6.13: Best Friends

NOTE: I forgot to mention in the last chapter, from now on the rest of the generation will be told in Hazel's Point of view, unless otherwise stated. Thanks for reading. ☺

   "Wow, this is your room?" Marco gasped. I invited Marco over to play with me. It was raining though, so we came to my playroom. Daddy was working today and he said I could have friends over. I didn't tell him that my friend, my only friend, was a boy. I don't think dad would care, though.
   "No," I smiled at him, "It's my playroom. My bedroom is upstairs."
   "But you have so many toys!"

   "Daddy feels bad, so he spoils me. See, like my ballet group preformed a dance for the mother's, so instead of dad coming and watching without mom, he gave me a rocking horse."
   "So you get all this stuff?"
   "Cause he feels bad for not seeing me."
    "How did you get the tree house?" Marco pointed out the window to my tree house that was sitting on the far comer of the house land.
    "That' a good story. See, I won student of the year. Ya know our teacher from third grade?"
  "Yeah! She always wore this icky earrings."
  "Uh huh, they were weird. I wonder who got them for her. But anyway, she nominated me for Washington State Student of the Year."
 "Really? Why didn't you tell me?"
 "Cause, after I won, dad would have to drive me up to the capital to receive the award. Miss. Icky Earrings offered to drive me, but dad told her he didn't trust anyone with his baby girl. So I didn't win."
   "That sucks. I'm sorry Hazel." He looked down at his toes. I wonder what he was thinking.
   "It's okay." I shrugged. "Daddy doesn't show up for a lot of my stuff anyways."
  "At least you have toys."

  "But dad doesn't play with me. I want him to be hear. I'd give up my playroom if he would come home earlier than seven and play dolls with me."
 "I'll play with you."
 "Thank you Marco." We hugged each other. Marco was my friend and even if daddy didn't bother showing up to my things or playing with me, I would have Marco to play with. I liked playing games with Marco, he always had the best ideas.
   "What do you want to do now?"
   "We could play checkers or go fish, or dolls, or dress up, or color, or read." I suggested, pointing to each of the things I said as I said them. I guess that was the bonus of having a guilt ridden no show dad. He spoiled you and it made for an awesome time when you had friends over.
   "Can I ride the horse?"
   "Yeah! I'll decorate my dolly house. I got it for my eleventh birthday last month."

   "Cool." He ran over to the pink horsey and hopped on. The only drawback of daddy always giving me things but not knowing me was he didn't know that I loved the colors blue and green, not pink. I can't complain though, I'm lucky to have my toys.
   "La, la, la." I began humming. Marco sat on the horse rocking back and fourth. He was pretending to be a cowboy that was catching the bad guys. I was decorating my doll house like a spaceship. I covered all the beds in foil and painted my doll's gymnast jumpsuit in silver shiny paint. She was going to go to the moon and look around. I didn't like all the dolls that came with singer, baby doctor, actress, teacher, ballet dancer,  gymnast careers that came with the dolls. Even the careers that people think are meant for boys are sometimes used for the dolls, but the clothes are pink and glittery. Why does it matter if my doll wears a white lab coat, khakis, and a simple blue shirt? Why does she have to covered in pink?

   "Wanna play in the tree house?" Marco asked, climbing off the horse.
   "It's raining. We'll get wet."
   "Okay, later?"
   "Yeah, later. What now? Oh! Dress up! Daddy got me a dress up chest."
   "Let's play."
   "Okay." We both ran to the chest. "You can be a dinosaur, or a princess, or a prince, or an astronaut." I told him, holding up the outfits.
   "I wanna be the prince." He said, grabbing the costume and slipping it over his clothes.
   "I wanna be the astronaut."  I held up the orange outfit.
    "But there weren't astronauts back in the knight and horses and prices time period."
    "Fine. I'll be the princess, but I still think an astronaut is better."'
    "Okay. Hey, you wanna help me catch the bad guys?"
    "Sure."

    "Follow me!" He cried, dashing off around the living room. "Look, a bandit! Stop him Hazel." He pointed at the couch, which I jumped on. I grabbed a pillow and hit the air. When Marco smiled and gave me a thumbs up, I knew I had got them.
    "Marco, it isn't raining." I glanced out the window. "Quick, follow me! The evil dragon's coming!" I pushed open the front and ran to my trampoline. Marco followed me and we both hopped on. "Bounce above the flames, bounce above the flames!"We bounced on the trampoline, avoiding the dragon's flames until the light started to fade. The sun was setting.
   "Hazel, my mom's here." He climbed off the trampoline, taking off the blue vest.
   "Can you come over tomorrow?"
   "I have to go back to school shopping. School starts Monday. Can you believe we're going to be in fifth grade? Fifth grade! Next year we'll be in middle school."
    "I know... I just want someone to play with Marco."
    "I'll play with you at school. I like you Hazel." He smiled, blushing a little.
    "I like you too, Marco."
    "That's cause we're best friends."
    "I like being best friends. "
    "Me too." He smiled. His mother honked her horn again and soon he was  sitting in the backseat.
    "Bye!" I waved, until I could no longer see his car. Marco and I were best friends and best friends were forever. I'm glad that I have someone to play with, cause daddy doesn't show. Marco and I will always be there to play with each other when someone needs someone else. Marco and I are friends.
    I sat outside a little longer, enjoying the evening. I love nature. It's pretty and peaceful and powerful. Nature sits there and lets you tell it stories. It listens. It protects us and we have to protect it. I want to help protect nature. When I didn't have Marco to talk to, I talked to nature. I want to protect nature and the animals and plants; everything. Marco's my friend and he'll help me protect my other friend: Mother Earth.