Chapter Text
28th OF AUGUST 2008
OAKRIDGE, VIRGINIA
The crisp morning air of Oakridge came as a pleasant surprise to Bob and Paige Bueckers. It was six AM, and after hours and hours the father-daughter duo had finally found their way to Virginia. Their worldly possessions were being held in the U-Haul rental truck they had driven there with. Amongst those possessions were a variety of important things, Paige’s kindergarten graduation cap, the remnants of her first haircut, and her mother’s last note to them before leaving.
To say Bob was happy for a fresh start would be a complete understatement, Minnesota had just been too much for him. Around every corner was a reminder of what they had lost, and what they could never ever get back. The stress had nearly cracked him, and on one particularly low-spirited evening, once Paige was tucked soundly in her bed, Bob had started the process of selling their house and buying a new one. The day after Paige’s kindergarten graduation, the final boxes were packed and the duo set off across the country to their new home, to their new start.
There it was, the start of the rest of their lives right there in front of them.
He had been able to find their house for a lovely, reasonable price. It was the perfect size, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a spacious backyard; perfect for the dog Bob had promised Paige. The outside of the house was painted a soft blue, complemented by the white picket fence and flower beds bordering the perimeter of their block.
“Dad! Can we go inside?! I wanna look around! Please!” Paige begged, tugging her dad towards the front door.
“Yeah, sure thing honey, give me a second.” He responded, glad to have been snapped out of his reminiscing.
Paige ran up the front porch steps, her dad in tow behind her. As Bob stood at the door fumbling around with the keys he had a moment to realise the severity of the situation. They were in a brand new state, in a tiny town, away from everything either of them had ever known without any kind of support system whatsoever.
He couldn’t say he wasn’t ashamed, and angry, and depressed, the love of his life and mother of his child had just packed up and left, for no apparent reason and without even saying a proper goodbye to their daughter. That’s what really got him, Paige loved her parents more than anything, and explaining to Paige that mommy’s just not here anymore led to more tears than he’d like to admit. The fact that she would one day think it was her fault that Amy left, that it was because Amy didn’t love her enough killed Bob, and he wasn’t sure what he was going to do when that day came.
Perfect. Just perfect.
What was he going to do? What if something went wrong? What if Paige needed a babysitter?
They had left their family behind in Edina, Minnesota, and not a second had passed since leaving them that they were not missed. But it was necessary, in every conversation he had with his family and Amy’s family, there was always a massive, gaping, all-consuming hole in the conversation. Without fail, every time, Bob fell in.
But that was what made Virginia so perfect though, it was away from everything and everyone they used to know. And as far as Paige had shown, she didn’t mind the change much, her happy-go-lucky nature was sure to make her friends no matter the area.
With a click the door swung open.
As they walk inside, the smile that falls over Paige’s face makes all the pain and struggle worth it.
“I love it Dad! I love it!” She squeals, her face scrunched in happiness as she skipped around the bottom floor of the house, trailing her grubby little hands over every surface she could reach.
“I’m so glad honey.” He grins, her excitement contagious.
“I love it! I love it! I love it! I looooove it!”
“You wanna go upstairs and see your room?” Bob questions.
“Yes, yes, yes!” With that she’s off, her little legs struggling as she takes the stairs two steps at a time. Bob follows suit, walking into Paige’s room to find her lying on the floor starfished.
“Do you remember what I said P?” He starts.
Almost faster than the speed of light she’s standing in front of him, big blue eyes piercing into his soul.
“Do you mean it really? Any colour?”
He chuckles lightly. “Yeah honey, any colour you want.”
“Purple! Purple! Purple! I want purple!”
“Yeah honey. I think I can get you some purple paint.”
She throws herself into his arms at those words.
“Yay Dad, I love it here!”
The way she says those words, and the way her face is lit up with her smile makes Bob think that it might all be okay.
29th OF AUGUST, 2008
OAKRIDGE, VIRGINIA
After a long week in the Fudd household it was finally Saturday, and that meant family fun day!
This week it was Azzi’s choice of activity. Much to her brother’s dismay she had chosen to plant flowers in the front garden. On Thursday, when her dad had gotten off work they had hopped in the car and driven to the plant nursery, where Azzi had selected delicate pink flowers to decorate the front yard, ‘Carnations’ the plant lady had said.
Azzi had left the nursery, struggling slightly under the weight of the flower pot, yet still not allowing Tim Fudd to help her, despite incessant offers to.
She had picked her special spot in the front yard and was ready to depot the flowers. But when she woke up on Saturday and shovelled her breakfast in her mouth in the hopes of getting to family fun day faster she had come to the realisation that she was without a shovel, and effectively without a way to plant the flowers.
After a few (a lot) of tears, Katie and Tim packed their kids into the minivan and were off to Home Depot in search of a small pink shovel for Azzi.
As they scoured the aisles, their search was proving to be hopeless and the family’s hope was quickly dwindling.
After a second and third lap of the store, Azzi’s bottom lip began shaking, her eyes welling with tears, and before long she was planted on the floor, tears pooling out of her big brown eyes.
“I want the shovel! I neeeeeeeed the shovel!” She wailed.
“I know honey, but they just don’t have it. I’m sorry, we’ll try again next week.” Katie soothed, trying to deescalate the situation.
“But mom, I need it! How can I plant my flowers without it?” Azzi shrieked, now hitting her hands and legs against the hard concrete floor.
Before Katie could respond a little body with a big voice appeared in front of Azzi.
“What do you need? I bet I could find it for you, I’m really good at finding things!”
Azzi sniffled, wiping her nose before lifting her head to look at the girl before her.
She had bright blue eyes, a pale complexion and light blonde hair. She was taller than Azzi and a little gangly. Most notably, she had a slightly nervous smile and an inviting hand outstretched to her.
“I need a shovel. So I can plant my flowers.” She mumbled, still staring up at the other girl with her watery eyes.
“I like flowers, I’ll help you!” The girl responded, her face now empty of nerves and lit up with excitement.
Azzi grabbed onto her hand and before she could say anything to her parents she was being dragged through the store by the other girl.
“No, not here.”
“Not here either.”
“Hmmm where could they be?”
The random girl’s remarks could be heard from across the store as they made their way through aisle after aisle, hand in hand.
“Where are they? Why can’t we find them?” Azzi huffed, coming to an abrupt stop, yanking her hand from the other girl’s.
“I’m not sure. I’m sorry. I’m really trying to find them.” The girl rambled, nerves creeping back onto her face as she watched Azzi’s eyes well with tears once again.
“It’s okay, it’s not your fault.” Azzi said, sadness momentarily forgotten as she looked at her new friend.
“What’s your name?” She continued.
“Paige. What’s yours?” Paige replied.
“Azzi”
“Nice to meet you Azzi, I’m Paige” With that Paige stuck out her hand, “Want to be friends?”
A split second of silence falls over them.
“Yeah Paige, let’s be friends!” Azzi takes her hand, both girls shaking with enthusiasm.
“Y’know I think my dad might have a shovel. We should go ask if we can borrow it!” Paige suggested, voice high-pitched with excitement.
“Is it pink?” Azzi questioned, her brows furrowed in anticipation.
“Ummmm. I don’t think so.” Paige replied.
“Hmmm. That's alright.” Azzi decided.
“Yay! Let’s go ask.”
—-
Paige and Azzi’s laughter reverberated off the walls of the Home Depot as they skipped back to their parents.
They had been standing together, making small talk and introductions. As they did so they realised that they lived on the same street a few houses apart.
“Dad! Dad! We need to get our shovel so Azzi can plant her flowers!” Paige huffed as the pair came to stand in front of their parents.
“Slow down honey, start over.” Bob responded, unable to comprehend his daughter’s mumbling.
“Can-we-get-our-shovel-so-Azzi-can-plant-her-flowers. Please?” Paige says, leaving a comically large gap between each word.
“Yeah, sure, we can lend the shovel to our new neighbours.” Bob shrugs.
“NEIGHBOURS?!” The girls squeal in sync.
“Yeah, Az they moved into Mrs Mckinlay’s house, y’know the blue one?” Tim explained.
“That’s so close, yay Paige!” Azzi exclaimed.
“Dad, since we live so close, could I pleeeeease help Azzi with her flowers?” Paige begged, putting on her puppy dog eyes and pouting.
“Well I don’t see any issue with it if you guys don’t mind.” Bob says.
“That’s fine with us, the more the merrier.” Katie responds, smiling at the blossoming friendship between the two girls.
“Then it’s settled, time to go and plant some flowers!”
“But it's a family fun day!” Azzi’s brother’s chime in.
“Shut up sillies! I want to be with my best friend Paige!” Azzi flicked the two boys.
“AZZI! That is no way to behave.” Her dad scolded.
“Okay I’m sorry, can we go now?” She apologised.
“Yeah we can go.”
“Me and Paige just need to check out, gotta buy our paint.” Bob explained, holding up the bucket of purple paint.
“I’m painting my room purple! Wanna come see it when it’s done Azzi?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!”
—--
The Bueckers and the Fudds met up in the street, and after ten minutes of Bob scavenging through their shed boxes, he was able to procure the elusive shovel.
“Here we go.” He said as the pair walked into the Fudd’s front lawn, passing the shovel to Azzi.
“Yay! Thanks Mr. Paige’s dad! C’mon Paige let’s go plant the flowers!”
They worked hard, light sheens of sweat covering their little foreheads from the late summer heat. Planting carnations was taxing work they discovered.
Once they placed the final flower down in the ditch, Azzi turned to Paige.
“Paige, I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“Will you officially be my best friend please? Cause I know I said you were before but I wanted to ask if you wanted to be.” Azzi mumbled, slightly nervous for the girl’s response.
“Yeah Azzi, I’m your best friend, and you’re mine, now and forever and ever and ever!”
“Pinky promise?”
“Double pinky promise.”
Their parents watch from the front porch as their daughters interlink pinkies and giggle together over everything and nothing.
It was clear Paige and Azzi were going to be in each other’s lives for a long, long time.