Like everything else, the summer began to die out after awhile. The
impending doom of starting at a new school was upon me, and I was not
thrilled about it.
With my legs dangling over the branch of the tree I was perched in, I looked at Chris solemnly. "Is school okay?"
He shrugged, pulling off a leaf from the tree and studying it absent- mindedly. "Well, you're related to the Lachance family, so you'll be fine. You'll be in the college courses with Gordie and me. No one knows anything about you, so they can't hate you. I think you've got it made, personally."
"Five more days. Hell," I sighed.
"I know."
His silence was different than normal; it was loud and unusual. "You worried?" I asked.
"Not any more worried than I have been all the other few days before school started." He smiled. "So, I guess so, yeah."
"But…why are you worried?"
"People…you know. They treat me like I should act like I owe everyone something just for getting a better education than you'd expect someone from my family to." Shifting around, he muttered, "Tree bark hurts my ass like a bitch…"
Chuckling softly, I shivered at the coolness of the evening. "I think it's stupid how people don't accept you," I told him after a moment. "I mean, it's OBVIOUS that you're not like your family, isn't it? They should be able to just look at you and tell. Did anyone else in your family take college courses?"
"No," he replied. "That's why they think that I shouldn't neither."
"Well, they're assholes."
"Yeah," he barked out a laugh. "Assholes who have a lot of say in who I am."
"That's not fair. And it's not true, either," I told him firmly. "You're nothing like what they say."
"Besides you and Gordie, who else thinks that?"
"I don't know," I said honestly. "I'll try and show them and prove to them that you're not like what they say. Chris Chambers is not some low- life. You have a future ahead of you, and you're my best friend."
"I'm your best friend?"
"I guess so," I said carefully. "I never realized that, but I guess so. You've been basically my only friend since I got here."
Turning to me, his blue eyes sparked something in mine. "Thanks."
Nodding, I cracked my knuckles.
He shuddered. "Don't do that. I hate it when you do that."
"I know, I'll get arthritis or something, I know." I fidgeted. "You're right, tree bark is kinda rough on the ass."
"Yep," he agreed. "Probably have tree sap all over my butt too…with little ants stuck in the sap."
"That's a lovely image, can we get down now?"
He laughed and jumped down. He laughed again when I tripped and fell to my knees when I jumped down after him.
With my legs dangling over the branch of the tree I was perched in, I looked at Chris solemnly. "Is school okay?"
He shrugged, pulling off a leaf from the tree and studying it absent- mindedly. "Well, you're related to the Lachance family, so you'll be fine. You'll be in the college courses with Gordie and me. No one knows anything about you, so they can't hate you. I think you've got it made, personally."
"Five more days. Hell," I sighed.
"I know."
His silence was different than normal; it was loud and unusual. "You worried?" I asked.
"Not any more worried than I have been all the other few days before school started." He smiled. "So, I guess so, yeah."
"But…why are you worried?"
"People…you know. They treat me like I should act like I owe everyone something just for getting a better education than you'd expect someone from my family to." Shifting around, he muttered, "Tree bark hurts my ass like a bitch…"
Chuckling softly, I shivered at the coolness of the evening. "I think it's stupid how people don't accept you," I told him after a moment. "I mean, it's OBVIOUS that you're not like your family, isn't it? They should be able to just look at you and tell. Did anyone else in your family take college courses?"
"No," he replied. "That's why they think that I shouldn't neither."
"Well, they're assholes."
"Yeah," he barked out a laugh. "Assholes who have a lot of say in who I am."
"That's not fair. And it's not true, either," I told him firmly. "You're nothing like what they say."
"Besides you and Gordie, who else thinks that?"
"I don't know," I said honestly. "I'll try and show them and prove to them that you're not like what they say. Chris Chambers is not some low- life. You have a future ahead of you, and you're my best friend."
"I'm your best friend?"
"I guess so," I said carefully. "I never realized that, but I guess so. You've been basically my only friend since I got here."
Turning to me, his blue eyes sparked something in mine. "Thanks."
Nodding, I cracked my knuckles.
He shuddered. "Don't do that. I hate it when you do that."
"I know, I'll get arthritis or something, I know." I fidgeted. "You're right, tree bark is kinda rough on the ass."
"Yep," he agreed. "Probably have tree sap all over my butt too…with little ants stuck in the sap."
"That's a lovely image, can we get down now?"
He laughed and jumped down. He laughed again when I tripped and fell to my knees when I jumped down after him.
