I see the splintered wood lying on the ground. I see the torn rope. I see the rusty nails and the heavy hammers and I know what has happened. Our tree house…is gone. Some people at the party must have decided it would be fun to destroy an old, uninhabited tree house. Truth is, we haven't been up there in years, but it was still kind of...sacred in a way to our group. I feel like a chunk of my heart has been ripped out.
As the next couple weeks pass, my friends and I don't seem to be hanging out as much as usual. It might just be my nerves, but something just seems off. Whenever we start to laugh at a joke, it dies after a few seconds. We're all quieter. Even Buster and Sue Ellen seem a bit subdued at lunch time. Thing is, we don't seem sad when we're just in little pairs or anything, no, it's when we're all together, the whole gang, we get that horrible feeling again. We're starting to drift apart.
On Saturday, I get a call from Francine, asking me to meet her where the tree house used to be. I don't want to, but she said it was important, so I'm going.
When I get to the park, I see Muffy in a pair of grungy overalls. Ok, now I know something's up. She's talking to Binky, who's holding a cherry red toolbox. I see the others approaching the field, talking, or looking at blue prints. I think I know what's going on here…
"Arthur!" Francine calls. I walk over. "I – Uh, we – are so glad you could make it!"
"Arthur!" Jenna says, running up to me. Breathless, she asks me to come see what we're working on. Before I can answer, she's grabbed my hand and pulled me off to a small card table covered with papers.
"What is this?" I ask, a smile playing on my lips, for I already know.
"They're blueprints, silly!" Jenna giggles. She points to a label reading, TREE HOUSE 2.
"We're building a new tree house?" I say.
"Yes, and you're the last one to get here, so you better get to work!"
With that, I pick up a hammer and go off to join my friends. We work all day, stopping only when Bailey drops off some dinner from Quickie Chickie. It's fun to see my friends act like they were back in third grade, when our group first formed. Muffy is still acting a little snobby, but she's laughing and not afraid to get a little dirty. Buster is eating up a storm, Francine is wearing her gym clothes, and every one is happy. At one point, around ten, people all starting to nod off. In fact, Francine and I are the only ones awake. The tree house is just about done. Francine left for a couple minutes to go use the bathroom at Domino's, so that must be her I see approaching.
"Hey Arthur" That's not Francine, that's Jenna! She sounds really nervous.
"Hey," I say as she reaches me. "What's up?"
"Well," She starts twirling her hair around one finger anxiously. "There's this 9th grade dance coming up, and I was wondering if you would like to go with me. You know, like a date. I mean, as a date." She sighs. "Arthur, will you be my date to the dance?"
"Uh…" My eyes are big as saucers right now.
"Is that a yes or a no?"
"It's a no." There. I said it.
"But I thought you liked me!"
"I do like you, just not like that"
"But-but…" She stammers. "You were giving off so many signals!"
"Like what?" I ask, honestly confused.
"Walking me home! Dancing with me at the party! All that nervousness!"
I sigh. "Jenna, I walked you home to be nice because you're my friend. Ever since you've come back to Elwood City, you've been acting really different. Flirting and asking me to dances and stuff – it confuses a guy! That's why I was so nervous. Don't get me wrong! You're a great girl! It's just that I don't consider you anything more than a friend. I'm sorry." Wow, I didn't know I had that in me. Jenna is quiet for a moment, then says,
"I get it." She smiles, and then turns to gaze at the approaching figure of Francine. "And I'm pretty sure I get that too."
I blush. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Whatever. I'm going to go catch some sleep. I suggest you go talk to Francine a little." She gives me a little wave, and disappears into the night.
Francine walks up to me. We exchange greetings, and then I ask the question I've been meaning to ask for weeks.
"Francine Frensky, will you be my girlfriend?"
She is stunned. Like, jaw dropping, eyes bugging, hammer falling out of your hand stunned.
"Ouch!" I cry, hopping on one foot. A word of advice: Avoid hammers falling on your toes – it really hurts!
"Sorry!" Francine cries. "Aah! Sorry!"
"No, it's ok."
"I'm so sorry!"
"Really, it's ok." Everything's quiet, and we stare at each other in the moonlight. "So, what's your answer?"
"My answer is…" She inches a bit closer. "Yes"
Then, Francine Frensky kisses me, Arthur Read, on the lips. It's my first real kiss, and it's definitely going to always be the best.
The next day, I wake up to the sunrise, a freshly built tree house, and my girlfriend's sleeping head on my shoulder. I just sit there a while, enjoying life as it is, but Francine wakes up, and we go off to join the group. The others look up as we approach, and seem surprised at the sight of us holding hands. They don't say anything, which I'm grateful for.
As Binky hammers in the last nail, I stare up at this new tree house we all built happily, for it brought us all together again. No one says anything, but for some reason, maybe the dewy morning air, maybe the chirping of the birds, when I look around at all of my friends, I don't see teenagers, I see the little kids they were when I first met them, and the little kids they are now, and will always be. Always.