AllFreeNovel
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I reached for the container, and she slid it closer to me.
I grabbed two more.
It went on like this for weeks. Not every night, but often. Every time I needed space, I headed down to the dock.
And she was there. And somehow, she didn’t intrude on my need to think.
When fall hit and it started to get a little colder, we bundled up and brought blankets. There was an unspoken agreement to share this space, because for some reason, it was safe.
And while neither of us said so, it seems we both need a safe space.
She talked a lot more than I originally thought she would, which was fine with me because I liked to listen way more than I liked to talk. Emmy wasn’t some quiet little wallflower, like I thought. At least, not with me. She was spunky and witty and kind of hilarious.
She also never seemed to judge me.
We became friends—good friends.
At school, we barely acknowledged each other. Not that we were actively avoiding each other, it’s just that I don’t have any of the same classes as her—plus, she had her circle, and I had mine. Talking to her in public might not have been the best idea either. She would probably have teachers warning her not to fall in with a bad crowd or calling her parents.
I didn’t want her to get in trouble for being my friend.
At school, we were separate.
At the dock, we were equals.
Almost. She was still way smarter than I was.
In the spring of my junior year, after months of covert meetings, I showed up at the pond on a regular Thursday, feeling like I just got run over by a bulldozer.
By then, Emmy could read my expressions, and vice versa. She took one look at me, frowned, and opened the small container that was on her lap and without saying a word, offered what was inside.
I nodded at it, asking a silent question.
“Banana bread with crumble on top,” she said. “I’ll give you a piece if you tell me why you look like that.”
I made my way down the dock and sat. It was cool outside, cooler than normal, and I noticed the extra blanket she brought folded up to the side. I leaned to grab that one, but she lifted her blanket as if to say, “Here, share with me.”
I scooted over, and she dropped the blanket over my legs and looked at me.
“I know you’re not one to talk about your feelings or anything.”
I looked away.
She tilted the container of banana bread at me, and I sheepishly took three pieces.
“Oof. Three pieces. This must be a doozy.”
I smiled through my sullen expression, in spite of myself.
“I heard them call your name at the end of school,” she said, then, she affects the voice of Mr. Ridgemont’s secretary, Miss Landry, and said, “Owen Larrabee, please come to the principal’s office.”
I grunted a response.
When I didn’t say anything else, Emmy looked away. “Today I had to dissect a frog in biology. Mr. Martin didn’t even bring gloves for us. I had to go to the nurse’s office and beg for a box. And maybe it’s just me, but frog innards stink. Like really stink—”
“I might not pass eleventh grade.” I blurted it out, cutting her off mid-sentence.
I felt her look at me, but I kept my eyes focused on the trees outlining the little pond. She didn’t say anything. It was the lack of pressure from her that made me want to share.
