10 years ago
"Mommy, daddy!" A six year old Dinah said as she and a six year old Rick ran up to their parents.
"What baby?" Dinah's mother asked.
"Come see what Rick and I made." Dinah replied as she pulled on her parents' hands, Rick doing the same with his parents.
"Okay, okay."
"We made a fort." Rick said with a smile as the entered the Tyler's living room.
"That's a really nice fort kids." Rex said.
"Come inside guys." Dinah said as her and Rick climbed in.
The four adults chuckled as they tried to crawl into the fort.
A few days later, Dinah sat on her bed crying when a six year old Cameron entered her room.
"Hi Dinah."
"Cameron, my mommy's gone." Dinah choked out.
"I know. I made you a picture to cheer you up." Cameron replied, handing her a picture of a flower. "It's my mom's favorite flower in her garden."
"I remember that flower. It smelled really good." Dinah said, sniffling as she wiped away her tears.
The two sat in silence until Dinah interrupted it.
"It's hard without a mommy."
"I'm really sorry."
There was another knock at the door as Rick appeared.
"Rick." Dinah said.
"Hi Dinah. Hi Cameron. My parents and I came by to say sorry about your mom. They needed to talk to your dad about something first so they told me to come up."
Rick went over and gave Dinah a hug.
"I'm going to go. My dad is waiting outside for me. I just wanted to give you the picture. Bye Dinah. Bye Rick."
"Bye Cameron." Dinah and Rick replied.
Rick and Dinah sat in silence for a moment.
"Rick, promise me you won't leave me too." Dinah whispered holding out her pinky finger.
"I promise." Rick said interlocking his pinky with hers.
One year later
"Dinah we need to go over to Rick's." Dinah's father said as he rushed into her bedroom.
"Why?"
"Something bad happened. His parents died in an accident."
"What?" Dinah responded, tears in her eyes as she thought about her best friend's parents, who were like second parents to her, being dead.
"Come on."
As soon as they got to his house, they knocked on the door, only to be greeted by Rick's uncle.
"Matt what are you doing here?" Dinah's father asked.
"I'm here to take care of the stupid kid. I can't believe my sister got wrapped up in your's and Rex's mess Larry."
"I'm really sorry with what happened Matt. Wendi and Rex were really good friends of mine and my wife's."
Matt let out a sarcastic chuckle. "I bet you are." Matt got closer to Larry as he snarled. "I don't want you or your kid on my property ever again. And I don't want either of you near Rick. Understood?"
"I understand Matt. We don't want trouble."
"That's ironic considering trouble follows wherever you go."
"Come on Dinah let's go."
"What about Rick?"
"We're going to give Rick some space right now so he can have some time to be sad. You needed time to be sad when your mother died and he needs a lot of time because he lost his mom and his dad."
"Okay." Dinah replied sadly, worried about her friend.