M A R K

Summer went by too quick. Just looking back at it now, it felt like a blur. It ended it too soon for me to realize that I had to get ready for another school year. I remember going shopping with my mom at that time, we had bought lots of stuff because Mom was just that nice.

Sean had to also get ready for school, which he did so. He was nervous but he tried to hide it. I know how he felt, a new school is scary no matter what. Meeting new people is scary no matter what. But for Sean it felt a little bit scarier for some reason.

It's now Autumn and the leaves have begun to fall from the trees. School started quickly as I had assumed. Sean soon clung to me when it started, I didn't mind. School moved fast and we found ourselves a month in.

Each day after school Sean and I would get off the school bus together. It was almost routined by now. Sean would run home and drop his stuff just to come back over to my house. We would usually play video games or watch TV.

Today was the same as usual. Sean and I sit on my carpet floor staring up at my TV watching a show. My eyes wander to Sean who sighs heavily.

"I'm bored," he says nonchalant and stretching his legs out.

"Well, what do you want to do?" I ask reaching to turn off the screen.

"I dunno. I want to go outside," he says softly. I look back at him and I could see he was thinking.

"What is it? You can tell me." I sit back down onto the floor properly as I wait patiently for Sean's response.

"Can we go... can we go pick flowers?" He ask almost shrinking into himself.

"You want to go pick flowers?" I repeat the question. He nods faintly, his eyes elsewhere.
"There's nothing wrong with liking flowers, Sean," I say trying to pull him from the hole he is creating. "I'll go ask Mom, yeah?"

Sean looks at me and I give him a full, genuine smile. He couldn't help himself from smiling back.

Sean and I head down stairs to ask my mom if there was a place we could pick some flowers. She questioned we would want to go pick flowers and it made Sean look uncomfortable. I explained to her that Sean loved flowers and he wanted to get some, she smiled sweetly at Sean in adoration.

"You like some flowers of your own, Sean?" My mom asks Sean in a soft tone.

"Yes ma'am," he responds back.

"Well, let's go get you some," she says with a smile and Sean couldn't have looked anymore over joyed. I smiled just by looking at him, his happiness made me happy.

Mom drove us to a park near by park, a different one from before. She allowed us to go run around the park to find some flowers, and sadly we could find hardly any. The ones that were still there looked liked they were about to die. Sean frowned because he knew if there wasn't any flowers now then they won't grow until a while.

"I'm sorry, Sean," I respond full heartily. I could see that he was really hoping to pick some flowers.

"Hey kids! There's a tree over there has flowers under it!" Mom exclaims at us as she points to a big oak tree that still has some of its leaves.

Sean doesn't hesitate to run towards the trees. I laugh and follow behind him. Sean's eyes sparkle as he sees the assorted colors of flowers that look so pretty. I smile because I know he is just ecstatic.

Sean and I sit down onto the grass together. I watch Sean as he picks the flowers around him and smells them. He has a smile plastered onto his face and it made me happy.

I pick a small pink flower from the ground and look at it. I small thought comes into my mind and I lean towards Sean and place the tiny flower into his hair.

Sean looks at me with a confused look. "I placed a flower into your hair. See," I place yet another into his hair and it makes him giggle with delight. "You want more flowers in your hair?" I ask while picking more flowers. He nods as he watches me. "You could be a flower."

"What?" He says in question.

"You just love flowers so much, I'm surprised you aren't one." I place another tiny flower into Sean's hair just to prove my point.

"If I were a flower, would I be a pretty one?" Sean asks as he looks up at me innocently.

"A beautiful flower is what you'll be."

I lean back and admire my work of flowers that stick in Sean's hair. He looks at me once more and I nod at him to tell him that it's done.

"Thank you, Mark," he says sincerely. I go to welcome him but I'm cut off when he reaches over and wraps around me into a hug. I wrap my arms around him and I watch the flowers around us move in the wind.

"You're welcome, Sean." We sit there for a few moments before Sean pulls away to look at me. We smile at each other before deciding to get up and head back to my mom.

The flowers stayed in Sean's hair the ride home and he didn't pick them out when we got home either. I assume when he heads home he'll take them out, or his mother will.

"It was lovely having you over today, Sean. Tell your parents I said thank you and I'm glad you got some flowers," Mom says towards Sean with a smile.

"Thank you!" He exclaims as he touches the top of his head to feel the flowers.

"You're welcome, love. You better head home now, it's getting late. It's a school night." Sean nods with agreement and looks over to me.

I open my arms to give him a hug and he accepts it. I take a moment to compliment that he smells like flowers and he giggles into my shoulder. We pull away and Sean goes to walk back to his house. Mom and I watch to make sure he gets home safely.

Days past quickly and soon Halloween was here. I was excited for it, it was one of my favorite holidays of the year. Sean didn't seem as excited as I liked him to be.

"Do you not like Halloween?" I ask Sean one day as we sit on the stairs of his front porch.

"I do... it's just..." he starts but it doesn't look like he will finish it.

"You can tell me, Sean," I remind him. He nods slightly as he takes a moment to think.

"I want to dress up, but people don't like it." I furrow my eyebrows at him. People don't like it? What does he mean by that?

"On Halloween you get to dress up as anything you like. Why wouldn't people like how you dress up?" I ask.

He sits there and I wait patiently for him to respond. "Because... I want to be something I'm not."

"You can be anything you want on Halloween, there is no boundaries. What would you like to be?" I ask as I smile at him even though he can't see it since he's burning a hole into the ground.

"Please don't laugh at me," he says so small, I could wrap myself around him.

"I would never laugh at you, Sean," I say sincerely.

He sighs and I watch his shoulders fall. It almost seemed like an eternity for him to respond, but that's okay because I would wait an eternity. "I want to be... be a p-princess," he says so quietly that I could barely hear him, but I did.

I take a moment to take the information in. He was scared because he couldn't be something he wasn't, a princess.

My smile only grows wider as I say, "Sean... there's nothing wrong with that. You can be a princess."

He looks to me with his eyes gleaming. "Not before," he responds simply. Is he referring to back in Ireland?

"You can now," I say and his eyes widen.

"I can?" He says with joy seeping with his words.

"Yes, you can. Now, lets go find you a dress!" I exclaim as I stand up from the stairs and grabbing his hand.

"And a crown thingy?" He says standing up with me.

I laugh shortly before responding, "Yes, and a crown thingy. Come on!"

We run to my house and I quickly ask my mom if she had a dress. She stops what she is doing and looks at Sean and I with a confused look. "A dress? Why do you need a dress?"

"Because, um, Sean wants to be a princess for Halloween and I told him it's okay for him to be," I say hastily.

She quirks an eyebrow and looks over to Sean who is looking at Mom with pleading eyes. She then puts a smile on her face. "I think I may have a dress in my closet from when I was doing pageants," She says and goes upstairs into her room.

I look over to Sean who has the biggest grin on his face. Mom soon walks down with a fluffy pink dress that looks like the size of Sean. I could see the joy rising in Sean.

"This may fit you. I have some matching slippers up there too if you like this dress." She hands the dress over to Sean and he bounces up and down.

"I love it! I can be a princess!" He yells with delight. I couldn't help myself from smiling.

"Yes you can," I say in response and he looks at me with a warm smile.

"Alright, we'll go try it on so you can be a princess!" Mom says. It seems like she's excited for him, also.

"Okay!" He exclaims as he runs to the bathroom to try it on.

He soon comes out with the puffy dress hugging his body and he looked scared for our reactions.

Mom puts her hand over her mouth as she says softly, "Oh, Sean..."

I look at him and my eyes widen. "Sean, you look like a princess."

He gleams with joy as he looks at us. "Come on, Sean. I need to buy some princess accessories for the princess," Mom says as her eyes tear up only slightly. She must be happy. I was happy.

Sean nods at her and then looks at me once more, there was only happiness in his eyes.

≫≫≫

thank you so much for 8k! incredible support for this book and i'm so thankful!

this book is picking up pace but i have lots planned for it. i hope you are enjoying it so far and i can't wait to provide you more!

special thank you to KathyShips who made the incredible fanart! <3