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Kids

It was Kiya’s first day of kindergarten, a place she did not want to be. Especially after being at preschool. Her mother said she would be going to school and learning. Kiya did not want to learn, she wanted to play, and her mother just told her she would be doing that too. It was like her mother didn’t care about having fun. Kiya was so mad, she didn’t say a word to her mother that morning, she just hummed. Her father dropped her off, walked her right to her classroom, introduced her to her teacher and helped her find her seat. Kiya looked around, there was one more little girl, acting just like her, like she didn’t want to be there, bored, with her dad, so Kiya grabbed her father’s hand and dragged him over to the other father daughter duo. “Hi, my name is kyia, what's your name?” The girl looked shy all of a sudden, behind her father’s leg. ”Arianna.” she said softly, moving from behind her father, brushing her dark curly hair back. “Your hair is very pretty.” Arianna smiled. “Thank you,” her dad gave her a little nudge in the arm as Kyia heard her father begin to explain why her mother didn’t come today. “Do you want to go play?” Arianna asked. Kyia grinned. “Yea lets go see what toys there are here!” they ran hand in hand to the corner of the class with a blue carpet, and what looked like a toy shelf. They both frowned when they got there. Kyia looked at one shelf, Arianna looked at the other, both disappointed. “This one only has books!” “This one has legos, and action figures and art stuff.” They looked around the room and spotted their teacher. The two marched over to their teacher. “Mr, Why are there no dolls?” Kyia asked. “There's only boy toys and books. That’s not fair.” Arianna added. They’re teacher laughed. “Why don’t you draw something until school starts?” Neither of the two girls liked the idea of that, they wanted their castles and princess dolls. They marched back over to their desks, where their fathers were, laughing and talking, they followed their example and the girls started talking, the things they liked, the things they didn’t like, what it was like at home. Anything and everything. They hadn’t even realized their fathers left. Everyday that week was like that, the girls became excited to go to school, and eventually convinced their parents for playdates and riding the bus together. 


Months passed, first grade had begun and the two were joint at the hip. They worked with each other, played with each other, and won awards together. There wasn’t a moment you would only see one of them. Every day, Kyia went to Arianna’s house, where they got to play and do their homework in the treehouse in her backyard. Arianna's mother always made them something yummy, cookies, cake, brownies, itty bitty bite size sandwiches, carrots with hummus, fruit slices. Kyia loved going to Arianna’s house, it was so much more fun than her own home, and now that she had made a great friend, her parents decided they would be working all the time. Kyia thought it was unfair but never said anything because it was true, she was always with Arianna, her parents didn’t need to watch her as often anymore.  


Second grade rolled around and not much had changed except for the top secret meeting their parents and teachers had. The girls weren't allowed in the room, but they did eavesdrop. Ms. Harley and the guidance counselor thought they should make new friends, they were always together. This had no effect on Arianna, or Kyia, but their parents did try to make a worthy effort for them to make some new best friends. By the end of the year, they both had a few new friends, but none as good as each other. 


In the third grade, they went on a camping trip with Kyia’s parents over the march break. It was a change from the city they live in, but Arianna loved it. It was her first time camping and when she got back home, she made her parents promise they would take her camping some other time. This was also the year Arianna got a pet cat. She had wanted to get a dog, but when they went to the pet store to look at dogs, Kyia broke out in hives and they found out she was allergic to dogs. 


The next year was a funny one for their parents. It was the first year the girls were placed in separate classes. They threw a fit when they found out. Arianna for one refused to walk into her class. Kyia started doing really bad in her assignments. She could not do multiplication to save herself. Being strong nine year olds, the pair waited for recess and marched down to the principal's office and demanded they get moved into the same class. The principal just laughed. He told them they didn’t need to be in the same class to be best friends, they didn’t believe him. They wanted to be in the same class. The principal eventually called home and the girls threw a fit everyday until reorganization day. Kyia’s teacher was becoming a fifth grade teacher so the kids got split into the other classes, and they girls were together again. In the summer, they went to overnight outdoor camp together where they got to learn how to put up tents, build fires, sing camp songs, and make friendship bracelets. It was supposed to be one summer, a one time thing, but they loved it so much it became an annual thing until they went to highschool. 


Eighth grade was the year of their mini graduation party, they were so excited to be done with middle school, the friends had agreed it was boring and useless. But the summer was the eventful part. Kyia’s parents decided it was time to move. Kyia was so upset, she announced she wanted to be disowned so she could be adopted by Arianna’s family or she would run away. Her parents just laughed, they couldn’t imagine their young twelve year old daughter running away. She just took it as a challenge, and she was never one to back down. She packed her bags and decided she would live in Arianna’s basement until her parents agreed to not move. It never happened. They found her right away and took her back home. They sat her down and explained what would happen. They were only moving ten minutes further from their home right now, It was so her mom could get a promotion, and she could pick her room and design it however she wanted. She finally agreed, knowing she could still see Arianna all the time. Arianna was upset, and tried to convince her parents to move closer to Kyia with no success. 


Freshman year was a total different experience. They didn’t have all the same classes but it was fine, they were always nearby. They got to act like adults, and the teachers usually treated them likewise. They formed a little group of another two inspirable friends, Jazzy and Daisy. They spent most days at the park or in the library. Things at home were complicated for Arianna, and as much as she wanted to talk it out with her new friend group, she didn’t speak a word about it. She was stressed and usually out of focus. She became the quiet one, and never invited anyone over to her house. Kyia noticed and asked but Arianna just said she was busy. They were in a lot of clubs and Arianna was in a program so it did make sense to her. 


During their time as a sophomore, things only got more complicated for Arianna. Her parents got divorced, it was bound to happen, and she thought she was ready but she was overwhelmed with the process. Some nights she had to spend with her mother, some with her father, by this point, Kyia knew, and so she invited Arianna over most of the time. Kyia would try to plan more fun things, like drag the other three girls to the highschool dances, and found an indoor skatepark near her place. She signed them up for art and dance classes, anything to see a smile on her friend's face. 


  In grade 11, Daisy moved away, so Arianna and Kyia did everything to make Jazzy feel better. By the end of the year, Jazzy had a boyfriend, Brenden. He had sandy hair that was soft and he was very sweet. He liked to dance, and that had been how they met, doing a hip hop class. She spent most of the summer with him. 


Senior year rolled around and it was just the two of them again. Arianna now had a stepmother who was kind and liked to take the girls on trips. She even taught them how to drive, but she was no match to Arianna’s mother. She saw her sometimes, but not often, she became busy with work. They got their first jobs at a mall and worked to save money for prom dresses and the big road trip they planned after graduation. 


Inseparable the two girls were, there was no argument, no person, no thing that could ever break them apart. The world could go into chaos and they would be fine, because they would be standing side by side. Nothing would ever tear the bond they spent their whole life building. 


May 06, 2020 18:02

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2 comments

N.L. Mustard
22:32 May 13, 2020

I do like this short story. You've done a very good job at narrating Arianna and Kiya's experience, and it is evident that throughout all the joys and difficulties of their lives, Arianna and Kiya's friendship holds strong. Just a couple things: at the start of the story, her name is spelled Kiya, but later, it is spelled Kyia, so just watch out for that. The other suggestion I have is to add more dialogue; I find it helps the reader slow down and enjoy the story rather than race through it. Otherwise, your description of Kiya and Arianna's ...

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Ivy Moonlit
22:35 May 13, 2020

Ahhh thanks for pointing out the name spelling :) also thanks for the feedback!

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