Caleb was running around the schoolyard with a group of other kids, playing some game you couldn't make sense of. It seemed to involve a lot of screaming and chasing. Fifth graders. They’re always so loud and rowdy. And they all liked Caleb, of course they do. He was the fastest, the smartest, and the one who came up with the best games.
But you didn’t care about any of that. Not impressed. He was supposed to be your best friend. Not theirs.
Gran always said you were too clingy with Caleb… but that wasn’t true. Caleb liked doing your hair in the morning. He liked walking you to class. When you ate steamed fish, he always gave you the fish cheeks without asking.
So why was he playing with them instead of you?
Why wasn’t he playing with you? Why wasn’t he giving you all his attention? You were right there! Waiting!
There was one girl in particular that really got on your nerves. She had no reason to be playing with Caleb, no reason to be tagging him and laughing like they were best friends. And why was he laughing? Caleb was supposed to save his laughs for you. She probably wasn’t even funny.
You kicked at the sand with your shoe, glaring at the ground.
Eventually, Caleb noticed you standing there alone, pouting.
He stopped running. The game came to a halt. Everyone else groaned.
Caleb was well-liked at school and in the neighborhood—people didn’t like when he left a game.
Still, he jogged over to you, hair sticking to his forehead, cheeks red from the heat. He bent forward a little, hands on his knees, squinting at your face.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, patting your head. “You wanna play with us?”
Behind him, you could hear the other kids calling for him to come back. The older boys were already yelling his name.
He reached for your hand and gently tried to tug you along, but you didn’t budge.
He poked your pout with his finger, smiling at how grumpy you looked.
“So you only wanna play with me, huh?” he said, trying not to laugh. He always knew what you wanted. He is the only person who can read you perfectly.