Friend or Foe?

It was a hot summer day and I felt like flying from how fast I was running through the plants, like nothing could catch me, not even him. I love playing this game because I always win, I always get to the treehouse before he does but I warned him, I told him not eat the macaroni before we started playing. I guess that’s what makes him special and me right. He loves eating and not being told what to do and I love running and obeying so obediently or I’ll get a mad spanking.  Any four year old would tell ya that the biggest fear was your daddy giving you a big spanking with the belt for not listening or embarrassing the fam.

                Vincent was huffing and puffing as he finally got to the tree and I knew he wanted me to throw down the steps but I refuse. He should’ve listened to me.  

We always race around in his backyard and even though I got a five second head start, I still win because I got the blood of a racer in me. I can feel it, while he, well he got the blood of a genius in him.

“Aww come on, Faye, throw down the steps for me.” Vincent said.

“No way, you are too slow and losers don’t get to come up here with the winners.” I replied.

“I was right behind you, not my fault your chicken legs run like an ostrich does.” Vincent said.

I gasp angrily, “Forget you Vincent, if you wanna come up here so badly, just climb your big butt up here. I’m not throwing the steps down for you today or any day after that. My legs aren’t chicken legs, just because I’m not as fat as you!”

He got red in the face scrunching up his cheeks showing off two beaver teeth and glared. “Alrighty then, When I get up there, I’m a show ya how much of a loser I am and you’ll pay for this Faye Marie. Mark my words!”

He started climbing up the tree and I forgot how much taller he was than me and got up quickly. ‘uh-oh, I’m in trouble.’ I thought to myself.

I quickly hide behind a certain pole trying to make myself as small as possible but then again being four, it’s not too hard. I hear him, he finally made it.

“Alright chicken legs! I made it! How about that? Calling me a loser? When I find you I gonna give you an Indian Burn so hard you wish I broke your arm!” Vincent said.

I gulp, getting scared. ‘I wish I didn’t say those things. I didn’t even mean them, I just said them to get him and come up faster. I was gonna give him the steps; honestly, I was just having fun.’

 Thinking about all of this I started to get really sad and a tear fell out of my eye. Pretty soon I couldn’t control it and I was sobbing and quite loudly.

Vincent found me crying like mad and was confused with why?

“Hey, I found ya! Why are you crying Faye Marie? I wasn’t really gonna hurt you. You know I never could do that to you, you’re my best friend.” Vincent said.

I looked up and started to wipe away my tears, “I know Vincent, and I just got so scared. I didn’t mean to taunt you. It was just my big mouth yapping away. You know it always gets me in trouble. I was gonna let you up, I promise. I just didn’t want that Indian burn… that would’ve been too much.”

He smirked so cheekily and just flicked me in the forehead, “I know chicken legs, and I was just giving you a hard time. Besides, didn’t I impress you with my tree climbing skills?”

I nodded. “I could never climb a tree like ya; I would probably break something because I’m so small.”

“Nonsense, I’ll teach ya how to climb down if you follow me, k?” Vincent said.

I nodded.

He started climbing down the same way he came up and I followed right behind and everything was going great except for the last step. The last branch was a bit far from the ground and with him being taller than me; he managed to jump down easily. I tried next but my jeans got caught up in the branch and ripped real nasty but thankfully missed my leg. I ended up falling and landed right on top of Vincent.

-Oomf- “Ugh, oww Vincent I think I broke something here,” I said.

“Get off me.” Vincent said.

I just glared and rolled off. I looked down at my jeans and saw that their completely ruined. “Aww man, my jeans are totally ruined. My momma is going to kill me when she sees me; you know she gets mad when I’m not proper and dressed like a girl!”

“Relax, you can borrow a pair of my shorts and don’t worry about your mom. You always look good to me and forget the rules of dressing like a girl, there annoying and silly and I refuse to listen to what anyone tells me what to do. To me, your always gonna be Faye Marie, my best friend and nothings ever gonna change that.” Vincent said.

I smiled and got up and we ran into his room.

Unfortunately that was one of the last days we had together and everything was good. I did go back into Vincent’s room and change into shorts. We ended up on his bunk beds talking about everything and how great our friendship is especially with being neighbors and luck is on our side.

Then things got weird, he was looking at me funny and I had no idea why.

“Can I see your toes?” Vincent asked, while he was massaging my feet through my socks.

I looked at him weirdly, “Why?”

“Cuz I just wanna.”

“But why?”

“Just forget it.”

“Hmm ok,” I said but I quickly took my feet out of his hands. Then things got weird after that and I didn’t want to stay any longer in his room by myself. So I ran into his sister’s room where my sister was playing with her.

Like I said, that was one of the last days that were of Vincent Bradley and Faye Marie. After that, I didn’t like how he looked at me and I started making excuses on not to hang out anymore. Eventually we stopped hanging out all together because I was a girl and momma wouldn’t let me play with little boys anymore. I couldn’t go outside and climb trees and fences with him. I couldn’t go over and eat macaroni or watch movies in his big TV room. Looking back now, those sure were the days.  Eventually we just became two strangers, strangers with a past.