sweet tea. -tkam

crayons.

-scouts pov-

I struggled to keep up with Jem as he began walking faster and faster each time I sped up, leaving me a good few feet behind him.

"Jem! Wait!"

I ran to his side, and that's when I saw the angry expression on his face. He huffed in an irritated growl and looked at me.

"No, scout. Obviously I don't WANT you here, are you stupid?" He hissed

"Well don't get sore with me I didn't do nothin'"

He groaned and kept walking, I skipped a bit to keep up, and that caused him to whip around so fast I almost ran smack into him.

"Stop following me!" He shouted

His yelling caught me off guard, and though it's embarrassing ti admit, it scared me at first. I knew that's what he wanted, so I didn't act afraid.

"But we're goin home-"

"I don't care where we're going, you can go another way! Why would I want anyone to see me with YOU? I'm 12 now, Jean Louise, I can't be your friend anymore! So stop acting like I am!"

I was quiet, and I stood still. Jem turned away from me and continued his angry walk home. I sat on the sidewalk then, I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt, what he said. I wondered what I had done to make him so worried about being seen with me, he never cared that I dressed like I did, and I even wore dresses to school, though, it was summer now. Even worse he called me jean Louise, not scout. Atticus only ever called me jean Louise is I was in real real trouble, and it didn't even feel like my name. But worst of all, he said what I was worried about, that we weren't friends anymore. We will be siblings, yes, but not friends. I thought about aunt Alexandra and atticus, how they were sibling, and said they loved eachother, but never got along. They never seemed to agree on anything, and never just hung out with eachother. Their interactions were stiff and superficial, though, HE was HER older brother, like me and Jem. But atticus was the oldest of all of them anyway, and seemed to be friends with uncle Jack, at least. I wondered if it was hard being the oldest, and I wondered if Jem would turn out like atticus, and never be my friend again. I love atticus, but he's my dad, not my brother, or my friend, he's my dad. Plus, I didn't need any more people in my life bossing me around, but I guess Jem felt otherwise. My teacher bossed me around, cal bossed me around, all the adults, aunt Alexandra, Jem, dill, atticus, and nobody listened to me. Or when they did they never really listened. Atticus made me feel better, but he only ever really had nice words to say, or, smart ones. And that wasn't always what I wanted. I didn't always want a reason, or an answer, or a lecture. Sometimes I just wanted to talk, and sometimes I just wanted a hug. Once I couldn't see Jem anymore I got up to go home, I was trying my hardest to be a big kid, and not a girl, so I made sure not to cry. Because after all, only babies and girls cry, and I didn't want to act like either. No longer in the mood to play, I took my crayons and colored out on the back porch.

-daisy pov-

It was a warm maycomb afternoon, so I put on my sunhat and took a walk to see the town even more. I found myself pass the school and come onto a residential strip of houses. I hoped nobody would mind me walking, and I also hoped I might find a house I could buy. I wakes along the sidewalk, observing the cracks, and weeds that overcame those cracks. Little ants marched across the pavement, and into small gatherings of clover. It was a sunny day, when the breeze blew just enough to keep you comfortable, and the sun shined on you, enveloping you in blissful warmth. I came to a house with a tire swing, and a wooden treehouse, but someone caught my eye specifically.