my personal headcanon on the van and laura lee friendship is that they lived in the same neighborhood since always, and would see each other around a lot. one random day laura lee is outside playing with her barbies and her older brother decides to be annoying and takes her dolls, van sees this from across the street and โ greatly overestimating the gravity of the situation โ comes running to defend her. it doesnโt work out very well (laura leeโs brother pushes her and she hurts her knee), but she stands proud having managed to get the doll back.
and seven year old laura lee sees this butchy knight in shining armor and is 1) immediately convinced that van is a boy and 2) completely in love with her.
eventually, at some holiday or another, vanโs mother finds it in her to come to church and forces van to wear something โniceโ, which means a frilly white dress that couldnโt be making her any more uncomfortable.
van is bored out of her mind during the sermon, and while looking around to find any of her friends she ends up spotting the sweet blondie who lives across the street from her. as soon as she can walk out of the church she is running over to properly introduce herself to laura lee.
van doesnโt really get why her new friend is looking up and down at her in that funny way until she slips out an incredulous โbut i thought you were a boy!โ. it doesnโt upset her nearly as much as her mother thinks it should.
though at first laura lee is a tiny bit shocked to see her prince charming all dolled up (and very unhappy about it) suddenly it all makes sense, because no boy could possibly be as cool as van.
in the blink of an eye, laura lee and van are always together; playing tag with the other kids from their street, sharing a table at lunch, going out to โexploreโ the woods, sitting together in every class, poking fun at mean kids when they pass by in the hallways and sharing giggles at some inside joke no one else understands.
and if laura leeโs heart beats a bit too fast when van runs over to hug herโฆ well, thatโs something she can keep to herself.
