Under the Stars

Chapter Three

July 2006

Me, Jake and Caroline decided to meet up in the park because I told them so. It's my last week here in New York since I cannot convince Mama that we'll stay. I kind of argued that I have friends here and I could not leave them.

But Mama didn't heard me.

Or she heard me but she never listened. She's selfish for not listening to me. She wanted this for herself. I don't want to hate her because Daddy is enough to hate in our family but it's difficult not to.

But I have to not hate her. She's my only Mama in the world.

I looked in my Hello Kitty! wristwatch to check the time only to notice that the two will probably be five minutes late. It's okay if they can't come, I think it would be better not to say goodbye to them. I don't think it'll hurt me but I do care for them. My friends are always there when I needed them.

And I'm the black sheep of my friends. Because I'm too young, but I am not too innocent anymore. I have known things that they don't know until now.

I frequently lied to them just to cover the truth. I don't need their pity anyway.

"Rosé!" A familiar twang of voice somehow sprouted in my clouded mind, shouting a name that only my friends would call me.

I immediately turned my head and found Jake and Caroline happily waving in my direction. They were using their bikes to get in the park, just like me. Jake's bike has a Superman design while Caroline's was Barbie, mine was Hello Kitty! We're kids, so we want what ordinary kids want.

As soon as they reached within my place, I immediately tackled them into a hug.

"Rosé! Stop. It's mushing us." Caroline giggled.

I cannot describe the feeling of them being in my arms. It's like all those pain are surfacing again and I cannot help but to cry. Cry because they are the good children that I'll be leaving here soon. They are the good friends that the jealous Monica wanted.

Jealous Monica is jealous because Caroline and Jake are cool.

"Rosé? Why are you crying?" Jake asked. "Did that boy hurt you again?"

The boy didn't hurt me at all. It was nothing compared to what Daddy did to us. The boy was just a distraction of my real pain. Even if he hurt me by picking up on me, I am glad that he did that because if he didn't, I could've been sad and crying because of someone we dearly love.

Yes, we dearly love him.

"No, he didn't. It's just I'm going to miss you." I felt a pang on my chest and it hurts me worse than what I was thinking.

Both of them looked at each other and looked at me back as if I lost my mind for a bit. I became silly in their eyes because they didn't know what I was talking about.

"Well, we missed you too on the days we are not playing together." Caroline said, hugging me tightly. She didn't understand so I have to make her understand as much as possible.

"We're moving away. Mama and me. I'm meeting new friends in a new place." I burst into tears while Jake and Caroline stood still.

"Move away as in go away and never come back?" Jake said timidly, hinting a glint of sadness.

I don't want them to be sad. I want to be happy. But there is no other way, I must tell them the truth even it will break us apart. Our friendship is the only thing that I treasure right now but I guess this treasure will be gone, only to be remembered as a memory.