First Aid Friendship

Esther jumped down out of the tree and straightened her clothes. She had climbed the tree to avoid being seen by her neighbor. Jimmy drove Esther crazy. He teased her incessantly, and just yesterday had dipped her braids in ink at school. Her tips were still dyed black.

Esther walked through town. She made it to the general store and slipped inside. As she entered the store, she noticed a commotion going on in the corner. Esther wondered what was happening.

“He fainted and hit his head on the sink,” yelled a girl as she pushed past Esther. “Get the doctor right away!”

“Who?” asked Esther, but nobody listened to her. Esther was scared of blood, but curiosity had gotten to her. She gasped and covered her mouth when she saw that it was Jimmy.

The crowd had thinned at this point, as people were looking for the doctor. Jimmy’s eyes were closed and his head limp. Esther went up to Jimmy and put her apron on his forehead. Blood was everywhere.

“You’ve gotten yourself into a fine mess,” said Esther. “I hope you aren’t going to die. All those things I’ve said about you… why I could…” Esther’s voice faded.

“You could what?” asked Jimmy. Had he been listening to her the whole time? Esther almost dropped Jimmy’s head at this point.

Instead, she gathered her wits and said, “Jimmy Stevens, I could just spit!” Jimmy chuckled and closed his eyes.