Part 4
By LissaMarie (Malysa)
Email: MelMarie612@aol.com
Rating: PG (They're just kids!)
5 DECEMBER 1974
1200 LOCAL
GRAND CANYON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
ARIZONA
Harm sat at the lunch table he and Sarah had shared for the past two years waiting for
her to show up. It wasn't like her to be late for anything, and her showing up ten minutes
after the lunch period had started would make it two times in one day. She had called
his house early that morning to tell him that her mom had forgotten to wake her up, and
that he should walk to school without her. He had walked her to school everyday since
the first school day after they met. Of course all the eleven-year-old boys made fun of him
for hanging out with a seven year old GIRL, but he didn't care. She was his friend, not really
a girl, because if she was, she could be his girlfriend, and he never wanted to have one
of those.
"Sorry I'm late, Harm," his tiny friend said as she dropped her lunchbox on the table and
plopped down in the chair next to him. She tried her best to act normal, so he wouldn't
ask any questions. She may be only seven, but she knew Harm. He would be angry at
her if he knew she didn't come straight to him when she had a problem.
"You were crying!" he accused looking at her red rimmed eyes. He wasn't sure what
scared him more: that fact that she had cried or that she was trying to hide it from him.
Sarah might be kind of a girl (but not really), but she was tough and never cried. And if
she ever did cry, she would come to him, and he would try his best to make it better. It's
what he was supposed to do. He was going to grow up to be an officer and a gentleman
just like his dad.
"Was not," she lied horribly.
"Were, too."
"Was not."
Were, too!"
"Was not, and even if I was, it's none of your beeswax Harmon Rabb!" Sarah yelled at
him before standing up and walking swiftly out of the cafeteria.
Surprised at her sudden outburst, Harm took a few seconds before standing up to follow
her. He ignored the giggles of the girls sitting at one table and the taunting from the boys
at another. He sped up past the aid that tried to stop him with only one thing on his mind--
getting to Sarah. He found her outside in the chilly front courtyard of their school. And she
was crying.
Harm walked up to her slowly, whispering her name. She only sniffled and told him to go
away. He would have none of it.
"Sarah, please look at me," he whispered, and with a caring maturity probably beyond
his years, he unzipped the sweatshirt-jacket his mother had made him put on before he
left the house, took it off, and put it on her shoulders.
"Thanks," she mumbled wrapping it around herself tightly. She looked up to see him
shuffling his feet in front of her. She wiped her tears from she face and tried to smile at
him. "Lunch is over."
"What happened?" He was obviously ignoring her attempts to avoid the topic.
"My mom fell down and hurt herself. She's in the hospital," she told him looking down so
he wouldn't see she was lying.
"Will she be okay?"
"She should be. Can I stay at your house tonight? We don't have school tomorrow."
"Yeah. Sure. You can keep the jacket, too, `cause I really don't like it anyway."
"Thank you, Harm," she reached out for his hand, and he pulled her up. She wrapped her
small arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes to hug him tight.
Harm and Sarah walked back into the building together. She with a renewed feeling of
hope knowing that he would not abandon her if she needed him, and he with a whole
new view of his best friend. In Harm's new view, Sarah was a girl. Maybe that wasn't
such a bad thing after all.
***
By LissaMarie (Malysa)
Email: MelMarie612@aol.com
Rating: PG (They're just kids!)
5 DECEMBER 1974
1200 LOCAL
GRAND CANYON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
ARIZONA
Harm sat at the lunch table he and Sarah had shared for the past two years waiting for
her to show up. It wasn't like her to be late for anything, and her showing up ten minutes
after the lunch period had started would make it two times in one day. She had called
his house early that morning to tell him that her mom had forgotten to wake her up, and
that he should walk to school without her. He had walked her to school everyday since
the first school day after they met. Of course all the eleven-year-old boys made fun of him
for hanging out with a seven year old GIRL, but he didn't care. She was his friend, not really
a girl, because if she was, she could be his girlfriend, and he never wanted to have one
of those.
"Sorry I'm late, Harm," his tiny friend said as she dropped her lunchbox on the table and
plopped down in the chair next to him. She tried her best to act normal, so he wouldn't
ask any questions. She may be only seven, but she knew Harm. He would be angry at
her if he knew she didn't come straight to him when she had a problem.
"You were crying!" he accused looking at her red rimmed eyes. He wasn't sure what
scared him more: that fact that she had cried or that she was trying to hide it from him.
Sarah might be kind of a girl (but not really), but she was tough and never cried. And if
she ever did cry, she would come to him, and he would try his best to make it better. It's
what he was supposed to do. He was going to grow up to be an officer and a gentleman
just like his dad.
"Was not," she lied horribly.
"Were, too."
"Was not."
Were, too!"
"Was not, and even if I was, it's none of your beeswax Harmon Rabb!" Sarah yelled at
him before standing up and walking swiftly out of the cafeteria.
Surprised at her sudden outburst, Harm took a few seconds before standing up to follow
her. He ignored the giggles of the girls sitting at one table and the taunting from the boys
at another. He sped up past the aid that tried to stop him with only one thing on his mind--
getting to Sarah. He found her outside in the chilly front courtyard of their school. And she
was crying.
Harm walked up to her slowly, whispering her name. She only sniffled and told him to go
away. He would have none of it.
"Sarah, please look at me," he whispered, and with a caring maturity probably beyond
his years, he unzipped the sweatshirt-jacket his mother had made him put on before he
left the house, took it off, and put it on her shoulders.
"Thanks," she mumbled wrapping it around herself tightly. She looked up to see him
shuffling his feet in front of her. She wiped her tears from she face and tried to smile at
him. "Lunch is over."
"What happened?" He was obviously ignoring her attempts to avoid the topic.
"My mom fell down and hurt herself. She's in the hospital," she told him looking down so
he wouldn't see she was lying.
"Will she be okay?"
"She should be. Can I stay at your house tonight? We don't have school tomorrow."
"Yeah. Sure. You can keep the jacket, too, `cause I really don't like it anyway."
"Thank you, Harm," she reached out for his hand, and he pulled her up. She wrapped her
small arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes to hug him tight.
Harm and Sarah walked back into the building together. She with a renewed feeling of
hope knowing that he would not abandon her if she needed him, and he with a whole
new view of his best friend. In Harm's new view, Sarah was a girl. Maybe that wasn't
such a bad thing after all.
***