Life and Liberty (pt. 3)
Liberty walked past the Dairy Whip, toward her house. She was so lost in thought about Brent and his family that she missed the turn onto the street that would take her to Claremont. By the time she broke from her thoughts, she was lost again.
Why did we have to move? I used to know where everything was! I walked home with my friends because they all lived near me, and I would go to their houses all the time. I don’t have any friends here!
Liberty was getting anxious when she saw someone she knew. She wasn’t very excited.
Oh, great! It’s Madison. She’s the last person I want to see, but I suppose I have to talk to her, if I ever want to get home.
Liberty approached Madison carefully. “Hey, Madison. I don’t know if you recognize me, but…”
“You’re that new kid. What do you want?” sneered Madison.
“Well… I got lost walking home, and I was wondering if you know where Claremont street is,” stammered Liberty.
“Isn’t that near the Dairy Whip?” asked Madison, “What’s so tough about that?”
“I don’t know this town very well, yet.”
Liberty’s eyes were downcast. Madison had a way of making her feel bad, no matter what the situation. Because her eyes were downcast, she missed Madison wiping her own eyes.
“I need to get home before my mom gets worried,” said Liberty.
“It must be nice to have a mom who cares about you,” spat out Madison.
“What do you mean?”
“My mom doesn’t care what I do or when I get home,” said Madison with a catch in her throat.
“Of course, your mom cares. Moms have to care!”
“Well, mine doesn’t! All she cares about is her work. She a case manager, and those are the only kids she cares about.”
Liberty thought how awful she would feel if she thought her mom didn’t care about her. She wondered if that was why Madison was so hateful.
“I’m sure your mom cares. Besides, doesn’t having all your friends help you feel better? I don’t have any friends yet, and I miss all my old friends.”
“I don’t have real friends. They just want to be my friends, so I’ll be nice to them. No one knows me for real or wants to spend time with me.”
“I would be your friend. We both need friends, so why not be each other’s friends? I met someone else today who needs a friend. Maybe we could all be friends.”
“Who’s the other one?”
“Brent from English class.”
“But he’s poor!”
“That’s just because his dad died, and his mom just has a job at the grocery. He’s really nice and really smart. There’s also Trina. She’s my new lab partner, and I really like her.”
“I like Trina. She’s so nice to everyone. I wish I could be that way. I didn’t know that about Brent. His dad must have died before he moved here. He just always looks so…”
“Does that really matter? Being stuck-up with everyone is what led to you being sad. Maybe try being nice like Trina.”
“Here’s Dairy Whip. I’ll think about what you said, but it sounds hard. I don’t know. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Liberty had a lot to think about this time, too, but she was determined to keep her eyes on the street signs. She was running late enough.
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As the door slammed shut behind her, liberty heard her mom call out, “There you are! It’s about time! I was starting to get worried!”
“I got lost a couple of times, but I ran into kids from school who helped me find my way.”
“Good! Does that mean you are making friends?”
“I think so,” said Liberty with a smile.
“Did you learn anything in school, today?”
“I did, but I think I learned more after school,” mused Liberty.