Ch. 5 Elementary School
(AN: This is one of those rare chapters that I DIDN'T plan, I just threw in)
Daley tossed and turned that night, haunted with dreams that had not cropped up since the early 6th grade. Memories that she had stashed away forever.
A young Daley, about 9 years old, was playing with Melissa, also 9, and Nathan, 9. There was also a little boy, almost 10, with sandy-blonde hair, short, but cute. They were laughing together and building a sand castle.
"Mellie, hand me that bucket," Daley asked.
"Sure thing," Melissa handed over a purple bucket. Daley scooped up some sand and placed it on the tallest tower of the sand castle, making it loom over Nathan's head.
"Hey! I thought I said the castle did not get taller than me!" Nathan complained.
"Sorry," Daley shrugged. Nathan was the shortest of the group, but Liam was only a half inch taller.
"It's the same height as me! It's the same height as me!" Liam laughed.
"That's not saying much. Here," Melissa tossed some sand on.
"Now it's the same height as me!" Daley laughed.
"Let's add a little more," Nathan reached up and patted some sand on.
"And now it's my height!" Melissa giggled.
They all sat back and admired their work, placing their arms around each other's shoulders.
"I can't believe we start the 4th grade tomorrow," Nathan sighed.
"I can't believe it's been six years that we've been best friends," Melissa laughed.
"Ever since preschool!" Daley nodded enthusiastically.
They all laughed and Liam nodded, "we should never break up…" but then he began coughing loudly.
"Liam, Liam, are you okay?" Daley asked as Liam fell to the ground. Melissa screamed and Nathan ran over to where the parents of all four were talking and laughing together.
"LIAM!"
Daley, now 10, walked into the hospital. It was Christmas, so everything was decorated.
Nathan ran over to greet her, "Daley! How are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm okay. Here to see Liam?" Daley asked sadly.
"Yeah. I can't believe that he… well…"
"Has cancer? Yeah. It's scary," Daley nodded.
"My mom says its Lukeem- whatsit. I don't know. She said that it's odd that we found out when he was having an asthma attack, but they found out he had weak blood and…" Nathan shrugged
"Yeah. I wish he was in school with us. It's weird not having him there. I miss him," Daley nodded.
"Come on, let's give him our gifts and wish him a Happy Chanukah," Nathan smiled, pulling out the wrapped package from behind his back.
"Yeah!" Daley showed hers and they ran through the hospital to the children's ward.
They found Liam, pale, on his hospital bed. He was reading a book, The Secret Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankenwiler, and laughing to himself.
"Hey Liam! Happy Chanukah!" Daley laughed.
"And a Merry Christmas to you guys," Liam smiled.
"Here," Nathan handed his gift as did Daley.
"Thanks you guys! Mellie already came by," Liam nodded.
"Cool. So how are you feeling?" Nathan asked.
"Okay. I could be better," Liam laughed, "obviously."
"Hey, you know what you can do for us for Christmas?" Daley began.
"Yeah?" Liam asked.
"Get better. Please," Daley begged.
Liam held her hand as well as Nathan's, "I'll try."
Melissa and Daley, now in the Fifth Grade, were walking to greet Liam a happy 11th birthday. Daley would be 11 in two weeks, Melissa in a month.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Melissa laughed as they entered. Liam was a little paler since Christmas, but not that much more.
"Thanks you guys!" Liam laughed.
"Oh and Happy Yom Kippur," Daley added.
"Not that I'm celebrating it," Liam shrugged.
"True," Melissa sighed, "now open our gifts!"
Liam did, "Aw, thanks Mellie," Liam laughed at the new book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and smiled at Daley's, a photo album of all four of them.
"Thanks you guys. You rock," Liam nodded.
Nathan came running in then, panting.
"Here- Liam- Happy- Birthday," he panted, handing him a package.
Liam tore it open, "Thanks dude!" it was a handheld video game.
"No problem. How are you feeling?"
"Okay, I guess. It's hard to tell sometimes," Liam shrugged.
"We figured," Daley rolled her eyes.
"How's my Mom doing?" he asked.
"She's a little better. Still cries though," Daley commented, she lived next to them and checked up on Mrs. Warin.
"Tell her to stop," Liam laughed.
"I already have," Daley whispered.
It was the first day of summer, and the three were coming in to visit Liam again.
"Hey Liam!" Melissa smiled at him, even though he was even paler now.
"Hey Mellie!"
"How many times do I have to tell you?" Melissa sighed, "I'm MEL now!"
"It's true," Daley nodded.
"Who cares? You're always Mellie to me," Liam shrugged.
"To me too," Nathan nodded, "but she hit me when I called her Mellie. So keep calling her Mellie, because she can't hit you!" Nathan laughed.
"Will do," Liam nodded.
"But Mellie is such a… kiddish… name!" Melissa whined.
"But it fits you better," Daley murmured, and Melissa slapped her playfully.
"It does Mellie," Liam murmured.
"Only you can call me that, then," Melissa shrugged.
"Fine," Liam rolled his eyes.
It was the middle of the summer. Poor Liam was going to Sea World thanks to the Make a Wish ™ foundation. He was taking the other three with him. Make a Wish ™
"Ooh look, there's Shamu!" Liam laughed as the orca swam in front of them.
"This is so much fun!" Melissa laughed.
"The reason why we're here isn't that much fun," Nathan murmured under his breath, and only Daley heard. She kept quiet.
"Come one guys," Melissa said after they watched Shamu for a while, "let's go swim with dolphins again!"
"YEAH!" they all laughed and ran out of the room, forgetting everything for a little while.
Liam was so pale it scared them. It was a week after his 12th birthday, and all three were there to say goodbye.
"Bye Liam," Nathan hugged the dying boy, "you rock, man. I'll miss you," Nathan sighed, a tear coming out of his eyes. Melissa and Daley were crying heavily.
"I'll miss you too, Nathan," Liam coughed and his voice was hoarse, "keep being who you are. Don't change. You rock," Liam grinned to the best of his ability, which was really a grimace.
"Bye Liam," Daley cried. She bent down and kissed his cheek.
"Bye Daley. Stay the same," Liam laughed, "you're too cool to change."
Daley smiled through her tears.
"Bye… Liam…" Melissa hiccoughed through her tears.
"Melissa, calm down," Liam laughed, "I'll miss you too. Just keep together for these bozos, all right?" he and Nathan and Daley laughed.
"I'll miss you," and Melissa leaned down and kissed him on the lips, a huge thing for a sixth grader.
"Wow…" Liam whispered, "Thanks for letting me have a real kiss before I go…"
Melissa shrugged and cried more.
"Bye Mellie," Liam smiled a little.
Melissa burst into tears, as did Daley and Nathan, and they all went into a group hug with Liam, before they left, grasping each other's hands.
When Daley got home, she crawled into her bed and cried until her tears were exhausted. The phone rang around 12 Midnight, and her dad went to get it because her mom was sick in the hospital.
"Hello? Oh no. I'll tell her," her father sounded sad.
Daley didn't need to be told. She burst into tears again, and her father came in and hugged her.
"Let's never talk about Li… Liam," Daley murmured. It was a month after Liam died, and all three were talking in the Middle School hallway.
"Yeah. Never again. Not even on his death day, or his birthday, or the anniversary of the day we found out about the cancer," Nathan nodded.
"Pact?" Melissa held out her hand. Nathan and Daley took it and they shook hands.
"Pact!" all said at once. They walked to class in silence, knowing that something had changed.
"Melissa? Nathan?" Daley approached her friends. It was after winter break, and ever since the pact had been made she had started hanging out with other girls.
"Yeah Day?" Nathan looked up from the Lego he was building, he had got it for Christmas. Melissa looked up from her book.
"I… I don't think we should hang out anymore," Daley said quietly. Melissa and Nathan stared at her for a long time.
"Why?" Melissa gasped.
"I just… something changed when… you know. And I have new friends now."
"Fine," Nathan said angrily, "go hang out with Tabitha and them. I don't care."
"Nathan!" Daley sighed as Nathan stalked out of the room.
"Sorry Daley," Melissa shrugged, crying a little, and left after Nathan.
Daley had an empty feeling in her stomach that she didn't know how to fill again.
Daley woke up from her memory dreams, and sighed. She hadn't realized it, but while they were on the island, more specifically when she and Nathan and Melissa were friends again, that empty feeling had left. She hadn't noticed because it had been such a part of her.
Daley rolled over, slammed the snooze button on her alarm clock, and went downstairs for breakfast.
(1, 528 Words) I had a friend named Liam, who I met though a charity program at my church, when he was already really sick with Leukemia. He was Jewish, but I signed up to help him anyway. He died in October of 2004. The last name this Liam has isn't the same as my Liam, not even close. This particular chapter is dedicated to him. (Liam - if you know his last name you'll know how to find me- from 1993 to 2004)
