Kids in Love

Alice's parents were both authors, successful ones at that. They were based in New York but they needed to travel a lot which was more than she could bare. One day when she was 10 she was called out of school early. Whenever this usually happened it was for something like a dentists appointment or sometimes her parents liked to take her on small surprise outings if they'd been gone for more than a week. But this time something was different, Alice's babysitter picked her up from school, she was strangely silent as they drove through streets Alice didn't recognise at all. They ended up at the hospital.
As Alice got out of the car she asked a lot of questions but her babysitter remained mysterious, just leading her towards the door of the hospital. Alice could see her mother through the glass doors and she ran to give her a hug, she could see that her mothers usually pretty face was pink and puffy, and she had tissues bunched up in both hands.
"What's wrong Mom?" Alice asked urgently,
"Honey, I'm so sorry but..." She got a small bit out before she gave a small sob and wiped some tears with one of her tissues.
"Caitlin, do you want me to...?" Alice's babysitter spoke softly,
"No, no! I can do this." Her mother spoke to herself more than anyone. "Honey," she crouched down so that she was eye to eye with her daughter, "I'm sorry to be giving you this terrible news but your Dad was in a terrible car accident on his was to work this morning." she took a deep unready breath, "The doctors are very good and they're doing everything they can for Dad but he isn't doing very well" Alice was speechless, she was crying and she didn't even know when she'd started to. Although she was young, she knew what her mother meant, her dad was going to die.

• • •

It had been over a 6 months since the funeral when Alice was called into the dining room by her mother who was sitting at the table. Alice took a seat in the chair opposite.
"Alice, this might sound strange and I know you may not understand why I am doing this but," she paused and inhaled deeply, "Alice honey, you and I are moving to a new home."
Alice's immediate reaction was excitement, the idea of a brand new house, a nicer bedroom perhaps, maybe they'd move to a house that was closer to some of her friends. "Where are we gonna move to mom?" She beamed. Alice's mother sighed,
"Honey, we're moving to California, that's on the other side of the country." The young girl's face dropped, tears began to well in her eyes, "But mom, what about my friends in school and, and Grandma, and Frank! Mom!". A couple of tiny tears rolled down her blushed cheeks.
"I know dear, it's going to be difficult. I'm going to be saying goodbye to lots of my friends too but you can still write to them and grandma can come and visit us in California all the time. We need a brand new start, I just can't live in New York anymore." she smiled, trying to cheer the little girl up, taking her into a warm hug, " and besides, we're not leaving until the end of the month, that's plenty of time for you to say goodbye to everyone and you can even go and stay at grandma's for one more night. How does that sound?"
Through the sobs Alice gave a little nod, and a meek "mm hmm".

• • •

Alice packed carefully, she would only be staying in her grandmothers house for one night, she didn't want to bring too much stuff, but a lot of it was packed up in cardboard boxes already anyway. Her mother drove her out and told her she'd collect her at 10am the next morning and they'd go straight to the airport. Alice had a little under twenty four hours left and she didn't intend to waste them.
After baking cookies with her grandmother she decided it was time to find some of her friends so that she could say goodbye. Over the past four summers she'd only made a couple of friends in New Jersey but they'd meant more to her than any of her friends from school. She was never embarrassed to say what she wanted to say, or like what she liked. They made her feel loved and happy and she was going to miss that safe feeling so much. Her mom assured her that she'd make friends in Los Angeles but she just knew that they wouldn't compare.
When she played with Frank for the first time in the back garden of her grandmother's house they'd gotten completely absorbed in their game and they played and talked until it was dark, evn then they lay down on the picnic blanket and looked at the stars until they fell asleep. Franks dad had to carry him home. Every day after that was the same.
The following summer Frank introduced Alice to his friends from school who only lived a few streets over. There way Mikey, a small kid with light brown hair and glasses that looked two sizes too big that he would constantly push up the bridge of his nose as they slid down. Mikey had a brother who wasn't much older than him, Gerard. Gerard had shaggy dark brown hair that rarely looked brushed and was never caught without a comic book in hand. He and his friend Ray were both trying to learn how to play the guitar when Alice met them first, Gerard had already given up when she returned the next year in favour of singing. Ray was a sweet and kind and he would always play records for Alice when she asked. He learnt how to use his older brothers record player that first summer and he loved to show her how it worked, he always played the best music.
The whole gang came to say goodbye that evening, Alice asked her grandmother if she could phone them all. "But we'll write, like everyday! We'll tell you all of our news and stuff, and, and, you can tell us what it's like there and you can send photos and..." Mikey mumbled.
"Calm down Mikey, of course we're gonna write to each other. It's not like we're never ever going to see her again!" Gerard calmed him down, stretching his hand over Mikey's shoulder, he was twelve now, he towered over his little brother.
"It'll be okay, it's not like I'm going to the other side of the world or anything, I mean, I'll probably be able to come and visit sometimes" Alice comforted them, and herself. Before they all had to go home to their own houses they each hugged Alice one last time. They'd all exchanged addresses and had made promises to write. Alice was sad to see them go but she knew it'd be even harder if she left it until the morning to say goodbye.
She'd miss the guys terribly but Frank was a different story. Alice and Frank had spent every second of summer together for the past four years. The anticipation of her summer holiday was the only thing that got her through each school year. It was something she never really thought she'd have to live without. The next morning Alice's mother called to say that she'd be there in half an hour. Alice had planned it all out and she was going to say her final goodbye to Frank now.
She knocked gently on the door, waiting eagerly for someone to answer. Frank's mother let her in, sending her straight up to his room where she had spent a lot of happy time.
"Frank?" She said softly, pushing the door open. He was sitting on his bed cutting a photo so that it would fit into a small circular frame. "Hey!" He smiled, but there was a hint of sadness behind it."What're you doing there Frank?" She gestured to the mess of photos spilled out across the bedspread,
"Well I was just going through my photos, trying to find the perfect one of you to go in this frame, see?" He held up a small frame, tiny seashells coated the rim and inside it was a picture of her. Alice remembered the photo well, it as from the day that Frank's parents had taken them to the beach and gotten the ice cream. At the time the photo was taken she'd just dropped hers in the sand so Frank gave her his. She was grinning like an idiot. "You see, if I keep this on my dresser over here, I'll always have that happy memory." Alice's eyes welled up a little.
"I'm going to miss you so much Frank" she whispered, blinking back fat tears, "before I forget, here" she handed him her purple rucksack.
"Why are you giving me this?" He asked, getting emotional himself, "this is your favourite bag."
"I know silly" she nudged him playfully on the arm, "that's exactly why I'm giving it to you, look inside" Frank unzipped the bag, his mouth fell open. He pulled out the Barbie doll they'd played with the first day they met. "I thought you said you lost this one?" He looked mesmerised.
"I did, but I found it when we were packing everything up to move" she smiled and swept a tear off her cheek quickly, "I want you to have it, I have plenty of Barbies y'know" she chuckled and sat down on the bed. She would have to go back to her grandmothers house soon.
"I wish I'd gotten you something Alice, I'm sorry." He looked upset, "Wait!" He leapt up off the bed pulling off his red hoodie, something he wore constantly even thought it was several sizes too big for him.
"No, no way, nah ah" Alice shook her head forcefully, "I can't take that from you, that's practically the only thing you every wear!" She giggled.
"All the more reason to take it, I can buy a new one but this ones old and smelly" he put it over her head, she smiled,
"It's not smelly, it just smells like you" she pulled the hood up over her head. If she closed her eyes it was as if her was hugging her without even touching her. "Thank you"
Alice stood up and saw a strip of photos she'd been sitting on. They were photos of Frank taken in the photo booth at the board walk the same day they'd gone to the beach.
"Um Frank, do you mind if I take these as well?" She asked brushing her fingers over the photographs. "Of course! I don't like how I look in them anyway, I look like such a dork. I need to get like, tattoos or something, y'know!?" He chuckled.
"Nonsense," she slipped the photos into the pocket of Frank's hoodie and embraced him in a final hug, "you look cute as a button!"

Notes

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