Chapter Text
Marleigh, 7 years
We were going to the lake house again this July. It was a tradition in our family. My mom met her best friend at that lake house. And this year, she was coming. Her name was Amelia. And she had a daughter, two years older than me. I hoped she'd like me. Eleanor. That was her name.
We got to the lake house before them. I was already in the treehouse in the backyard when they arrived. Well, I'm not exactly sure. It's the backyard if you're looking from the lake. I heard a car pull up, but I kept my focus on my drawing. I didn't bring that many drawing supplies with me, but I had my favorite colored pencils and my sketchbook. I was in the process of drawing a treehouse with a lake behind it and woods all around it when I heard the creaking noises that meant someone was climbing the ladder.
A head popped up through the trapdoor. It was a girl. Probably Eleanor. She had frizzy red hair tied back into a messy ponytail, and was wearing circular glasses. They somehow didn't look nerdy on her. She hoisted a bag into the treehouse and then climbed up.
"Oh! Hi!" She said, just then noticing me.
I gave her a little wave and then focused back on my drawing. A couple of seconds later, I felt a breath on my shoulder. I realized it was Eleanor, looking over my shoulder at my drawing. She sat down beside me.
"You're good at drawing," she said, breaking the silence.
"Thanks," I responded, still really focused.
I heard some rustling and then Eleanor's voice say, "I like making beaded bracelets. And rainbow loom."
I looked up, for real this time. Then I noticed all of her bright bracelets and the bead organizer in front of her. I didn't realize that I had reached out to touch the beads until Eleanor asked me;
"Do you want to make a bracelet?" Her voice surprised me. She just let people use her beads?
"Sure, I guess," I responded.
"Okay!" Eleanor grabbed some string and asked to measure my wrist. "I'm Eleanor, by the way." I almost said 'I know,' but stopped myself as she said something else. "But you can call me Ellie. Eleanor is so formal anyway." At that moment, I was in awe. Ellie seemed so grown up, at least compared to me. She was nine then. I was seven.
"My name's Marleigh," I told her.
"That's a pretty name," she said, grabbing what looked like the bracelet she was working on and starting to string more beads onto it. I started to do the same.
"Thank you," I responded because that's what my mom told me to do if someone complimented me.
"It's a little long, don't you think?" Ellie asked as an afterthought.
"I guess," I said, stringing a pattern of yellow and blue onto my bracelet.
"You should have a nickname," Ellie suggested. "Like mine." Yes, I thought. I want to be more like her.
"How about Mary?" Ellie said.
"Okay!" I responded.
We hung out for a while after that, becoming more of friends. We were going to be at the lakehouse for the entire month of July. Which meant, my birthday. That year I had decided just to have a small party, with my mom, Eleanor, and her mom. When we started planning my birthday party, we discovered that Eleanor and I had the same birthday. July 22. I was excited.
When the day came, we celebrated. Ellie helped me make a cake, with our moms supervising, of course. It was one of the best birthday parties I've ever had.
When the end of July came, we were both sad to leave. But we promised we'd see each other next year.