Honestly, who knocks on a door for two minutes straight?
Bailey wasn’t supposed to answer it — his parents made him promise.
The knocking continued. Bailey lifted himself up off the couch and walked into the hall.
Oh, whatever. Bailey opened the door.
He was greeted by an ocean spray of dark curls, brown skin peppered with browner freckles and a brilliant smile. Bailey took a step back. What was she doing here? He hadn’t talked to her in . . . a while.
“Come with me!” Why couldn’t she ever take a hint?
“What?” It was one word, but it still stumbled out of Bailey’s mouth in a stammer. She always did this to him — everything about her made him do a double take.
She held up a jar, somehow gentle and energetic at once. Bailey leaned forward to see what was in it. “His name is Gordon.”
“What are you going to do with that?”
“I can’t keep him, silly! Let’s go!” She grabbed his hand and tugged him forward out of the doorway.
“I have to, um, lock the door.” Bailey rushed back to grab his keys. She practically bounced down the sidewalk, hair flouncing along with her. Bailey thrust his fists in his pockets and bit his lip, trying not to look as awkward as he felt.
She led him past her house and sharply off the sidewalk, into a dense thicket of trees. Bailey had to duck to avoid getting stabbed in the eye. “Vivi, where are we going? I mean, uh, can I still call you that?”
“I found this place that I think is perfect,” Vivian answered, not looking back at him. “And go ahead. I like having a nickname.”
Bailey had nothing to say to that, so he just followed her through the undergrowth, marveling at how she had ever found her way through this. There was a faint path under their shoes, and he was certain Vivi had made it.
The trees opened up. The light was brighter now, with dappled leaves giving way to unfiltered sunlight. “Wow,” Bailey breathed, as if making too loud a sound could ruin the whole thing.
“I told you it was perfect,” Vivi said, grinning excitedly. She bounded forward into the small clearing. Bailey followed cautiously. It was perfect. The sunlight flooded the tiny clearing, making the surface of the pond — puddle, really — glitter like stars somehow shining in the afternoon sky.
Why did he feel so out of place? Vivi seemed to fit better in this little clearing, just out of earshot of the rest of the world, than she did anywhere else. Seeing her next to the puddle with Gordon’s jar in her hands was the final piece of some puzzle. Vivi filled up the clearing and flooded everywhere else.
Bailey should’ve talked to her earlier.
Should’ve, because it was mid-July, and he hadn’t for three years, and now suddenly she was everywhere.
“What are you doing?” he asked, as Vivi sat against a tree, staring up at the sky. She smiled at him and patted the ground next to her.
“Gordon has to warm up before we can let him go,” she explained. He sat. He fit a little bit better with Vivi next to him.
They sat in silence, Bailey with his hands in his pockets and heart in his throat and wishing he could muster the courage to say sorry.
“It’s okay,” she said finally. Bailey was both relieved and disappointed she had spoken first.
“Not really,” he answered. “I . . . I’ve known you for too long to do that to you.”
“It’s fine, really,” Vivi insisted. “I’m not going to lie to you and say I wasn’t a little sad, but I did sort of expect it.”
Bailey swallowed the lump of shame in his throat. “I’m sorry.” Vivi just stared at him, a sad smile dancing on her lips. “It’s just,” he looked away, “you can be kind of like a little kid sometimes.”
“I know,” she said, looking up at the sky again, resting Gordon’s jar on her knees. Bailey felt his face heating up when she didn’t say anything else — he hadn’t thought it would get nearly this awkward.
“So . . . why?” Bailey asked at last. “Why talk to me now? When I didn’t?”
“Because I wanted to share this with you, of course,” Vivi said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. “Here, I think that’s good enough.” She stood up, and Bailey followed suit.
Vivi carefully nudged the jar into his hands. “What? Me?” She nodded. “But he’s yours!” Vivi just carefully, slowly, unscrewed the top.
Gordon wriggled slowly out of the jar, then rose unsteadily into the air. Bailey held his breath as the handkerchief of blue and purple unfurled with impossible elegance, then fluttered away as if carried on a breeze. He blinked and Gordon was gone.
They sat there for a little while longer, Bailey holding the jar and Vivi with the top, still and staring at the sky where Gordon had disappeared, and Bailey decided that this time would be different.
Bailey wasn’t supposed to answer it — his parents made him promise.
The knocking continued. Bailey lifted himself up off the couch and walked into the hall.
Oh, whatever. Bailey opened the door.
He was greeted by an ocean spray of dark curls, brown skin peppered with browner freckles and a brilliant smile. Bailey took a step back. What was she doing here? He hadn’t talked to her in . . . a while.
“Come with me!” Why couldn’t she ever take a hint?
“What?” It was one word, but it still stumbled out of Bailey’s mouth in a stammer. She always did this to him — everything about her made him do a double take.
She held up a jar, somehow gentle and energetic at once. Bailey leaned forward to see what was in it. “His name is Gordon.”
“What are you going to do with that?”
“I can’t keep him, silly! Let’s go!” She grabbed his hand and tugged him forward out of the doorway.
“I have to, um, lock the door.” Bailey rushed back to grab his keys. She practically bounced down the sidewalk, hair flouncing along with her. Bailey thrust his fists in his pockets and bit his lip, trying not to look as awkward as he felt.
She led him past her house and sharply off the sidewalk, into a dense thicket of trees. Bailey had to duck to avoid getting stabbed in the eye. “Vivi, where are we going? I mean, uh, can I still call you that?”
“I found this place that I think is perfect,” Vivian answered, not looking back at him. “And go ahead. I like having a nickname.”
Bailey had nothing to say to that, so he just followed her through the undergrowth, marveling at how she had ever found her way through this. There was a faint path under their shoes, and he was certain Vivi had made it.
The trees opened up. The light was brighter now, with dappled leaves giving way to unfiltered sunlight. “Wow,” Bailey breathed, as if making too loud a sound could ruin the whole thing.
“I told you it was perfect,” Vivi said, grinning excitedly. She bounded forward into the small clearing. Bailey followed cautiously. It was perfect. The sunlight flooded the tiny clearing, making the surface of the pond — puddle, really — glitter like stars somehow shining in the afternoon sky.
Why did he feel so out of place? Vivi seemed to fit better in this little clearing, just out of earshot of the rest of the world, than she did anywhere else. Seeing her next to the puddle with Gordon’s jar in her hands was the final piece of some puzzle. Vivi filled up the clearing and flooded everywhere else.
Bailey should’ve talked to her earlier.
Should’ve, because it was mid-July, and he hadn’t for three years, and now suddenly she was everywhere.
“What are you doing?” he asked, as Vivi sat against a tree, staring up at the sky. She smiled at him and patted the ground next to her.
“Gordon has to warm up before we can let him go,” she explained. He sat. He fit a little bit better with Vivi next to him.
They sat in silence, Bailey with his hands in his pockets and heart in his throat and wishing he could muster the courage to say sorry.
“It’s okay,” she said finally. Bailey was both relieved and disappointed she had spoken first.
“Not really,” he answered. “I . . . I’ve known you for too long to do that to you.”
“It’s fine, really,” Vivi insisted. “I’m not going to lie to you and say I wasn’t a little sad, but I did sort of expect it.”
Bailey swallowed the lump of shame in his throat. “I’m sorry.” Vivi just stared at him, a sad smile dancing on her lips. “It’s just,” he looked away, “you can be kind of like a little kid sometimes.”
“I know,” she said, looking up at the sky again, resting Gordon’s jar on her knees. Bailey felt his face heating up when she didn’t say anything else — he hadn’t thought it would get nearly this awkward.
“So . . . why?” Bailey asked at last. “Why talk to me now? When I didn’t?”
“Because I wanted to share this with you, of course,” Vivi said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. “Here, I think that’s good enough.” She stood up, and Bailey followed suit.
Vivi carefully nudged the jar into his hands. “What? Me?” She nodded. “But he’s yours!” Vivi just carefully, slowly, unscrewed the top.
Gordon wriggled slowly out of the jar, then rose unsteadily into the air. Bailey held his breath as the handkerchief of blue and purple unfurled with impossible elegance, then fluttered away as if carried on a breeze. He blinked and Gordon was gone.
They sat there for a little while longer, Bailey holding the jar and Vivi with the top, still and staring at the sky where Gordon had disappeared, and Bailey decided that this time would be different.