The Sun by Marylinn S. Grimm

 – …Can you even believe it, Cami?

August. Just one single month, and I’ll be in Vancouver! Like, imagine: that entire floor I showed you in the photos – all mine. The bedroom, the bathroom, the whole deal. I mean, sure, I do have my own bathroom here too, but it’s so… cramped, you know? I can’t wait to start decorating my new room. Oh goodness, and the school… Are you even listening to me?

– Huh?.. Oh, yeah, of course. I just… got a bit distracted. Remembered us running around here when we were little. Playing games and stuff. Anyway, what were you saying?

– Ah, I was talking about school. Mom says I’ll be celebrating graduation at the new one, since there’s no point in staying here for another year.

– So… remind me again, why are you leaving?

– Mom keeps saying it’ll be better for me there. I mean, seriously, Cami, what do I do in the suburbs? You know, at that school, I’m definitely gonna meet some cool guys. Mom said they don’t just let anyone in – can you imagine the kinds of friends I’ll make there?

– She’s saving you from my influence, huh? Too much of a bad crowd.

– What? Nooo, oh my God, she never said that. It’s just, come on, it’s Vancouver. She’s always wanted the best for me, ever since she dumped my daddy. And Sam. And Josh, and what’s-his-name… Whatever, not the point. By the waaay, speaking of dads, how’s yours? Everything okay? You guys aren’t fighting?

– Uh… No, no, everything’s fine. He’s… clean, for now. Yesterday we talked about… this… year. He let me throw away the empty bottles and clean up his room, so… that’s a win, heh. I turned the empties in for twenty bucks, so we’ll be able to–

– Well that’s awesome that everything’s good! Ugh, Cami… You know, I was just thinking – you’ll call me, right? Once I leave. Because I’ll be waiting for you to call.

– Sun, I… I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can. Jasper claims there’s no work for me yet, so I probably won’t be able to buy a cell until Christmas. And even then, only if I find a second job on top of everything, ha-ha.

– Right… Your dad never got your old phone back?

– Things rarely make it back from the pawnshop.

– Ohhh, I see… You’re not crying over there, are you? You kinda turned away. I knooow you, Camilla, don’t hide your face.

– I’m okay. Really.

– Aww, did you get upset? Hey, don’t worry so much, we’ll see each other again! We’ll hang out just like when we were kids, paint each other’s nails, gossip about stuff…

– Yeah… yeah. I guess we will. Someday. Sun, I’m not upset, it’s fine. I’m just looking at the daisies.

– The… daisies? There are daisies here?..

– Yeah. Right over there, see? Those little gray stubs by our old swing.

– Ew, they look kinda gross. Are you sure those are daisies?..

– Well, at least they were supposed to be, back when they were… growing. I guess they just grew up in the wrong place. Almost always in the shade. The sun wasn’t there for long, and when the neighbor kids destroyed the swing, the wreckage blocked the light completely. The sun moved on; it couldn’t help anymore anyway. So the flowers died. No one would even be able to tell they used to be flowers anymore – unless somebody remembers them from when they first showed up.

– …Makes sense… Yeah… So, um, Cami, you’re definitely not mad at me for leaving, right? We’ll see each other again, a hundred percent.

– Everything’s fine, Sun. I’m happy for you.

– Promise? You’re gonna be totally okay, right?