A Very Special Senior Trip

“The road to a friend’s house is never too long.”  That simple statement never held so much meaning for me as it did that day written in Kelly’s card.  It was the last day of our sophomore year in high school and my family was leaving that evening, moving from Wisconsin to Missouri.  I couldn’t believe I wasn’t going to finish high school with the friends I’d been with since Kindergarten. 

“This is for you,” Kelly had said, handing me a milky white vase containing the huge mum.  She had decorated the enormous white football mum with googley eyes, red heart-shaped stickers for cheeks, and a sliver of a red sticker for a mouth.  The card hung from a pretty green ribbon around the neck of the vase.

“Oh, Kelly,” I cried, “you are so sweet.  I am going to miss you so much.”

“We’ll get together soon,” she promised with a twinkle in her eye.

I sighed, unable to speak.  The entire day was tear-filled and emotionally overwhelming.  I rode home on the bus beside my twin brother, neither of us saying a word.  Later that evening, as Dad pulled the packed truck from the driveway and Mom followed in the car, fifty of our school friends filled the yard to wave good-bye.  We were more than one hundred miles away before I stopped crying. 

The summer passed quickly as we unpacked at our new home, learned our way around the new town, and met new people.  We made new friends at school but missed our old friends terribly.  Every Sunday Kelly would call; her older brother Keith was Andy's best friend.  We'd switch over to speakerphone and talk for an hour about everything that was going on back home.  It was like having them in the same room with us again.  She sent pictures, letters, and even a video tape of the Junior Class Play and the talent show.  My brother and I shared all of our news with them and sent similar items for them to pass around to other friends.  Keeping in toch helped the year to pass quickly.

On the last day of our junior year, we arrived home to find a card addressed to both of us waiting on the table.  “This came for you today,” Mom announced as we walked in and tossed our backpacks on the sofa.

Andy opened the card and we read it together:

“Join us for A Very Special Senior Class Trip” was the invitation emblazoned on the front of the card.  Inside were all of the details and a list of those planning to participate.  Twenty of our friends were coming to visit and they wanted us to show them around the city.  They had rented a bus and would be accompanied by three sets of parents. 

“They’ll get here next Friday!” I exclaimed, grabbing my brother’s arm and jumping up and down with excitement.  “Next Friday…that’s just a week away!”

“Where will they all stay?” Andy asked, thinking of the logistics of such a trip.

“It’s all been arranged,” Mom replied, setting out a tray of cookies and milk.  “Andy, you and the boys can all camp out in the back yard.  Andrea, you and the girls can share the family room downstairs.  That will leave each of your bedrooms and the guest room open for the parents.  They have arranged for the bus to be available to take all of you into town for any activities you would like to plan.”

“We’d better get busy, Andy!  We have to be the tour guides.”

“I’ll get some notebooks and pens.  You go get that folder of travel brochures from the Missouri Welcome Center.  There will be lots of ideas in there,” Andy suggested.

We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening pouring over pamphlets and travel booklets, making lists of the places we would like to show our friends.  Friday would come before we knew it and there were lots of plans left to make.

669 words

This story was written as a contest entry for the "Invalid Item"  Contest, January 22-23, 2008 prompt:  In 24 hours write a short story of 1000 words or less or a poem of 50 lines of less using this quotation:  "The road to a friend's house is never too long."