look who it is! I've brought another installment of Howie and Ramona, after a long period of no-writing! (and what a sad period it was...) I hope you all enjoy this new chapter, I'll be sure to add more soon!
THEME: #7 ~ Time After Time
"Is it a fight?"
"Wait a moment, isn't that-"
"You would think that after all this time-"
"8th grade and she still acts like a child."
Howie hears this and quietly turns a page of his book. It's break, students milling around hallways or loitering in classrooms. Normally he'd welcome the chance to stretch his legs, but he'd wanted to read.
It seemed that staying behind in the classroom wasn't the quietest option after all.
He hears her, loud and defiant, from the open window. The girls clustered around it effectively block his view, but he can still make out her words.
"Take it back!"
"Make me, Quimby."
"You'll really be sorry if you don't!"
"I'm shaking."
Howie knows better than anyone that sarcasm is the tinder to her anger. Still, there is a chance that the nameless offender deserves her fury.
The girls whisper furiously. "I think she does this for attention."
"Or maybe because she really doesn't know how to deal with people-"
He tries to bury his nose deeper into his book. He'd told her so many times to stop being so petulant, to stop speaking her mind, to stop expecting others to see her way.
There's a gasp. "She hit him!"
"What if he hits her back?"
The sudden scraping of a chair upon floor makes the girls whip around to see Howie step out the door. "Look!" one of them pipes up, and the others crane their necks to see outside.
He scolds himself for letting a brief twitch of a smile slip out. Her spindly arms are poised to punch again, the boy already doubled over. He clears his throat.
She stiffens.
"Ramona."
"H-Howie! I was-"
"Come inside."
"But he was-"
"Don't make a bigger scene."
She shoots him that familiar scowl and, after a pause, grudgingly moves. They both ignore the stares following them inside.
"Saving you time after time is getting old," Howie says.
"Shut up!"
I was over a hundred words over originally, but I think I managed to keep the meat of this piece intact. please review and let me know what you think!