Day Twelve: Best Friends/Secret Admirer

James has never had a best friend like Juliet.

She lets him play with all her toys, and invites him over to her house to swim in her pool. Her mama doesn't even make them wait 30 minutes after eating before they jump in, and James can't help but think that's super lucky.

Juliet's lucky in a lot of ways, James figures.

Her big sister Rachel brought them popsicles one afternoon. She said, "I'm going to Danny's. Tell on me, and you're dead."

Juliet took the popsicles without complaint, and they nodded wordlessly as the agreement was made. Juliet didn't even roll her eyes. James wondered if Rachel bossed her around like that a lot, or if she just knew the price for Juliet's secrecy.

(He liked being included on the secrets. It felt like he was being trusted, too.)

So now, he and Juliet were content to eat their freeze pops by the pool, lounging in the summer sun. They'd be going back to school soon. James hoped more than anything they'd be in the same class. He didn't know what he'd do if they weren't.

"I can always get us more, if you want," Juliet said, and James squinted his eyes to look over at her. Her lips were purple from the grape treat.

"Then why'd she bring us some?"

Juliet shrugged. "It's like a promise," she explained. "She's giving me something, I'm giving her something."

"Yeah, but why not bring ya somethin' ya can't get on your own?"

Juliet grinned, and he noticed for maybe the hundredth time that day that there was a gap where one of her front teeth were supposed to be. He wanted to stick his finger in there, but he didn't. She wouldn't like that.

"Because. It's about trust."

He thought that was a smart thing for an eight year old to say. He was nine, and he wasn't sure he'd ever be as smart as her.

He nodded, pretending like he understood.

"She just knows to give me what I want, so I give her what she wants," she tried explaining again, and started kicking her feet slowly through the water. The sloshing was a comforting sound to James. He always loved water.

"What else do you want?" he asked, and then suddenly regretted it. He sucked some of the juice out of his freeze pop and looked down at the water, hoping his cheeks weren't red.

Juliet sighed, and leaned back on her hands. She looked up at the blue sky, her curly blonde hair beginning to frizz at the edges as it dried.

"I wanna be best friends forever," she said, grinning toothily. Then she shot him a sideways look. "What about you?"

James thought about the ache in his tummy whenever he saw her. How he wished he could spend all his time with her, and missed her when she wasn't around. How he'd do anything for her, stand up to anyone who made her feel sad.

"I want that, too," he mumbled, almost too scared to say it out loud.

Juliet giggled. "Then that's what we'll do!" She drank the rest of the grape liquid from her freeze pop and tossed the plastic further away on the concrete. She slid out of the pool and stood on the edge, offering a hand down to him.

He took it, and tossed his plastic over by hers. He stood on wobbly, nervous legs, his hand in hers. They weren't wobbly until she'd touched him.

"Cannonballs on three?" she whispered excitedly, and raised her eyebrows expectantly.

He'd do anything she wanted.

"1… 2… 3!" he counted for them, and hand in hand, squeals erupting into the summer afternoon, they jumped.

James wasn't sure he'd ever had a better day.

He'd certainly never had a better friend.