"Do you think my mom and dad like me?"
Carol drags her felt-tip marker from one mole to another, and then down the curve of Steve's cheek to the dots on his neck.
She thinks about it.
They're only five but Carol had a lot of opinions. It makes it easy for her to conclude, "No."
Steve slumps.
"That's okay though," She decides. "My mom doesn't like my sister very much either."
"No one likes Cathy, Carol."
Steve slumps even more until he's lying on his back on her bedroom's pink carpet. Carol follows the movement, hovering over him as she connects more freckles together.
"My mom doesn't like Cathy but she loves her," She says. The statement hangs in the air just long enough for it to hurt when she adds, "Your mom and dad don't love you either."
The hurt is instantaneous.
It hits numb at first. Icing him to the veins and then exploding in the center of his chest. It feels like a knife. It feels like he suddenly can't breathe.
He has to move.
He sits up suddenly.
Carol doesn’t move back fast enough and - "Ow! You hit me!"
"Wha- no, I didn't!"
"Yes, you did!" She accuses, hand to her forehead. "You hit me with your big head!"
"You - you hit me first," Steve shoots back. "You hit me with words. You hurt my feeling."
"I didn't hurt your feeling. I told the truth. Maybe you're just a baby."
"Maybe you're not my friend."
Carol gasps and then turns towards her bedroom door and wails, "Mommy! Mommy, come here. Steve hit me!"
Steve gasps this time.
"You're going to get in trouble now," Carol taunts. "You should've been nice to me."
Steve has a split second.
He decided to meet Carol right where she's at and burst into tears when Mrs Perkins walks through the door.
He sobs about Carol being mean and about her drawing on his face, and he's going to get in trouble at home and - and -
They both end up in time out.
Sitting on opposite ends of the couch, Carol stretches her legs into the space between them until she can nudge Steve with her foot, "Psst."
"What?"
"You're really good at fake crying."
"So are you."
"Thanks," She says. "...It's okay that your mom and dad don't love you 'cause I love you. You're my best friend."
Steve still wants his parents to love him but, "I love you too."
