Nine years old
"OW!" I tried not to cry. "Ow, ow, owww!"
"Oh, Lana! Are you okay?" Rani asked, rushing over. Despite last years'...events...Rani still considered me to be a friend, which is why I invited her to my ninth birthday party, at the gymnastics gym. Which was apparently turning out to be a mistake. The gym, not the company.
I grimaced. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just hit my head on the balance beam when I fell."
Rani winced. "Oof, I'm sorry. Do you need some ice?"
I shook my head. "Sessile's getting it."
Rani looked confused. "But you only just got hurt. When did you ask Sessile to get ice for you?" She looked a little jealous, and for a moment I felt sorry that she didn't have a best friend. Then I remembered she was the most popular girl in the school, and she had plenty of friends.
"Yeah, I saw Sessile heading to the office, and she was right next to me when I got hurt, so I'm pretty sure she's getting ice."
I pointed to the gymnastics office, and sure enough, Sessile was struggling to hold the biggest ice pack I'd ever seen.
She plopped it down on my head, releasing a breath, and I grinned, even though it hurt. "Thanks, Sesame."
Sessile rolled her shoulders back and muttered "Best friends are so much work."
Rani, the snitch, apparently thought I didn't hear what Sessile had said, so she smugly turned to me and tattled, "Sessile said that best friends are-"
"So much work, I know," I cut her off with a smile. "It's basically our motto."
Rani looked perplexed. Honestly, you'd think she'd be used to our weirdness by now.
Rani and Sessile absolutely despised each other. I'm pretty sure that's the only reason I still tolerate Rani, for the hilarious entertainment between those two.
When Rani turned her back, Sessile stuck out her tongue at the glossy-haired girl and mouthed, "'Sessile said best friends are so much work,' nanananaNA."
I tried to hold in my giggle, but Sessile's face was too funny.
I had turned nine years old the day before, and for my birthday party, I really wanted it at a gymnastics gym. Sessile and I have been doing gymnastics since we were six, and we both STINK at it. It's so much fun, though, bouncing around and flipping in the air, learning the perfect moves that will help us break into people's houses when we're older...
I had invited Sessile, Rani, Riley, who had improved in the annoying department, Mila, and Jordyn to my birthday party, and my head injury was, surprisingly, the first injury of the day.
We've only been here for five minutes, but whatever.
I jumped back on the balance beam. "Okay, let's try that handstand with one hand again."
Sessile looked worried. "You just got hurt. Isn't this dangerous?"
We stared at each other and burst out laughing before Sessile joined me on the balance beam parallel to mine.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Rani whispering something to Riley, which only made me laugh harder.
About an hour later, when Sessile and I were laughing so hard we could hardly see, my mom called, "Cake time!"
Everyone jumped up and ran to the table except me and Sessile, who climbed back onto the beam.
"Come on, Lans, don't you want cake?" My dad shouted across the gym.
Sessile and I called back, "Call us when the bagels are ready!" before falling off the beam again and hitting our heads.
