The One's Left Behind

First Grade

In first grade you have two types of kids: those that make as many friends as possible, and those who hide behind their parents' legs. The latter of the two would be me. I was a shy little girl, what else could I do?

Waverly Anderson was the former of the two. I remember her having two brown, braided pigtails. And my first thought about her was that she was absolutely crazy. She was everywhere at once, buzzing from one place to another with an unfathomable amount of energy. She wanted to meet as many people as she could that day.

Me? I was content with staying behind my mom's leg the whole day.

But as life goes, people often leave you during the most trivial of times. And that's just what my mom did. She left me, her shy daughter, in a room with crazy kids. That was a great parenting choice.

As soon as my mom had gone and left me in the vulnerable position of being out in the open, Waverly made a beeline for me. And I was petrified.

"Hi!" she greeted me with a smile that was missing her two front teeth. "I'm Waverly Mae Anderson."

"Hi," I croaked, having yet to talk that day.

"What's your name?" she asked, tugging on my dark, curly ponytail.

"Emory Elizabeth Andrews."

"I like that. You're my best friend, okay?"

"Okay," I agree, suddenly liking the idea of having a friend. Or maybe it was because I was afraid of what she would do if I had said no.

"You have to pinky swear," she instructed, holding out her pinky. "It's insurance."

"Insurance?" That was too big of a word for my little brain to know.

"It means that we'll always be best friends and there is no backing out."

I hooked my pinky in hers. "Sounds good to me, Waverly Anderson."