dead // s.m.

two

June 24th, 2007

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday dear Layla, happy birthday to you.

The choir of second graders sang to the now eight year old. Layla smiled at her friends. Even though she wasn't always at school, she still managed to have a few good friends. They would never know how much it truly meant to her that they had stood by her through it all.

"Blow our the candles, make a wish!" Jaqueline, her mother told her. The frail child tugged at the edges of her cap and blew at the candles, slowly putting them out with what energy she could muster.

Everyone clapped and small fingers began to grab at the candles on the purple cake. Layla looked to her left where Shawn, her best friend dipped his finger into the edge of the frosting and brought it to his mouth, which was in a shy grin. Layla giggled at him and did the same, right before her father snatched the cake up to cut into it.

Layla's mom and dad were divorced, but they still remain connected for Layla's sake. Both attended her doctors appointments, made her lunches, and her dad would even stay late with her on nights she couldn't sleep before returning to his apartment.

"Alright, Birthday girl gets the first slice!" He said, placing the square piece in front of her. She smiled at him and picked up her fork, taking a few bites before she was satisfied. Shawn on the other hand had scarfed his piece down and was now nibbling at what Layla had left. This was often how it went with the two, Layla didn't eat as much since she got sick.

•

After the party, Shawn and Layla were upstairs playing with some of the new toys she had gotten. Their parents were downstairs still, playing cards at the table like they usually did. The two families were close, Karen and Jacqueline were roommates in college and continued their tight relationship after school.

"Thank you for my bear, I love it." Layla said, adjusting the pink stuffed animal on her bed. The bear was blush toned, complete with a fuchsia ribbon tied around it's neck as a bow. Shawn had picked it out himself, thinking of a conversation Layla and him had had a few months earlier where Layla had said she wanted more stuffed animals.

"No problem." Shawn said. "We're finally the same age! Was your party fun?"

"Yes!" Layla smiled. "I'm surprised as many people came."

"Why wouldn't they come?"

"Cause I'm ugly."

"I don't think you are ugly."

"You're just saying that."

"I'm not."

Layla took a deep breath and looked at Shawn, and removed her toboggan from her head revealing patches of thin, strawberry blonde hair. "I don't have hair, that makes me ugly. All the other girls at school have hair."

Shawn examined her head with furrowed eyebrows, unable to understand her logic. "Hair doesn't make you ugly. If you had a messed up looking face and mean words then you would be ugly, but your face is pretty and your words are nice."

The corners of Layla's mouth tugged up into a smile. This wise little eight year old always managed to make her feel better.

"We should get married someday," she told him.

"Ok," Shawn chuckled. "But then we would have to kiss and kissing is gross."

Layla thought about this. She agreed with him, kissing was gross and she wouldn't want to do it in front of an audience at a church.

"Maybe we should practice," Shawn thought aloud.

"That seems like a good idea," she said, amazed at how he seamed to read her mind.

The two puckered their lips tight together and leaned in, lightly tapping their mouths together.

"That wasn't so bad, I don't see why it's gross." He furrowed his eyebrows together.

"Me either." Layla felt relieved. Doing that in front of an audience wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

However, she never got to. Layla didn't know it at the time, but her days were numbered. Very soon she would be in front of an audience at the church, but not like how she had originally planned. Her mother would cry, but not tears of joy. Shawn would be there, but not with Layla. Instead he would be in the very back, too angry to even feel the slightest bit upset.

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