Fortuity

o n e

"C'mon!" the eleven year old pestered, tugging at his friend's arm. She remained still, glued in her seat at her entranced eyes scanned the pages of the book in front of her. "Emma, please can we go play?" persisted, pouting his lower lip as he used his best puppy dog eyes to beg.

A soft sigh slipped through her lips before her hands snapped the book shut. Her soft, warm eyes met his, a smile tugging at her youthful lips.  "Dyl, we have to do our homework. Remember?" Emma reminded him, Dylan rolling his eyes as she was probably the most mature eleven year old to ever roam the earth.

"C'mon! I bet I can beat you to the tree house!" Dylan challenged, Emma pouting her lips as she thought it over. She slid off the chair, her feet hitting the hardwood floor as she looked over the table which was covered with their homework.

"Fine. But can you just look at this question first? I'm stuck on it" Emma asked sweetly, a grin on Dylan's face as it seemed he would get what he wanted. Emma could never say no to a challenge. Dylan moved past Emma as he looked at the sheet, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Square root of 9" he thought out loud, a mischievous smirk on Emma's lips. She shoved Dylan backwards before taking off for the door. "Hey you cheated!" he shouted, dropping the paper before he began to chase after her. He stepped onto the porch, watching the door swing shut. He pushed through the door, running outside. His converse became damp as his feet ran through the wet lawn.

He watched her blonde hair fly behind her, a victorious laugh escaping her as she knew she would win. He watched as she climbed the ladder, entering the tree house. Emma, Dylan, and Dylan's father had built the tree house from hand last year. Dylan's father was a carpenter, allowing him to make it pretty intricate. Since then, their parents couldn't get them to leave it; they practically lived there.

Dylan finally reached the tree house, his hands wrapping around the wood. He climbed the ladder as fast as he could, his wet sneakers slipping on the rungs. He finally reached the top, looking through the door to see Emma lying on her stomach reading a comic book.

She looked up, a smug smirk on her face. "What took you so long?" she taunted, a laugh escaping him as he pushed her over. Emma joined him in laughter, the two cackling as they lay on the wooden floor of the tree house.

"I didn't know I was best friends with a cheater!" he teased back, Emma offering her crooked grin. Dylan loved that grin, and she knew he could never stay mad at her. It was that grin that he'd known since he was an infant. Considering they were born in the same hospital where their mothers met, it was practically one of the first things he'd seen. 

The families quickly discovered that they lived across the street from each other in a small, suburban neighorhood, the two families instantly connecting. From play groups, to pre-school and to kindergarten, Emma and Dylan were always together. They were inseparable, each other's other half. Every day consisted of a long playdate, every weekend consisting of a sleepover. Each of their parents loved the other's child like their own child. To Emma and Dylan, is seemed that they lived in a perfect world.

Dylan smiled as he crawled over to where Emma was laying. He laid down next to her, joining her in the reading of Batman, Dylan's personal favorite comic book. They read in silence for a while, Emma humming softly as she turned the page. "I'm so glad you're my best friend" Dylan sighed blissfully, Emma grinning as she stuck out her hand.

"Forever right?" she asked, Dylan smiling as they joined hands, performing their secret handshake.

"Forever" he promised wistfully, staring at his best friend. Emma turned back to the comic book, Dylan watching her eyes run over the page. Slowly he turned back to the page, the two of them reading quietly side by side.