1

Destinie Martin
Mr. Adam
English
Sep. 28, 2022

Dear Emma,
Last week was so fun! I didn't know I could have that much fun at a party! That kiss was
so good, don't you think? I hope we can still be friends after that, but I don't think more than that;
I just didn't seem to feel a spark. Maybe we can still hang out, though. My favorite place to go is
the art institution. There’s a painting there that reminds me of my best friend Ari, which makes
me miss him a lot. Another place I love going to is the zoo; I love seeing the animals there. It’s
so big!
It's been hard since I moved to Chicago. I had this best friend there. His name was Ari. I
met him on a lovely day at the pool and taught him how to swim. Ever since then, we were
inseparable, but then things suddenly changed. One day we were out on the road, and I was
trying to save a bird. We didn’t see a car coming toward us, and he pushed me out of the way
and was hit. He was in the hospital for a while but thankfully recovered. That was when I had to
move. Now I'm stuck here in Chicago.
So I didn't get to know you at the party. Can you tell me about yourself? How long have
you lived in Chicago, and what school do you attend? Just things like that. I can tell you about
myself. I'm 15 years old, and I've lived in El Paso all my life. I only live with my mom and my
dad. I have one best friend. I'm brilliant and love saving animals. I don't like rules, and I hate
wearing shoes. My mom is always going on about me wearing shoes. I always hate how she
seems to know everything. It's like she is a god or something.
It’s been fun talking to you in this letter. I hope you’ll write back soon. I hope you decide
that we can still be friends and maybe we can check out that art exhibit and the zoo together.
Also, I really hope the kiss didn't make things weird. I would really be sad because I would have
lost a friend.

Love,
Dante
 2

Dear Dante,

I agree that last week was so much fun! I also think the kiss was good, but I didn't feel a
spark either. I would love to continue being friends with you. I agree we shouldn't be more than
friends; I like someone else anyway. Hanging out with you at the art institution sounds fun, and
the zoo sounds even more amazing. I also happen to love animals as well. My favorite animal is
the African Lion. They are so gorgeous! I would love to get to work with them one day.
It was hard when I first moved to Chicago as well. It just takes time. I didn't have many
friends, and now I have so many I can't count them all. Your best friend sounds fun, and it
seems like he cares a lot about you. I mean to push you out of the way of a moving car so you
wouldn't get hurt - wow! He sounds like a real friend. I'm sure that everything will stay the same
when you get back. You guys will get back to swimming and saving animals all over again. I
wish I had a friend like that. All my friends act as if they care, but none of them would actually
help if I needed it.
So yeah, we didn't really get to know each other at the party. I have lived in Chicago all
my life. I go to Vernon Hills High School. I’ve had one best friend all of my life. She's the best.
You'd really like her! She's a lot like you. I also have a dog named Sadie and a cat named Coral.
I want to travel the world, and I've always wanted to visit El Paso. I've heard it's cool there. I
don't much like following the rules either, and as for shoes, they're okay. I don't mind them, but I
prefer not to wear them if I can. As for your mom, she's just doing her job. It's a mom's job to
know everything. She just wants to make sure you're always safe. I wish I had a mom; she
passed away when I was younger. She had cancer. So now it's just my dad and me. He doesn't
really pay close attention to me, but it's all good now. He's getting better.
This has been so much fun! I really hope that we can hang out soon. I'm so glad we
decided to stay friends. I would really like to continue writing letters to you. I can't wait to hear
what the future holds for you next Dante. Until we talk again.

Yours,
Emma