A Walk in the Woods {Short Stories and More}

Friend Needed {short story}

The first time Nathan saw his imaginary friend, she was sitting on his windowsill.

He snuck up the stairs as quietly as he could, trying to ignore the harsh whispers of his parents' fighting but also keep tabs on it so that he would know if it stopped. If they heard him.

Luckily for him, he made it successfully to his room. He eased the door open and slipped through.

And there she was. A random person in his room.

Nathan cringed in surprise and almost—almost—cried out. But he caught himself just in time and managed to stay quiet. "Who are you?" he whispered.

Her eyes, which were previously staring at Nathan's wall and its abundance of space posters, swung over to Nathan. "Hi," she said cheerfully, making no attempt to keep her voice down. "I'm Tyla."

Her lanky body hung halfway off the windowsill, and her loose shirt fluttered in the breeze from the half-open window. Had Nathan left his window open when he'd left? He didn't remember opening it in the first place.

"Hi, Tyla," Nathan said slowly, staying near the doorway in case he needed to make a quick getaway. "What are you doing in my room?"

"I'm here to keep you company, of course," she said. "We should talk Star Wars. I noticed your Star Wars Lego sets. They're really cool."

Nathan wasn't sure how to react to this girl. But she seemed innocent, and if she was here to keep him company, then maybe she was here on a playdate Nathan's mom had set up. Mom always was harping on Nathan for spending more time building Lego sets than making friends.

"Thanks," Nathan said. "I love Star Wars."

Tyla grinned. Something in that grin took away Nathan's misgivings. Tyla was here to keep him company. Even he had to admit he needed it, what with his parents always at each other's throats. Tyla would help Nathan have fun again. Be happy again.

He pulled out a box. "In fact, I just got this Bad Batch starship, and I was about to build it. Wanna help?"

"Sweet," she said, standing up from the windowsill. "And then we can send them on a daring mission. I'll be Wrecker."

Nathan grinned back at her. "I'll be Hunter," he replied.

*****

The thirty-first time Nathan saw his imaginary friend, he was in a terrible mood. Worse than the usual terrible moods.

It was official. His parents were divorced. Nathan would stay here in his house with his dad, but every other weekend he would pack up and go to his mom's new apartment two cities away. Mom was downstairs packing up the last of her things.

Nathan lay on his bed in sullen silence in his room, hating his parents and everyone else. It was a lovely March day outside, but Nathan's curtains were closed. Right now, he hated the sunshine, too.

The sound of the curtains pulling open startled him into a sitting position. "Tyla," he said, annoyed, "don't freak me out like that."

"Sorry," she said. She opened the window, too—from the inside. She hadn't gotten in that way; she just liked to feel the breeze.

Nathan lay back down. "I thought you said you wouldn't appear out of nowhere anymore," he mumbled into the covers. She usually waited in his room for him to get home from school or come up after dinner or whatever, but sometimes she would just appear.

"You need me," Tyla said simply. He heard her take a few steps closer. "I'm sorry about all this, Nathan," she said.

It was like she knew what had happened. She seemed to know a lot about Nathan's life without him telling her.