The Distance Between Us

A Hundred Miles Away

"Conny Boy!" Conner Kent, thirteen years old, turned around from his locker. "B-Dog!" He hi-fived Beckham Parker, his best buddy on the junior high football team. In their matching letterman jackets, they looked like brothers. "Whassup?" "Nothin' but the ceiling, bro!" "Ha!"

As they walked down the hall with the rest of their football buddies, everyone turned around to greet them. "Hi, Conner!" "Looking good today, Con!" "Conner! Date me!" Conner grinned wider with each mention of his name. Then, one mention of his name made his face fall and his heart drop.

"Conner!" A gawky young girl his age with frizzy red hair and braces on her teeth came running towards him. "Conner! I haven't seen you in a while!", she exclaimed. "Are we still on for Friday?" Conner tried to suppress the heat rising in his face as his football buddies started snickering. "What's so funny?", Megan asked innocently. Beckham laughed in her face. "Look in the mirror and you'll see!" The rest laughed loud and hard, except for Conner, who wouldn't make eye contact with anyone. "Con, don't tell me you're blowing us off on Friday for this nerd!"

"Conner can make his own decisions!", Megan said. Beckham snorted at her. "Who are you, his girlfriend?" "She's not my girlfriend!", Conner shouted. He was so loud, all heads in the hallway turned to stare at him. Beckham sneered at them. "What're y'all lookin' at?" Everyone immediately went back to their own business. "Megan, can we talk?", Conner mumbled through his clenched teeth. "In private?"

He pulled her away from his gang and made sure no one else was watching. "Megan, what did I tell you?" She rolled her eyes. "Never talk to you while you're with the guys, I know. But this is important. I need to know if you're still coming to my house for our Weekend Welcoming. I rented the DVDs and everything." Conner sighed. "Megan, I'm gonna have to reschedule.", he explained. "I made plans to go bowling with the guys Friday."

Megan raised her eyebrows. "But, we always celebrate the start of the weekend with a sleepover every Friday night. Its a tradition." "I know, Megan, but I can't blow off the team.", he told her. "After bowling, we're gonna go over the plays for the next game. Its super important that we win. You understand, right?" Megan hung her head. "I guess."

"Great. Next Friday, I promise." Megan watched as Conner walked off with his football buddies. Ever since their first day of kindergarten together, Conner and Megan had been inseparable. They did everything together, from playing games to doing schoolwork. The teachers recognized they came in a package, so they were always in the same class. Whatever friends they had, they always befriended both.

But now that they were in junior high, things were different. Conner was popular, and Megan wasn't. Conner was going on dates, and Megan wasn't. Conner had tons of other friends, and Megan didn't. Lately, it seemed like he was embarrassed to be seen with her in public. She rarely saw him outside of school, and when she did, he never had a word to say to her.

Megan got out her English notebook, the one with fuchsia glitter all over it, and turned to a page. Conner's school picture was pasted on, with a heart drawn around it in red marker. She had never told anyone, but she had developed the biggest crush on Conner during fourth grade. It only made their separation even harder.

"Look who got rejected." Megan groaned. She'd know that voice anywhere. She turned around to see Amber Vaughn, the prettiest, most popular girl in school, and her snooty friends. "Y'know, you've been chasing after Conner like a lovesick puppy for so long, I almost feel bad for you." She flipped her long blond hair over her shoulder. "Keyword: almost."

Megan bit her lip as the girls laughed their heads off. She remembered the first time she crossed paths with Amber. It was the beginning of sixth grade. They had both showed up at the gym for cheerleading tryouts. Megan had greeted her warmly, and Amber had returned the favor by commenting on her skinny legs. During her audition, Megan had clumsily fallen flat on her face, causing Amber to initiate the great laughter. Needless to say, Megan didn't make the team.

But Amber did, and on that day, she dubbed Megan Public Enemy Number One. She never missed a chance to humiliate Megan, even going to far as to keep her from joining the cheer squad. Megan crossed her arms and narrowed her arms. "Why do you always pick on me?", she asked. "What did I ever do to you?" Amber stuck out her hip and placed one hand on it in a sassy pose. "Its not my fault you're so easy to target! Do you seriously think someone as cool as Conner would ever give a loser you the time of day?"

Megan didn't answer. She hugged her books closer to her flat chest and glared at her tormenter. "You just wait, Amber Vaughn.", she said. "One day, you're gonna wish that you'd been nicer to me when you had the chance." Amber and her friends snickered as Megan ran off. "Yeah! That'll be the day!"
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The days turned into weeks, and then into months. In the midst of July, Megan stood in front of Conner's house, unable to believe what was happening.

A moving truck was parked right outside the house, and strong, muscled men were transferring everything that the Kents owned inside. On the front lawn, there was a FOR SALE sign covered with a big SOLD sticker. Lana was hugging all of their neighbors, accepting cards and presents from them. Conner was saying goodbye to all his football buddies, giving them bro-fist and chest slams.

He turned around to see Megan standing on the sidewalk in front of the house. Shaking his head, he walked over to her. She chewed on her lip, trying hard not to cry. "I can't believe you're leaving." "I have to.", Conner said. "My dad's back, and he wants joint custody." He smiled. "Megan, I have been dreaming of this. When my dad wants to be my dad again. And now he does. I can't pass this up."

"But why do you have to move to Kansas to be together?", Megan sobbed. "Why can't he just move here?" Conner shook his head. "Megan, we talked about this. Dad tried to find a job here, but he couldn't. He has to keep his job in Smallville. Mom's gotten a job at a boutique there. Its all gonna be alright."

"No, its not!", she yelled, tears falling down her freckled face. "You're gonna be hundreds of miles away! I know we don't see each other as much as we used to, but at least we saw each other at school everyday! What am I supposed to do without you next door?"

Then Conner did something he hadn't done in a long time—he hugged her. "Its okay.", he whispered. "I'll try to visit. We'll talk on the phone, chat online...we're gonna make this work." Megan pulled away and wiped her tears. "I got you something." She gave him a package wrapped in shiny pink paper and tied with a silver ribbon. "I got it so that you wouldn't forget me."

"Yo! Con!" Conner turned back around, tucking the present under his arm, and jogged back to his buddies. "Mad Dogs forever!" Megan sighed as he laughed with them, their intimate moment so soon forgotten.

"Conner! Its time to go!" Giving each guy one last fist bump, Conner got into the backseat of the car and closed the door. Lana started it up and drove out of the driveway and down the road after the moving van. "Bye, Lana! Good luck!" The football guys chanted, "Con! Con! Con! Con!"

As Conner poked his head out the window, waving to the guys, he noticed Megan standing in the middle of the road, waving. "Goodbye, Conner!", she called out to him. "I'll miss you!" Instead of answering, Conner ducked his head back in the car.

He remembered her present. Taking it into his hands, he untied the ribbon and tore the paper away. Inside was a framed photograph of him and Megan at their fifth grade graduation. She was smiling, brace-faced, at the camera, holding up two fingers to make a peace sign. He, on the other hand, was camera-shy, trying to hold up his hands to cover his face.

Written on the bottom in red was To the coolest person I know. I hope we can truly be BFFs—Best Friends Forever. Conner sighed and looked out the window, preparing himself for the long drive ahead.