All My Friends

Cheney and Me

It was a cold, crisp November evening, and my family and I were in the Jess Lucas Y-Teen Park in the center of Hapeville.

The tree lighting was that night, and every single one of Hapeville's 6,373 residents had turned out to see it.

I helped my little sisters to get some hot cocoa and cookies and turned around to check on my parents. They were chatting with two people I had never seen before.

The lady turned and said,

"Hello! What's your name? I am Miss Mandy."

I smiled and replied,

"My name is Isla. It's nice to meet you, Miss Mandy."

She smiled back and introduced her husband, Mr. Richard, and her children, Camden and Cheney. Camden and my little brothers zoomed right off to play tag, and my dad picked up one little girl and my mom got the other, and they continued chatting.

I stood for a moment, content to stay and listen, but I soon tired of their talk of jobs and work and hopes for the future. I turned to where Cheney was standing on the root of a big tree nearby, and I asked her,

"Do you like American Girl dolls?"

She grinned, and a beautiful friendship began. I was no longer lonely in that tiny little town where we had so recently moved. The rest of that night was spent happily talking and playing with my new friend, Cheney. When we got in the car to go home that night, I asked my parents where the Kelloggs lived, and if I could visit sometimes. My dad replied that hadn't I heard? They lived right down the road from us. They were about five hundred feet away! My life became that much happier. I started playing so much with Cheney that it seemed like we were sisters. I got us INTO scrapes, and she got us OUT of them. In 2018, we got the awful news that they were moving. They were trading houses with their grandmother and moving across town, down by the baseball fields! I was devastated. Then, I realized that it was as simple as squeezing a lemon to hop on over there for a playdate, and as she had a phone, we could communicate easily. I went over there less often then I had their first house, but I was a frequent visitor. Cheney has taught me so much. Not to be scared of dogs, how to get the most use out of your trampoline, how to hold a five-month-old Shih Tzu puppy, and many other things. My life wouldn't be the same without her.

Celeste and I

We had just moved down to Hapeville, Georgia, and we were at our new church, East Point Church, which met in the cafeteria of a middle school. The entire service, and afterwards, I was on edge and nervous. I didn't know anyone there except my family, and I was scared. As we left, I caught a glimpse of a pretty, silly girl with her hair in multiple braids with beads on the end sitting on a wall surrounded by friends. As I saw her, she suddenly laughed so long and loud that everyone around her couldn't help but laugh with her. Her pink-clothed legs went up, and her head was thrown back with an expression of pure fun. I liked her at once. I didn't get to talk to her then, but that Wednesday we went to her house for Bible Study. I came in the door and she greeted us, looking at me with a curious, mischievous expression on her face. Once we had taken our shoes off, my brothers went off to play with her brothers, and my parents went to talk with her parents and the other adults there. She grinned at me.

"Do you wanna come play upstairs with me? Y'all are the only ones comin' tonight."

I smiled shakily and agreed. That was the beginning of a friendship I'll never regret or forget. Celeste is crazy, silly, fun, and pretty, and I will always consider her a bestie of mine. She keeps me going and shares that passion for actin' that keeps us in the show biz (as much as a couple of pre-teens can be!)

I love her like a sister, and I think she feels the same.

Felicity an' me

I was laughing with a couple of friends when a new family walked in the door of the church. There was a pretty young mother, her husband, the tallest man I have ever seen, and three children. A tall girl with dirty blonde hair and an innocent-looking pretty face, another girl with flaming red hair and a silly, sunny disposition, and a handsome little boy, all looking frightened and shy. Immediately my friend Celeste said,

"I dare you to make friends with them!"

And I did. That is how I met Felicity, a girl with a talent for writing and art, the sweetest person I've ever met. We laugh together, cry together, read together, go outside together. We both love baking, and she is the only person I know who can whip up a batch of macarons without any difficulty whatsoever. She's my sweet bestie, as sweet as a lump of sugar and spicy as a jalapeno.

Chloe and I

I was sitting in the fellowship hall in our church waiting for a friend to come by. Felicity was out of town, and I hadn't seen Celeste for a while. There were lots of other girls in the church, but I didn't consider them 'besties' and they didn't laugh with me as readily as my bffs did. All of a sudden, someone threw their arms around my shoulders and cried

"Hello Isla!"

in my ear. It was Celeste.

"I have someone I want you to meet!"

She said.

"Isla, this is Chloe Collier. She is my friend from co-op!"

I smiled and said hello, and she beamed at me and said hello right back. That's how Chloe became one of my best friends. She is wise in language arts and science and math and history and Bible stuff and I couldn't ask for a nicer friend. She is sensible and fun and funny and always has a smile on her face.

I have a lot of good friends, and these stories of meeting and becoming bffs instantly could go on forever. I am not the kind of person who has ONE really good friend and totally ditches all the others. I have a whole list of best friends. My very best are here:

Cheney, Celeste, Felicity, Chloe, Kaylah, Anna, Anneke, Coleman, Andrew, Joseph, Isaac G., Odessa, Livia and my cousin Lily. Thanks to all of them for being so great!

- Your friend, Isla