In The Middle

I tried to reach them, keeping my balance on the yellow line, one foot in front of the other. I could hear them giggling and whispering things, but I couldn't understand. When my legs started to feel numb, I hopped back into the sidewalk and ran to them.

"Hey, Jolene," I'd look up at her face, bouncing a bit on my feet.

There's something that I've wondered my whole life; Do big people ignore you because they don't care, or is it because they can't hear you from up there?

"Jolene!" I yelled out again. I made my way between them, and shaking hands, I tried to get her attention.

I looked on farther, and rushed to the bench that was a few feet away. I jumped on it.

"Listen to me!" I screamed as loud as I could. They stopped walking and, momentary, their recent expressions faded away. They looked at me with serious faces. I stood there, wide eyed.

"Get down, Naira," Jolene said. "Now!"

Jonathan chuckled, I hit him with my fist on the chest as he placed me down.

"Don't touch me!" I screamed. I sat down on the bench and crossed my arms.

"Now, what's all this frowning about?" My big sister complained as she sat next to me. Jonathan sat on the other side, and I moved closer to Jolene; I didn't want him to be there.

"You've been ignoring me!" I replied, still crossing my arms. I saw how Jonathan tried to keep from laughing, as if it were something to laugh about.

"Oh--" Jolene said.

"All you care about now is your boyfriend," I interrupted, upset.

"Naira, no... It's not that. It's just that--" I stopped listening to her for a minute.

Why do she like him better than me? He don't play dolls, he don't say amusing things, or teaches me a new song, or says funny jokes, I thought.

Things were changing fast because of him.

No more stories at night, she was too busy on the phone with him. No more taking me to ballet lessons, she was spending time with him. Yesterday, like every Friday, she wouldn't take me to the park for ice cream, cause she was going to the movies with him.

I was looking outside the window when he brought her back home, and dad told me to stay inside.

"Pumpkin, don't go outside tonight," he said when he saw me getting ready to go outside.

"Why not?" I stopped, and looked up at him.

"Because, there are really big..." he stopped a moment, "Eh... Racoons! --Out there."

That made me get worried, so I rushed and put my shoes on to ran to the door.

Mama was sitting on the couch, reading. "Where are you going?" She asked, looking over her glasses.

"I'm going to go tell Jolene," I said, wide eyed.

Dad laughed, and blocked my way out with his hands. "It's okay. Big people are safe from raccoons, kiddo." He grinned.

Why won't she come inside to be with me? I thought. He had came over to take my place. To steal it.

While sitting on the bench two old ladies passed by us. "That's what happens when people start having kids at a young age, kids grow to be spoiled and rebels," she whispered to the other lady as she shook her head. Jolene rolled her eyes, and looked back at me.

"You like him better than me," I replied, "He just came over to steal you from me..." I hugged my legs, bow my head and started crying.

"No," he burst out, and I looked at him. "I would never steal your sister." He shook his head.

"--Once he steals you, I'll have no one to play with but the dog, Miss Giggles," I dither, sobbing. "It's a relief that she fears him, cause I wouldn't want him to steal her too."

Jolene kept silent, then she sighed and got a tissue from her bag to wipe my tears.

"Sweetie..." she sighed again, "You know I wouldn't change you for anything in the world, I wouldn't replace you," she said. "Never!"

"Don't cry," Jonathan said really fast. He seemed concerned, it looked like my enemy had given up, but he continued his conversation. "Sometimes, well, we might not bring you with us, but---" I saw Jolene shaking hands over my head, indicating him to stop talking. And that let me know that my suspicions were false. Now he was tricking me. And I was not going to be his fool.

But my sister just hugged me tight and said, "No, I won't forget about you." She squeezed me, "You'll always be between us."

And right at that instant, I realized I'd have to get used to it. I'd have to get used to being just there, in the middle. But you can be sure it won't be for long. I'll be like that yellow line that divides the street. I'll always be right there, in the middle, indeed.

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