Last summer You should use crepe paper for that said the boy sitting beside me It was only my second day at Camp Shalom and we were doing crafts in the big lodge We were supposed to be sailing but it had been canceled because of thunderstorms The counselor had just given us an introduction to the art of paper quilling She showed us how to coil strips of paper into different shapes I was making a flower one round coil for the center and a bunch of teardrop shapes for the petals Well I was trying to make a flower it just wasn’t going so well I looked up at the kid who’d spoken to me His friendly smile reached right up to his brown eyes I liked him immediately But I’d been so focused on getting the tiny rolls perfect that I hadn’t actually heard what he’d said
I blinked at him a couple of times Sorry what He glanced down at the red paper strip in my hands It and my fingers were covered in glue You’re making a flower right Ha I said I’m surprised you could tell He laughed Crepe paper would make it look more realistic Thinner and more wavy and fluttery you know Like real petals on an actual flower I stared at him for a second His shaggy brown hair was exactly the same color as his eyes He shrugged Just saying Huh I considered the mangled mess pinched between my fingers I tried to picture my daisy made with the thinner crinkly crepe paper The stuff that reminded me of birthday streamers Maybe you’re right I said I kind of like that idea Thanks He flicked his bangs out of his eyes with a nod The texture makes it more interesting than regular flat paper What are you making I asked pointing my chin at the stack of colorful paper squares in front of him They weren’t cut into thin strips like the rest of us were using He smiled again I like folding origami he said I tried working with the strips last year but they’re too small He held up his fingers and wiggled them My dad says I have big hands made for throwing footballs Origami’s more my jam To show me he took one of the squares a pink one and folded it in half And then he turned it and folded
it again His fingers moved so quickly I lost track of the steps Over and over he folded the paper this way that way Next thing I knew he was handing me something that looked a lot like the hydrangeas Mom had in her garden the ones I used to call flower pom-poms If I hadn’t just watched him make it I’d never have believed that you could turn a sheet of paper into a beautiful flower Whoa I said examining it more closely So many tiny folds That’s whoa This is really cool Can you show me how to do it He grinned at me his sort of crooked teeth all on display I’m Sam by the way I liked the way his eyes crinkled at the corners and smiled back I’m Evie Well it’s Evelyn but you can call me Evie that’s what I like best Some people like teachers and my parents when they’re mad call me Evelyn but I prefer Evie Just Evie I said And then because I was worried I was being too bossy I added Please and thank you So let me get this straight You’re saying I should call you Evelyn the boy Sam replied That’s what you’re telling me I laughed Exactly What about you Is your full name Samuel Or is it Samson like in the Torah It is Samson he said surprised But most people just assume it’s Samuel so good on you
And just like that our friendship began All because of paper flowers It sounds like a dad joke to say our friendship bloomed But that’s how it happened Unfortunately later that summer I learned that just like flowers friendships can wither away That’s when I decided I was done with having friends
