Ok, I finally got chapter two out! Thank you guys so much for your wonderful reveiws! Sorry it took so long, I've been really busy with a theater camp and haven't had too much time to write. Enjoy! please tell me if you want me to continue!
The sky was dark and heavy-laden with rain. The little droplets splattered against the Library window, where Jimmy Palmer was looking out at the playground with dismay. The lunch bell had rung a long time ago, but his own fear prevented him from enjoying the playground with the other kids. Kelly Gibbs wasn't among the children outside. He was wondering where she was, when she walked into the library, shedding her rain poncho then going to sit with Jimmy, on the table in front of the window.
"Whatcha doing?" She asked, in a sing song voice.
Jimmy shrugged. "Nothing."
Kelly tilted her head to see what he was looking at. When she realized that he was watching the other children, with a slight hint of envy in his eyes, she began to wonder if he knew it was recess. "It's lunch time, you know." She said.
Jimmy shrugged again and sighed. "Yeah, I know."
"So then, why are you in here, looking like you wished you were out there?" Kelly asked.
"Because. There are fifth graders on the playground. 'Sides. It's raining." He said, halfheartedly.
Kelly smiled. She took his hands and jumped to her feet, looking into his eyes with a wide smile. "Jimmy, life's not about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain!" She beamed and pulled him to his feet.
Jimmy looked at her with a perplexed expression. "But I don't know how to dance…" He said in sort of a daze.
Kelly shrugged. "So? I don't know how to dance either! But that don't stop me from dancing anyways!" She said, gleefully, and began twirling and spinning around the room.
Jimmy smiled and began to spin, too. The two young children were giggling and spinning before they collapsed to the ground, too dizzy to stand up. After a moment of catching their breath, Kelly stood up and held out her hand to Jimmy.
"Ready to dance?" Kelly asked.
Jimmy hesitated for a moment, a bit unsure. But then a smile crossed his face and he took her hand. "Yep!" He said, nodding.
Kelly smiled and ran out to the playground, holding his hand the whole way. She didn't look back at him once; If she did, she would have noticed that he was staring at her. It wasn't that she had chocolate milk on her face, or anything like that. But it made Jimmy feel warm inside, knowing that she was there. It made his stomach feel kind of funny. Was this cooties? His train of thought was interrupted when Kelly stopped all of the sudden. He looked up to see the same group of fifth graders that had terrorized him since forever.
The biggest one lumbered out of the crowd, and looked back at his ugly friends, giving them a toothy smile. "Hey, would ya lookie here. Runt's got himself a girlfriend." He chimed.
"The Runt's got a girl! The Runt's got a girl! The Runt's got a girl!" The boys sang.
Jimmy felt his face getting hot under the watchful eyes of the bigger boys. He didn't dare look at Kelly now. He knew the shame he'd probably brought on his new -his only- friend. He didn't want them to make fun of her, he didn't want her to get her. If he left, they'd follow him and leave her alone. So he tried to slip his hand out of hers, so he could get away. But her grip was tighter than ever. She wasn't afraid of the bigger kids.
"Leave 'im alone, Butch." Kelly hissed, her eyes narrowed.
Butch ignored her and stepped even farther forward. He grabbed Jimmy by the collar of his shirt and drug him close to his face. "I wonder how much she'd like you if you was missing two teeth?" He smirked, and raised his fist.
It was at this moment that Kelly let go of Jimmy's hand. She, herself, to a step forward, shoved Butch down. Butch hit the ground with a surprised expression on his face, as if he was unsure of what just happened.
"I said, leave him alone, Butch." Kelly yelled, balling her fists.
Butch shook his head and stood up, laughing, still mildly shocked. "Oh ho ho, looks like you gotta girlfriend, Runt," He said to Jimmy, who was, by this time, on the ground, trembling.
Kelly put her hands on her hips, looking unimpressed. "You already established that," She stated, flatly. "You don't need to repeat yourself. We heard you the first time," She said, rolling her eyes.
Butch took a step back, Kelly' comment throwing him off guard. He said nothing, shocked, his mouth gaping leaving him speechless. None of the other fifth graders said anything, either. They, too, were at a loss for words.
"Well?" Kelly asked, folding her arms across her chest. No response. Kelly stuck out her hand and helped Jimmy to her feet. "If you've got nothing else to say, we're leaving." Kelly announced, walking towards the jungle gym.
"Hold it, Pee Wee," Butch hissed, stepping in front of them. He had, for the most part, recovered from his shock. He balled his fist and grabbed Kelly by the collar of her shirt. "I'm gonna teach you, a lesson about respecting your superiors, you little-" Butch's face changed from anger, into a wince of pain. He fell to his knees, singing soprano. Kelly put her foot down, having had kicked him "where it counts". She glared at all of the other boys, meeting each one in the eye. "Any one else got something to say to me?" Kelly asked, a wild look in her eyes, and her hair soaked from the rain. None of the boys responded, although a few of them shook their heads. "I didn't think so." Kelly said, smugly.
Kelly took Jimmy's hand and they ran to the monkey bars, the two of them soaking wet. Jimmy looked at Kelly, who was hanging upside down, and smiled. He finally understood. It wasn't cooties, it was love.