It was the warmest day Detroit had seen all year and the three Taylor
boys- Brad, the eldest at nine, Randy, the middle son of eight, and Mark,
the youngest was just six- were taking full advantage of it by playing
outside in their backyard. Brad and Randy were, as usual, torturing Mark.
"Come on Mark, it's not that high!" Brad provoked him. This time, they were trying to get Mark to climb up the tree and jump down from the highest branch in order to 'prove himself as a man.'
"Yes it is!" Mark fought back.
"Fine, then we have to hold you up by your ankles." Randy retaliated.
"Again?" Mark sighed.
"Yep, it's the only other thing that can prove you." Brad started going along with Randy's idea. "And we get to keep whatever falls out of your pockets." He added. With that, the two grabbed Mark's ankles and turned him upside-down with his face only inches from the ground. A dime and a piece of bubble gum fell out onto the ground.
"Marky!" Came the shrieking shouts of a small girl from behind them. Brad and Randy let Mark's ankles slip and he fell to the ground in a heap letting out a soft "Ow!" when he landed. They all turned and saw a scared looking six year old girl in blonde pigtails and a purple dress.
"Hey Kami." Brad smirked.
"Leave Marky alone!" She yelled.
"Aw, what's the matter? Marky can't stand up for himself? He needs his dorky GIRLFRIEND to do it for him?" Randy teased.
"Shut up Randy, she's not my girlfriend." Mark protested.
"I'm not?" Kamaria asked with tears forming in her eyes. She turned and ran off crying.
"Kami! Wait!" Mark cried running after her. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Hey Kami! Kami wait up!" Mark Taylor, now nine ran to catch up to his best friend as she made her way down the block after school.
"Hey Mark, what's up?" Kamaria asked as Mark slowed his pace and walked along beside her.
"Nothing, I was just wondering if you finished that worksheet on nouns that's due today."
"Yea, and yes you can copy it." She smiled at him knowingly.
"Thanks, I owe you one." He laughed as he put his arm over her shoulders. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Merry Christmas Mark." Kami said shyly as she handed him a box wrapped in metallic green paper with a gold bow on the top. They were both 12 years old now.
"Thanks Kami." He gently opened it ripping as little of the wrapping as he could. Inside the box was the new Zombie Sneak Attack video game Mark had been begging his parents for. "Holy cow! Kami, thank you so much!" Mark hugged her tightly, then, he turned and grabbed her present off the table. "Um, I got this for you." He said handing her the small purple gift bag with his head down. She eagerly took it and pulled out the small jewelry box. In it was a purple heart charm on a gold chain.
"Marky!" She gasped, "I love it."
"Hey Mark, you're standing under the mistletoe." Randy laughed as he walked by. Mark and Kamaria looked at each other for a moment then suddenly Kami leaned in and pecked him on the lips then ran off embarrassed. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Just four months later, Kami had to break the bad news to her best friend.
"You said you had to tell me something and you sounded sad on the phone, are you okay?" Mark asked concerned.
"Not really, Mark we're moving."
"What?" Mark asked stunned. "When? Where?" He asked after a few moments.
"End of next week, and New York City." She answered him sadly as she held onto her purple heart.
"New York City?" Mark asked stunned.
"Yea, I know. My dad got relocated." Kami explained.
"What am I going to do without you, you're my best friend." Mark sighed almost wanting to cry but holding it back. Kami, however, wasn't able to and a stray tear rolled down her cheek.
"I'm gonna miss you so much!" Kami threw her arms around him.
"Come on Mark, it's not that high!" Brad provoked him. This time, they were trying to get Mark to climb up the tree and jump down from the highest branch in order to 'prove himself as a man.'
"Yes it is!" Mark fought back.
"Fine, then we have to hold you up by your ankles." Randy retaliated.
"Again?" Mark sighed.
"Yep, it's the only other thing that can prove you." Brad started going along with Randy's idea. "And we get to keep whatever falls out of your pockets." He added. With that, the two grabbed Mark's ankles and turned him upside-down with his face only inches from the ground. A dime and a piece of bubble gum fell out onto the ground.
"Marky!" Came the shrieking shouts of a small girl from behind them. Brad and Randy let Mark's ankles slip and he fell to the ground in a heap letting out a soft "Ow!" when he landed. They all turned and saw a scared looking six year old girl in blonde pigtails and a purple dress.
"Hey Kami." Brad smirked.
"Leave Marky alone!" She yelled.
"Aw, what's the matter? Marky can't stand up for himself? He needs his dorky GIRLFRIEND to do it for him?" Randy teased.
"Shut up Randy, she's not my girlfriend." Mark protested.
"I'm not?" Kamaria asked with tears forming in her eyes. She turned and ran off crying.
"Kami! Wait!" Mark cried running after her. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Hey Kami! Kami wait up!" Mark Taylor, now nine ran to catch up to his best friend as she made her way down the block after school.
"Hey Mark, what's up?" Kamaria asked as Mark slowed his pace and walked along beside her.
"Nothing, I was just wondering if you finished that worksheet on nouns that's due today."
"Yea, and yes you can copy it." She smiled at him knowingly.
"Thanks, I owe you one." He laughed as he put his arm over her shoulders. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Merry Christmas Mark." Kami said shyly as she handed him a box wrapped in metallic green paper with a gold bow on the top. They were both 12 years old now.
"Thanks Kami." He gently opened it ripping as little of the wrapping as he could. Inside the box was the new Zombie Sneak Attack video game Mark had been begging his parents for. "Holy cow! Kami, thank you so much!" Mark hugged her tightly, then, he turned and grabbed her present off the table. "Um, I got this for you." He said handing her the small purple gift bag with his head down. She eagerly took it and pulled out the small jewelry box. In it was a purple heart charm on a gold chain.
"Marky!" She gasped, "I love it."
"Hey Mark, you're standing under the mistletoe." Randy laughed as he walked by. Mark and Kamaria looked at each other for a moment then suddenly Kami leaned in and pecked him on the lips then ran off embarrassed. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Just four months later, Kami had to break the bad news to her best friend.
"You said you had to tell me something and you sounded sad on the phone, are you okay?" Mark asked concerned.
"Not really, Mark we're moving."
"What?" Mark asked stunned. "When? Where?" He asked after a few moments.
"End of next week, and New York City." She answered him sadly as she held onto her purple heart.
"New York City?" Mark asked stunned.
"Yea, I know. My dad got relocated." Kami explained.
"What am I going to do without you, you're my best friend." Mark sighed almost wanting to cry but holding it back. Kami, however, wasn't able to and a stray tear rolled down her cheek.
"I'm gonna miss you so much!" Kami threw her arms around him.