Monroy's Pond (Book One)

An introduction into the world of a boy who seemed to have been lost for a time. A series in which some things may make sense, and others not so much. What those things are, are for you to decide.

Finding it. That’s the hard part. What really matters is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You think you have it and it turns out just to be another piece of hay, and you say “oops” or “I won’t make that mistake again.” Only to make it another thousand times. Life can be all sorts of things, but it’s mostly what you make of it. And that’s a life lesson, some learn at a very young age.

Chapter One: How it all started

Down south, in a small town almost no one has heard of, a young girl sits at the foot of an old, wood framed bed. Thinking about her life’s earlier years. Only to find happiness, and joy in the memories of playing in the woods, and of the friendships she’s made over the years. Now fourteen, and about to begin the ninth grade, she would often find herself immersed in daydreams filled with worry, and fear, but also the joys of growing older, and experiencing new things, like any teenager would.

“Molly Mae! Where are you?” a very tense, non-threatening voice called from the family room just down the hall in an old apartment building.

Still distracted with her daydreams, Molly Mae did not answer her mother or even acknowledge her presence until she was suddenly shaken from her deep concentration.

Now, her mother expected this from her, especially since she was often caught drifting into space.

“Molly Mae!” Ms. Dimplow repeated as she shook her daughter gently back to reality.

“What do you need mom? I was just about to realize the answer to life!” Molly replied sarcastically knowing her mother would find it funny.

“Sorry sweetie, but Monroy called again. He was wondering if you would like to go to the movies.”

“Is he still on the phone?” Molly said annoyed that her mother didn’t tell her sooner.

“Yes, I had him--”

Molly jumped up as quick as she could and ran for the phone. She didn’t want to keep her best friend, one of her bestfriends waiting. Her and Monroy had been best friends since preschool. She loved talking to him, not only because he was funny, but their conversations were just generally fun. She reached the phone moments later and greeted Monroy as she usually would.

“Hey, what’s up Stinkers?” knowing he would understand the “inside” joke.

“Not much, Clunkers. You?” Monroy teased.

All of a sudden they both burst out laughing as Molly Mae’s mother entered the room.

“Molly, are you two being strange again?” Molly’s mother asked jokingly.

“Of course, it’s us after all.” Molly Mae replied.

“Well, just don’t be too strange.” Ms. Dimplow warned as she took the old cook book from the shelf sitting on the other side of the dining room wall and began to leave.

“So, my mom said something about going to the movies?” Molly Mae asked.

“Yeah, you in?”

“Sure, is Sammy going too?”

Monroy paused a minute. He started thinking about how Molly Mae had told him for the first time that she liked Sammy, their other best friend. However, he hadn’t had the nerves to tell her how he had felt about her for the last few years. He had always liked her, but up until a few years ago, it was as more than a friend.

“Monroy?” Molly Mae said with concern.

A sense of urgency brought him back to the current conversation he was having.

“Yeah?” He said a bit confused.

“Is Sammy going too?”

“Oh, Yeah, sorry, I haven’t asked him yet. I planned on calling him as soon as I was off the phone with you...” His voice trailed off.

“Are you ok, Monroy?” She asked, sensing his change of tone.

“Yeah. I got to go, talk to you later. Bye.” He said quickly and then hung up the phone.

“Ok, bye.” Molly sighed.

Molly always felt bad whenever she brought Sammy up in her and Monroy’s conversations even though they were all best friends. She could just feel that it always put Monroy in a sour mood. After hanging up, Molly Mae went straight back to her room to figure out what she was going to wear to school the next day. Then off to bed she would go. Naturally, she wanted to get to bed early. So she wouldn’t be exhausted for her first day of school.

The next morning Molly’s alarm went off at exactly 6:15 am. Just as she had set it to. She woke up effortlessly. Still wearing her star covered fleece pajama pants, and her plain white spaghetti strap tank top, as she headed downstairs for breakfast.

Ms. Dimplow always made Molly a homemade, gourmet-style breakfast to start the school year off.

Later that day, in homeroom she was sitting in one of the back rows of the desk. Just as she did every year, fidgeting with her fingers, waiting patiently for everyone else to arrive.

She thought everyone had shown up, when suddenly her face lit up like the christmas tree in the town circle with all its beautiful lights, tinsel and ornaments on it. She quickly tried to hide it as Sammy walked towards the empty seat next to Molly. She was so relieved that he was in her homeroom again.

“At least we’re in the same homeroom again this year...” Molly thought to herself. When she suddenly heard a voice. She couldn’t quite make sense of who, as she had not realised Sammy had walked straight past her to the seat behind her in her dozing off again. It wasn’t until she turned, and he asked her something. She then pulled herself together enough to properly answer him on how her summer went.

“Oh, really good. How was the ranch?” She asked with flushed cheeks.

“Awesome, I had so much fun.”

“Cool.” Molly said smoothly, trying not to seem too interested but not too dis-interested. She turned back around as the teacher started calling off the names of the students who were supposed to be in her homeroom.

Once they were dismissed, Molly was relieved to find that Sammy had all his classes with her. They spent the entire first day catching up and finding their new classrooms. They finally joined Monroy and a few other friends at the lunch table by the window where the sun shone through, hitting the friends perfectly, keeping them warm.

Molly sat the whole time trying not to get caught staring at Sammy from across the table as he told stories from his time at the ranch.’

“Molly?” Sammy said. “Are you ok?”

“Huh?” Molly said a bit puzzled as to why Sammy was asking her that. It was then she realized he had caught her staring at him.

“Yes, just thinking..”

“You sure? You seemed troubled.”

“No, just thinking.”

“Ok, if you say so.”

Just as Sammy said this the bell went off and everybody hurried to find where they’d be going next. The day finally ended and Molly had decided to have Sammy and Monroy over to celebrate the start of the school year. Sammy had already made plans, so it would just be her and Monroy. Molly was getting out the ice cream to make her famous “MollyMonster'' (her favorite thing to call her extreme ice cream sundaes), when she noticed a glum expression on Monroy’s face.

“Ok, what’s up with you Monroy? Ever since the other day on the phone you’ve been like this.”

“Like what?”

“Sad. Tell me what’s bothering you, we are best friends, right?”

“Yeah...”

She could tell he wasn’t going to finish his sentence or tell her anything so she finally just went on making her “MollyMonster.”

After leaving her house that night Molly hadn’t heard from or seen Monroy all that much except for in school. He didn’t even sit with Sammy and her at lunch anymore. He even started showing up for school less, and less. Until one day he just stopped showing up all together.

Molly and Sammy went to his house one afternoon to make sure he was okay. They were astounded to find his house deserted, with nothing but a note taped to the door that read:

“Dear Molly, and Sammy,

If you’ve come to see me and are reading this, it means I’m gone. I’ve moved away. I wanted to tell you but couldn't. It would have been too painful for me to. I know I’ve been distant lately. I’m sorry. But I guess this is goodbye.

Love, Monroy”

The two of them just stood on the old, cracked steps to Monroy’s house in sorrow. They stayed in silence for a while just wondering why Monroy had kept this from them, his best friends. Finally after home, Monroy’s friend went straight to bed unbenounced to either, that that would be the last time any of them would truly be close.

Eventually, Molly and Sammy stopped talking. They grew farther, and farther apart after a while. Years passed. They had become total strangers to each other.