Trudge, trudge, trudge, through the forest Mona went. She checked her phone. 6:35 P.M. She probably won’t be home for a couple of hours. Shasta at her heels and rainbow leaves in hand, Mona’s eyes were glued to the ground since there was no point in looking anywhere else. As she neared the house—BEEP-BEEP. She squinted and saw an SUV parked in the driveway. No way. She darted towards the entrance and tackled her mom, who was attempting to open the door. Mona gave her mom a tight squeeze and buried her face in her chest.
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“Thankfully, we have cake to brighten things up,” Mom said, placing a slice before Mona, “It always makes me feel better.” Mona stared blankly at the slice. “I’m really sorry about your friend, sweetheart. Sometimes, these things just happen. Fall the wrong way and you can really hurt yourself.”
“Maybe…if I had been there, I could have caught him or tell him not to go up or prevented all of this,” she sighed, “What am I supposed to do if I can’t even keep one friend?”
Mom placed her hand on Mona’s. “Hey, there’s nothing you could have done. If you continue thinking like that, you’ll only feel worse. Trust me.” Mom surveyed Mona’s body, which was covered in dirt and scrapes. “I hope you didn’t do that to yourself.”
“No. I was just running a lot today. It…was to clear my mind. I’m not very good at it, obviously.”
Mom scooped some cake into her mouth. “Drown your sorrows in that cake. I know you’re not much of a sweet tooth, but this is really good.” Mona picked off a strawberry and nibbled on it. “Want to hear some good news?” Mona nodded. “I finally got that promotion. I’ll be able to quit one of my jobs, which means you’ll be seeing more me. Isn’t that nice?”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Mona’s eyes widened, and her face formed a slight smile, “I’m happy for you, mom. You deserve it.”
“And I was thinking, to celebrate, we could watch a movie together tomorrow. Anything you want. It’ll help keep your mind off things too.”
“Yeah, that sounds fun.” After having cake, Mona and Shasta went upstairs to her room. She took one of the picture frames off her desk and replaced the photo with the rainbow leaves. Mona plopped onto her bed and caressed the frame. “Looks nice, right?” Shasta licked her cheek, and Mona let out a little chuckle. “I knew you would agree.”
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“Mom, let’s go! I’m gonna be late for school,” Mona yelled up the stairs.
“I’m almost ready!”
“You were “almost ready” half an hour ago!” Knock-Knock-Knock. “I’ve got it!” Mona peeked through the peephole and saw a red-headed boy, freezing her in place. There’s no way. She slowly opened the door and stood dumbfounded at Peter, who had a big, nervous smile on his face.
“Heyo. Um…so, funny story. After I went through the portal, I woke up in a hospital bed, of all places. You should’ve seen me. I looked downright awful. Anywho, after the doctors cleared me, I thought I could surprise you by walking you to school today. So, surprise!” Peter’s jazz hands were met with a punch to the arm. “Ow!”
“Dummy! I thought you were dead!”
“Nope. I’m alive. But I probably wouldn’t be if I stayed in that world any longer. Heh. Well, aren’t you my knight in shining armor.” Mona felt pressure in her eyes, then tears streamed down her face. “Oh, was that too much? I’m very sorry, Mona. I really wanted to see you sooner but…”
Still sobbing, Mona smiled from ear to ear. “Welcome back.”