The Saturday morning sky shone through Susie Derkins' window. She was dressed in a white shirt and black overalls, and she sat at a lime green plastic table, with her stuffed rabbit Mr. Bun on the other side of the plastic table. Her room was decorated a bright white, and right behind Susie was her bed, with hot pink comforters and pillows.

"Would you like some tea, Mr. Bun?" Susie said as she dipped some tea into Mr. Bun's plastic cup. Then Susie chuckled. "Ha ha, no, Mr. Bun. I can't believe second grade starts in three weeks, either. First grade felt like it lasted ten years – who knows how long second grade will feel like."

Mr. Bun sat there, completely silent. Nevertheless, Susie chuckled again. "I wonder what my teacher will be like, Mr. Bun? Will they be a fun teacher, or will they be like Ms. Wormwood?"

After a few more moments, Susie groaned. "Yes, I am afraid of Calvin being in my class. He was the reason first grade felt like it dragged. From dressing up as a superhero to do a test, to that time he got me in trouble over the bug collection, to the report on Mercury…."

Susie shuddered. "I can't believe I remember all of that so well. I promise, Mr. Bun, I really do try to block Calvin's antics out of my mind. Sometimes I wonder what he will be like ten to 15 years from now, but I always try to brush it off as 'not my problem', you know?"

Susie's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a familiar voice screaming from outside. She sighed before going over the window. When she got on her tiptoes, she saw Calvin running around outside, with his stuffed tiger Hobbes.

Through the window, Susie could make out part of what Calvin was saying. "No, Hobbes, you can't do that! You're ruining the game! Get back here, fluffball, or I will make you into a rug!"

Susie shook her head. Then she looked over her shoulder, back to Mr. Bun. "What was that?" she asked. "Oh, yes, I do like Hobbes. He's a cutie. I wish he was my tiger and not Calvin's. That would be great."

Susie then cupped her chin. "Although, Calvin can act really weird around Hobbes. I've been wondering about that for a while now. The way he talks to that tiger…it's almost as if he actually thinks Hobbes is real. And if he thinks Hobbes is real, what is he going to die ten years from how? Heck, what is he going to do five years from now? You can't play with stuffed animals forever, after all."

Susie covered her mouth and flushed. "I-I-I meant no offense, Mr. Bun! I w-will always keep you around, I promise! Even when I get…real…friends…." Susie said, before pausing and sighing. "Okay, I'm not going to talk about that with you yet. Point is, Mr. Bun, that I will always keep you around!"

Susie then ran up to Mr. Bun and hugged the stuffed rabbit.

Just a moment later, her door opened. It was her mother. Mrs. Derkins had a brown, long ponytail, and she wore a black long-sleeved shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes.

"Hey, honey," Mrs. Derkins said, smiling at her daughter. "I'm sorry to interrupt tea time with Mr. Bun, but your father and I want to talk with you downstairs. It's very important."

Susie tilted her head, but said, "Okay," and trotted out of her room with her mother. They went down the stairs, and it was not long before they were in the living room.

There, on the sofa, sat Mr. Derkins. Mr. Derkins had dark brown hair and a five o'clock shadow, and wore a dark plaid shirt and khaki pants.

"Have a seat, Susie," Mrs. Derkins said.

Susie sat down at the armchair. "What did you guys want to talk to me about?"

Mrs. Derkins fidgeted around with her hands and clenched her teeth. She took a moment and looked aside, before returning eye contact with Susie.

"Look, Susie, we are very, very sorry for this. We truly are. But sometimes in life, people have to make decisions that are difficult to do. Sometimes what's ultimately best for us isn't the easiest choice, you see, and know that this is not your fault in the slightest -"

"Your mother and I are getting a divorce," Mr. Derkins blurted out.

Mrs. Derkins groaned at her husband while Susie felt her stomach tie up into a thousand nasty knots. "You're….you're…what?! What did I do wrong?!"

Mr. Derkins stood up and shook his head. "No, no, sweetie. Your mom is right. This really is not your fault in the slightest. In fact, this has been brewing for a while, but we tried to wait for the right time because we didn't want to hurt you."

Then he sighed. "But it's like she said. Sometimes, we have to make difficult decisions."

Susie's mouth went agape. She had no idea what to say. She could feel a few tears trying to break free, but she did her best to stop them from trickling down.

"There's something important you should know, Susie," Mrs. Derkins said, raising her hands up. "Your dad and I don't hate each other. A lot of divorced couples these days are bitter, but that won't be the case with us. It's just…neither of us feel the spark that we once had for each other."

Mr. Derkins nodded. "In about a week or so, I'll be moving out of the house. I've already found an apartment to live in. It's not too far from your school. Your mom and I still have to figure out what days she will have you and what days I will have you."

Mr. Derkins leaned down and kissed Susie's head. "But whatever happens in the future, just know that we still love you more than anything."

Mrs. Derkins kissed her daughter's head as well. "And we always will."

Susie nodded. "I'm going to go outside. I just need to process all of this."

The Derkins parents looked at each other before nodding, and Susie opened her front door and went outside.

'They said it's not your fault, they said it's not your fault, they said it's not your fault' Susie thought to herself as she played with a doll in the driveway.

She let out a deep sigh. As she started at her Barbie doll, she tried to think of any sign that her parents were about to get a divorce. But she could hardly think of anything. She could not remember any yelling, any hostility, or any arguments. Well, she thought she should yelling one night a month ago, but that was the only sign. And what parents don't argue from time to time.

Mr and Mrs. Derkins sure had hidden their problems well from her.

"Okay, Susie…okay…" she said, closing her eyes and looking down at the ground. "I think I just to sleep this over. But it's 3:00 and bedtime's not for a while. Maybe I can take a nap. Ooh, but it has been a while since I've napped."

Susie then looked over at her house. 'But maybe it would be best to take a nap and relax. Yeah, I think I'll do that.'

She then grabbed her Barbie doll up by her hand, and said out loud, "Alright, Barbie, let's go take a nap. Barbie Junior is probably done with school by now."

She began walking up to her house. But just a few moments later, she felt something come from behind her. She fell to the ground. Susie began to get all wet, and the cement felt hard as she was knocked down.

It didn't take Susie so much as a nanosecond to figure out what had happened. She got back up on her feet, and turned around to see Calvin laughing, with his stuffed tiger by his side.

"You creep!" Susie snarled, pointing towards Calvin. "Now is not the time to annoy me! I happen to be in a very bad mood!"

Calvin snickered. "You always seem to be in a bad mood, Susie. Don't even pretend otherwise! You always get angry at me!"

"Because you try and attack me first! I've always tried to be nice to you, but you're nothing but a cruel jerk! Now get over here!"

Calvin bolted away, dust trailing from behind him as he did so. Hobbes was left behind, and Susie began to leave dust in her tracks as well as she followed after Calvin.

"I've just about had it with your pranks, Calvin!"

"Catch me if you can!" Calvin said, continuing to run.

They ran away from the front yards and treaded into the grass, into Susie's backyard. The woods were visible down, and Calvin seemed to be charging towards them. It was not long before Susie tackled Calvin.

"When have I never caught you, Calvin, you moron?!"

Calvin growled. "Why are you girls always so moody?!"

Susie grabbed Calvin by his shirt and began shaking him. "Because you're always being so mean to me anyway, for no reason at all, and now my parents are getting a divorce!"

"I…" Calvin began, before his eyes widened and his mouth went agape. "Wait, hold on just a moment."

Susie raised an eyebrow, and let go of Calvin's shirt.

"Your parents are getting a divorce?" Calvin asked.

Susie sighed. "Yes, yes, they are, Calvin. I just found out today. It was quite the bombshell."

Calvin nodded. "…Oh….I'm -"

"Now get the heck away from me!"

Calvin shook his head and groaned. "No, no, no, no – look Susie, I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry that that's happening to you."

Susie blinked. "Oh. Tha-than-thank you, Calvin."

Susie could not believe that Calvin, of all people, was showing her this kind of empathy. Then a crazy voice spoke in her mind, that between her parents suddenly getting a divorce out of nowhere and Calvin showing concern for someone other than himself, that she must have popped out into an alternate world somehow.

But no, that was simply too crazy.

"It's not easy having to deal with it, Calvin. Especially since I really don't have any shoulders to cry on. Much like how all you have is Hobbes, all I have is Mr. Bun. Look at us, only having stuffed animals for friends!"

Calvin extended his hand out. "I'll have you know that Hobbes is far more than just a stuffed animal! He is a ferocious, conniving tiger, and – HEY!"

Calvin looked over his shoulder and saw Hobbes sitting by the side of Susie's sky blue house, next to some lush green bushes.

Susie tilted her head, and Calvin began shouting, "You thought you could sneak away, did you?! Well, guess who finally managed to catch you! HA!"

Susie looked at Calvin, then over to Hobbes, and then back over to Calvin. "Wait!" she said. "How did Hobbes do that?"

Calvin looked over at Susie with a furrowed eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"How did Hobbes move there on his own?"

"He walked over there by himself. Duh!"

"But how did Hobbes do that? How does a stuffed toy just move there on its own? This isn't Toy Story, for Pete's sake!"

Calvin bit his lip. "He. Walked. Ov. Er. There. By. Him. Self. Duh. Duh. Duh!"

Susie clenched her fists and fumed. "There you go again, being a massive jerk! All I'm doing is pointing out something that should be all means be impossible, and you're being your usual snide self! Just when I thought you weren't all bad!"

"I was trying to show you some compassion, but now you're the one being a huge jerk!"

"That's it, I oughta -"

The two began slapping their hands against one another. Susie felt her chest and her cheeks sting as the two fought.

The two began to growl at each other, and as Calvin began to run, Susie cracked her knuckles.

But then a yellow water balloon appeared right out of nowhere and struck Calvin from behind. It truly seemed that the water balloon had teleported from thin air.

"What…what the heck?!" Susie asked.

Calvin growled. "Hobbes! Not now!"

"Ha ha ha. You thought you were finally catching me, didn't you," a voice said. Susie had never heard the voice before in her life. It sounded young yet deep. "But you thought wrong. We tigers are naturals at the art of sneaking up!"

From the corner of her eye, Susie thought she saw something. She didn't want to believe that she was seeing it, though. She tried to block the sight out of her mind. But the sight came closer and closer into her view, until Susie could no longer ignore it.

It was a tiger. A tiger that appeared two to three heads taller than Calvin and Susie. It stood upright, with small legs and long arms. Susie felt like her jaw was dropping down onto the floor.

"I'm so making you into a rug, you hear me, Hobbes?!" Calvin said, shaking his fist against the tiger.

Susie's eyes bulged. "H-Hobbes?!"

Hobbes looked over to Susie, and he smiled. "Why hello, Susie."

Susie began to feel dizzy. Moments later, she fell to the ground, and everything went black.