My Little Sister Spent Her Lunch Money on a Birthday Cake for a Lonely Hospital Boy—But the Next Morning, a Black Balloon and Red Box Appeared on Our Lawn

The next morning, staring at the black balloon and the red box on our lawn, the world felt like it was shifting on its axis. I knelt and lifted the lid. Inside lay the mint tin, a locker key, Tobias’s hospital visitor calendar, and two notes.

“Della, how did he get your tin?” I asked.

Her cheeks flushed a deep, guilty pink. “I gave it to him before we continue reading …