_____ was in the park for the day. She sat under the great willow tree on the side. February was always her favorite time because that's when the willow would bloom. She would sit under it and pretend she was a fairy or nature creature as the petals surrounded her and fluttered in the wind.
But today was different, at the age of 6, a lot could hurt her feelings. She cried about her mother yelling at her to pick up her messes, or even if she dropped her favorite toy. Today, her best friend (girl name) had told her she didn't want to be friends anymore.
Just as simple as that. (Girl name) walked up to her, said her statement, and walked away.
_____ ran to the park to feel better, but it didn't work.
Now, she sat with her knees to her chest, and head in her hands as tears occasionally ran down her cheeks and off her chin, onto the soft ground. She didn't feel like a fairy today. Fairies don't cry.
"Hey! What are you crying about?"
The noise startled her, she took her hands off of her eyes and wiped her nose on her arm.
Before her stood a boy about her age. He had long blonde hair that fell just above his shoulders. A green cape was draped over his shoulders along with a light green shirt and dark green pants.
"My friend said she's not my friend anymore." _____ sniffed.
She couldn't care less that he was a stranger. She needed someone to talk to. To let her feelings out, someone who would understand.
He put his hand out towards her. A cold breeze passed by and gave _____ chills. Some of the flowers fell off of the tree and fluttered in the wind.
"I can be your friend." He replied, "Just stop crying."
_____ reached for his hand. He had a firm grip, something you don't usually see in young children. She gripped it tightly and pulled herself up and onto her feet.
He grabbed _____'s cheek and wiped the tears off with his thumb.
Another breeze passed by and _____ shivered.
He grabbed his cape and took it off. He draped it over _____'s shoulders. It was heavy, but warm.
"Take this. If you get too cool, you might catch a cold."
_____'s face turned a shade of crimson, "Thank you."
He was surprisingly clever and smart for his age.
"What's your name?" _____ asked.
"Basch. What's yours?"
_____ gave him a little introduction. They both got along very well.
They played for the rest of the day. Talking under the willow, playing tag in the field, and even picking flowers, which Basch refused at first, but _____ insisted.
After that, they met at the park almost every day. Repeating what they did, but talking about different things. They laughed together, cried together, they did everything together. They enjoyed being with each other.
But, after a few long years of friendship, _____'s family had to move away. She had turned eleven years old and her father had gotten a new job. So, her father had to move closer.
_____ sprinted to the park with tears pouring from her eyes. When she saw Basch, she ran up to him and hugged him tightly. She cried and cried, leaving a wet stain on Basch's shoulder.
She explained her situation and Basch's cheer-filled smile faded.
"Will we see each other again?" _____ asked Basch, yearning to hear a positive response from him.
"I don't know." He replied, "I hope so."
"Wait!" _____ ran across the park to her favorite spot. Basch followed closely behind. She plucked a branch from the willow tree and held it firmly in her hands.
"This is where we first met, remember?" She rubbed the branch with her fingers, the bumpy stubs from the where the older leaves had been pushed against her skin.
"Take this." She held it out for him, "Think of it as my spirit. Whenever you miss me, I'll be right here, where we met."
He took it and held it close to his body. He nodded and took off his cape.
"You take this. Wear it to keep you warm." She took it and smiled.
"I'll miss you, Basch. But I won't forget you." She gave him a quick hug and started to run back to her house, "And don't you forget me!"
He nodded and clutched the branch tighter to his chest. His body started to feel warmer.
"I won't." He whispered, but _____ was long gone.

A cool breeze whipped through _____'s hair as she walked along the sidewalk to (f/n)'s house. She wrapped the green felt tightly around her shoulders.
As she approached (f/n)'s house, she started at the ground, hoping by pulling most of her body closer, she'd be warmer.
She was a few yards from her house when she suddenly bumped into something and fell forwards, right onto her face. Her hands stayed in her pockets for warmth, not helping her break her fall.
She groaned as the pain finally started rushing to her head. Tears uncontrollably fell from her eyes.
"I am so sorry." She heard a voice, "Let me help."
She pulled her hands out of her pockets and sat up.
In front of her was a blonde headed man, his arm stretched out before her. He had a stern, yet forgiving look plastered on his face. He seemed oddly familiar.
"Come on." The man said, "I'll help you up. Just stop crying."
Then, it hit her like a stack of bricks.
"Basch?" She asked, surprised that she remembered a person from what seemed like so long ago.
His eyebrows furrowed, "Do I know you?"
All of her pain suddenly faded, she leapt up and swung her arms around his neck. He stumbled backwards and tried to push her off.
"It's me, _____!" She exclaimed, "We were friends as kids!"
Basch's eyes widened and he stopped trying to push her away, "_____? Is that really you?"
She nodded and buried her head into his shoulder, "It's me! I'm even wearing your cape!"
She pulled away and held up the green fabric. It was small and didn't look like a cape anymore. It fell just below her shoulders.
He reached out and rubbed the velvet. "You kept it, all these years."
"Just like I promised."
_____ gave him a sweet smile, but he didn't seem all too happy. He dropped his hand back to his side and lowered his head. His breathing slowed and didn't make as much fog in the air.
"I didn't think I'd ever see you again." He started, "And up until now, I've put you out of my head. I missed you too much. I hid everything that reminded me of you. The photos, the flowers, the willow branch."
_____'s smile faded, she thought he would've kept the willow branch close to him. She thought about him and missed him a lot. So, she wore his tiny cape.
'You take this. Wear it to keep you warm.'
It reminded her of the day that they met. When she wore the cape, she felt like she could keep the moment and make it last forever. Encapsulated- trapped in her heart, to live on forever.
He took a deep breath, "Seeing things like that, reminded me of you and the day that you left. I didn't want to remember you like that. I decided to put you out of my life and find other people. Now, I regret that. I'm sorry."
More tears fell from _____'s eyes. He once again wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close.
"Well, now that I'm back, you don't have to be so upset anymore." She said, "We can still hang out."
He put a hand on her back and nodded.
______ then remembered that she had to be at (f/n)'s house. She let go of his and slipped him a piece of paper.
"Call me sometime. We can catch up." She gave him a smile that seemed to warm them both up better than both of their jackets.
"I have to go. I'll see you later." She said and started back towards her friend's house. Basch waved her off and pocketed the slip of paper.

_____'s bright face faded as she heard her phone go off. No one in the world should be allowed to interrupt her favorite show. No one.
She rolled her eyes and picked up the damned piece of metal. She accepted the call, not caring who was calling.
"What?" She snarled.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I call you at a bad time?"
It was Basch. _____ blinked hard. She half expected an automated voice to answer, but hearing his voice made her body unstiffen.
"Basch?" _____ asked, "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting for you to call."
He chuckled, "Should I set a time every day to call you? How's 3:00?"
_____ shook her head and smirked, "Very funny. What's up?"
All of the color drained from Basch's face, "Right." He started pacing around his house, picking up random objects and observing them, "Listen, It's not like I need someone here, but would you care to come over?" He stumbled over his words.
_____'s eyes opened a fraction and she breaks into a smile. Her eyes meet the dark green cape hanging on a hook on the wall. She stood up and walked towards it, admiring the fabric, "I'd like that. When is a good time for you?"
"Is about an hour from now okay with you? I don't want to be a burden if you're busy."
"That sounds good to me." _____ replied.
Basch's face changed from a pale white to a dark crimson, "Okay, see you in a while."

~~~~Time Skip~~~~

Her shoes clicked against the frozen pavement as she approached Basch's house. She rapped on the door and put her hair behind her ears. She dressed casually, but with a sense of taste. Nothing fancy, but nothing too shaggy.
Basch closed his eyes as he opened the door. He took a deep breath. 'What is there to worry about?' he asked himself 'She's just an old friend coming for a visit.' He gave her a comforting smile and invited her in.
Opening that door was like opening another world for _____. Everything was pristine and perfect. Not a book out of place, not a speck of dust clinging to anything. All of her breath left her body in one big content sigh.
"Basch! Your house is amazing!" She gasped.
He chuckled and thanked her. They sat down on his couch and chatted for a while. Catching up and reminiscing of old times. Laughter and joy radiated throughout the house. _____ was glad that she was missing her show for this. In fact, she had forgotten about her show all together.
Around 12 o'clock, Basch offered some lunch. The food looked as nice as his house and it lived up to its name.
They pushed the time forward with more lively chat and didn't realize how long they had been together. Nearly 6 hours had passed and it was close to dinner time.
_____ caught the clock out of the corner of her eye.
"I'm sorry, I have to leave. I enjoyed staying with you." She stood up from the couch and continued, "Maybe we can get together again sometime, now that we've caught up. We can catch a movie or something."
He nodded and started towards the door, "That sounds nice."
They both stood in the doorway with the sense that something was missing. _____ put out her hand to shake, but his hand did not meet hers. Instead, Basch pressed his lips on her forehead.
"I'll see you soon." He smiled.
She nodded and Basch watched as she started shuffling away. Bundling herself up in the all too familiar green fabric. He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.
He took his coat off and wrapped his coat around her arms. She gave it a tight squeeze and muttered a small, "Thank you" before leaving, fading into the darkness.