Snap!

The tip of the pencil had yet again, snapped in half. The red-haired girl wielding it groaned and proceeded to sharpen it, careful not to disturb the pile of books stacked haphazardly under the sharpener. As her toes tapped wildly beneath her hands, her pencil did not dance. All her eyes saw on the draft so far were mistakes.

"I can't write a poem! I can't!" She exclaimed, getting up from her chair and pacing the room. "I thought I could do it-it's not anything I haven't done before, I've written hundreds of poems before!" Interrupting her anxious thoughts was a faint buzzing sound from her phone, tucked under her pillow to avoid distractions. Now, though, she picked it up, reading the caller I.D: Yuri Heartstrings. Her thumb instinctively pressed the answer button, and Yuri's voice filled her silent room.

"Hey, Pippa!" She exclaimed on the other end. "I was wondering if you wanted to go out and about with me today. I mean, I know you have the poem thing you need to write, but inspirations not going to be in your room. You'd have found it already. So come on! I'll be at your house shortly." Knowing better than to argue, Pippa agreed and double-checked herself in the mirror so she looked presentable.

As she began lowering her room's ladder, the only way in or out, she checked to make sure that she had everything she needed within her small purse. After affirmation, she climbed down the ladder, careful to avoid the creaky steps, and tiptoed out of the house-heaven forbid she interrupt naptime! At her front door, she quickly wrote a blurb on a sticky note telling her parents not to worry, she was out with a friend, that kind of thing. Not like they'd read it. Done with notes, she stuck it to the door and noiselessly eased herself outside.

"Pip!" Yuri exclaimed from the bottom of her steps. "I missed you!" Her grin was wide, slightly frightening, but comforting as well. Her body seemed to be unable to contain her excitement.

Pippa smiled shyly and quickly stepped down to see her friend. "H..hey Yuri," she stuttered. "Wh...where are we going?" Yuri's face dropped into what was supposed to be a mysterious expression, but she just looked like the Cheshire Cat.

"Honestly, Pip, you gotta trust me. It's fantastic!" Pippa found herself nearly dragged to wherever Yuri had planned, jogging to keep up.

Finally, about four miles after Pippa said she was out of breath, Yuri stopped, allowing Pippa to realize where she was.

In front of her was the park she had explored many times over-but this time, there were banners, party favors, a large cake, piles of presents, and best of all, her entire class, whom she'd slowly come to identify as her friends.

"Happy Birthday Pippa!" Yuri smiled. "Your poems can wait for you to celebrate. Now I recommend a toast!"

Her poem won easily.