Page 37 of Poetry of Flowers

They didn’t even notice me running out of the room.

He always ruined everything!

* * *

I believedthat God forgot about my happiness when he made me. Miss Turner said he made us perfect the way we are and that everything in our life was already planned out before we were born.

I didn’t believe a word of it!

I went to school without Tillie’s gift, and when I entered, I saw her laughing with Autumn. Nash said there was nothing wrong with wanting her for myself, he wanted that too with a girl from his grade, but he was too shy to talk to her. It wasn’t like I wanted to own her, no, I just wanted her for myself.

Her light-brown hair was up in a ponytail and her bangs were curled to the sides of her forehead. She looked pretty, my pretty Fleur.

I adored the name Fleur; I gave her when she was five. Her mother told me Fleur means flower in French. Flowers are pretty whether they are blooming or still growing, they are beautiful, just like my Tillie. Every time I looked at theforget-me-notnecklace around my neck, I saw Tillie.

Sitting down on the bench, I watched her with her cousin. Her school uniform looked too big on her. She was tiny compared to me. I liked that she was tiny, but she was growing really fast. What if someday I couldn’t kiss her forehead anymore because she had grown too tall?

That would be sad.

Her brown Bambi eyes met mine, and she grinned. One of her front teeth was missing. She must have lost it last night, yesterday it was still there.

Tillie told Autumn something before she grabbed her Rapunzel backpack and ran up to me.

“Kayden!” her arms wrapped around me, almost throwing us both from the bench.

“Why did you ignore me yesterday?” She’s sad, I could see it in her eyes. Oh- That wasn’t my intention.

“Because you kept ignoring me in class, maybe because Autumn is better than me,” I mocked and looked at my sneakers.

“Don’t be silly, Kayden, I didn’t ignore you.”

“Yes, you did! I made you a friendship bracelet this morning to show you I’m the better friend, but it didn’t work out,” I lied as a wave of sadness overcame me again, but I didn’t let any of it seep out.

Daddy said tears were for little babies, but I wasn’t a baby.

“Oh Kayden, you are my best friend in the whole world, but I love Autumn too, she’s like my sister. I’m sorry if I made you feel bad.” Her voice was soft as she sat down beside me and lay her head on my shoulder.

I think I overreacted, Tillie didn’t have an older brother like I had, Autumn was older than her. Oh no— I shouldn’t have reacted like this.

“I’m sorry, I was too jealous.”

“No, it’s okay, you wanted to make me a friendship bracelet?” she asked excitedly.

I nodded sadly, “But Daddy threw it in the trash before I was finished.” The truth broke free before I could silence it.

“That’s not nice, but it’s okay, we don’t need one.”

Confused, I turned my head to her.

“What do you mean?”

Tillie lifted her head, smiling at me.

“Our friendship is not a bracelet or a necklace we wear, we’re so much more, Kayden. We’re together till the end of time,” she giggled as I looked at her.

She was so pretty. Someday I was going to marry this girl and make her my own flower that always bloomed.

ChapterEleven

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