Little Wonder (Phan)

Ninety-Nine.

"You know you could've just said goodbye like a normal person." Taking his place next to me he leaned back on his hands and looked up at the darkening sky. "That would've made this a whole lot easier." Bringing my knees up to my chest I wrapped my arms around them and lay my head on top of them, I didn't want him to see me cry. "Do you remember when we first met?" Letting out a small sigh he inched closer to me and let out a tiny laugh, "You were in your ballet outfit, I thought it was the coolest thing ever. But you didn't." His laugh grew a little louder and I lifted my head to look at him, resting it back on my knees. I loved his laugh. "You hated the frills and the shoes they made you wear. You tried rebelling by wearing that black bow in your hair. But after awhile you just gave up and put up with it. Did you know that after that day I watched you practising everyday?" Playing with the back of his hair he let his laugh die down. "I really loved watching you." His eyes were watching me now and I felt my face warm up and I hid my face in my knees again. "I'll let you know that when mum told me he'd got a teaching offer in the states I threw a fit." Imagining that made me snort and he laughed again, poking my arm gently. "I'm being serious, I threw a fit, a tantrum. I screamed at them for taking me away from my best friend." Shivering a little I moved closer to him and he wrapped his arm around me, letting me rest my head against his chest. His heart beat slow and steady. "But they didn't seem to get it, they didn't seem to understand. They told me that I'd be making plenty of new friends in the states. And then I told them none of them would be near as special as you." Looking up at the stars that had started to appear I listened to his voice vibrate in his chest. I didn't want to forget.

Pushing away from him I glared at him, brown on pale green. Raising my fist I punched him square in the chest without any restraint, repeating the action over and over again until I felt like my hands were going numb. Tears appeared in my eyes and made everything blurry, and I knew that if I blinked they'd fall and wet the ground beneath us. I didn't want to cry. Grabbing a clump of his shirt I brought him closer and hid my face in his chest, "Please don't leave me. I don't want to be all alone." Miles was the only one who'd ever understood me without making fun of me. He shared some of my opinions but also wasn't afraid to share his own, even if they were the exact opposite of what I believed in. He was the only person to ever stay by my side without some sort of motive or wanting something in return. He was the first real friend I'd made since Tabby had moved away. I wasn't ready to lose another friend. "No one at school even likes me and I'll have to eat lunch all by myself, and Alice is gonna be extra mean because you aren't there to protect me." His arms made their way around me and he rested his head on top of mine. I was 9 years old and I felt like I was starring in a high school drama. Something that I watched with Daddy.

"This isn't goodbye, Win. Think of it more like. .. see you soon." Standing up he held out his hand for me and I slowly took it, not letting it go as we began to walk back home. Leaning against him I kept silent as the critters of the night sang their song. When we finally made it back home I saw Papa and Daddy yelling at each other and it just made me hide my face in Miles' side and his hand squeezed mine gently. "They were scared when you ran off like that. I knew where you'd be but they didn't have a clue and weren't thinking clearly enough to listen to me." His thumb rubbed the side of my arm gently as Papa and Daddy finally seemed to see us.

Running at me they wrapped their arms around me and the air grew silent, but I saw Miles slink away from our family hug and towards the car that was going to be taking him away from me. Pushing away from Papa and Daddy I ran towards him at top speed and got to him before he managed to get in the back seat. Gripping clumps of his shirt in my fists I shook as he wrapped his arms around me again and whispered soothing nothings into my ear, which was exactly what I needed to hear right now, despite it seeming probably silly to anyone else. "See you soon." A sad smile made it's way onto my face and I looked up at him and felt urged to do something that I'd never thought of doing to him. Getting on my tip toes I pressed my lips against the tip of his nose and pushed myself away from him to hide behind Papa's legs, not wanting him to see me cry. I heard footsteps come closer and I crouched down so it would be harder to see me but they retreated before actually getting to me, and then there was the start of an engine and then there was nothing but silence. Peeking out from behind Papa's legs the tears really began to fall then.

"Oh Little Cub." Picking me in his arms he held me close to his chest and kissed the top of his head. "Let's go home, okay?" Not responding I proceed in dampening his shoulder. "Philip get the car ready." I heard footsteps running off and the gentle sway as Papa began to walk. "It's going to get better, Winnie, that pain you feel in your chest is slowly going to get better. Miles is gonna come back, right? There's no need to stay sad." He rubbed my back as he put me in the back of the car, but all I could think of was the fact that I had lost my best friend. He was gone.

"See you soon."

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The last friend she lost was Tabby and she'd known her for years, but this was harder for her somehow. But it's always 'see you soon' it's never 'goodbye'.