29. Macy

Chapter 29

Macy

18 Years Ago

" Y ou string it through the bead," Delilah says, demonstrating how to make a friendship bracelet. I follow her directions and she claps in approval, causing her to drop the bracelet she was nearly finished making. Beads scatter across the table and fall to the floor. "Not again!" she complains, as though this is a common occurrence.

Daniel sets his grilled cheese on his paper plate and crawls beneath the table. He gathers all the beads, one by one, and hands them to his twin. Once the mess is cleaned up, he hops back in his seat to finish his lunch.

"Can you roll your tongue?" Delilah asks me.

I stick my tongue out and wiggle it around.

The twins laugh.

"Can you?" I ask, which causes both to demonstrate that they can, in fact, curl their tongues.

Delilah remakes her bracelet, creating a pattern with teal and purple. I thread yellow and pink on my string, replicating a sunset.

"Making friendship bracelets?" Mrs. Wright asks, coming into the kitchen and grabbing an apple to snack on.

"Yup!" Delilah says.

"You know what they say about friendship bracelets, don't you?"

"What?" Daniel asks.

"When you give your friend a bracelet you made, that means you are best friends."

Daniel frowns. "How come Lilah gets to be Macy's best friend? That's not fair." His lips curve downward dramatically.

"You can make her one too!" Delilah singsongs.

Her brother smiles, two deep dimples appear in his cheeks. My stomach cartwheels when he moves his chair so it's right next to mine. The three of us spend the afternoon making bracelets for one another. Mrs. Wright ties them since we nearly lose all our beads when we try to do it ourselves.

Later that afternoon, the three of us sit in a circle on the beach. The sun is a bright fiery thing as it sets, making me have to squint to look at Delilah, who sits with her back toward it.

"What's it like being a twin?" I ask.

Daniel looks at Delilah, who is looking at him. They shrug in sync. "What's it like not being one?" Daniel asks.

"Boring," I say, looking at the sand on my feet. "You guys are lucky. You always have someone to play with."

"Yeah, but you can always play with us," Delilah says.

I shrug. "Not during the school year."

Daniel frowns. "I wish you lived here."

"Me too," Delilah says.

"Me three."

I glance at the purple and teel bracelet on one arm, and the green and blue one on the other. I'll never take them off. I look between my best friends, at the bracelets on their wrist. Even when we are thousands of miles apart, we'll be connected in this small way, as long as we never take them off.

"Best friends forever," Delilah says.

"Forever," I say. That's a really long time . Good. A smile spreads across my face.

Daniel's eyes meet mine, and then he reflects the happy expression.