Little Bit o Writing Monday

Well, I've got writers block. Which is a bit sad because two weeks ago I wrote twenty pages in 72 hours. It was legit. But I always get a boost after sharing on here! So here ya go!

     Walking into school was like walking into a completely new world. One full of bows, exotic smells, and sucked in guts. Add all the incessant questions of whether this looked ok, did you have some extra hair pins, pleas for breath mints and all I wanted was out of here. Ai did as well. Hoping to get a little relief, the two of us turned right around and walked towards the door. That was the moment that our teacher decided to show up.

     “Hey girls, where do you think you're going?”

     “Outside for a second.” I awkwardly tried to walk around her. Our teacher wasn't having any of that though. She kept moving in the way.

     “Now girls, I know what's going on. You two are just a little nervous about today. And that's completely normal! I remember the day I met my partner. I was a sweaty nervous wreck. But it worked out just fine, just like it'll work out for you two. Now, go sit down.” She literally pushed us back towards our desks. Being ushered back to my desk made me feel like a five year old. Pretty sure that I wasn't, especially since I was about to meet my union partner soon. The one nice thing was that as soon as everyone else saw that our teacher was in the room, they fell silent. They weren't going to waste any valuable time being told to be quiet, oh no. My soul sang out in silent joy.

     “Alright ladies, I must say that I'm impressed. You're all looking very nice today.” Everyone giggled.

     “Well let's get to business. I'm going to take attendance and then give you all your necklaces with a chip on them. All of the chips have a number on one side. Girls, this number is your future. It will be the number of the apartment you are going to live in. All of your bank accounts and records will be attached to them. Most importantly, your partner will have the same number as you.” The chips with numbers on them were new. I remember when my parents had gotten theirs in the mail two years ago. We got to have them right away though.

     The anticipation in the room was practically tangible as a desk drawer was opened, a cardboard box pulled out, and a hand reached into the box. With the utmost care, our teacher looked at a list in her hand and then dug through the box, looking for the necklace that matched. I wondered if she was purposefully going so slow, getting some sort of pleasure from our anxiousness.

     “Renata, your'e tapping your foot again,” Ai turned around and hissed. Looking down I realized Ai was right and crossed my ankles to prevent any involuntary foot tapping. Even with the distraction of my rough morning, I still had time for nerves. Finally, she made her way to Ai's desk.

     “Ai, number 26. Where are you 26 where are you, ah there you are! Here you go Ai.” She set the necklace on Ai's desk. Ai held it in her hands, marveling at it. Then she turned to me.

     “Renata, oh lucky me, you're number 27. Here you go.” She'd found my necklace right away and handed it over. I looked at Ai and gave her a high five. Our numbers were next to each other! That meant that we would get to live next to each other for the rest of our lives! Maybe today wasn't going to be so bad. A few minutes later, our teacher returned to the front of the class. Once again ,teh room became silent in an instant.

     “Alright, does everyone have their necklaces?” We all nodded.

     “Put them on and grab your bags. We're going to the park.” Everyone got up from their desks all at once and pushed the chairs in. Just like grade school, we all filed into a line, our teacher leading us. The irony of us meeting our partners at the park wasn't lost on me. That was where we'd spent most of our time as kids, having new adventures everyday. Scraping our knees. Learning about life. And most importantly, at the park, we'd been allowed to play with the boys. Those had been the best times. Things were simpler then. Math. Less drama. No bleeding time. Cookies whenever you wanted. But once we'd all turned twelve, we weren't allowed at the park any more and everything else changed.

     Surprisingly the walk to the park was silent. There was the occasional whisper but other than that, nothing. The park wasn't too far away from our school, only about a ten minute walk. I felt antsy about seeing it again. From what I remembered, it was more like it's own world than a park. The edge had been full of thick trees, making it impossible to see the park if you didn't already know it was there.

     “Where are we going? I've never seen a park over here,” Ai whispered. Ai had moved to our city right when she'd turned twelve, so she'd never actually been to the park. I pointed towards the trees. Ai nodded.

     Around the edge of the trees was a small brook, so you had to cross a bridge to get in. Ai almost walked into the stream. I'd tugged her away just in time and led her to the bridge. Hearing the familiar clatter as my feet hit the cobblestones gave me goosebumps. Almost there. Once across the bridge we could see the thirty or so boys sitting on the grass fifty feet away. Speedwalking was the only way to describe how we crossed those fifty feet.

     “Alright ladies, line up in numerical order please.” We did as we were told. Ai and I stood together. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. The boys on the lawn stood up and started walking towards us. Ai started gripping my hand with a death grip. Their teacher told them where the beginning of the number line was and where the end was. They all broke off and started walking towards different places. Being towards the end of the line so there were only about four boys headed towards Ai and I. I got a good look at all of them and my heart stopped beating. Ai gasped next to me. In that group of four, there was a boy with brown hair and brown eyes, just like Ai had dreamed of. If I wasn't mistaken, I think it was actually the guy Ai had seen that one day walking home that had started her obsession.

     Also in that group was another boy I recognized. He was much taller now and more muscular. It'd been about six years. But I'd recognize that sandy blonde hair and dark grey eyes anywhere. That sandy hair that I'd often thrown actual sand at. The eyes that'd filled with tears after falling off the really high monkey bars after I'd dared him. It was Anwell. My best friend before Ai. And he was headed straight towards me.

     Butterflies threatened to shoot out of my belly button while I stood there with my mouth open, staring at Anwell. Noticing the freckles on his cheeks. His white teeth. The veins in his neck. Finally his necklace. The necklace that said 26. Not 27.