Vivian remains quiet and flips a braid off her shoulder. She does her best not to sniffle again, because she doesn’t want me to know she’s crying.
“When I was your age, I had my very own hide-out deep in the forest. I made it myself.” I turn, and my legs dangle off our branch. “It had a blanket, some water bottles, and snacks.”
It had a photo of my mom too because I was so naive that I thought having her photo with the torn edges was going to make everything better.
It takes Vivian a few minutes, but eventually her childish voice cuts through the silence. “Why in the forest? So no one could find you?”
I shake my head. “No one cared to come find me.”
And there goes another wall tumbling down for a Halston.
She turns to look at me, her tear-streaked face the first thing I notice. “That’s sad,” she says.
“It is, and it’s not something I share with just anyone.” I raise my brow. “So you better keep my secret.”
She stares at me before looking at the grassy ground beneath us.
I hear footsteps in the distance, but whoever it is stays hidden. It isn’t until a familiar floral scent swirls with the light breeze that I realize it’s Tessa.
Reaching forward, I tug on one of Vivian's braids. She glowers at me, and I grin. “Besides me, does anyone else look for you when you run away?”
She nods.
“Who?”
“Everyone.”
“Do you know why?” I ask.
She turns away and shrugs. “Because…”
I tug on her braid again, and she looks over at me. “Because theycare about more than just racing.”
She thinks for a second. “Do you?”
I toss a piece of bark at her. “I’m here, aren’t I?”
Her nose scrunches, and she tries to hide a smile, just like Tessa does ninety percent of the time.
“I once heard Aunt Tess say that you were an arrow and cared about nothing except winning.”
I repeat the word in my head and chuckle. “An arrow?”
“Arrogant!” Tessa whisper-shouts from below.
Vivian peers at her and smiles wide. “Catch me.”
Without warning, she slips from the branch and lands in Tessa’s arms with an“Umph.”
“What are you doing up there with him?” Tessa asks her. “Don’t you remember our motto?”
What motto?
Vivian nods excitedly.
Tessa pokes her belly. “Start it...”
“Girls rule…” Vivian gazes at her aunt, who just so happens to be peeking at me with a pretty smile on her face.
