This story is written by Omnom_Sisters and GuitarKissez and is based off of multiple Taylor Swift songs such as You Belong With Me, Love Story, Mary's Song, Innocent, and Tim McGraw. Enjoy! :)
___________________________________________________________________________
~Prologue~
Mary’s POV
“Mary! Start cleaning up your play dough! You have a play date soon!” Mommy shouted from the kitchen window.
My head perked up. A play date! I dropped my play dough sculpture on the table, quickly descended the ladder and ran into the kitchen.
“A play date? With who? With who?” I asked, jumping up and down. My blond curls bounced on my little shoulders.
She chuckled, a light in her eyes brightening her stressed, flour-caked face. “Do you know the new neighbors next-door?”
“Yes,” I nodded, almost bursting with excitement.
Mommy smiled and chuckled again. She wrapped her hands around my waist and hoisted me up onto the granite counter tops. I swung my legs back and forth waiting for her response.
“They have a son whose only a couple years older than you and they’re coming later.”
“Really? When?” I leaned forward in anticipation.
“In about half an hour,” She replied, grabbing me and dropping me gently on the floor, “So that means we need to change especially since now there is flour on your butt.” I twisted my head around to see the back of my dress. Surely enough, it was powdered with white flour. Mommy slipped her hand- or more like a couple fingers- into mine and I gripped them tightly as I skipped merrily to my room.
I exited my room all dressed up in a soft pink dress with a big, puffy tutu skirt right before the doorbell rang. “They’re here! They’re here!” I shouted, dashing to the door.
Mommy was already at the door once I got to the front of the house. She was dressed in a casual, floral sundress with a leather belt buckled at her waist. The outfit was complete with her favorite pair of cowboy boots and a simple, silver heart necklace.
“You look beautiful, Mommy!” I gasped.
She let out a small chortle. “Thanks honey. You look adorable in your new dress.” With that, she opened the door to a boy a few inches taller than me flanked by his parents. He had dirty-blond hair that flopped on his forehead in the most casual way and bright blue eyes.
“Mommy, his eyes sparkle! Like...like pretty lights!” I exclaimed, gaping at his eyes.
“They do? I wanna see!” He demanded.
“Here,” I said as I grabbed his hand and dragged him to the powder room. I let go of his hand to slide the pink princess step-stool in front of the sink. He stepped onto it and peered at his reflection in the mirror. A gasp escaped his thin lips. “They do! I never noticed that!”
“Mary, honey, be polite and greet our guests.” Mommy said when she entered the powder room.
I took a few fingers of Mommy’s left hand with one hand and the boy’s hand in the other. She led me back to the foyer where Daddy was talking to the boy’s parents.
“Hello. I don’t think we’ve properly introduced ourselves. My name is Charlotte Parker. This is my husband, Mark, and my son...” Mrs. Parker got cut off.
“Tyler. Tyler John Parker.” her son interrupted.
“And you are?” Mrs. Parker asked, turning to me.
“Marideth Julianna Hawkins at your service,” I saluted.
“But you can call me Mary.” I added in a whisper.
Mrs. Parker laughed. “It’s nice to meet you, Mary.” She beamed down at me before turning to my parents. “She’s quite a character.”
“Yes. She’s a handful sometimes, but her beautiful smile and lively personality brighten my day after 8 stressful hours at work.” Mommy answered with a giggle.
“How old is she?” Mr. Parker asked.
“Just turned 5 last month,” Mommy answered.
“Wow! She’s tall for a 5-year-old. Tyler wasn’t nearly as tall as her when he was 5.” Mr. Parker gasped.
“Don’t,” Tyler whispered to his daddy, nudging him. He tried to hide behind his leg.
“Well, why don’t we show you around the house while the kids play in the backyard?” Daddy suggested.
“That sounds good.” Mrs. Parker replied.
“Come on, Tyler.” I smiled as I grabbed his hand and hauled him through the house and out the back door.
I bounded to the tree house in the middle of the grassy backyard and climbed the wooden ladder. As I glanced down, I saw Tyler at the foot of the ladder, looking up at me with fear splashed onto his round face.
“I-I-I’m scared.” he admitted in a quavering, soft voice.
I quietly laughed, trying to hide the amusement on my face. Apparently, I failed.
“Don’t laugh at me!” Tyler scowled, his eyebrows furrowed and his lips in a pout.
“Come on,”
“But I’m taller and heavier than you. I’d fall.”
“Hey! You’re not that much taller than me!” I exclaimed with a huff. I put my hands on my hips and tried to make myself look taller. “Don’t be such a baby.”
“I’m not a baby!” Tyler argued. He stomped on the muddy, patchy ground.
“Yes you are.”
“No I’m not.”
“If you’re not a baby, then why are you so scared to a climb a ladder? I was brave enough and I am younger than you.”
There was a pause as he thought. Tyler’s face was now scrunched up, making his head look even more like a circle. He huffed and cautiously climbed the ladder, taking one step at a time. Once he reached the tree house, I threw my stubby, little arms around him. “You made it! You climbed the ladder!” I exclaimed.
“See, I told you I wasn’t a baby.”
I smiled and half-laughed. “Welcome to my tree house!” I shouted, spreading my arms in a dramatic way.
“Wow! It’s huge!” he said, his eyes widening, “Is that play dough?”
He dashed to the table in the middle. It was still cluttered from when I was making my bunny. Bright yellow, plastic play dough containers were scattered across the wooden top of the table and even on the floor. Their caps were just as messy and the squishy, colorful play dough lay in chunks and pancakes everywhere.
“What is this supposed to be?” Tyler asked as he picked up my half-done bunny.
“It’s a bunny.”
“A bunny?” he raised an eyebrow and looked at it more closely, “It looks more like an elf.”
“It’s not finished.” I explained, offended.
“I bet I can make a better bunny.” Tyler challenged.
“Yeah? Let’s see!” I darted to the table and started a new play dough bunny because, frankly, the other one looked a bit lopsided.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
After half an hour of molding a bunny made of play dough, I set it on a toy plate. Tyler did the same. I looked at his blue bunny, at mine, then back to his. I was surprised his was better than mine.
I was jealous. It was so beautiful; perfect in every way. I frowned and thought of a plan to make his lose, smiling at my evil plot.
I scooted my chair back and stood up with a big grin. I made myself trip and land on his bunny, quickly standing up and dusting my shirt off. I faked a frown. Inside I was laughing my butt off.
“Sorry Tyler! I didn’t mean to! I was supposed to come over to you and say I was done with my bunny but I fell instead!” I gave a puppy dog face.
“Yeah right,” he muttered. “You could have just said it out loud.”
“I - uhh,” I paused and thought of a possible alibi, “I was going to look at your bunny too.”
I tried to change the subject. “Do you want to play in my playground?”
“Sure! Do you have a slide?” Tyler asked, putting down his bunny.
“Yes!” I replied proudly.
“Race you there!” Tyler shouted as he scurried down the ladder.
I hurried to get there before him, but I had stocky legs and a later start.
“Beat you!” Tyler sneered as he reached the swing.
“No fair.” I scowled, sticking up my chin and crossing my arms.
“So. I don’t care.” Tyler said, racing up the slide’s ladder. He threw himself down and shrieked with joy.
As soon as he started to slide down, I scampered up the ladder and slid down myself. The slight breeze picked up my hair and the bottom of the narrow slide scratched my legs, but I didn't care.
Once my feet landed on the ground at the foot of the slide with a thud, I felt something splatter on my back. I craned my neck to see what it was. Mud. A big ball of damp earth was splashed on my new dress. I was furious.
“Tyler!” I screamed, outraged.
He peered out from behind the slide, snickering. My temper bursting, I seized a handful of mud from the ground and hurled it at him, landing on his face. I couldn’t help but laugh. Once he wiped some of the muck away from his eyes, Tyler chucked another mud ball at me.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
“Mommy! Daddy! Look at me!” I yelped as I came racing into the house.
“Gosh, honey. What happened?” Mommy asked as she started wiping the mud from my face.
“You two fight like a married couple. You know, Mark, they’re gonna fall in love one day.” Daddy joked.
Mr. Parker laughed. “Bet they will.” Mommy rolled her eyes.
“Oh my,” Mrs. Parker said. She took out her camera and took a picture of us.