Image: Scene break ornament. End Description.

Phoebe had to stop herself from humming when she took a bite of a cookie. It reminded her of home, of crisp spring mornings. But with an equally-sweet cup of Thai tea in front of her, she decided that it would be best to save the baked goods for later. She and Nicole were sitting at a table for two outside of the boba shop, watching people and the occasional car go by. The faint scent of ironweed blew through the air.

Image: Phoebe and Nicole sitting at a table on the sidewalk; Phoebe is listening to Nicole talk.On the table are two cups of boba tea along with a plastic shopping bag, and there is a large pot of ironweed under a window behind Nicole. End description.

“So, what’s with the scar?” Nicole asked.

For the life of her (and maybe that wasn’t saying much) Phoebe couldn’t recall many feelings about being friends with Nicole. She vaguely remembered laughing, and splashing in the creek, and playing house. She knew that the woman sat across from her was important- someone who had stuck around in her mind. But, it had been so long since they’d actually interacted. Phoebe wasn’t a child anymore.

“It’s from- I had surgery,” Phoebe stumbled over her answer. “I had a diving accident.”

Nicole chewed on a tapioca pearl. “Wow, I’m sorry. Are you alright now? If you want, I know about this bio-oil stuff that’s supposed to help scars fade.”

They’d had so much fun together. After Nicole moved away, Phoebe stopped missing her almost immediately. That's how it was with everyone.



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9.25.2024
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