Poppy & Piers

The following is an excerpt of a book I'm considering writing. If people like it I'll be happy to continue the story.

________________________________________________________________________________

Poppy & Piers

Since birth. Thats the answer I usually give when people ask how long Piers and I have been friends. Technically, its true. Both our mums went into labour on the same day. Piers' mum Janine's water broke at 2:35 am, my mum's at 2:46 am, on the 1st of October. They were in beds side by side. Janine and my mum chatted between contractions, neither can remember what about.

At 3:51, Janine was wheeled off into another room and had Piers. At 12:00 pm the next day, my mum was still there. Piers' dad George and Janine both came in and sat with Mum. Janine held her hand while she was contracting, even joined her while she gave birth to me. My father didn't show up, he hadn't known about me then.

And since that day, Mum and Janine were best friends and so were Piers and I. We grew up together, we took baths together, spent Christmas and Easter and New Years together, I even have a bed in Piers' house for when Mum goes out of town for work.

Its strange to think that we had never actually been apart. I saw Piers everyday at school, then we played soccer on Saturday, and his family comes over our house on Sunday for dinner. Except for a two weeks in fifth grade.

I was over Piers house while Mum was visiting her sister in London. Tonight was my last night before she came home so Piers and I set out to break the record for biggest pillow fort. We used fifty blankets and twice as many pillows, and stapled them to chairs, the lounge the dining table.

We fell backwards into a mountain of pillows, exhausted in the early hours of the morning. Piers held his hand out to me, I grabbed it with my own and swung it up and down. I turned to him, he turned to me, and a giant grin spread over both our faces. Then he moved a little closer, and plopped a kiss on my lips. Me being young and scared, I untangled myself from him and ran out of the lounge room crying. I stumbled up to my room and locked the door, tears streaming down my face. I laid in bed, and pretended to be asleep until Mum picked me up.

I ran out of the house and ignored Piers' calls, emails, his knocks on the door, I even faked being sick to get out of school. After a week of Piers' pestering and my disregarding, my Mum sat me down and had a long talk with me about mental health and how being unhappy for a long time isn't something to hide fro her.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" Mum asked after she had said her piece.

"Piers kissed me, Mum." I sobbed, throwing my head into her lap. She begun stroking my head like she always did, twirling strands of hair on her fingers. "I like being best friends and he made everything weird!"

Mum pulled me up and held me by the shoulders. "You and Piers are going through a new stage in your life, when you'll start to look at people you've known your whole life differently. Maybe Piers has a crush on you, or maybe he was just curious what it felt like to kiss someone. But if you tell him you don't want to kiss him, he'll stop, and he'll apologise, and he might even feel bad about it. But don't hide from him and make him feel bad about something any young man would be embarrassed about; your friendship isn't over."

"But Mum, if he likes me like that, and I broke his heart, he'll never want to come near me."

"Trust me, Poppy, staying away from him will break his heart just as much, probably more.

After another week, Piers came over my house and knocked on my window. I turned my back to him, while I sat at my desk, and ignored him. 

"I'm sorry, Pop. Can we just forget about it? I miss hanging out with you." He shouted through the glass. I turned around and opened the window, allowing Piers to step in. "Please come to the game on Saturday. The team needs you."

"You promise you wont kiss me again?" I held my finger up threateningly, despite being

"I promise."

And then everything went back to normal; instantly.

And now here we are, hugging in an airport almost in tears. We couldn't handle being more than two weeks apart from each other and here I am, about to get on a plane headed to New York for the Summer holidays.

About a month ago, my Dad had gotten in touch with my Mum. To say he was shocked to discover my existence is an understatement. He cried when I spoke to him on the phone. He lives in the Upper East Side of Manhattan with his wife and three step-daughters.

Piers and I pulled apart and he grabbed my shoulders. "Promise me you'll text me everyday and you'll come back before school starts."


"Piers, I promise you that we will walk into high school together in September."

We got in one last hug before my Mum ushered me into the boarding area. Before I knew it, I was already out of Oregon and watching plains of green and yellow pass beneath us. I had only flown once, from California to Hawaii when I was five with Piers. I had held his hand and patted his back when he threw up into a paper bag. 

But now, I was by myself in the window seat. No one to distract me. I just hoped that my dad likes me. My mind raced with all the horrible scenarios that could play out when I step off the plane in 8 hours. Would he be disappointed?

I don't get very high grades- Piers was always the smart one. And I cant show him how good I am at soccer I don't even think theres a square foot of grass anywhere near his house. New York is basically 100% concrete right? Maybe I could show him a video of one of my games, I'm sure I have one.

As my stomach tied itself in knots I sighed defeated. I looked out the window, at the world below where some girls were probably having pointless arguments with there Dad's before I had even met mine. The idea and eventually smiled.


At least I could say I tried.