MelovePezberry: And you shall have more of this story.
Asmamaster1: Thank you for reading.
AMCGL7: I'm sure Frankie would love to hear she's the sidekick (of course tell her it's for Bianca, and she might actually be really happy about it.). Yep, these two have a different set of upbringings. Could be interesting. Adventures? Maybe. Guess we'll have to see.
"Frankie, you're doing very well."
"Hmmm?" Frankie hummed lightly. Her tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth as she painstakingly drew out the E in Stone. She was laid out on her stomach, a stick in her hand. She finished writing her name in the dirt, the jumble of letters just below the alphabet Bianca had taught her. It had been two weeks since they had started their little get-togethers that had turned into mini-teaching sessions with fun interspersed.
"I said you are doing very well." Bianca spoke again. She was perched on the log, a book open in her lap. She had been alternating between reading and correcting Frankie's handwriting.
"Oh, thank you." Frankie gave her work a once over before sitting up. She spun to face Bianca and wiped the dirt from her shirt, an accomplished smile on her face. "Ain't nothin' to it. Bet I become one of those writers you like before ya know it."
Bianca closed her book and stood up, smoothing out the skirt of her dress. She moved to sit next to Frankie, who stopped her, "Wait." The blonde tugged off her vest and laid it out on the ground, "Don't want that pretty dress gettin' dirty."
The edges of Bianca's mouth curved up and she used the dirt marred offered hand for leverage as she plopped down on the vest. "Thank you, Frankie. That was very thoughtful of you."
"I guess." Frankie shrugged it off and picked up the stick. She pointed it at the words, "Better everyday."
Bianca had to agree with her. The blonde had been trying her hardest. Bianca knew it more than likely wasn't easy for her friend. But, Bianca kept showing her the best she could, and the blonde followed along. Of course, the penmanship wasn't improving it seemed. The girl could only giggle at the crude lines that somehow formed the letters Frankie had wanted to make.
"What's so funny?"
Bianca could only shake her head, "We need to put more time into your penmanship."
"My what?"
"How you form the letters."
Frankie looked over her work again. She couldn't see anything wrong with it. It looked fine to her. "They look formed to me."
Bianca smiled at the proud look on Frankie's face. When the blonde turned her head back to face her, she shyly ducked her head down to hide her grin. She carefully opened her book, "Would you like to try reading some more?"
Frankie watched her flip the pages back to near the beginning, "But, you're farther than that."
"I can read it again." An encouraging glance.
Frankie rubbed her ear and licked her lips. A look of determination overtook her small features, and she nodded firmly. She scooted closer to the other girl and peered down at the black print.
"Why don't we start here?" Bianca pointed at the top of one of the pages.
Frankie let her eyes follow the knowing finger. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to properly form the words before saying them. After a few moments, she haltingly began to read. "I do not…know w-where Kansas is, for I have never heard that…country m-mention-ed before. But…tell me, is it a…"
"Civilized." Bianca read for her. Her eyes darted back and forth between the words and Frankie's face, screwed up in concentration.
"Civilized country." Frankie finished the sentence. She exhaled loudly, indicating the strain she had just gone through.
"Very good, Frankie. That was swell." Bianca congratulated her.
Frankie looked away at her words and ran a hand through the dirt. "Thanks." She paused for a few seconds, collecting her thoughts. "Ya know, you've been real nice teachin' me and all."
Bianca bit her lip, "I like it. I like spending time with you, and you are getting better everyday."
"You like this book stuff a whole bunch."
Bianca's head moved up and down, "I do. I love to read. There are so many wonderful adventures in books. I am going to go on them when I get older. My father…" her voice left her as she thought of her late father.
Frankie's hazel orbs ticked up at the sudden stop. She frowned. Bianca's face had taken on a sad hue, her lips trembling slightly. Her eyelashes fell and rose rapidly over her brown eyes, and a sheen of water covered them.
"My father would read with me. He liked books, too. We would talk about them all the time."
Frankie's eyes narrowed. She could hear the sorrow in her friend's voice. "You…you said your pop gave ya that locket, right?"
Bianca brought a hand up to the heart shaped pendant at the base of her neck, "Yes, he did. He was a great man."
Frankie stayed quiet.
"He…he was my best friend. He and my sister. He" Bianca choked lightly, "died. He was sick." Tear-filled eyes locked on the ground, "I miss him so much."
Frankie sat still. She didn't know what to do. Bianca's broken sniffles caused her belly to clench tightly. Slowly, she raised one awkward arm and rested it across the brunette's shoulders. "Don't cry, Bianca. It ain't no use crying."
"I miss him. I want my daddy back." Bianca whispered through silent sobs.
"Sure ya do. But, I bet he wouldn't want ya crying like this. He'd want ya to be happy." Frankie bent her head in search of brown eyes, "What was he like?"
"He…he was a good person. He loved to read. He would buy me books." Bianca leaned her head against Frankie's shoulder, finding comfort in the scratchy material of her white shirt. "He would take me around the city a lot. He liked to talk to people, and he had a lot of friends. Everyone liked him."
"Sounds like a swell guy."
"He was. I was so scared when I lost the locket. It has our pictures in it, see." Bianca fumbled with the locket, snapping it open.
Black and white faces stared up at Frankie. She'd never seen a picture of someone she knew before. It looked just like Bianca. The man must have been her father. He did look nice. Bianca's hand shook, and tears rolled down her face. Frankie stiffened at the sight. She didn't know much, but she knew she did not like seeing Bianca cry.
"Don't do that. It'll be fine. You'll see." She clumsily wiped at the tears, streaking dirt across Bianca's cheeks.
Bianca stared at her father's picture. She missed him so much it ached inside. But, it was strange. When she was with Frankie, it didn't hurt as much. The other girl made her think about other things than her daddy's death. When they were together reading, talking, or playing the world took on a form it had not held for quite some time. Everything seemed normal. Her life had not turned upside down. She did not feel as if she had been thrown into the ocean. She felt like she had made a new friend. That someone else finally understood her.
Frankie was getting nervous as Bianca stayed silent. She mentally cursed herself for making it worse. She desperately tried to swipe the dirt she had left on Bianca's face, but it only got worse.
Bianca pressed her cheek against Frankie's shirt, halting the blonde's unsuccessful attempts at cleaning the muddy streaks. She peered up with hopeful eyes, "Frankie?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you my friend?"
Frankie's face twisted in bewilderment, "You wanna be my friend?"
"Yes."
"Well, then I guess I am."
A grin worked it's way across Bianca's face, it's match following on Frankie's.
