Less Is More

By Grace Grever

I, Lillian Simpleton, always dreamt big. I always thought the bigger the better. Every birthday, holiday, school event, or project I always went big. Today was different though. Today I learned that bigger isn’t always better. The small things in life are more valuable.

It was a very special Friday, A day I have had marked on my calendar for weeks. My best friend Rachel’s birthday. Rachel and I go way back. From the time we came into this earth we were already designated best friends. Our moms met in high school and dreamt about living next to each other and having our families be neighbors since they became best friends. Now here we are! Rachel and I stuck by our sides through every obstacle and adventure life threw at us. Our families go on vacation together, have family dinners together, do holidays together, we do everything together and it still blows my mind how we aren’t sick of each other. Honestly, without Rachel, I don’t think life would be as amazing as it is. She stuck with me through everything and I wouldn’t want to call anyone else my best friend. Let me stop before I get all sappy. Now, let me tell you the important lesson I learned. I woke up energetic and excited for the day ahead, Why you may ask? I have been putting together the best present ever! I have to make sure it’s perfect for her because she deserves the biggest and best present for her birthday. I walked into the kitchen to grab myself some breakfast before I got ready for school.

“Good morning, Sweetie!” my mother grinned.

“Morning, Mom!” I mumbled while shoving a muffin into my mouth.

“I’m guessing you're excited for today?” My mother laughed as she watched me gulp down my orange juice to finish the muffin.

“Of course I am! It’s Rachel's birthday!” I squealed.

“Well, you better get ready for school. You don’t want to be late for the bus.” My mother was enthused.

“Okay okay, I’m going.” I replied as I ran back up the stairs.

I quickly put on my outfit I picked out from my closet and jumped into my favorite red sneakers as I ran down the stairs. I grabbed my backpack in front of the door and was ready to run to be the bus stop.

“Oh wait!” I screamed. “Rachel’s Gift.”

I ran back up to grab the most important thing for today, Rachel's gift! One thing about Rachel is she loves reading. Ever since we were kids she was always into reading. She even won the school Reading Olympics one year. So for her very special 12th birthday, I made her a book about us. I put her two favorite things together. Our friendship and reading! I used a bunch of paper I got from the craft store and used cardboard for the cover. The book mostly pictures but It also included pop-ups of all the adventures we went on since we could talk. I non-stop worked on this book because it needed to be perfect for Rachel! It was her special day and I wanted her to feel special. I grabbed the present from on top of my nightstand and ran down the stairs.

“Okay, now I’m ready.” I smiled.

“Okay dear, don’t forget your raincoat, we are expecting some rain today. Tell Rachel I said happy birthday.” My mother smiled back as she gave me the cupcake I made with her last night for Rachel. It was her favorite, red velvet with vanilla frosting and sprinkles. It even has a tiny flag that says happy birthday on it. I gave my mom a hug and ran out the door towards my bus stop. From afar I see Rachel with her birthday crown and dress, waiting for the bus.

“Rachel!” I screamed waving my arms as I ran towards her.

“Hi Lilly!” She smiled.

“Happy birthday, Rachel!” I chuckled as I put my hands out revealing the cupcake “From your best friend.”

“Wow, Lilly, Thank you so much!” Rachel said as she hugged Lily with excitement.

“Too tight Rachel.” I squealed, gasping for air.

“Oh, I’m sorry I’m just excited.” Rachel expressed.

“I know so am I, I’m excited for you. Plus, I have your gift, but your gonna have to wait until after school.” I explained.

“Okay fine, but can you at least give me a hint?” Rachel grinned.

“No.” I laughed.

Rachel laughed back. The bus finally arrived and we both jumped on and sat in our favorite spot. We watched as the clouds covered the sunny day and the rain started to fall. As we approached school we put our backpacks over our ahead so we wouldn’t get soaked from the rain. When we finally got inside, I said goodbye to Rachel as we both headed off to our homerooms. The school day went by very slow, I constantly found myself zoning out while watching the rain. I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about today and my gift. It needed to be amazing. It needed to be perfect. Finally, the bell rang, I jumped from my seat and grabbed the gift from my bag, I ran to the bus stop to find Rachel and give her the special gift. I spotted her standing right by our bus with her hood on. As I ran to her I didn’t seem to look down to see my shoes were untied. I found myself one-second running and the next falling with the gift releasing from my hands. The next second, I found myself in a muddy puddle with Rachel standing over me

“Lily!” She gasped. “Are you okay?”

I quickly got up and looked down at my outfit. I was muddy and wet from head to toe. For a second I completely forgot about the present but I found myself looking at the gift facing in the muddy grass. My jaw had dropped to the floor, I quickly ran to see how much damage the water had caused. I quickly skimmed to see that every page was ruined. Rachel had seen the disappointment in my face. My face had started to become red and I was trying to hold back tears, but I was unsuccessful. I found myself crying on the sidewalk waiting for the bus. Rachel had taken the book for me and seen the cover. She looked down at me.

“Is this my birthday gift?”

“It was, now it's ruined.” I whimpered. Wiping my tears with my sleeve.

“It's perfect!” She smiled as she sat down next to me.

“It was supposed to be perfect, now the whole book is ruined.” I whimpered.

“I don’t care that it’s soppy and wet. It shows you cared about Lily, It shows how much time and precision you put into this. It came from your heart. That is what matters to me. I don’t need this massive perfect present, I’m happy enough to have you by my side.” Rachel smiled.

“You really mean that?” I asked.

“Of course I mean that. I love you, Lilly, and I love this present, even with the wrinkles and wetness.” Rachel laughed. I giggled as I wiped the rest of the tears off my face. Rachel helped me up from the ground and we walked together to the bus. As we rode away from school I thought to myself, maybe everything doesn’t have to be the best, after all, the little things really do mean more.