Just Bestfriends

Episode 1: The Boy Next Door Anna Thompson was six years old when the Cole's family moved into the house next door. Well, not exactly a family. It was just Damian and his father. The neighborhood had been buzzing with excitement for days. The empty house next door had finally been sold, and everyone was curious about the new neighbors. Anna was especially curious. Standing by her bedroom window, she watched movers carry furniture into the large cream-colored house while a little boy stood quietly on the lawn. He looked about her age. Unlike the other children she knew, he wasn't smiling or running around. He simply stood there with his hands tucked into his pockets, hiding his face behind his square-shaped glasses, watching everything with a distant expression. Anna frowned. "He looks lonely." Without waiting for permission from her mother, she rushed outside. The boy looked up as she approached. "Hi!" He blinked. "Hi." "I'm Anna." "...Damian." She grinned. "Want to play?" The boy hesitated. "No." Anna was surprised. Nobody ever said no to her. "Why?" Damian looked at the strange looking girl and shrugged. "I don't really play." Anna narrowed her eyes. "What kind of child doesn't play?" For a moment, Damian stared at her. Then, unexpectedly, he laughed. A small laugh. But it was enough. Anna smiled triumphantly. "See? You're playing already." That afternoon became the beginning of something neither of them expected. --- The next few weeks passed quickly. Every morning Anna knocked on Damian's door before breakfast. Every afternoon they rode bicycles around the neighborhood, chased butterflies, played hide-and-seek, or sat beneath the old mango tree in Anna's backyard making up stories about magical kingdoms. For the first time since moving in, Damian looked happy. One evening, Anna's mother noticed the two children sitting on the porch sharing biscuits. "That boy smiles a lot more these days," she said softly. Anna nodded proudly. "That's because I'm his friend." But what Anna didn't know was that Damian needed a friend more than anyone realized. His father was a no-nonsense strict man, and a workaholic. Some nights he came home after Damian was already asleep. Other nights he was too tired to do anything except eat dinner and go to bed. Most of the time, it was just Damian. Alone. The silence of the big house often felt overwhelming. Until Anna came along. She filled the empty spaces with laughter. And somehow, she made everything feel less lonely. --- A month later, school started. Anna was excited. Damian wasn't. As they walked through the school gates together, Damian's hands trembled slightly. "What if nobody likes me?" he asked. Anna rolled her eyes dramatically. "Then they're stupid." Damian laughed. But his nervousness remained. Unfortunately, his fears weren't completely wrong. The other children already had friends. Some ignored him. Others thought he was strange because he was quiet. During recess, Damian often sat alone under a tree reading books while everyone else played football. One afternoon, Anna found him sitting by himself. "Why aren't you playing?" "I don't think they want me there." Anna looked toward the football field. Then she marched over to the boys. "Hey!" The game stopped. "Why isn't Damian playing?" One boy shrugged. "He never talks." "So?" "He's a weirdo." Anna folded her arms. "He's not weird." The boys exchanged glances. "Then let him play." And from that day on, things slowly changed. Not because Damian suddenly became outgoing. But because Anna never stopped including him. If she was invited somewhere, Damian came too. If she joined a game, Damian joined. If someone made fun of him, Anna defended him without hesitation. They became known around school as a package deal. Where one went, the other followed. Best friends. --- One evening, as the sun disappeared behind the houses, Anna and Damian sat on the swings at the nearby playground. The air was cool and peaceful. "Anna?" "Hmm?" "Do you think we'll always be friends?" Anna looked at him as if he'd asked the world's silliest question. "Of course." "What if we move away?" "We won't." "But what if we do?" "My Dad seems to move alot because of his job" Anna thought for a moment. Then she stretched out her pinky finger. "No matter what happens, we'll always be there for each other." Damian smiled. He hooked his pinky around hers. "Promise?" "Promise." Neither of them knew that years later, that promise would be tested in ways they never imagined. For now, they were simply children sitting beneath a fading sunset, believing that friendship could last forever.