April and Haven - Friends Forever

A scene of Haven and April.

Chapter ? ~ Haven

         I can’t believe she’s leaving. I can’t believe that my best friend, the one who knows everything about me, is leaving me, her home, her boyfriend, and her friends. It’s like she’s leaving behind her life.

         I can remember when I first saw her face. We’ve been friends since birth, but no one can remember anything that far back. I was probably four years old, and April was laughing. We were in my room with our dolls making up stories and laughing. Her doll had long red hair and freckles. April would always how the doll looked like me, and I say how mine looked like her. Mine was blond with hair in little ringlets, how April’s hair looked when she was really little. As we grew older, her hair started to turn less and less curly, and now it’s just wavy, unless it humid out. Then, it’s curlier.

         When we turned five, we met Zane, who’s mom had just convinced his dad that they should go back into the circus. It’s where they had met, both being tightrope-walkers, and they had fallen in love. Then his mom learned she was pregnant, and they decided the circus wasn’t a good place for children. Apparently, my mom disagreed.

         Then, at seven, Dmitri came with him parents, and we’ve been friends ever since. As little kids, having two girls and two boys was fine, no weirdness at all. Then, when we hit middle school age, it became a bit more akward, and then April and Zane started dating, it was expected from our parents that Dmitri and I would start dating. We didn’t though, much to his, and my mother’s dismay. She believed I needed a boy in my life. Everytime she said this, I would yell, “Oh, so I’ll turn out like you? Without my boyfriend to raise my kid?” Then, she shakes her head, and send my to my room, and that’s the end of the discussion.

        

         April is packing when I knock on her door. She is stuffing her shirts into a suitcase, and sniffling. I can tell, even though she is trying to hide it.

         “Hey Ap.” I say, closing the door behind me. “Need help?”

         “Can you grab those photo albums off my desk?”

         I grab the blue one dedicated to our friendship, and then the green one, of all four of us. “Here,” I hand them to her, and then turn her around and lead her to the bed. “What’s wrong?” I can tell she is sad, at the very least, but I think it’s something more.

         “Oh Haven,” she just about collapses into my arms sobbing. I stroke her hair, and whisper that it’s all okay.

         “It’s not okay Haven. It’s unfair!” She wipes her eyes, and looks at me. “Why do I have to leave everyone I love behind?”

         “You aren’t.” I say, and grasp her hand in mine. “Your family is coming with you, and we’ll come and visit you. Plus, the three of us will always been in your heart.” She smiles, and then smuggles up next to me.

         “I don’t know how I’m going to do this.”

         “You’ll make it.”

         “Not without you.”

         “You’re stronger than you think April.” I say, and lean my head against hers.

         “You think?”

         “I know. If anyone can do this, you can.” April grabs something off of her bedside table, and ties it around my wrist.

         “Here, now you’ll always remember to come and visit.” It’s a friendship bracelet, but it has the hair of our dolls woven in it. I can tell because nothing else has the red hair. A yellow A stares at me from the center.

         “It’s our dolls hair.” I say, and look up at her. “How?”

         “Last time I came over I took some.” She looks a bit embarrassed, and then adds, “she didn’t suffer.”

         I laugh, and then smile. “She’s been through more than hair pulling.”

         “So have we.” She replies, and wraps her hands around my waist.

         “We have.” I reply, and replicate her motions. “Do you have one to?”

         She lifts her wrist to show me a matching bracelet, but it has a red H in it. “I do.”

         “I’ll never forget to come.” I say, and hug her tight, locking the feeling of her body next to mine into my brain. That way no matter how long she’s away, I’ll never forget the feeling of her next to me.

Write, Write, Write!