Life's Little Teardrops

11. The Way We Were

After that we were taken to the Bunk room which was divided into two sides.

One for the girls and one for the guys. There was room for the older kids but the younger ones stayed downstairs

Me and Deedee picked beds next to each other with Jenny on the other side of me and Stella on the other side of Deedee. The mattress was just on the floor so it wasn't that comfy but it had room to put my stuff next to it.

We were aloud to stay up as late as we want but a few people were just sitting in their bunks chilling. I was too, my phone had picked up some wifi signals so I was downloading some songs.

Deedee was in the game room with Stella and most of the other In-Crowd kids. It had been a few hours since I had talked to Trin and I was beginning to think she wasn't coming.

I was looking forward to meeting Leon but I didn't really know what I was in for. Trinity had just described him as "A young Sheldon Cooper with a modern style. And more social.". I hoped he wasn't like all of Trin's other guy friend who were mainly annoying dumb asses.

To waste time I decided to write in my notebook. The pages were blank and slightly bent from being in my backpack, but it was still blank.

A new beginning of young lives. Of known people and none the wise. Of hope and science. Of rival defiance.

Same people new day, real lives that must stay.

Hope in her eyes with no great surprise. A joyful new place with no empty space with no end in sight. Nothing seems right.

Done it all before with no change in store. A change is of real life and always comes with strife, but a same day with a same way is never quite right.

Trinity sneaks up behind the journal without me even knowing and without hesitation grabs the notebook. She is wearing a white T-shirt with some black skinny jeans that seem a little long on her short legs. In reality I know that she isn't very short but I just like teasing her.

She flips through the pages giggling slightly that makes me feel like she's gonna run out and show everybody. But instead she sets it on the pile of books next to my bed.

"Come on we have to meet Leon and it's already 7:45." She says walking to the door while bouncing her blond ponytail.

We walked outside through the back door and strolled down the street towards a back alley. She kicked a rock and took out a flashlight. "So where are we meeting him?" I asked looking around, we seemed to be behind a few little law offices and boutiques.

She smirked and started laughing. "Buckets." She said flipping on the flashlight. Buckets was the only ice cream joint on our side of town and was our group's hang out. We always laughed about the name.

"Omg. Why?" I asked wondering why she picked an ice cream joint 3 blocks away instead of a back alley with in a few feet.

She looked at me while flashing the light to a dumpster. "We have to meet outside hostile territory..." She said logically with a hint of continuation. "...and he managed to maintain the ice cream." she said smiling widely. She was one of those girls that bounced around flavors. "Does anyone else know?!" I said faking shock.

She smiled and shook her head.

After we turned a few streets and crawled through some bushes, we made it. And I was surprised to see no lights on, anywhere.

It looked the same outside accept for the overgrown lawn and the slightly dirty porch.

I remember being here with everyone. Trin would switch flavors but Deedee and Bailey would only get Espresso milkshakes. Bailey had been my friend for as long as I can remember and she was one of the few people I knew that I'd be friends with forever. I know it's hard to imagine a 13 year-old knowing this, but I did. Not that Trin and Deedee weren't the perfect friends in every way.

Saying that sounds so wrong.

They were around every weekend they could. We shared so many inside jokes that sometimes I lost count. We sang acapella in my living room.

They in all honesty they weren't perfect. But that's so great because I wasn't either. And in honesty again we weren't friends.

We were sisters. We joked and said that a lot and I would sometimes act like Trin was less than a sister. I couldn't honestly say that. She may not have came over everyday or have bought me the greatest Birthday presents, but she was still my sister.

As we stood on the sidewalk beaming the flashlight at the dimly lit OPEN sign I looked at her. It was only now that I realized she cut her hair, only by a couple inches but you could still notice. She looked at me too and smiled. That dorky smile I missed so much only a month ago. We had shared so many moments, all of us. I wondered if we would forget them. I never would.

I put my hand on her shoulder and looked at her like I was about to say something so meaningful. But instead I looked in the eyes and said "Let's go nugget." remembering the name for short people I had borrowed from Chelsea Handler. She smiled knowing it meant a lot.

We walked up the sidewalk to it and opened the door careful not to alarm the bell above the door. As we walked in I saw the signs, they were hand painted and hung all over the white walls with price tags saying 20$ 50$ or sometimes 80$. One hung above the bathroom that I had always wanted to buy. I read it aloud in an unintentional whisper, "You are the sprinkles on my ice cream." it was corny and was stupid with its clumsy cursive and pink background but I still loved it.

Trinity glanced around and went over to the door next to the staircase. She opened it slowly but no one was in it. I glanced up the staircase that was guarded by a baby gate.

A slight glow came from the room. I undid the gate and stood on the first step, motioning to Trinity.

As we walked up the stares I heard a scribbling sound. I knew why as soon as I got up there.

A tall (about 5'7) guy with dark hair and a face full of acne sat cross legged on the floor surrounded by ice cream containers, binders, and Red Bull cans.

He looked up and Trinity smiled. "Hey, this is Eliza. She's an old friend." She said sitting a foot or so away from him. I smiled and he did as well. His smile was creepy and reminded me of The Joker with crooked teeth. Trinity sat down a book bag she had been carrying and pulled out some binders and her clipboard. He skimmed them over but only halfheartedly and within moments was starring at me. "What?" I asked getting slightly creeped out that I was in a dimly lit and ice cream filled version of a lair. He smirked at me and said, "Why are you here?" Even though it was a question he said it just like he would say the value if Pi is 3.14.

Trinity smiled at me and mouthed he word 'Sheldon'. I looked at him with our faces only inches apart, and the tension rising "I'm here for ice cream." I said barely able to keep a straight face.

As soon as I said it Trinity busted up laughing and almost knocked over the lamp next to her. It hadn't been a few minutes when he started laughing to.

His laugh was less creepy, like a normal teenage guy's. "How old are you?" I blurted randomly. He sat straight up again and I could tell he wasn't as weird as he seemed.

"Fifteen next month." He said with a smirk. "What about you?" Trinity was looking over a paper written in red marker. "13 and a half." I said popping my knuckles.

He laughed "So immature." I stood up and looked out the window overlooking our favorite Mexican restaurant. "It's only a years difference." Trinity said trying to defend the youth barrier.

I look out the window at the full moon.

We would go wild on full moons. Some of the neighbor kids would come down to my house and we'd all run around passing a football back and forth, sometimes throwing glowsticks. Other times Twerking.

Those were the days. Before Deedee had competition. And Trinity was possibly dying.

Before Bailey died.

I felt tears on my eyes almost to the point if no return. I took a breath.

"A lot can happen in a year."