Page 7 of Fall From Grace

“Because you’re a girl!”

“You’re right, and you’re a boy, so I don’t want to be friends with you at all.” I stood up. “Not even when we’re not at school!”

“You don’t mean that,” he said plainly.

“Yes, I do.” I started going down the rope.

He poked his head out. “But, I’m the only one that can give you an adventure.”

I paused, looking up. “Fine, but just so you know, you’re my enemy at school.”

“Now you’re getting it.” He watched me walk away. “Wait, where are you going?” he sounded depressed that I was leaving.

I turned around and stuck out my tongue. “I’m too upset to play with you today. You’re lucky I need you for adventures or else—”

“Or else?” he challenged.

Mom opened the back door. “Come and eat you two!” She looked up at Noah. “I made brownies.”

Noah jumped down and ran past me. I puffed my cheeks out in frustration then it turned into a smile as I followed after him.

3

Grace age 7

Noah age 7

Being around Grace is the easiest thing in the world to do, pretending not to be interested in her at school is hard, especially when I know Dustin only picks on her because he thinks she’s cute. I pick on her to keep her away from my friends, and it’s become a game where we tease each other at school (mostly me teasing her) only to go home and play together.

I like her more than I like Dustin and Mark, only I’ll never tell anyone that.

When I visit the treehouse at night, I always secretly wait for her to come to me.

This might be what it feels like to have someone care about me.

I like the way Grace makes me feel sometimes, no… I just like her.

I’m going to call her my best friend…

I’m glad she’s my best friend.

N.P.

Our first school year together was spent playing the part as mortal enemies at school while rushing to play together the moment we were home. It wasn’t hard to pretend not to be his friend at school, he had a way of crawling under my skin, and he would say the meanest things in front of his friends. Which I was no different, I fell into Sara and Tiffany’s world rather easily, and it became fun to talk bad about the boys like they did us.

I turned seven November eleventh, and it was that night I discovered Noah in the treehouse again. I checked for him every night, and that was the first night he had gone to the treehouse to sleep since the summer months. It was cold outside, too cold for him to be sleeping in a small boxed room up in a tree with no door. My parents were asleep as I slipped on my coat and boots and made my way to the treehouse. My fingers were burning by the time I climbed up the ropes, I didn’t see how Noah could handle this cold.

I saw him huddled up in a corner. Every blanket he had was on top of him. I couldn’t even see his face. I crawled over to him. “Noah,” I whispered.

He startled immediately at the sound of my voice. “Grace?” he sounded half asleep. “Go back, it’s too cold.”

“No,” I told him. He pulled the blankets down from his face to look at me. “Why are you here when it’s this cold outside?”

“Too many people at the house,” he answered. “I can’t stand being there when they’re smoking and being loud.”

“Come on,” I said, pulling the blankets off him. “You can sleep in my room.”

His eyes widened. “No,” he said quickly. “I don’t want your mom or dad to get mad at me for being there without asking.”