Lily and Emma were inseparable as children. Were one went the other followed close behind. Lily would spend days at a time at Emma’s house. They’d go to school together, and wreak havoc on the town side by side. “Those two girls are joined at the hip” everyone in town would always say at the sight of them cruising down the street in their matching purple bikes. Their baskets full of snacks they sweet talked the local convenient store owner Bill into giving to them at a “discounted” price.

Lily and Emma would frequent a weeping willow tree in their neighborhood to devour the snacks, tell stories, and create worlds together. This was _their_ spot. A place they could be their full authentic selves, away from the scrutiny and judgemental eyes of their classmates.

One day under the tree, Emma turned to Lily and said with bright eyes “Lily, promise that we will be friends forever, and we will never leave each other.”

Lily held out her pinky to Emma and proclaimed “I hereby promise to Emma Wilkins that I, Lily Jones, will never leave your side and will forever be your bestest friend in the whole wide world.”

They linked pinkies, content with their promise to each other. Made a the youthful age of 12, where anything seemed possible and dreams still felt like they could become reality.

Lily was a rather small and timid little girl, but she had big dreams. Coming from a broken home, she escaped by delving into other worlds. She would devour books and secretly watch her favorite movies and plays, sometimes until she could glimpse the beginning of the sunrise. Her favorite story had been Peter Pan. She envied Wendy. How many nights she had wished to fly away into the night sky with Emma and explore a whole new world. Emma was always going on vacations with her family, sometimes even traveling to different countries. Emma always told Lily when she left, to look up at the North Star, and that she would be looking too. A reminder that even though they’re far away from each other, they’d just have to follow the North Star to find each other again.

Emma’s life, on the other hand, had been all planned out by her parents. She was going to follow in their footsteps and become a prestigious and sought after lawyer. Emma did not mind this however. She did not have to worry about her future. She knew what it would entail. Knew what she had to do to succeed, and had the means to do so. But when she was with Lily, she sometimes envied Lily’s imagination and dreams. Emma did not have any dreams. But she knew how privileged she was, knew the struggles Lily went through, and considered herself lucky.

“One day I am going to audition to play Wendy in Peter Pan” Lily said longingly, while laying on a yellow gingham blanket in the park with Emma, observing the bright blue sky full of clouds. “I’m going to move to New York and find a cute little studio apartment, and finally chase my dreams.” It was the summer before their senior year, and Lily and Emma were spending what would be one of the last precious moments of their youth together.

“I believe in you Lily. If anyone deserves for their dreams to come true, it’s you” Emma said as she turned towards Lily. Emma’s palms were sweating and she felt the anxiety begin to take hold of her. She was trying to work up the courage to tell Lily that she had been accepted to Yale University in Connecticut and would be leaving Lily soon after they graduate. Although it was only a seven hour drive from their hometown of Richmond Virginia, Emma and Lily had never spent more than a week apart at a time. Emma wasn’t sure how she would live without Lily. How she would get through the days without seeing Lily’s bright smile or hearing her horrendous laugh.

“Okay, spill it. What’s wrong Emma?” said Lily.

“What do you mean?” Emma replied, turning away from Lily.

“I can see it written all over your face. You look like someone just told you Harry Styles has retired from music and will never perform again” laughed Lily.

Emma sighed. “I got accepted to Yale” she whispered.

Lily sat up and screamed “Oh my god Emma! Congratulations! Why do you look so unhappy about it though?”

Emma peered up at Lily, eyes glistening with tears. “I’m upset because I will have to leave you Lily” she trembled. “And I will miss you, so so much.”

Lily’s face softened “Emma, we both knew this was inevitable. We had to grow up eventually and face the real world.” Looking down at Emma, Lily could see in Emma’s face how much this was affecting her.

“Hey! New York isn’t that far from Yale. I could come visit you!” exclaimed Lily, trying to cheer her up.

Emma sat up at this and faced Lily. “Do you even have a plan to get to New York Lily?”

Lily glanced away at this, observing the others in the park enjoying the beautiful July weather. She in fact did not have a plan. Or much money.

“I’m sorry Lily, I didn’t mean it to... I just… I mean you have to have some sort of plan you know? You can’t just show up in New York with no money or no place to stay.” Emma proclaimed.

“I know that” snapped Lily. “I am working on it! I am picking up all the shifts I can at the diner and saving every penny possible. But then my mom comes crawling to me, asking to borrow $50 here, $100 there. And now…” she paused.

“Now what?” Emma replied.

“Nothing… it just feels like it will never be enough.” Lily sighed.

They both remained quiet for a few minutes, staring off into space, not quite sure what to say to make each other feel any better,

Emma finally broke the silence. “Remember the promise we made as kids Lily? Underneath the weeping willow.”

Lily, still staring off into the distance, replied “Of course.” She did her best impression of her younger self “I hereby promise to Emma Wilkins that I, Lily Jones, will never leave your side and will forever be your bestest friend in the whole wide world.” she laughed quietly. She turned to Emma, who was staring at her with so much hope in her eyes.

“So come with me,” Emma replied.

“What?” Lily scoffed. “Like I could ever get into Yale.”

“You could if you tried Lily.” Emma said matter of factly. “But not even necessarily to go to Yale. Just come with me. We could find a place together and you could find a job at a cute little coffee shop or diner. I mean, my parents will be helping me cover the costs of living anyways. You could finally really save up for New York.” Emma declared.

Lily peered at Emma in disbelief. “You’d really want me to follow you. Aren’t you sick of me by now?” Lily joked, not quite believing Emma.

“I could never be sick of you Lily.” Emma assured. “You are my best friend in the entire world.”

Lily smiled at Emma, tears in her eyes. “Okay.” She whispered.

“Okay?” Emma squealed.

“Okay.” Lily replied, smiling.

Emma wrapped her arms around her best friend, squeezing her tight, as if she was trying to keep her from floating away.

They lied back down on the blanket, Emma already chatting about how they could decorate their place, all the poplular spots in town they could visit, and the new restaurants they’ll get to try.

However, Lily was trying her hardest to keep a smile on her face for Emma, even though she wanted to break down right then and there. Because she knew she couldn’t keep that promise to Emma. She was not going to go to Connecticut with her. She would be staying right there in Richmond. Trying to figure out how in the hell she would navigate this new chapter of her life. As a mother. Without Emma by her side.