With This Pen and Paper

6

The first few weeks of school went by in a blur. I was busy taking my summer classes and starting work in the library. I felt as though I had stepped into an alternate reality and i wanted to go home.
I had tried to write home at least once a week but every Time I wrote a letter I would begin to think of how everyone at home would react so I would find myself having to rewrite the letter and sending something that just wasn't anywhere near the truth but it was enough to give them some piece of mind.
I had been mostly keeping to myself during the classes. There weren't that many people enrolled in the summer classes and most of them seemed to already know each other so there wasn't much choice of friendship. I spent most of my free time in the court yard soaking up the sun. I had really been wishing that I had stayed at home for the summer and spent some more time with Simon. I felt extremely guilty about leaving him behind.
It was late one Tuesday afternoon when I got a letter from home. It was from grandma, they usually were. She gave me updates on the farm and grandpa and Simon. That part of of the letter was pretty normal it was the next part of the letter that changed me.
I ran into Elizabeth Davidson, Elijah's mother, in town the other day. She asked about you. I think that she wished that Elijah was where you are. She said Elijah asked if you had left for school yet in his last letter. I think he misses you. Maybe you should write to him? Just in case you wanted to I asked her how you would get a letter to him if you did want to write to him.
And just like that, with a tiny section of a letter, Elijah Davidson had filled my mind. I had no idea what I could've had to say to him that would compare to anything he was going through. My life so far away from him seemed so inconsequential. I wondered if a letter would even get to him or if he would even want to hear from me.
What was the harm in writing to him? We had been best friends after all. Even if I didn't hear back at least I had tried.
I had decided in that moment that I would write to Elijah, it would've been nice to know that he was okay.