age 10
Liz watched as Luke peeked through the cracks in the fence.
The blonde boy had tears falling from his eyes as he watched Michael play with all of his other friends.
Michael had a trampoline now. He always told Luke he wanted one, and last November, Luke wrote a letter to Santa, asking if he would bring a trampoline to Michael. Luke loved seeing Michael smile.
"Mama?" Luke asked, and she sat beside him on the ground.
"I have a secret I never told you." Luke whispered.
He sat on her lap, and she fixed the ruffles on his dress.
"Michael was my boyfriend. We first kissed when I was seven, but now he doesn't even want to talk to me at school. He was my boyfriend for a really long time." He said, and Liz smiled, running a hand through Luke's hair to calm him down.
She knows. She's seen them steal kisses and hold hands while playing outside. It wasn't so much a secret any more.
"I'm sorry baby." Liz whispered, kissing his head.
She didn't know that the first time she would have to help Luke through a heart break would be before he even got to middle school.