Random Shorts

The Pact

My name is Jacey my I grew up with only older brothers, no sisters and a mother who died when I was two, so naturally I knew how to talk to guys and my best friend from birth was also a guy and really my only friend we were inseparable that is until one day when we were six and we got some bad news.

"Where are you, Caleb? We have been at this for 10 minutes I give up."

"Ha I knew I had the best hiding spot." he pops out of his hiding spot from behind the couch.

"Ugg that is where I was going to look next!" he burst out into laughter.

"You shouldn't have given up Jacey."

"Don't rub it in." a second later his mom and dad and my dad emerged from the kitchen.

"Caleb, Jacey, we need to tell you something." my dad starts motioning for us to sit on the couch.

"What is it, daddy?"

"Well, we need to talk to you about something important."

"What?" Caleb asked this time.

"Well Caleb, you know how daddy is in the military and he is home for a while?" his mom speaks in a soft light voice.

"Yeah?"

"Well he was assigned somewhere else and we are going to have to move far away."

"Move!?" we both exclaim

"Yes, and we have to start packing we leave in a few days."

"No I am not moving I am staying here with Jacey." he runs outside my dad gives me a look and I follow him before either of his parents do. I find him in our favorite spot behind a bunch of bushes in his backyard.

"Caleb?" I say approaching cautiously.

"They are trying to make me leave you, you're my best friend I can't do that."

"I know I don't want you to leave but your family can't leave you behind they'd miss you too much and you would miss them."

"But if I leave we can't be best friends."

"That is not true we can always be best friends let's make a pact." I pull 2 blank pieces of white paper out of my pocket along with a purple crayon.

"A pact."

"Yeah saying that no matter what no matter how far away we are we will always be best friends."

"Alright." I start writing on one paper and then the other once I am done I hand one to Caleb.

No matter what: no matter how far Caleb Dunn and Jacey Miller will always be the bestest of friends.

"There now it is official we will always be best friends even if we are no longer right across the street from each other." We give each other a quick hug before going back inside by our parents. That week my dad older brothers and I went over to help them pack everything up put some things in storage and get other stuff loaded in their vehicle of the things they could take on the plane other stuff would have to be shipped as they are going to an overseas base in Australia.

Moving day had come all too quickly we were all saying goodbyes. Me and Cody each traded one of our favorite toys so the other would always have something to remember the other by and then I stood by my dad and older brothers clutching Caleb's stuffed teddy bear as we watch their van drive down the road away from us.

I spent most of the next days in my room holding the bear to myself not knowing what to do without Caleb there to play with. Days turned to weeks and weeks to months and I started holding the bear less and less as things got more normal without Caleb there and the months eventually turned into years. Of course, I kept Caleb's bear on my dresser with the pact sitting in the bears' coat pocket I would on occasion when I had nothing to do take it out and wonder what we would be doing if he was still there.