Blessings through Raindrops

The first day of summer when Tyler and I just got out fifth grade, the Henson’s moved in next door. Finally some young parents and kids our age were being added into the suburban neighborhood, filled with mostly grown up kids and retired men and women. My parents were very happy about this. We kids could become best friends, and the parents could as well. My mom, the moment she met Rachel Henson, was already planning neighborhood barbeques in her head, knowing that the Henson’s and Montgomery’s would become great friends. Meanwhile, my dad was hoping Tom Henson would let us occasionally use their pool.

“This is Ashlynn,” my mother introduced me to Eli, “and this is Tyler.”

Eli smiled at me, and I smiled back. “Why don’t you kids,” Rachel began, “go play in the backyard. The trampoline is up. Go check it out, okay?”

“Okay,” he said, grinning. I thought he was cute. He was the first boy I ever thought was cute.

Tyler, Eli, and I all ran to the backyard while Tom and my dad discussed the football game that would be on TV later that night while my mom and Rachel chattered about everything and anything.

Eli climbed onto the trampoline first. I had never been on one before, and so I was positive Tyler hadn’t either. Politely, Eli held open the net for me. I crawled in gracefully, my pink and purple polka dotted socks still snug on my feet. Tyler hopped on as well. Eli began to bounce and Tyler followed. I stood there.

“Jump,” Eli said. So I did. Then Eli asked if I wanted to play a game. Tyler was already being left out.

“Sure,” I had told him.

“It’s called popcorn,” he started. “One person curls up in ball and wraps their arms around their legs. Then I will bounce you and try to get you to pop. Do you get it?”

I nodded. We began to play popcorn. I didn’t even notice Tyler get off the trampoline because I was having so much fun. Finally, I popped.

“Do you want to try to pop me?” Eli questioned.

I shook my head. “I’m tired.” I stayed where I was, legs stretched out. Eli sat next down to me. I turned my head, about to ask him if he wanted to go inside when his lips hit mine. I was confused, my blue eyes open wide, reflecting his. A boy was kissing me. A boy kissed me. I pulled back.

“Sorry,” he said shyly. “I see my mom and dad do it all the time.”

“It’s okay,” I said, unsure if it really was, “I see mine do it too.”

Days later, it was like the kiss never happened. I never mentioned it to my parents or Tyler. The reason I didn’t tell them was because I was unsure of how they would react, and if they would ever let me play with Eli again. Was kissing bad? Were only adults supposed to kiss? I didn’t know. Boys were odd.

Eli was the only boy (besides my brother, Tyler) that I didn’t think had cooties. He was my best friend. We spent our days kicking a soccer ball back and forth (that really entertained us for hours) and then at night we would play in the tree house at the far left corner of my magical backyard. Sometimes I would coax him into being a prince, and I would be Rapunzel, imagining that my golden hair went on for miles and miles. “Stand right there,” I’d order, after Eli climbed down the ladder of the tree house. “A little to the left.” The ten year old Eli would sigh but obey the command. I was one bossy nine year old. “Repeat after me,” I told him, holding my dainty hand out of the little window, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel… Let your hair down.” And so we would play for hours, only occasionally doing something Eli wanted to… Like play pretend pirates or hungry dinosaurs.

Then once we were two years older, we became more interested in board games like Life, Sorry, Monopoly, or Clue. Now that I was eleven, I wasn’t as much of a girly girl and I knew that fairytales weren’t real, so Rapunzel was out. I remember sitting up in the tree house one sunny summer day, completely happy that my best friend was at my side, while Tyler was inside with mom, probably helping her with lunch—grilled cheese sandwiches, Tyler’s favorite. He always got more of the attention; he had asthma. He got to pick what movie to watch, where to go eat out, etcetera. I envied him for it. So when Eli took more of a liking to me than Tyler, I was ecstatic. I felt like I was getting attention, like I was winning a game that Tyler wasn’t even aware we were playing. It was silly, but I was eleven.

That same sunny summer day, Eli and I were in a pickle. You see, he kept bringing up the point that Clue was no fun with just two people. “Why don’t we invite Tyler to play?”

“No,” I protested.

“But why not?” he asked, unaware of how I felt about my brother at the time.

I shrugged. What could say? I want you to be my friend. Only my friend, not his.

“Let’s go get him then.” So off we went. That was the day I lost my best friend. That was the day my brother stole my best friend away from me.

Quickly, my brother and I switched roles. He was now up in the tree house, creating new games of his own with Eli while I was inside helping my mom with lunch—grilled cheese sandwiches.

Then when sixth grade started, Eli never even bothered to say hi. I was either invisible or picked on. And the majority of the time it was picked on because I was Tyler’s little sister (by three minutes). I’d rather be invisible, I thought. I wasn’t friends with any boys, and Eli wasn’t friends with any girls, although a few of my friends had crushes on him, and a lot of girls in my class did too. They loved that he was funny and had blonde hair and blue eyes.
My girl best friend Maria asked me one day on the playground why I didn’t have a crush on him. We were watching a boring game of tether ball. On the concrete playground, it was either play tether ball, basketball or four square. All of the boys played basketball. Also, there was a little mulch area with a jungle gym play set, but we sixth graders thought it was only for babies.

I shrugged. Now that we were in sixth grade, cooties were slowly diminishing and it was okay to have a crush on a boy. This all happened over one summer, and I could only imagine how middle school would be.

“I want a boyfriend,” Maria said to me randomly, seeming a bit determined, her eyes scanning the boys at the basketball hoops.

“Why?”

“Because you can kiss them any time you want.”

I rolled my bright blue eyes. “It’s not that great.”

“What?” she asked, turning her head to face me. “You’ve had a boyfriend? How come you never told me?”

“I’ve never had a boyfriend,” I said.

“So you’ve kissed a boy then?” she questioned incredulously.

“Who’s kissed a boy?” My friend Maggie asked, stopping the yellow tether ball from hitting her face as she turned to face us. Then she joined us on the black top, leaving Jordan Rivers with no tether ball opponent. She hit the tether ball once, and it swung four times around the pole. Finally, she stalked off.

“Ashlynn has,” Maria said once we were all alone.

“Who? Who? Tell us who!” Maggie spoke giddily.

“I don’t know if I should,” I said sheepishly.

“Ashlynn,” Maria began, “You can’t tell me that you’ve kissed a boy, and then refuse to tell me who.”

I sighed. “Eli Henson.”

Maria and Maggie exchanged glances. “Are you serious?” Maggie asked.

Nodding, I stared down at my neon orange painted toes. “We were friends over the summer.” Best friends, actually… “He lives next door. But now he ignores and picks on me and only hangs out with Tyler.”

“Really?” Maria said in disbelief. “He seems nice. He’s really funny and cute. My mommy says that boys with blonde hair and blue eyes are gorgeous.”

“Maybe he picks on you because he likes you,” Maggie said.

I made a face.

“Yeah, my mommy says that too! Boys who pick on you, like you.”

“That’s not true.”

“I’ll go find out,” Maria said, jumping up.

“Maria, what are you—“ Too late. She was already running over to the basketball courts, the one Eli and Tyler were at specifically. “Oh my God! What is she doing?”

“I’m going to go find out,” Maggie said with a devilish smile, her crooked teeth jutting out a little bit. She was getting braces in one week. I was jealous. I thought it would be cool to have them. I would choose a color like turquoise or lime green. I had it all planned out. Too bad my mom said I didn’t need them.

Watching Eli’s face intently from my spot on the ground, I saw his features pinch up. I knew he didn’t like me. He hated me. He liked my brother and he hated me. It made me wonder why. It made me ask myself if I was good enough for him. But maybe it was just because Tyler and Eli were boys and I was a girl. My mom had tried to explain that to me.

“Sometimes,” she spoke gently, “friends drift apart. You know, you like to do girl things and your brother and Eli like to do boy things. Trust me, honey,” she continued, kissing me on the forehead, “you have plenty of time to deal with boys in the future. Enjoy this while you can, okay?” I nodded. I didn’t really understand at the time what she was saying. But now, at sixteen I do.

After what felt like eternity, Maggie and Maria joined me once again on the blacktop. “He doesn’t,” I said, sure of it.

“I’m sorry,” Maria said softly.

I shrugged it off. “I don’t care. I hate him.”