Premise:

Poppy meets a boy from next door. After many nights of exchanging notes from their windows and talking through telephone cans, they considered each other to be best friends. Until, the boy's parents dies of a car accident.

Poppy draws a heart on her paper. She wanted to give it to him, but she knew she was too shy to do it in the end. As she hummed a little song, she finally finished it and quickly ran to her window, where her friend usually was.

She slid it up open and looked through his room from whatever she could see through his window. He was sitting on his bed, hugging his knees. She smiled widely, realizing he was home.

She took a few pebbles she gathered inside a can, and threw it to the glass pane, trying to grab his attention.

"Branch!" She called, and when he looked up to her, she waved her arms around as hello. But he didn't wave back. He didn't smile back to her. He didn't run to ask what's up. Instead he drew his curtains closed, and sadly said, "Go away, Poppy."

Saddened from this new personality, she didn't bother him and sat back down on the ground. Did he hate her now? Is he bored playing with her now?

Soon, her father called her for dinner. Peppy asked her about school until he went on about the cat he found atop the neighbor's roof, but her thoughts was still about her friend next door and how he dismissed her call.

"Daddy, is Branch okay?" She asked him. Her father seemed to freeze as his eyes narrowed.

"W-what's with the sudden question?" He was looking down his plate and took a spoonful of his soup. Poppy didn't feel hungry tonight, not when Branch for the first time in their friendship, shooed her away.

"He didn't want to play with me today. Is he okay? Oh didn't you talk with his dad this morning? Was he okay too? What about his mom?"

Peppy's eyes kept moving elsewhere as he tried to find any words to say. Her questions came and all about the family next door. How Branch loves his mom and that he's worried she works too much. How his dad kept trying to find a job other than driving people around in his car. How he wants to sing their sorrows away like she does with him.

Peppy took her hand and gently squeezed it, his eyes downcast. This seemed to stop her babbling and focus herself to her father.

"Um... Poppy. Something tragic happened to Branch's parents and..." he pauses and looks up to see her confused expression. "They might... never come back."

"But they can't leave Branch. Where are they going?"

"Where they're going... Branch can't come with them, sweetheart."

She didn't understand anything. If his parents love him they'd take him with them! Branch loves them a whole lot. Couldn't they see that?

"Why not?!" Her voice was getting louder, as she stood on her chair.

"Its complicated, sweetie. Sometimes... people leave and the only thing we can do now is to remember them." She sat back down in despair. That wasn't right. It didn't sound right.

"But Branch will be lonely." She murmured, and her father couldn't take the pained expression of his daughter and hugs her.

After a while of silence, she let's go and looks up at him. "Are they going... where mommy's going too?"

Peppy had to blink his tears and nods, as the little girl's tears flowed out freely. But soon, she quickly rubbed the tears away and in determination, she ran back to her room.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to talk to Branch!" She yelled from the stairs, going up to her room to her window. Grabbing a few pebbles, she quickly threw them to his window and called him.

"Branch!"

"I said go away, Poppy!"

"But Branch I have something to tell you!" No answer. She took a few more pebbles in her can and threw them to his window without end. "Branch! Branch! Branch! Branch! Branch - " He drew his curtain, his eyes evidently red from crying.

"What?! What's so important, Poppy?"

"I wanted to tell you if you ever feel sad, talk to me."

"That's it?!

"And... I love you, Branch." His angry expression softened, shocked and confused if it was a confession or not. "If you feel ever alone remember that I love you and if I could I'd give you the biggest warmest hug!" She said with a sad but wide smile. If she could, she would sing to him everyday. If she could, she'd play with him all day.

He let out a breathy laugh, seemingly less sad than before. "You're still insane."

"Insanely pretty."

"Here." He throws an acorn in her room. She went and picked it up. She looked back at him, confused.

"What's this for?"

"Me and my dad went for a walk this morning through the woods and he gave it to me. I wanna give it to you."

"Why?"

"If you don't want it you can give it back."

"No, I do want it. Oh!" In eagerness, she supported her body by the edges of the window, half her body out just to talk to him closer. "You still have the biggest warmest hug from me!"

Branch's smile looked sad, and his eyes glossy from the tears ready to fall. "Tomorrow." He said as his voice cracked. Poppy merely smiled just as she always did, his evident sadness and look of longing ignored.

"Yes! Tomorrow! Goodnight, Branch. Tomorrow don't forget!"

"Goodnight, Poppy."

In the afternoon, when school was finally done for the day, Poppy would give him the hug she's been aching to give. Tell him how she loves playing with him and hopes he will always be her best friend. But upon arriving, no one was home. She knocked several times and called for him but with no answer. She threw pebbles to his window with no response, not even a squeak from the floorboards of his room.

His curtains were drawn but he wasn't on his bed. The poster of a comic he always read was gone and the weird stuff he had on his desk were gone too. In fact, it looked bare. Her dad bought the land as it seems. Something about how it'll help his grandmother. She didn't understand, but Branch was gone and that's that.

Before she knew it, his house was bulldozed and all there's left was a plot of land. She stood there, in the middle of the empty plot. His house was here, her memories of him were here. She still had that acorn he gave her. Without a thought, she buried it there where she stood. Hoping to bury her bad emotions along with it.

It was too painful and dull without him. Maybe he was able to go with his parents, but that also meant he was going to leave her. She didn't thought far enough and readied herself for that.

And so, she waited. Waited and waited for him to come back until the tree grew tall and its branches hit her window, tapping them like the times she'd throw pebbles on his to get his attention. Her dad said, his parents were gone like her mom but she wants to have hope. Have hope her best friend haven't forgotten her.

Hoping for him to come back so she could give him the hug he deserved.

Author's Note:

Hello there! How are you feeling?

Why does that sound like a weird creepy question - ANYWAYS, this has been in my noggin for a while and decided to post it cuz why not. I have a part 2 of this but idk if I wanna upload it yet. This book entirely will be full of oneshots because my sorry butt doesn't know how to finish them. Please leave a heart, a follow if you wanna have notifications whenever I post a new chapter, or comment your thoughts. Be it good or bad, lay it on me baby. If you have any suggestions for a story or an idea of it, you can comment or send me a private message if you're feeling shy ;)

So! See you guys on the next upload!