Sometimes Pride tried to remember what life was like before Kayla moved next door. The memory of being inside all day playing on a computer made him feel empty. Strange that he had never thought there could be anything more to life than the glow of the screen. He used to resent his mother pleading with him to go outside, or to try and make a friend. Now it took begging and bribery to get him inside for homework or meals.
It hadn't taken long for Pride and Kayla to become best friends. 'Sunshine and fresh air won't kill you!' was her constant battle cry when she was trying to help him get over his disdain for the outdoors. The steps were small but somehow Pride was beginning to love being outside. Running trails, learning animal calls and even building a 'boys only' fort, just to tease Kayla. Lately it seemed like she was trying to keep up with him.
Middle school seemed like a different world. People were happy to see him in the halls and he liked to hang out with his friends. Now that he wasn't holed up in his room all day, he found that talking to people was easy. He wasn't particularly interested in studying, but he got through the monotony relatively unscathed. It was hard to stay focused sometimes when he could see the birds soaring or smell the rain coming.
As usual, the lunch table was buzzing with the latest gossip and rumors. As much as he liked to hang out with his friends, Pride found it tedious and petty. He avoided listening when he could but the recent rumors were about him. Supposedly he and Kayla were dating and he was fighting every other boy who tried to talk to her. The same gossip was recycled every few months and Pride had learned to leave it alone. Kayla had more fun with things like that. It was her greatest joy to egg things on and see how gullible people could be. Pride let her have her fun for the most part but every now and then he had to reign her in. He learned that the hard way when she teased the wrong person, they took offense. and Pride took the beating for it.
Today, instead of hearing some tall tale about seeing brad Pitt at the mall and getting a part in his next movie, he heard girlish giggles from Kaylas side of the table. Pride was confused - he had never heard her laugh like that before. He looked around to see what had her attention and saw she was talking to Lex. Rolling his eyes, Pride tried not to think about Lex and his reputation for making girls swoon. Surely she was to smart to play into that game. The thought of it was making him tense up and giving him a headache. He shoved up from the table and left, leaving his friends confused at his sudden departure.
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