I heard,  balls bouncing, kids screaming and my friend, my best friend chit chatting about something. I looked across the playground and two kids were swinging on the monkey bars. I glanced at my friend, she had a big smile on her face. I was thinking about my dad. Back at the house he was probably sitting in his favorite chair thinking about my mom. She was in the hospital with a broken femur.  

“So what do you think?” she asked. 

I looked at her. I was not listening. I was too distracted. 

“Umm… what did you say?” I asked. 

“I said… what do you think about having a sleepover at your house!” she repeated. 

“Umm, sorry…” 

I hadn’t told Ember about my mom and why she was in the hospital. It has been busy at home. My grandma was there to help at home,m with cooking and cleaning and for support. My dad was in Reno helping my mom. 

“My family, ummm… a bit busy this afternoon, we’re… visiting my grandparents!” I lied. 

“Ohhh okay, maybe some other time.” Ember said sadly. 

We were playing on the monkey bars, swinging back and forth, doing tricks. This was one of my favorite things to do at recess. I jumped onto the bars, and swung back and forth. Then I hooked My legs into the bar and hung upside down, Ember joined me, we giggled for a while looking at our hair, and how funny it looked. 

“Okay …” 

“DING DONG!” 

“I gotta go!” I sprinted off the playground.

Inside class the kids were excited we were about to start an art project. Ember was sitting across the room and I never looked at her but I could feel her eyes on me. I knew she was wondering what’s up with me, but  I didn’t want to tell. 

“Ding ding,” My teacher rang a bell to get our attention.     

“How was recess?” she asked. 

Many kids shouted: awesome, fun, exciting! But I didn’t shout anything. I looked to my right, and then to my left. Two of my friends were sitting next to me, looking very concerned. Isla was small, she had short brown hair tucked into little braids, she was wearing a green tank top with shorts. She had one of those faces that could cheer you up just by looking at her. My other friend sitting on my right, her name is Ruby. Ruby was wearing a blue dress with purple and pink flowers. She had blonde hair that’s shoulder length and put into a bun. They were both looking at me. 

“Hey,” Isla said, “are you okay?” 

“Umm… not really,” I admitted softley. 

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Ruby asked. 

“Well, it’s hard to explain, but one of my friends is… well, being… difficult.” 

“Ohhh, which friend?”Isla asked. 

“My friend, Ember.” 

“Okay, do you want to play with us during recess?” Ruby asked. 

“Yeah that sounds fun! Maybe I could invite Ember?” I suggested. 

“Okay let’s do that!” I cheered. 

I perked up, even though I was in a bad mood, I decided to be positive the rest of the afternoon, even if things got worse. I was worried Ember would find out that I had been lying to her. I just didn’t want her to worry, she was such a good friend, my best friend! 

I was in the hall walking with Ruby and Isla, we were talking about our favorite things, like ice cream flavors, and animals. I heard footsteps behind me and knew it was Ember. 

“Where are you going?” she asked. 

I turned around, held back an eye roll, knowing this was going to turn into a big fight. I knew Ember was worried about me, but this wasn’t about what I had said, or what she had. She was always bossing me around, always making decisions for me, and not letting me play with anyone else. Or make new friends. I know Ember was doing that out of love but it annoyed me and was getting on my nerves. 

“We’re gonna play jump rope. I snapped. Want to join?” I offered. 

“Can we talk? she said. 

“Yes, I’ll meet you out there!” I said to Isla and Ruby. 

“Ellery, what’s up,why are you ignoring me?” 

I guess I didn’t realize, I was so caught up in what I thought Ember was doing to me. I didn’t realize how she was feeling. 

“I’m not just…”  

She cut me off. 

“Just what!!!! What are you hiding from me!!! I know something is up!!! She yelled. 

I  was always an emotional person so I cried. Tears streamed down my face. Something boiled inside me. Like a volcano ready to explode. 

“YOU DON’T GET IT!!!! YOU DON’T KNOW, LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!” I shouted. 

Her face went pink, tears went down her face. A voice screamed inside my head. Why, why did you do that???? I wanted to run away from her. She had done nothing wrong, this wasn’t even about her. My Mom was… I was scared, and worried about my mom, she had a broken leg. My family was falling apart and I was taking it out on my best friend! I couldn’t believe myself. I cried and cried. And sobbed. Gasping for air. 

And Ember forgot her frustration. She sat down and hugged me. She forgot about what had just happened and sat there comforting me. 

“Hey, we’ll figure this out! I know we will.” She said her voice was soft, and sweet. 

We sat there, two seven year old girls. Crying together in a hallway. Both mad at each other. Both frustrated. Yet both became stronger together. And I hope to learn from this experience. To have more experiences like this at ACMS. And I hope in middle school to always have true friends by my side. I hope to make new friends. There was more to this story, and Ember and I had a rough patch but still continue to be friends. I continue to make new friends every day, and I will rely on my true friends to help me, to laugh with and to love.