Page 34 of Poetry of Flowers

He shook his head, “Stop apologizing for things that aren’t your fault.”

“But I-”

“Tillie.”

“Alright.”

He took my hand and squeezed it for a second before we both turned our attention towards the front door of our friend’s house.

Theo slammed the door shut behind him, jogged to the car and threw his bag in the trunk before he jumped in. “Drive,” he commanded Kayden, who did exactly that.

“What happened, grump?” he asked his friend, who looked like he had had one second to dress himself.

“My dad wasn’t happy with the lie about the school trip, he called the school to ask where we were going because I’m a terrible liar. I basically just ran away,” he explained calmly as ever.

“Shit!” Kayden laughed, looking at Theo in the mirror. “Are you fine with that?”

Theo nodded, pushed his glasses back up his nose. “Yeah, I told you I’d come no matter what.”

And if anyone was going to keep their promise, it was Theodore Weston. He’d rather die than break a promise.

Part 2

My tears ricochet

“And I can go anywhere I want

Anywhere I want, just not home.”

-Taylor Swift

ChapterTen

KAYDEN, JUNE 13TH, 2012

Nash had told me that all girls were stupid, but I didn’t believe him because my Tillie wasn’t stupid. She was smart and so pretty with those big brown eyes. She looked like a deer, like Bambi.

In my head, I called her Bambi.

But she didn’t spend time with me anymore. She liked her stupid cousin Autumn more than me. I was the better choice, I knew that. I just needed to prove that to Tillie too!

How could she know if I didn’t show her? Mommy told me that. My mommy was smart, so I knew she was right.

I was going to see her later at school, that was where I was going to give her my present. And she would love it, and me. I wanted her to love me. For her gift, I got up very early. Now I had three hours to make it. Yesterday I had been too tired to make it and daddy got annoyed when I tried to ask him for help with the scissors.

He doesn’t like talking to me, that’s why I only come to him when I really needed my daddy. Maybe he would miss me if I kept away for a while? Animals were like that. When you run after them, they get annoyed but when you ignore them, they get sad and come to you, maybe Daddy was like that too.

Deer were my favorite animals. I’d like to be friends with one. Someday I will have a deer zoo in my garden.

I sat down in front of my little plastic table.

There were too many strings to braid.

How did you even braid?

When Mommy braided my sister’s hair she took three pieces, I needed three strings!

Dark red for her favorite color.

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