Paperboy | Fillie

t w e n t y - f o u r

Thursday came a lot quicker than I anticipated.

I had spent a lot of time at Sadie's because I didn't want to have to see my mom again. Things just felt tense and I was trying to focus on today. I got ready a bit earlier than usual for school like I had for the past two days, just so I could check the tree.

I hadn't replied to Millie because in all honesty there wasn't much else to say. I showed up to it regardless though, just in case if she was there one morning. She hadn't been on Tuesday or Wednesday, but maybe she would today. I made my way to the garage, a sense of relief washing over me as I saw that my mother's car was gone. I hopped on my bike and made my way to the tree.

My nerves had me a bit on edge, and I knew I wasn't going to be able to sit still all day. It was a big deal for me to go to the Fall Festival, and it was a big deal for me to finally get to talk to Millie. I hoped with everything I had that we would be able to be friends again. A small part of me had the urge to be more than friends but I pushed it away. How could that happen when we could barely even stay friends?

I turned onto the street with the tree and gasped. I closed my eyes and opened them again, making sure I was actually seeing what I was seeing. There were men in construction uniforms everywhere and big machines around them. My eyes widened.

The tree was gone.

I came to a stop right in front of the men. I looked at the small stump that was once something I loved so much. Millie was going to be devastated. No more sitting in the tree. No more stars hung from its branches. No more tree.

"Can I help you?"

My eyes wandered up to a short man with bright blue eyes.

"W-why was the tree cut down?"

I cursed myself for stuttering.

"New owners wanted it down."

"New owners?"

He nodded and pointed.

"They bought the lot right here. Plan on building a house. Said the tree would be in the way."

I looked at the plot of land that had grass and weeds growing in it. I decided right away that I didn't like these "new owners". How could they just come here and mess up our tree? It was where I first met Millie; it was special. I let out a breath and turned around, heading to school with an angry and hurt feeling in my chest.

School was uneventful. I received the same dirty look from Noah that I always did when I passed by him. Millie said she was going to the Festival with him, so hopefully he didn't make too big of a deal about me meeting her there. Maybe she told him.

"Ready for tonight?"

I looked up from my paper at Sadie. She seemed excited. I shrugged before looking back at my paper.

"You know you don't have to go if you don't want to."

"Miss Sink, get back to work please."

I jumped at the sound of the teacher's voice. Sadie muttered an apology before looking at her own paper. A couple seconds passed and a small piece of paper landed on my desk. I glanced at Sadie and then at the teacher before opening the note.

I'm serious. If you don't want to go we don't have to. Or if you want to leave at any time then let me know.

I flipped it over and wrote a simple "I know" back. I waited for the teacher to be looking away before placing it on Sadie's desk. She opened it automatically and let out a small sigh.

The bell signaling the end of the school day made me excited but also nervous at the same time. I was terrified of tonight but I also couldn't wait. I was going over to Sadie's today and spending the night. I didn't want to risk my mom messing up the day. Avoiding her was hard when I lived with her.