• She was only 13 years old.
    I was only 12.
    Now I'm 14.
    Now she's gone.


    Kat was my next door neighbor, best friend and an understanding sister. We attended the same elementary school together, so we were never that far apart. Although, when I entered the 6th grade and she went into junior high, everything changed. Every single time I called her, her mom would pick up and tell me she was doing homework or she was with her dad. I never saw her as often, I didn't receive anymore phone calls from her and I felt lonely. I began to think she shut me out as a friend, since she entered middle school and made new friends or changed drastically like any other teenager who wanted to fit in. So, I closed the door to our friendship, until she wanted to open it back up again.

    During my 6th grade year, I was enrolled into a robotics program that began after school and ended in the evening every Tuesday and Thursday. As I came back home in the evening one Thursday, it was a typical day; I folded some origami, read a book and played video games. Although 2 hours later, the doorbell rang. It was odd for someone to ring our doorbell at this time. My dad unlocked it and her older brother and mom were at our doorstep. Their faces were lifeless and wet with tears.... but where was Kat? My mind raced with thoughts,"Why are they here? Where is Alicia? What happened?" "Kat, Kat! It's Kat! She's..!!", her mom cried out "Aly is dead!" My went numb. I tried to convince myself that this was a joke, but I couldn't convince myself in time, I was already screaming and crying out. No.

    My thoughts: This is a dream right, I'm about to wake up laughing saying to myself that never happened because Kat will be right next door. But deep inside my heart I couldn't accept that one truth: It's real.

    Goodbye
    Sister.