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| "I tried calling you last night, where were you?" Brian asked Lillian the next day at school.
"I wasn't home. Sorry."
"Where were you then?"
"Nowhere.''
"Where?"
"I told you, nowhere!"
"Okay, if you wont tell me, fine." Her mom, Raegine, told her not to tell anyone about leaving or her burn. "Why are you wearing long sleeves when its hot out?" She was wearing a blue sweatshirt with blue jean shorts. She was dying of heat, but she couldn't take her shirt off; she'd expose the wound.
"I'm cold," she lied.
"Oh." Class began. She wanted to tell him the truth, but she promised her mom she wouldn't tell anyone, not even Brian.
It was lunch time and Lilly and Brian sat next to each other at their usual table. "I'll trade you this apple for your cupcake," Lilly said.
"I don't think so," Brian said. "I'll trade you half of my ham sandwich for half of your cheese sandwich."
"Um, okay." They switched. The sleeves on her shirt were too long for her so she pushed them up to eat her sandwich with out even thinking.
"What's that on your arm?" Brian said immediately. She quickly pulled her sleeves back down.
"Nothing."
"Was that a giant blister or what was that?"
"I uh, accidently touched a hot pan, that's all."
"Does it hurt?"
"Yeah, but it's not bad." Hey, if he believed that story...all the better. They finished their lunch and headed back to class.
The bell rang and dismissed the entire school. Lilly's mom had told her she had to be very careful afterschool walking to her car. She could no longer ride the bus because she wouldn't be going home. She was supposed to wait at the door until she saw her mom pull up and then she should run to her car and get in as quickly as possible. Who knows what her dad might try to pull. "Aren't you coming?" Brian asked Lilly.
"Where?"
"On the bus, to go home?"
"No, my mom's gonna pick me up today."
"Can I ride with you?"
"No, I'm uh, going to the doctor. You'd better go so you dont miss the bus."
"Okay, see ya."
"Bye." He exited the school and got onto the bus. Lilly saw her mom pull up at the end of the sidewalk to the school. She opened the door and speed-walked toward her
mom's blue car. She turned her head to see if there was anyone around, mostly her dad, and what she saw shocked her. It WAS her dad, running after her. She took off in a full sprint to her mom's car. Her mom reached over and opened the door for her. Lilly jumped in. All those years of playing sports instead of house paid off. She slammed the door and they took off in her father's dust. "That was close," Lilly said as she regained her breath.
"Too close. Lilly, we have to leave town. I made arrangements and I got us a place far far away. I'll get a job and you can go to school there."
"What about Brian?"
"I don't think its safe for you guys to see each other anymore."
"But he's my best friend mommy!"
"I know. You can write him a note and well send it to him. Were going to go to Heather's and get our stuff, then were leaving for good. You can write it then."
"Ok." She was fighting the tears in her eyes. All her life, her best and only friend had been Brian. Now what was she gonna do?
She opened her suitcase at her aunts house and dug through it until she found the charcoal star that Brian admired. She flipped it over and took out a pencil and wrote:
Brian,
I cant tell you why, but I have to leave. I hope I can see you again sometime. I cant tell you where I'm going either, but when things are better between my
mom and dad and me I'll come back and see you again. You are my bestest friend and will be always. I'll miss you. I'm giving you the star picture too because I know you like
it and Ill be waiting to see it on a tape in the store. I hope my mom will let me call you sometime. Well, she's yelling at me to hurry up so this is all. Bye.
Lilly
"Here, put it in this envelope, I wrote his address on it already. Well take it to the post office and then were going to the town."
"Okay mom." Little did anyone know how much those few words would keep Brian and Lillian together in their little hearts.
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