re being very insensitive, Stanley.”
That shut him up, and it made me stare at her even harder.
Her Daddy was gone, too.
She understood what it meant not to have a father.
Maybe that’s why I was so fascinated by her. She was strong even after losing someone important.
“Stop it now, Stanley,” Ashby muttered, sounding ashamed by his best friend’s behavior. He was still holding my hand, and I squeezed it gently to get his attention.
When he looked at me, I smiled and lifted my hands to sign. [I like her.]
Ashby’s eyes widened, and his expression turned happy again. “Yeah, I really like her, too.” He looked at Scottie with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry Stan is being so mean.”
“It’s okay.” She looked at Stan and shrugged. “He’s only mean to me because he really likes me.”
Stan gasped louder than he had ever gasped, stemming his hands onto his hips. “I do not really like you!”
“Do too!”
“Nuh-uh!”
“Yuh-huh!”
I watched them bicker, and when they finally stopped, Scottie turned toward us with a grin. She reached out and touched Ashby’s shoulder, shouting, “Tag, you’re it!” before she ran away laughing.
I was frozen for a moment, still so very confused yet excited about this new girl who had suddenly appeared in our garden. It was on that hot summer day that I gained another friend, who had taught me to be fearless and strong.
Ashby
Tuesday, August 5th
I put the pencil down and leaned back a little, studying the drawing carefully to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything important.
The sky was blue, the grass was green, and the playground stood right in the middle of the page, exactly how it looked in real life.
I sat up straighter then, pleased with my artwork.
This was another drawing Milow could hang on the wall in her bedroom.
I held it out to her with a grin.
“Here, Milow. For you.”
She lifted her gaze from her own drawing and scooted up on the mattress so she could sit properly. She took the paper from my hands and looked at it closely, her eyes moving slowly over every line and color. She didn’t want to miss a single detail.
Her eyes shone with happiness. That was my favorite way her eyes looked, especially when they shone like that for me alone.
“Do you like it?” I asked, impatiently waiting for her to tell me what she thought.
She nodded right away and carefully set the drawing down on the bed beside her. Her hands lifted. [It’s amazing. You’re an artist!]
Her words made my heart feel so full, like it would actually explode right there in my chest. My grin stretched even wider. “Thanks,” I said, then added honestly, “but I’m a way better swimmer.”
A loud groan came from the direction of my desk. “How many more drawings are you going to make for her?” Stan complained, slumped in the chair while pulling apart the Lego he’d been working on.
“As many as I can,” I said without hesitation. “For the rest of my life.” I didn’t even think about it before saying it. It just felt true. Like a promise I had already made to myself and had no intention of ever breaking.
Stan scrunched up his nose and shook his head a little. “It’s like you’re in love with her or something.”
I frowned and stared at him for a few seconds, then my eyes drifted back to Milow. She was watching me now, her eyes wide and curious. She was waiting to see what I would say next.
I knew other kids my age would’ve made gagging noises or denied that statement.
They’d argue that it wasn’t true, and that it was weird and silly to be in love with someone because love was for grown-ups.
But I didn’t feel like doing any of that because the truth was simple, even if the words felt too big to admit.
I was in love with her.
And even though I was only seven, I knew that was exactly what I felt for Milow.