Some people wait their whole lives to find the perfect friend.
But not Isabella Washington.
She knew she'd be best friends with Aiden Cunningham the moment she set eyes on him. But staying friends through school is easy. It's what comes after that c...
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Aiden was in a state that made Isabella's heart hurt.
He was in his hospital gown, lying in bed with an IV stuck in his arm, wires on his body, and a nasal cannula in his nose. His skin was pale.
He didn't notice their presence as he stared at the ceiling, so the doctor knocked lightly on the door, and it got his attention. He turned his head towards the door and raised his brows, his eyes painted with sadness.
"Oh, honey." Nicole rushed over and hugged him while Aiden tried to wrap his arm around her.
"I'm sorry," Aiden mumbled into Nicole's shoulder as she held him, sniffling.
"Don't apologize. I'm just happy I get to see your face." Nicole pulled away and held his cheek, smiling with relief.
"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to check on another patient and I'll be back later," Doctor Anderson announced to everyone with a sad smile before leaving the room. Once she was gone, Isabella stood by the door watching Aiden and Nicole, with hard looks on their faces.
"Did she tell you?" Aiden muttered.
"Yeah, she did," Nicole murmured.
Isabella stopped listening to their conversation, lowering her head in deep thought. She was thinking about the memories she had with Aiden. She remembered herself with him back in fifth grade when they were at recess, and they talked in a little corner they'd found on the first day of school.
꧁ ༄ ꧂
Aiden and Isabella sat on a bench, their legs crossed and facing each other. They'd always done this for recess ever since their first week of school. It was nice to have their own little spot so they wouldn't have to get involved with other children. Both of them knew when they needed to get back to their classroom so they wouldn't get in trouble.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Aiden asked.
"Yes, I'm sure. Now hurry up already." Isabella giggled.
"But I've never done this before."
"Aiden, it's just the cheek," she said, pointing at her cheek.
"Come on, what's going to happen when you spend time with a girl and you want to make the first move?"
"But I don't want to do this with any girl," he whined. "I want to do it with someone special."
"Ugh! You're no fun." She pouted.
She moved closer to Aiden so their knees touched. "How about this? Pretend I'm the boy and you're the girl."
"Ew, no!"
"Just do it!" Isabella scolded.
Aiden huffed and rolled his eyes, not saying another word.
