AN: Finished writing this recently. I'm not really intending on continuing it. This was supposed to be the whole thing, but who knows. I don't really have any ideas for it now.

King Bob

"Bye, Robert. Enjoy your first day! I'm sure you'll make plenty of friends."

"Bye, mom." The boy rolled his eyes and waved as she drove off. Bob – just Bob because he was no longer King of the Playground – turned and looked at his new school: Spiro T. Agnew Middle School. The front building seemed huge and he felt like it was almost looming over him. But it couldn't really be all that big. It had to be about the same as his elementary school, 3rd Street. He tried not to think about his old school and all of the people there and went inside.

The inside looked similar enough to his old school. The floor and ceiling were tiled and the walls were a sort of beige color. He knew where he needed to go from when he and his mom toured the place and headed down the halls. One difference he noticed between the schools was that this place had far more lockers.

That must have been why he felt off. Or maybe because the few students that he passed by nearly towered over him. None of them even glanced at him as he walked by. He couldn't remember the last time that had happened.

Bob quickened his pace and turned a corner to an empty hall. His footsteps echoed as he walked over to the door. This was it. A new school where people would know his name. He smiled and opened the door only to freeze when he saw what was on the other side.

Bob knew from the tour that there was a cafeteria building on the right and the computer building on the left. Down much farther were other classrooms and the field where PE was. But now he could barely tell where anything was. There were so many people that he could hardly see anything. He'd never seen so many people in one place before. Other students struggled to get through them to get to their classes. Everyone was talking and laughing with friends and classmates, completely relaxed with each other and in the school. Bob felt small, almost invisible like an insect.

None of them even seemed to notice he was there so he quickly closed the door again and nearly ran down the hall. He pressed his back against the far side of the lockers. Was it too early to go to the office and call his mom to pick him up?

Bob reached up and pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes as he slid down the side of the locker to the ground. He hadn't felt so small like this in a long time. It felt like a lifetime that he'd been king. He had sat on his throne, made laws and taxes, and solved kids' problems. It was almost a completely different life. Despite how great it had been, it was an honor to pass the crown on to Freddie – well, King Freddie. It was only symbolic of course. His crown, cape, and scepter were all on a chair in his room. But it still almost felt like it didn't belong to him now.

To everyone here, he was just a commoner. Just another, puny 7th grader. Maybe he should have brought his crown with him. Then they'd know who he was. He imagined the sea of students parting for him. Even the bigger grades would know him. But, in truth, he was just a puny 7th grader. He'd made his way up the ladder and now he was at the bottom again. He groaned miserably.

Bob wondered how 3rd Street was doing without him. Was King Freddie passing fair laws? What if there was a Kindergarten riot? Would the new king be able to handle it? Did they even remember Bob now? He'd been shocked when he found out how quickly the kids had forgotten past kings that he looked up to. What would they think if they saw him now, huddling behind lockers scared of just being another nobody? The thought made him sick.

Then he thought back to his most loyal subjects. Six 4th graders: TJ Detweiler and his friends. They'd helped him and the playground more times than he could count. They saved him from being blackmailed, kept secrets about him that could have ruined him, and they always kept adults or other kids from taking over the playground. They never seemed to be scared of doing the right thing. Even if that meant stopping an insane man from getting rid of summer vacation.

Bob let his arms fall into his lap and he stared down at the tiled floor.

What would they think if they saw him now? Kings weren't supposed to get scared.

As king, everyone at 3rd Street looked up to him. But, secretly, Bob himself looked up to TJ. He and his friends did so many things and they were only 4th graders! Just common kids. But just about everyone in the whole school liked TJ. He and his friends showed everyone what just a few kids could do. And two years from now they might be at this very same school. He didn't want them to see him like this.

"That's enough!" he yelled as he pushed himself to his feet. He glanced around and was glad to see that there was no one nearby to hear his outburst. "I'm still the king. I can handle this. If some 4th graders can save summer vacation then...then I can handle a new school!" he finished with conviction.

Bob walked towards the door with confidence that quickly left him when he opened the door. He froze again when he saw all of his new schoolmates. He almost wanted to run away, but he knew that TJ wouldn't be scared of just being another student. He wouldn't let that stop him from doing something great. So, with a deep breath, King Bob strode out to meet his new classmates and proudly entered the 7th grade.