Infinity
A friendship begun the most simplest of ways...
~All characters mentioned belong to PIXAR~
Bonnie truly detested Show-and-Tell.
The eight year old, while brazen and outgoing at home, was shy and withdrawn when at school, and that greatly cost her when going up in front of the class. In a relatively small classroom, with only twenty odd students, she may as well have been in the center of a football stadium filled with twenty thousand people.
The object she had brought for the occasion had been Woody—the cowboy doll held a special place in her heart, and even her mother had thought that he would have been perfect. But once Bonnie had risen from her seat and stationed in front of the class, she froze. Blushing furiously, the girl had only answered the questions that her teacher presented her with, her voice barely above a whisper. Fully mortified, she had seated herself only a few minutes later, which may as well have been an hour from her perspective.
Bonnie had done nothing more than stared at the wooden tabletop of her desk, idly tracing patterns as her peers went to the front of the classroom to present their own Show-and-Tell items. After some time—too long for her tastes—the bell rang for recess, and all of the children filed out, their footfalls receding as they sprinted towards the blacktop and playground. The eight-year-old was the last to leave, her pace slow as she exited her classroom and blinked in the sudden light. Seeing as how most of her classmates were otherwise occupied with various sports or forms of games, she made her way over to the swing set.
With some difficulty, Bonnie managed to pull herself onto the rusted swing, and once she was stable, began to sway her legs back and forth, seeing as how they were dangling quite a few inches above the woodchips underfoot, that also spread out over the entirety of the ground in the park's small perimeter. She was alone, with the nearest child several dozen feet away, over by the monkey bars, and Bonnie let out a despondent sigh. Not many of her peers bothered to speak with her, considering the girl's timid nature.
"Er...hi. Does your doll have a name?"
Bonnie startled, her head jerking up to meet the curious gaze of a short Asian boy. Russell—as she was positive he was named—had joined her fourth grade class a few short weeks ago. He had attempted to make friends, but most of the other children ignored him. The girl had expected him to do the same to her.
The girl glanced down at the ragdoll in her small hands, Woody grinning back at her with the same painted smile. Not even her teacher had bothered asking if her toy had a name. After a moment, Bonnie looked back up. "Um...W-Woody," she murmured, nervously running a thumb over the sheriff's badge. She was easily startled by this boy, one she barely knew, who had come up to her so easily…most of her peers avoided her. She faintly expected him to make fun of her regarding her toy, but was surprised when the boy sat down in front of her instead of leaving.
"Whoa…" he breathed, small, pudgy hands folded in his lap and head cocked to the side. He appeared to be enthralled. "I have a couple toys back home…but I'm usually taking my dog on walks and working on getting more badges for my Senior Wilderness Explorer quota…"
Russell looked down at his chest, frowning at the green shirt that blared back. His gaze was locked on Bonnie's olive green eyes a moment later, "my mom wouldn't let me wear the vest with all my badges to school."
Bonnie nodded slowly in sympathy, "I know how that feels…my mom won't let me bring my toys usually…but I brought Woody today 'cause it was a special day…"
The girl blushed lightly at her revelation, but Russell didn't even blink. He nodded slowly in understanding, a hand to his chin in contemplation.
"Yeah…or, hey, have you ever heard of Paradise Falls?"
And thus, a tentative friendship was born.
A/N: Depending on response, I may or may not continue this...
And no, I did not feel like putting this in the crossover section :T
Reviews are love :D