Elie hastened to finish chewing and swallow the bite of granola bar she had just put in her mouth when Kevin appeared at the door a moment later. “Hey,” she said, once her mouth was clear, “Sorry I’m late.” Elie blushed. It wasn’t like her to be late. She usually liked to be on time for things but this morning had caught her off guard. “How’s Milly?” she asked, already aware of who Kevin had been “speaking” with. His mother seemed to be away about as often as her own father was.

Her dad wouldn’t let her have a pet of her own so she liked to live vicariously through Kevin and his fluffy little kitten. She usually spent at least a half hour over at his house every day playing with the little furball, doing homework, or just hanging out. They had practically grown up together over the years and it just felt right to spend that much time together, especially when they lived on the same block.

Elise stepped out onto the sidewalk and looked back to make sure Kevin was following. She didn’t want to be late for school after all. Once he caught up, she fell into step beside him and bit off another bite of granola bar. She had a competition coming up soon so she would have to be careful about making sure not to skip meals from hereon out.