[insert title here]

chapter one: september 15th

           

"You okay?" she asks.

            Olivia Marsh, the most amazing mother in the world. Nurturing, kind, compassionate, (and not to mention, hilarious). I don't know what I would do without her.

            "Yeah," I respond in a somewhat content, somewhat whimsical way. "It's already been another year. I feel like it was just yesterday when it happened. What do you think he's doing now?"

            My mother tilts her head, trying to look at the picture frame from a different angle.

            "I don't know. Probably throwing a party or dancing around. Who knows what people do in heaven!"

            I smile slightly.

            No matter what, my mom can always find a way to make me smile. Even if it's only the slightest, most invisible smile ever to be seen, she always finds a way to get it out of me.

            "I miss dad," I say, longingly staring at his picture.

            "I miss him too," she replies, leaving a short silence afterwards. Just like always, however, she turns the whole situation around and I smile. "But you know what you can't miss? The bus! Off you go!"

            My mom begins shooing me out the door as the rickety yellow bus approaches my house. Before walking down my doorstep, I lean over and kiss her cheek.

            "Love you, mom! See you after school!"

            "Love you, sweetie. Have a nice day!"

            When I climb onto the bus, my eyes immediately find my best friend, sitting in the same seat as always. Right side, fifth row back, inside seat. She always leaves the window seat for me because she knows how much I love it. She knows how much I love simple things like that. Sitting there and staring out a window.

            "Hey Kadence," she says.

            "Hi Millie," I reply with a grin.

            As soon as I squeeze by and sit into the remaining seat, Millie begins her usual chattering. This time it's about Mira and Jacob, a pair sitting two rows in front of us. I personally don't care about the gossip, but try my best to comment "yeah!" or "I know right?" occasionally so that Millie feels satisfied.

            It's kind of funny. Millie loves gossip and boys and is always talking. Me on the other hand, I'm more on the calmer side. I like the simple things like reading a book or just sitting with a dog next to you. Or staring out a window. If you knew us well, you would think that Millie and I couldn't be a more unusual pair. We may be complete opposites, but I love it. I love Millie.

            "I mean, Mira is fourteen. Fourteen!" Millie continues, "And Jacob is seventeen! Why would he even sit with her? I'm sixteen and he didn't sit with me!

            "I know right?" I say, exaggerating my interest in the topic.

            Millie continues, but I just drown out the ranting and gaze out the window. Grass. Trees. The clouds. I love it. I start thinking of when I was little. My dad and I would lay in the grass, looking up at the sky. He would point up to a cloud and say "Look! That one looks like a pirate!" Then I would argue and insist it was a mermaid. But that all stopped. It all stopped a long time ago.

            My dad died five years ago. Five years from this day actually. September 15th. Cancer killed him. And it killed a little part of each of us. Today isn't only the day Walt Marsh died, it was the day my little sister was born. It was terrible, having both my parents in the hospital at the same time. I didn't even have it as worse as my dad did. Walking from floor to floor, room to room, was nothing compared to what my dad must've felt.