There's a new girl in Emma's class.
Emma doesn't notice immediately. In fact, she doesn't notice until Miss Parker has them all sit for the roll call and then calls the girl, who's been hiding behind their teacher so far, to step forward.
"Everyone, this is Taylor. She'll be joining our class from today, so let's all make her feel welcome, alright?"
Taylor, Emma immediately decides, is weird. She's more pale than anyone she's ever seen before. Like chalk. With chalk white skin and chalk-white braided hair. Like a granny! Just without all the wrinkles. And small. And with weird-colored eyes that make her feel like she's not supposed to look. One moment they're pink, then blue, and then something else.
Her skin breaks out in goosebumps when the girl looks back at her, and she ducks her head.
However, soon enough the roll call is over and they divide into their usual groups for the lessons, and Miss Parker has Taylor sit with the others, and Emma's mind focuses on more important things like getting the orange crayon this time before Steph, so she can draw some pretty patterns today to show Mom and Dad. Then she has to focus on drawing the Es and then it's her turn to feed the class guinea pig, then they have math, and by the time recess finally comes around and they can go out to the playground, she's forgotten all about the new girl.
That is, until she notices her standing off to the side of everyone all by herself, and remembers they all promised they would make friends with her. The others may be a bunch of liars but she's a good girl and good girls don't lie. Too much. When they can help it.
So, before she can think about it, Emma is already making her way to the girl whose name, she realises halfway, she can't remember. But it's too late to stop by then, because the girl notices her and it would be super awkward to turn back then to ask the others if they remember.
Only, as she gets closer the goosebumps from earlies break out again in full force, making a shiver run through her entire body and all thoughts to flee her head, so that when she stops in front of the girl and the silence starts stretching as she tries to remember what she meant to do, she says the first thing that comes to her mind instead.
"Why are you so white?"
It's fine, right? Mom says it's rude to ask people about their appearances, but she's never seen anyone like that and she really wants to know.
"Uh-" The girl's pink- bl- pink eyes veer off to the side before catching back on Emma's own, sending another shiver down her spine. "Daddy says I have al-binism."
"Is it serious?" The last time she saw grandpa he was very pale too, and then she never saw him again. And Taylor is even paler than he was back then.
"I don't think so. I was always like this."
Oh. That's good, then. Otherwise she'd have to go to hospital and hospitals are boring and smell weird and the beds there are hard, and hard to sleep in.
Ah! Now she remembers.
"I'm Emma. What's your name? I forgot."
"Taylor."
"Do you wanna play together?"
"O-okay!" Taylor stutters out, her whole face perking up.
"Then come on, let's go swing!" She grabs the girl's hand, cool in spite of the summer sun, and leads the way to the swing set. The very much already occupied swing set. But not to worry, Emma has a plan for that. If they do swing-jumping, then everyone gets a turn, and she can settle the score from the last time, too!
It doesn't take much time to convince the others. In fact, it only takes sharing her idea for a group to join the competition and even play referee. Well, with one exception.
"Mom said I shouldn't jump from swings." One of the boys whines.
To which Emma answers by calling him chicken, leaving him no choice but to play with them.
There's six of them in all and it's loads of fun swinging higher and higher to outdo each other's jumps. Hers aren't the longest, those would be Taylor's who turns out to be an amazing jumper, but just seeing the lengths to which the chalk girl goes to win their game makes Emma's stomach flip, so that's okay. On one occasion, the girl leaps forward from her near-vertical swing, makes a super long jump, and then ungracefully crashes onto the ground in a flail of boney limbs and laughter and cries of alarm from Miss Parker who breaks up the game afterward, saying they can't jump any more. Which sucks, but Emma doesn't think she can break Taylor's record without getting her dress dirty like Taylor did hers, so that's fine. She'll try again when Mom makes her wear her ugly clothes.
"Could we do merry-go-round next?" Taylor asks, all smiles and dirty dress stark against her snow-like skin and warmth in Emma's chest. It's a nice smile. Emma decides Taylor should smile more, so it's all she can do to agree even though she doesn't really like the merry-go-round. It always makes her sick.
Once again they join the other kids already using the appliance, though this time with a preliminary moment to spin just the two of them and let the rest recover to make it fair. Which is fair, seeing as Emma feels like her head is somewhere outside of her head just a short moment after they jump on board after spinning the wheel. Still, she holds out until the spinning stops, though she does have to then wait out a round while watching Taylor and the others throw themselves on the deck, with her new friend staying the longest while the losers spin those still onboard. Then, when Emma joins the game, she goes another round without even waiting, and still somehow doesn't look ill at all!
Emma manages to hold on for long enough that she falls off more than jumps out of the wheel, then falls to her knees and makes her best effort to hold the puke in without completely falling over.
"Are you okay?" She lifts her head to see Taylor by her side, the merry-go-round still spinning with two more kids on it.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," she groans, holding her head for emphasis.
"Oh?" The girl's blinks, her eyes losing focus for a moment before narrowing. "Is it serious?"
"What?"
"Do you need to see a healer?"
It's Emma's turn to stare. A healer? What?
"Oh!" Taylor exclaims. "You mean you're going to puke!" The girl's face lights up with a toothy grin as understanding dawns on her.
Emma only continues to stare, if for a slightly different reason now. She didn't notice before, but it's not just Taylor's lips that are so pale, even her gums are like chalk. She wonders if that's al- able- Taylor's sickness, too.
They wait a little so that Emma's head gets better, though it still feels like something is trying to pull her out of her head, but she doesn't fall over when she stands up, and then Taylor takes her hand again and she forgets all about that.
They slide. And they climb. And they jump. And they skip. And they play hide and seek. And then tag. And before Emma knows it, lots of time must have passed because Miss Parker announces the recess is over and it's time for lunch. So Emma invites Taylor to sit at her table with her other friends and then to her group for the lessons, and they play more during the second recess.
When Mom comes to pick her, she kinda doesn't want to leave yet, but they're having pancakes today and Mom promises her she'll see Taylor again tomorrow. So they hug, and say goodbyes, and then she's in the car, where, finally, the annoying whine in her ears stops.