Chapter Text
She could hear the school bus straining up the hill before the familiar yellow silhouette appeared on the horizon. It was a crisp September morning in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The air smelled sweet and fresh, the sky was crystal clear. It was the type of morning that could make you feel hopeful and alive with anticipation, unless you were Melissa King.
Melissa wrung her hands nervously in front of her, trying to block out the sounds of her twin sister in the background. Becca was stimming and rocking back and forth in their mothers arms. “Deep breaths, Becca, deep breaths. You’ll have a good day at your new school, and then you’ll come home, and I’ll have cookies waiting for you and you can watch Little Mermaid.”
Melissa knew her mother’s words weren’t meant for her, but she clung to them anyway. Becca may have been more obvious with her nerves, but Melissa was reeling inside. She needed a reminder to breathe. She needed to know cookies and a movie would be waiting after another first day at another new school. She needed her mother’s arms wrapped around her, too, but she knew Becca had to come first.
The bus groaned to a stop in front of their small, red brick house and Melissa took a final deep breath before taking Becca’s hand, reassuring both her and their mother, and climbing up the steps to another new beginning.
Another new beginning, another new army base in a new town with a new school and a new group of classmates to think the King sisters were “weird”. It didn’t matter, though. In a year and a half or 2 years, their dad would get another assignment and the cycle would start all over again. So really, Melissa didn’t even care if she made friends, because she would have to leave soon And say goodbye.
That’s what she told herself, anyway.
And she had Becca. The good thing about having a twin sister is that you always have a friend. True, that friend starts yelling if voices get to loud, food is too slimy, clothes are too itchy, something smells not quite right. It’s also true that that friend gets way more attention than Melissa does, and the concern Melissa gives is never returned the same way. Melissa often thought how nice it would be to have a friend that asked her if she was ok or let her pick an after school movie, but then she quickly tampered those those down, because what was the point in dwelling on what you can’t have?
The bus made a few more stops and more kids must have trickled on, but Melissa didn’t pay any mind to them. She was sitting next to Becca, steadily patting her leg with a firm touch and humming “Part of Your World” so quietly the others wouldn’t hear. Soon enough, they had arrived at Mooreland Elementary School and Melissa was guiding Becca through the crowd to her special education class that they had visited last Friday. The teacher was warm and welcoming and Becca was more than happy to join the class when she remember the art centers in the corner.
Then it was Melissa’s turn. 4th grade hall, Mr. Carter’s class. It looked pretty much the same as Mrs. Scott’s 4th grade classroom in Lawton, Oklahoma where she was 2 weeks ago. The desks were arranged in neat rows facing a dusty chalkboard with an old map hanging next to it. Shelves of worn books and microscopes lined the walls and students who had probably grown up with each other milled around the room casually.
Melissa wanted to disappear.
She found Mr. Carter in the corner of the classroom shuffling through a filing cabinet. “Hi, Mr. Carter, I’m Melissa King, we met last week, I just moved here from Oklahoma?” Melissa stuck her hand out, far more mature than her 9 years would have suggested.
Mr. Carter startled at her voice and quickly turned to face her. “Miss King, I remember! Yes, let me just find a desk for you…now tell me, what was the Sooner State like?”
Melissa followed the teacher around as he pulled an extra desk from a closet and slid it into place at the back of a row. “Well, I wasn’t there for very long, my dad was stationed at the base there for a little less than a year. It was fine, really, not much to do and there really wasn’t anything within driving distance either. Well there was a movie theatre but my sister doesn’t do well in theaters so I never really got to go…there was a roller rink that we went to a couple of times…”
Mr. Carter had deposited her desk and was already at the door talking to a girl with curly red hair by the time she realized he was no longer listening. That was a problem Melissa had. She was so anxious for someone, anyone to ask her about herself that when it actually happened she got caught up in verbal diarrhea and couldn’t stop herself. No one ever stuck around to hear the end of her stories.
Melissa sighed and found her seat. The bell rang and 19 other kids found their seats, oblivious to the fact that there was a 20th now in their midst. That is, until Mr. Carter introduced her half heartedly.
“Boys and girls, this is Melanie King, she’ll be joining our class from where was is now, Oklahama?” The eyes of her classmates shifted to her, and Melissa found herself nervously fidgeting with the end of her long blonde braid.
“Yes, Oklahoma, but my name is actually Melissa, not…”
“Great! Class, I know you’ll all make Melanie feel very welcome. Now, let’s get right to it, shall we?”
Melissa pushed down the resentment and geared herself for a day of long decision and prepositional phrases, all of which felt insultingly simple easy for her. When she was in 2nd grade, her teacher Miss Parks, who felt like her own personal Miss Honey from Matilda, had her identified for the Gifted Talented program. For 9 sweet months, Melissa felt challenged and proud of being smart. She thrived that year, but like everything good, her father’s assignment in Fort Bragg came to an end. When it came time to enroll Melissa and Becca in their new school in Oklahoma, their mother remembered to include all of Becca’s IEPs, testing results, accommodations, and evaluations…but forgot the check the box that identified Melissa as GT. She kept meaning to fix it but…things come up.
Like so many other things, Melissa didn’t make a big deal of it. Her job was to make her parents life easier and take care of Becca.
Of course, that meant she had to take care of Becca when recess rolled around. An aide had corralled Becca to a corner near the doors, where Melissa could see Becca’s arms flailing and tell she was yelling. Worse yet, a crowd of kids was beginning to gather and point at the new girl with the Coke bottle glasses throwing a temper tantrum at recess. Melissa could feel her cheeks burning and her heart pounding in her ears as she approached the situation.
“Hey Becs. I’m here. Let’s go talk somewhere where it’s quiet.” Melissa gently touched her sisters arm while the aide eyed her skeptically. “It’s ok,” Melissa reassured. “She’s my sister.” The aide wearily raised her hands to surrender and Melissa led Becca to a patch of cedar trees with a bench, abandoned by the other children.
“I wasn’t done coloring! I wasn’t done coloring my picture and they MADE me come outside and I didn’t WANT to come outside. I WANT TO COLOR! Why can’t I just go color?” Melissa could tell that her sister was more frustrated than anything from the way her fists clenched and her shoulder hunched by her ears.
“I know you want to color, but it’s recess time and everyone has to come outside at recess time. You had to take a break and stop, but I bet you can finish later!”
Becca pulled her knees to her chest and began to rock. “But why can’t I finish now?” She asked through hiccuping sobs.
Melissa gently wrapped an arm around her sister. “It’s the schedule, Bec. It’s hard to get used to new routines, but soon…”
Melissa was cut off by the sudden sound of shuffling feet and a shadow appearing across their path. She squinted against the sun to find a boy with floppy brown hair, jeans and a Nike tee shirt standing in front of them. Melissa braced for him to hurl some variation of the insults they had heard at every school before.
“Hey, are you guys ok?”
Melissa didn’t answer right away, because clearly this was some sort of trap.
“I’m FJ, I saw you guys from the kickball field and wanted to come check.”
Becca stopped crying to stare at the stranger in front of them and then back at her sister, who hadn’t taken her eyes off the boy. “Um…yeah. We’re ok.” Melissa answered quietly, still not believing his intentions were kind.
“I want to color and they made me come outside,” Becca proclaimed. “I’m not ok, Melissa. It’s not fair.”
FJ scuffed the toe of his sneaker on the ground and looked at Becca. “Yeah, that’s not fair. I would be mad too. I’m pretty upset today because I broke my arm last weekend and I can’t play kickball, even though my legs are fine. So I get not fair.”
Melissa glanced at his arm. Sure enough, it was wrapped in a blue cast and stiff at his side.
Becca sniffed and stood to touch his arm. “Does it hurt? What happened?”
FJ smirked from the corner of his mouth, and Melissa noticed his eyes were a blue she had never seen in outside of gemstones or pictures of tropical water. “Me and my brother were jumping out of the tree in our backyard. It hurt when it happened but it’s ok now.”
“You have a brother?” Becca asked. “Melissa is my sister. I’m Becca. We’re twins.”
FJ ducked his head to make eye contact with Melissa. “Are you Melissa?”
Melissa felt her face flush as his eyes searched hers with genuine curiosity and warmth; she had to look away when as if she had glanced at the sun. “Yeah. We just moved here from Oklahoma. Our dad was stationed here.”
“That’s cool. I’ve never been to Oklahoma. Actually I’ve never been outside of Pennsylvania. What grade are you guys in?”
“4th,” Melissa answered. “Mr. Carter’s class.”
“I had Carter last year. He’s pretty cool, you should like him.”
“Yeah. We’ll see.” Melissa fought the urge to tell him that Mr. Carter couldn’t remember her name and that he had gotten the answer wrong on a dividing with decimals problem and that he already had sweat rings by 9:30 in the morning. This FJ kid was actually talking to her. She couldn’t ruin it by rambling like usual.
“Do you live on base?” FJ asked. Melissa couldn’t believe he was still there.
“No, we’re renting a house on Lindon Ave. My mom doesn’t like living on base. It can be loud and stuff, it’s not great for Becca.” Melissa measured her words carefully, not wanting to give up too much about her sister right in front of her. Becca wasn’t paying attention anyway though, she had moved on to creating an elaborate design out of pine needles.
“No way!” FJ gave an excited jump up and flashed Mel a smile that made her stomach flip a little. “I live on Hansen right behind you!”
Melissa dug her toe into the dirt and nodded in acknowledgment. She pushed down any feeling of hope rising in her chest that maybe she would make a friend.
“Did you ride the bus?” FJ asked. “I missed this morning cause of my stupid brother but I usually always ride it.”
“Yes, it stops right at our house,” Melissa answered quietly. She glanced at the field
FJ had come from, where a group of boys had congregated to watch their friend talk to the two new girls. A pit formed in her stomach because surely this was some sort of prank. “Um, I think your friends are waiting for you.”
FJ looked at the boys and back to Melissa. “Nah, they’re kind of jerks. Can’t play anyway.” He lifted his arm and shrugged. “That’s pretty cool, Becca.” FJ squatted next to Becca and her pine needle creation.
“It’s an underwater castle. Like Ariel’s.” Becca replied curtly, without looking up.
“Oh yeah, that’s my little sister’s favorite movie. What’s your favorite song? I like the one the crab sings.” FJ seemed so earnest, so interested. Melissa wanted to trust that he was real, but she felt like she was holding a breath and couldn’t quite exhale.
“I like Part of Your World. My mom promised we could watch it after school.”
FJ and Becca stayed crouched in the pine needles talking about The Little Mermaid while Melissa stood on the side, studying this stranger that had so seamlessly diffused the bomb of Becca.
Her thoughts were soon interrupted by a shrill whistle, signaling that recess was over.
“Well, I’ll see you guys later,” FJ shouted as he ran off. And then he was gone just as quickly as he appeared.
Becca grasped Melissa’s hand as they headed for the doors. “I like him, Melly. He was very nice and he knows about Little Mermaid.”
“Yeah, Becs…he seems really nice.”
Before long, Melissa’s first day at Mooreland Elementary was over and she was clasping her sister’s hand again as they headed for the bus. Melissa couldn’t decide if it would be worse to be one of the first on the bus and accidentally take someone’s unofficial seat or be one of the last and have no where to sit. She was still mulling the options as she navigated the row of seats and heard a vaguely familiar voice.
“Melissa, Becca! Over here!” FJ’s mop of brown hair popped over a seat .
“FJ!” Becca exclaimed, releasing Mel’s hand and pushing past her to her new friend.
FJ leaned over to pull the backpack that rested on the empty seat in front back to his lap. “I saved you guys a seat if you want to sit here,” he said.
Becca plopped right down, Melissa frozen in the middle of the aisle until someone behind her pushed her forward. Maybe FJ was just a nice kid who would do this for anyone that was new. That didn’t make him a friend. Don’t get your hopes up, Melissa reminded herself.
“Are you ok, Melissa?” FJ popped back over the seat, those blue eyes locking in on hers. “Did you have a good day?”
He was so warm that something in Melissa broke and she finally allowed herself to lower her wall, just a bit. “Yeah, it was a really good day,” she said with a smile.
FJ returned her smile, seemingly pleased with her answer, and leaned against the window. It was a short drive home, less than 15 minutes, but FJ spent it pointing out where you could get the best ice cream, the pond with the best fish, where he played baseball when his arm wasn’t broken. Melissa listened to his every word, locked in to how he bounced a little while he spoke and said everything with unbridled enthusiasm.
When the school bus came to a stop in front of the small, red brick house on Hansen Ave, Melissa big him goodbye with a smile that she forgot she had. For the first time in a long time, she was…hopeful. It felt dangerous and exhilarating at the same time.
Becca had completely forgotten about the coloring meltdown at recess and quickly became absorbed by cookies and The Little Mermaid, leaving Melissa curled on their couch reading The Phantom Tollbooth. She had watched The Little Mermaid at least 25 times in the last several months and it was started to sound like nails on a chalkboard. Their mother softly hummed a Trisha Yearwood song in the kitchen. Melissa felt as at peace as she ever had.
A knock at their front door made Melissa jump, trading confused looks with her mother. Suzanne King wiped her hands on her apron and headed to the door, greeted by a 10 year old boy asking if Melissa wanted to play. Suzanne’s face was a picture of confusion and cautious optimism as she looked to Melissa, who was already on her way to the door.
“Melissa, do you know him?” Suzanne asked gently. Melissa smiled at her mom and confidently answered “Yep, this is my friend FJ from school.” She made a note that when she said that, FJ’s shoulders stood a little taller and he smiled so that his chin had a little dimple.
“Ok, Melissa, just don’t go too far from the house and be back before dinner at 5:30.” She peered at her daughter over her glasses, both of them understanding the unspoken words that this was the first time someone had asked Melissa to play.
Melissa and FJ ambled to the end of the long driveway and settled to sit on the curb. “I know I’m tired of watching my sisters stuff all the time,” FJ said as he mindlessly picked up a twig and scraped the asphalt. “I figured you might be, too.”
Melissa picked up some pebbles and started tossing them into the street. “Yeah, I am. Becca has a lot of…needs. It’s easier to just do what she wants sometimes.”
“I get that.” FJ said. “Kinda sucks for you though.”
“Kinda.” Melissa answered. She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. She wasn’t used to anyone acknowledging the unfairness in her situation. “I usually just read anyway.”
“What do you like to read?”
“Right now I’m reading The Phantom Tollbooth. I really like Matilda and The BFG, stuff like that.”
“Nice. I just read My Brother Sam is Dead, it’s about a kid during the Revolutionary War. I dunno, it’s kinda dorky but I really like that stuff.”
Melissa looked at FJ, who had joined her in tossing pebbles and was bouncing his knees up and down. It was like he vibrated energy, but not in a way that made her uncomfortable. “I don’t think that’s dorky at all. When my dad was stationed in North Carolina we went to colonial Williamsburg. It was so fun. They had people dressed like they were in the 1700’s and stuff. We went to a couple battlegrounds too.”
FJ’s eyes lit up. “No way! That’s awesome. I went to Fort Pitt once, they did the same thing. Did you know…”
The next hour flew by as the two traded facts about the revolutionary war, books they’ve read and the struggles of siblings. She learned that this was the second time he had broken his arm and once he had broken his collarbone-he had a hard time sitting still and was always exploring and climbing when his mom kicked him out for being “too much”. He also told Melissa that during one of his trips to the emergency room he decided he wanted to be a doctor because they always seemed to know what to do.
Their conversation was interrupted by Ronnie King’s rusty old pickup swinging into the driveway, signaling it was probably close to dinner time. Melissa watched her dad climb out of his truck, looking closely for clues about his mood. If he smiled at her and called for his Melly Belly to come give him a hug, it would be a good day. Ronnie didn’t look up, even as Melissa called “Hi Dad” from the chain link fence where she sat with FJ. He slammed the truck door, trudged the up steps and slammed the screen door again behind him.
Melissa sighed and let her shoulders sink. “Well, I should go inside.”
FJ looked at Melissa with empathy beyond his 10 and a half years of age. “You ok?”
“Yeah, he’s just…” Melissa searched for the right word. “Tired. Thanks for hanging out with me.”
“Hey, it was fun. Save you a seat on the bus tomorrow?” FJ asked, not attempting to hide his hope.
Melissa smiled. “Yeah, thank you FJ. See you tomorrow.” She ran up the steps to the house with an unfamiliar pep in her step. No matter what kind of shadow her dad’s mood cast upon the house now, it couldn’t take away the sun that FJ had shined on her that day.
~~~
Before long, Melissa and FJ were two sides of the same coin. FJ would get off at Melissa’s bus stop and have whatever snack Suzanne had lovingly prepared while Becca told him about her newest art project or why King Triton was a mean dad. Melissa would then meander with him to his house, where they would talk about anything and everything. FJ taught Melissa card games that quickly turned competitive or would let Melissa thoughtlessly ramble about whatever her mind held, listening intently until she had finished. It was a luxury she was rarely afforded. FJ showed Melissa a small creek hidden in the patch of woods behind his house, where they dug for arrowheads or sometimes just sat on an old blanket and read in comfortable quiet.
Melissa never had to explicitly tell FJ about her father’s mood swings, but she didn’t have to. He could tell by the way her body language shifted whenever Ronnie got home. FJ tuned into the way Melissa wrung her hands when she was nervous or squeezed her eyes shut when someone spoke a little too loud. On days when FJ could tell her anxiety was spiking, he would rap on Melissa’s bedroom window in the evening, silently checking on her for reassurance that she was ok.
FJ looked out for her at school, of course, too. He walked both sisters to class and made sure Mr. Carter remembered that her name was not Melanie by calling out “Hey Melissa” whenever he passed by. Even when his cast came off, FJ stuck by the King sisters instead of answering the call of the kickball field. Several of FJ’s friends questioned his new friendship, but he just shrugged them off, leaving Melissa feeling special, chosen.
Melissa had the friend she never thought would exist for her. Every night, she prayed to stay in Carlisle just a little bit longer than their usually assignments. She prayed that he would be a part of her life for a long, long time.
~~~
Christmas was coming up, and Melissa couldn’t escape the colorful catalogues in the mail, classmates talking about their wishlists or the constant barrage of ads on tv for the newest, coolest toy. Melissa was no fool. She hadn’t believed in Santa in a very long time, and she knew finances in the King household were tight. Christmas for her was more about the cookies her mom bakes, songs her mom sang, and movies they watched cuddled up with hot chocolate than the presents under the tree. But still, Melissa couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness knowing that under her tree would be a new toothbrush, socks, maybe a shirt, and a couple of simple toys.
It was that sadness that washed over her as she sat in FJ’s den after school one day, watching a commercial for a new gaming system. “That would be cool,” she whispered under her breath.
FJ looked at her in that studious way he had. “What do you want for Christmas, Mel?”
Melissa had grown accustomed to FJ asking her questions no one else did, but this still caught her off guard. Her parents hadn’t even asked, they just usually found something at the second hand store that looked vaguely “Melissa-Ish”
“Don’t make fun of me.” She said, looking down.
“I never do,” FJ responded with a playful nudge. “Almost never.”
Melissa grinned. “Well you know how horses are my favorite animal? They have these mini horse figurines I want to collect. I dunno, it just seems like a waste of money though, so…” she let her thoughts trail off.
FJ looked thoughtful for a moment. “You couldn’t ride it though.”
Melissa studied her friend, realizing he was joking, and not at her expense. “Funny.” She finally responded.
The pair settled back into their TV show until the phone rang, Suzanne calling to summon Melissa home.
A few weeks later, after school had dismissed for Christmas break, there was an overly excited knock on the King’s front door. There, clutching two little red bags with green paper peeking out, was FJ, his smile wide and eyes sparkling.
“I have presents for you guys!” He shouted through the glass door. At the word presents, Becca came rushing into the entryway, pulling FJ into the house.
A present. Melissa felt panic rise because never in a million years did she think FJ would get her a present and she definitely didn’t have one for him. While Becca had him hostage with her gift, Mel hurried to her room to find something acceptable.
FJ had seen all of her books, he had more legos than he knew what to do with, he probably wouldn’t want any of her girlie stuffed animals…and then it hit her. Melissa pulled a pink box decorated with purple, glittery paint from underneath her bed. This was her treasure box, where she stored everything that meant anything. There was a note from Miss Parks, a pressed flower from her grandmother’s garden in Michigan and pictures of each state sign the family had passed through on the way to a new home. And then there was a blue and red envelope filled with antique looking bills, reproductions of colonial money from her trip to Williamsburg. Melissa clutched it to her chest, knowing it would be perfect.
She emerged from her room to see Becca proudly showing Suzanne her new Disney princess coloring book and pack of markers from FJ. As he saw Melissa reappear, FJ lit up and held the red gift bag out as far as he could, waiting for her to grab it.
Melissa smiled at him before turning to Suzanne. “Mom, we’re going to walk to the creek, is that ok?”
Suzanne placed a couple of gingerbread men in a bag to hand to her daughter. “If course, hon, but don’t be too long. It will be dark soon and it’s supposed to snow tonight.”
Melissa hid the envelope in her coat the whole way to the creek, ignoring FJ as he begged her to just stop and open his gift. They got to their spot and sat down, Melissa finally agreeing to take the bag. She had to admit, it was cute how excited FJ was for her to open it.
Nestled inside the green tissue paper was a beige horse, no bigger than her hand. Melissa turned it over, studying the smooth, unstained, wood, the gentle angles where the horse’s body had taken shape and the ridges of its mane and tail. The horse had been hand carved. Melissa looked at FJ in wonder.
“I whittled it myself,” he said with pride. “I found a library book and practiced for like, over a hundred hours. I even cut myself a couple times.” He held his hand up to show bandaids to prove his point. “I know it’s not one of those collectibles but…”
“This is amazing, FJ.” Melissa cut him off. “This is better than the real one. You made this?”
“Yeah, it was fun. And ya know…I wanted you to have something special.”
Melissa looked back and forth between FJ and the tiny horse in her hand. She was in awe that not only had he made this, he had made it for her. Melissa was confident in that moment that she would never have another friend like FJ.
“Oh! I almost forgot.” Melissa grabbed the envelope from her coat. “I didn’t wrap it but…” She held it out for FJ to take, suddenly very self conscious of her repurposed gift. “It’s colonial money. From Williamsburg.”
“No way! Mel, this is so cool!” FJ gently fanned the bills in awe. “New York…Virginia…you know the colonies all had different money for a while. Look, Pennsylvania!” He poured over the paper money, reading the inscriptions with an intense gaze. “Melissa…was this yours?”
“Yeah, but I thought it was perfect for you. You like this stuff so much and you’ve never been, and that’s what we talked about the first day, you know.”
“I love it, thanks Mel.”
Melissa smiled back at him, and then almost as if on cue, fat flakes of snow started falling from the gray December sky. The two ran back home, holding their simple gifts like they were encrusted with diamonds. As soon as she made her way up the front steps and into her room, Melissa dug her treasure box back out from under her bed and carefully added her newest, most prized treasure.
~~~
Melissa knew that all good things must come to an end. But she never expected the way her short time in Carlisle, Pennsylvania would end.
She didn’t expect her school bus would stop at her house on an unsuspecting Thursday afternoon in April to be greeted by the flashing lights of an ambulance and police cruiser.
She didn’t expect to look out the window to see her mother crumpled on the ground and crying like a broken doll.
She didn’t expect FJ to chase after her as she bolted off the bus, Becca confused and starting to cry behind her.
She didn’t expect for FJ’s mother to wrap her in a bear hug and pull her away from the open front door before she reached the threshold.
The rest of that horrible day was a blur. Years later, Melissa would remember bits and pieces like faded pictures from an old View Master. Putting her fear aside to reassure Becca with coloring books and Disney movies with FJ’s sister. FJ’s mom begging her to eat just a few bites of the lasagna in front of her. Sitting by the creek with FJ as the sun set without sharing a word. Falling asleep on his couch with Becca, wrapped in blankets like cocoons. Suzanne finally coming for them, eyes swollen with tears. Explaining that Ronnie’s mind had been sick the way some bodies were sick, and the doctors tried so hard, but they couldn’t help him, and she was so sorry but Dad was gone.
There was no family to speak of, since Ronnie’s parents were long gone and Suzanne’s couldn’t travel from Michigan. There were no friends either, since Ronnie was closed off even to his fellow soldiers. So, there was no funeral, just a nondescript urn delivered to the house by the Army chaplain a few weeks later.
The chaplain had brought it by while Suzanne was packing the last of the boxes, the garage, where Melissa and Becca were no longer allowed to go. They would be leaving the next day for their grandparent’s house in Michigan, driving Suzanne’s Ford Taurus with a small U-Haul behind them. FJ and Melissa sat on the front steps, trying to ignore the fact that they were about to say goodbye.
“Hey, remember after Trick or Treating and we couldn’t find any of our Reese’s in our bags? And then you started finding Reese’s wrappers all around your house and Becca had stolen all of them?” FJ asked.
“She still won’t admit it,” Melissa grumbled. “But remember the time Dylan Campisi told me I looked like a freak with my new glasses and you told him you and Mikey would take turns hitting slap shots into him if he talked to me again?”
“Hey, it worked,” FJ said proudly. “I’d do it again.”
Melissa smiled sadly and sighed. “Well you won’t have to take care of us after tomorrow, I guess.”
FJ froze and looked at Melissa. “Mel, that’s just what friends do. You take care of me too. You never make me feel embarrassed to like things the other kids think are stupid and you would rather hang out with me than Mikey. That never happens. We’re friends. Best friends.”
Melissa rested her head on FJ’s shoulder. “I know, but still. Thank you for taking care of me.”
“I’ll always take care of you, Mel.”
Later than night, Melissa tossed and turned trying to settle into sleep to no avail. She was about to give up and turn her reading lamp on when she heard the gentle rap on her window. There was FJ, illuminated in the moonlight. Melissa carefully opened the window. “What are you doing, it’s late?” She whispered, careful not to wake Becca who had taken to sleeping in her bed.
“I made something for you,” FJ whispered back. Open the screen.”
Melissa glanced at her sleeping sister and gently nudged the screen open. FJ opened his hand to show a smooth, palm sized piece of wood carved into the shape of an arrowhead. Etched into the pale wood in jagged letters Mel read FJ & Mel. Melissa looked at FJ with tears welling behind her glasses. “I don’t have anything for you.” She said softly.
FJ smiled. “Don’t worry, I made one for me too.” He dug in his pocket to pull out an identical arrowhead, but his inscription read Mel & FJ. “They’re arrowheads like the refined we found at the creek, but also it’s an arrow to you know, point you back one day.”
Melissa, who had tried so hard to lock all of her feelings deep down inside, finally let out a choked sob. “I don’t wanna leave.”
FJ grabbed her hand through the window. “Me too.”
Becca began to stir from Melissa’s bed, causing the two to quickly say goodbye, but not before FJ promised to meet her tomorrow morning before they left.
Melissa finally fell asleep, holding the arrowhead close to her chest.
The next morning, the King family left the small red brick house with one fewer member in their car. Melissa sat next to her sister, her hands gripping the treasure box in her lap until her knuckles were white. Tucked inside with her other memories were her two most prized possessions, a wooden horse and a small arrowhead, proof that her first best friend was real.
FJ was in the driveway waiting for her that morning, and Melissa never saw him leave. She watched his floppy brown hair and bright blue eyes, rimmed with tears, until they had turned the corner and he disappeared into the past.
Only then did Melissa King turn forward to face her future.