Childhood memories

Chapter 5

"Let's go down the slide! I'll go first and then you can go down behind me!" I shouted while running to the slide looking behind me to see if my best friend was following. 

Once I got to the slide I ran up the ladder and crawled over to the slide. I waited for Kayden to get up the ladder and sit behind me before I gave myself a push off the bar, above my head, down the slide back down to the ground. 

"Now it's my turn!" Kayden giggled while pushing himself down the slide. 

Once we were both down the slide, we raced over to the swings. 

The swings were always our favorite place. That was the one place that no matter what, we could always reach the sky, and there was nothing higher than that. We didn't have to worry about what people thought of us, we didn't have a social status to try and beat everyday. 

We only had the sky to reach. 

"Did you see any of your old friends? Do any of them know you are back?" My mother asked, as I dreaded even thinking about it. I honestly don't even know if they would remember who I was. I mean we were 13 when I left and it's been five years. 

"No.. I don't even know if they would remember me if we did run into each other. I mean we left five years ago and we were only 13 when we left. That's still a young age to forget your best friend that randomly leaves you after being with you almost everyday" I answered back, not knowing if she had caught on that I was mostly talking about Kayden. 

I mean don't get me wrong, I totally missed Kaylee when I left, and I still do now, it's just Kayden and  I were friends longer than Kaylee and I and me and Kayden did literally everything together. There wasn't much we didn't do together. 

"Don't be silly, of course they would remember you! You were basically the 'popular' girl around here for 13 years! I would be surprised if no one remembered you" my mother exclaimed trying to make it clear that it's a little hard to forget me. 

"Yeah but that's the thing mom. That was for 13 years, five years ago. I just met six girls who I had no clue even existed until today. Since we have been gone there have been so many new people to come, and that's something new in this town. Of course it's good yeah, but it's just not the same as it was before we left. We used to be able to name the whole block by first and last names, now I can't even tell you what the color of the neighbors' car is." trying to get the point  to my mom that it's not the same as it was before. 

"Okay that may be true, but Elle, you've only been back for a day. You can't expect to just be brought right back into the swing of things right away. Of course this town has had so many new people since we left, but that's okay because that just means new people for us to be friends with, but just because it's been five years, doesn't mean that your best friend of 13 years is just gonna forget you and not even spread a thought about you." and at that moment, I knew that she knew exactly who this whole conversation was directed at. Kayden. 

"Elle, come on we have to get going to your grandmothers house!" my mother screamed across the yard since I was over at Kaydens house playing in his front yard. 

"I'm sorry Kayden, but I have to go. We are going to visit grandma!" I told him with excitement dancing all through my body. 

"I wanna visit grandma R!" at this point Kayden was just as excited as me. Kayden loved my grandma as much as I did, and we always played with her when she came to visit. 

"Lets go ask our mommies and see what they say!" and with that we were both running to my mom who stood at our car waiting for me to come over and get in. 

"Mommy! Mommy!" I screamed while running as fast as my little legs could run with Kayden not too far behind. "Can Kayden come with us to visit grandma?!" 

"I don't know he'll have to ask his mommy and make sure it's okay." she said even though we both knew what the answer was going to be. So we ran back over to his house to ask his mom, and with that, Kayden and I were running into the car to go visit grandma. 

It was always me and Kayden against the world. Now it was me against the world, and I didn't like running it alone. 

I realized over the last five years that things can easily change, and even if you're not ready for them, sometimes you just have to go with what you are given. 

I never thought I would have to make new friends. I never thought I was going to move. I never thought I would be able to make it without Kayden. Even though it has been hard to do, I have slowly conquered it and even though I spent the last five years hating that fact, I was kinda glad I did it. I was able to make it on my own. I didn't have to rely on Kayden to be there and pick up the pieces. 

But another thing I learned over those five years, was that.. 

Everything always comes back to Kayden.