"Whitney, I've got something for you," Joe said. Whitney hesitated for a second before opening the door. "What is it?" Joe looked a little surprised. "You opened up that fast?" Whitney crouched and patted his head. "The hall light's out, and it's dark. Didn't want you getting spooked." He stared at her for a few seconds, then pouted. "You're not even worried I might be some bad guy." Whitney laughed, leaning down until they were eye to eye. "You're hilarious. What, I'm supposed to be scared of you? I'm the adult here—what are you gonna do, eat me?" She tilted her head and teased, "So ... are you a bad guy?" Joe didn't answer. Instead, he held something out carefully. Whitney took it and looked. It was a tiny pink hair clip with a lollipop charm glued on top. She turned it in her hand, confused. "What's this?" Joe explained seriously, "I won it in preschool. The teacher said I could give it to my best friend." He paused. "But I never found my best friend ... until now." Whitney froze. By his age, when the world fell apart, he should've just been starting preschool. By now, he should be in grade school, but school was long gone. Holding the clip, she brushed his hair softly and said, "So you're saying ... you want me to be that best friend?" Joe nodded. "I really like you."Whitney's cheeks warmed. "Thanks ... That means a lot." She studied the little clip. The charm was faded from heat and time, but the fact that he'd held onto it all this way showed how important it was to him. Still, she asked gently, "But what if someday you meet another kid your age who's an even better fit? Are you sure you want to give it to me?" Joe nodded hard. "I want you to have it." He added, "You're really nice. You let my Mom and me stay here, and you even gave me candy." He was young, but way too sharp for his age. He knew candy was rarer now than any gold ring his mom used to own. It wasn't something you could just go buy. Because of his low blood sugar, his mom used to scramble to find sweets or chocolate for him. Whitney didn't have much herself, but she'd still given him several pieces in just two days. And to him, she felt just like his mom who used to be warm and gentle. Before everything went to hell, his mom was softer, not so strict. Whitney carried that same kindness he'd almost forgotten. Whitney carefully clipped the pin into her hair. "Thank you for the gift." Then she thought a moment. "Hang on here." She slipped into her room, opened the bottom drawer of her nightstand, and pulled out a little silver bracelet. "Best friends trade gifts. I've got something for you too." Coming back, she crouched down and slipped it onto his wrist. "This was a bracelet I wore as a kid. I want you to have it, so you'll grow up strong and healthy, just like me."Joe stared down at the bracelet, dazed. Whitney waved her hand in front of his face. "Joe? What's wrong? Don't you like it?" He quickly yanked his arm back and hid his hand behind him, like he was afraid she might take it back. "I love it. Thank you, Whitney." She smiled. "Good. I thought you'd say it was too girly." Joe shook his head. "No way." Then he said it again, firmly. "I really, really like it. Thank you, Whitney." Whitney laughed. "That's, what, the fifth thank-you already?" She stood up. "Alright, time for bed." Joe hummed an "okay" and started off. After a few steps, he turned and said seriously, "Goodbye, Whitney." She waved, smiling. "Sweet dreams. See you in the morning." He didn't answer again, just padded slowly down the stairs. The next morning, Whitney and Bruno sat down to breakfast. Each had one hot dog, a bag of pretzel sticks, and a small cup of water. Bruno bit into his hot dog, staring at the silly pink clip with the lollipop charm in her hair. "Where'd you even get that thing?" Whitney smiled. "Joe gave it to me." Bruno blinked. "When? How'd I miss that?" Whitney crunched on her pretzel sticks by the handful. "Last night." "Last night?" Bruno frowned. "He came into your room?" Whitney nodded. "Mm-hm. Just to bring me a little gift."