16 Years Ago
Yellow shoes, red and pink striped socks, black and white striped shirt, and a coral skirt. She still remembers what she was wearing the very first day she met him. His family had just moved in next door. It was a hot July 14th when the moving van pulled up to the yellow house. She watched from her window across the street as the new furniture was taken inside. Excitedly, she watched for the signs of a child. She had always been the only kid on the block and she was in desperate need of a friend that wasn’t imaginary. After an hour of impatient watching, a car pulled up to the house. A black pickup truck filled with suitcases was quickly emptied when she saw him, playing with a little toy airplane. A dark blue t-shirt and brown shorts showed the boy’s laid back style that would stay with him his entire life. The young girl’s eyes could not believe what they were seeing. She ran to her bedroom door and threw it open. As she was running down the stairs she screamed for her mother who was in the back yard working on the garden. She quickly told her mom about the boy next door. Her mother smiled and took her hand. They rounded up some fresh vegetables from the garden and put them in a basket to take over to their new neighbors. Mother and daughter hand in hand walked over to the new home. The mothers exchanged hellos while the children stared at each other unsure. Hidden behind the mother’s leg, the 3 year old boy waved. His mother introduced him as Seth. Her mother introduced her as 3 year old Charlotte, or Lottie for short. She asked Seth if he wanted to play tag. His face lit up with a huge smile, and the game began. July 14th was the day their friendship had begun.

14 Years Ago
With a blue dress like Wendy’s from Peter Pan, she ran through the field of roses. Next to the field was a white tent filled with lights. Inside the tent was a celebration. Her cousin had just gotten married, and now everyone was inside celebrating. She and Seth had been inseparable since that hot July day. Now they ran around the field with the other kids. Hair in a now messy bun, she accidentally ran into one of the bigger kids Jack making him drop the football and ultimately losing the game for his team. She tried to apologize as she stood up but Jack was not letting her off that easily. He grabbed her arm and threw her back onto the ground, right into a bed of rocks. Her wrist breaking, she cried. Not happy with the sound of her wailing, Jack tried to grab her again to shut her up. However someone in khaki pants and a blue plaid t-shirt stopped him. Seth was strong for his age and easily matched Jack. For what seemed an eternity, Seth protected her; giving Jack a couple of black eyes in the process.
12 Years Ago
On her 7th birthday, the two families went to an amusement park to celebrate. It was there that she went on her very first roller coaster. She remembered crying while waiting in line. She was so scared. She remembered Seth holding her hand and telling her not to worry. He would be right there with her. By the time they got to the front of the line she had calmed down enough the parents felt comfortable letting the kids ride together. The whole ride he never let go of her hand and he watched her the whole time to make sure she was okay. She smiled when she thought of his cotton candy beard he had given himself later that day. His black spider-man t-shirt was sticky for weeks after that. His mom wasn’t too happy with him for that, but he didn’t care. He had gotten what he wanted. He had me her smile.
10 Years Ago
When the two turned 9 the families decided to go on vacation together. After a long debate, they finally settled on Myrtle Beach. Their first plane ride was a lot like their first roller coaster ride. She was scared, and he held her hand. She still remembers building the sandcastles and eating their hot dogs. She remembers sitting on their matching Scooby Doo towels and eating their snow cones. She had blueberry, he had cherry. On this trip, it was her turn to protect him. Their parents had gone up to the water to talk and walk along the beach. The two of them were playing in the sand attempting to build a sandcastle. Everything was great. They were laughing at something when all of sudden he stopped. She looked over and saw he was as pale as her white swimsuit. She asked him if he was okay. He didn’t answer. She looked at his arm, and realized what had happened. Panicking she screamed. He was desperately allergic to bees and had gotten stung. Their parents would never have made it to him in time, so she ran over to his bag and desperately tried to find his EpiPen. Finding it, she ran over and stabbed it in his leg. Her dad pulled her back as her mom called 911. She prayed that he was going to be alright as she watched the paramedics lift him into the ambulance. She was small enough that they let her ride in the ambulance with him and his mother. After 9 hours in the hospital, the families went to the airport and headed home. He had had a severe allergic reaction and was lucky to be alive. She had saved his life. Everyone congratulated her for being such a hero. She blushed as she remembered the story in the newspaper. He always brought that day up in conversations every chance he got. She had saved his life in more ways than one he would always say. Then all the guys would look at him like he was crazy and the girls would awe and look at him dreamily. Myrtle Beach was the turning point in their friendship. After that day, the two friends were truly inseparable.
8 Years Ago
Middle school was a hard time for them. People were constantly making fun of Seth because of his grades. They called him teacher’s pet just because he cared about his grades. Then of course she was made fun of because she was friends with the teacher’s pet. Kids can be so cruel sometimes. She still can’t believe how many times she cried over those remarks. All of their so called “friends” had left them during these years, pushing the two of them closer together. It was during this year that she realized she liked him as more than just a friend. This was the first time she had to keep something from him. She remembers how terrified she was that she may slip up and accidently tell him how she felt. She laughed and wished she would’ve told him then. It would have made things so much simpler for both of them.
6 Years Ago
Their 13th year was the year they made friends. Seth went on to play soccer and joined the musical cast and watched documentaries on Greek mythology on the weekends. She had become a workaholic and studied constantly. Her goal was to become Valedictorian and then go to Johns Hopkins Medical School. He wanted to be involved in things and make friends while she wanted to get good grades and become a doctor. They still rode together to school and still hung out every weekend, but they lost part of their connection. They still cared for each other; they just weren’t together as much anymore. Their parents, they would later find out, were happy about this time. The two needed to spend time apart and meet other people. At the end of the school year though their friends went off on vacations, summer camps, or just locked themselves up in their houses. The two of them were all they had that summer, and they picked up right where they had left off.
4 Years Ago
Four years ago started the best days of her life. September 17th, 2009 Seth had asked her to go to the homecoming dance with him. She of course, said yes. When word got around that the two of them were officially together, not a single person was surprised. Their teachers just laughed saying they knew they would end up together all along. His friends made fun of him while her friends constantly told her how jealous they were. The day after every date, her friends wanted to know every detail. Their first kiss happened on November 17th, exactly 2 months after he had asked her out. They were sitting on the roof of her house attempting to study for a math test. She was trying to help him understand limits but it was no use. Math was not his strong suit and it clearly showed. 3 hours on the roof and he still couldn’t do a single problem without her help. She blushed feeling his eyes on her as she again tried to teach him how to do the same problem they attempted to do an hour ago. In the middle of her sentence he quickly leaned in and kissed her, taking her by complete surprise. After the initial shock had worn off, she kissed him back. She had no idea how long it had lasted, and she didn’t care. She smiled as she remembered the nervous giggles that had followed afterwards. He was leaning in to kiss her again when there was knock on the window. Her mother had come up to tell him it was time to go home. They said goodbye and he went home. Later that night though she got a text from him. Come outside it had said. She went out her front door and saw Seth laying in her front yard on a blanket. He patted the ground next to him, and she joined him. They spent all night watching the stars and talking about anything and everything. When her dad left for work that morning, he found the two kids cuddled up under blanket, fast asleep. He felt like he should’ve been mad but he couldn’t be. He left for work wondering what the date of their wedding was going to be.

2 Years Ago
They celebrated their 2 year anniversary by going to a concert. He had won tickets and a meet and greet from the local radio station. Their favorite song happened to be one of the group’s most popular songs, and he made sure to tell them that. They had performed it together at a choir concert once and it had remained a favorite of theirs for years. They had even talked about dancing to it at their wedding. That night from the front row, they watched their favorite band give the performance of a lifetime. When the time came for them to perform their song “Heart of the World”, they dedicated it to them. The two danced together as the band finished the song. Hilary, one of the band members, just couldn’t get over how cute they were together. However neither of them heard a word she said. All they could see was each other.
Present
“Honey you are going to ruin your make up if you keep crying,” her Aunt Margret told her. She smiled and nodded. She couldn’t help it. Every time she thought about today, she remembered everything her and Seth had been through together. It always brought tears to her eyes. Her aunt finished with her makeup, making sure to use waterproof. Days like today always brought tears Aunt Margret had always said. She thanked her aunt and went to her bedroom to get changed. She put on her dress, fancier than anything she had ever worn before. More tears threatened to fall as she looked in the mirror. Her hair pulled back and her make-up done, she looked over at her window. She walked over and looked at the house across the street. She could see his mom frantically running around trying to get everything sorted before they left. After a few minutes, the family across the street pulled out of their garage and drove off to the church. A knock on her door pulled her out of her thoughts. “Ready?” Her mom’s voice broke the silence. She walked over to the door and followed her mom down the stairs. Her dad hugged her at the bottom of the stairs, and the four drove off for the church. Her mom and aunt headed in while her and her dad sat outside. He was in there waiting for her. He was waiting in the little white church they had attended every Sunday as kids. Her dad handed her a beautiful bouquet filled with all of her favorite flowers. White lilies mixed in with vibrant purple lilacs in the peak of bloom pierced her eyes. More tears began to fall as she tried to smile. She grabbed her dad’s arm and walked in with him. Everyone’s eyes turned to her. Silence had fallen among the guests. She locked eyes with his mom, who was crying as well. She smiled encouragingly at her, and then she looked at him. It felt like her heart stopped when she saw him. It felt as if her stomach had dropped through the floor all the way to China. She reached the end of the aisle and desperately tried to control her tears. She took his hand, ice cold in hers. She put the bouquet in his casket, and sat down as the funeral began.