Butterfly
Chapter 1
What a surprise, no one saved me a seat. Notice the sarcasm. Not like I would expect them to, they're not my friends anyway. Don't have any. Oh well, I suppose I'll do what I usually do: go outside and eat while I read.
"Look, there she goes, miss 'I'm-so-smart, I skipped a grade.' Thinks she's all that. She's nothing but a nerd and a freak. And fat, too! Oink oink!" Oy, them again. A skieth and a grarrl, Hootman and Braswell. I'm used to them, they've made fun of me since sixth grade. "BAKAS! You sound like a couple of Snorkles! Don't you have some math to do or someone to confuse with your extensive vocabulary and your superiority complex?" I yell back at them; baka is "stupid" in Japanese. Another reason most people think I'm a freak; I'm into anime, and most people don't even know how to pronounce it. Ah, well. I suppose to understand where I'm coming from, you should know a little about me. My name is Wolfie Kino, my mom/owner is Litaj; most people call her Lita. I'm in eighth grade at East Faerieland Magnet Middle. I like to draw, read, write, listen to music, work on my web page, but mostly, I like to sing. I want to be a chorus teacher when I grow up. Chorus is my favorite class, and my favorite musical artist is Clay Aiken, from the "real world" outside Neopia. I also like hanging out with my sisters, but I don't really fit in with any of their friends. None of the guys are really into me, either, not like I'd go out with most of them even if they asked. rude pigs. Anyway, since about sixth grade, Hootman and Braswell have bothered me, called me rude names, generally referring to my weight/appearance. I'm not as thin as I'd like to be, but who is, right? I'm certainly not as fat or ugly or whatever as some people. As to my appearance itself: I'm a faerie lupess, with my wings done in purple and lavender instead of pink; a favor from my battle tutor, the Air Faerie. I've got long, silvery-blue hair, a few shades darker than my coat; I usually wear it in a ponytail or braid. I wear metallic purple glasses, another reason my appearance isn't "acceptable;" I don't like the idea of contact lenses. I generally wear silver hoop earrings, or sometimes light blue cheap-metal ones. I like to dress nice, in a skirt or nice jeans or whatever, and I'm quite fond of 'clunky' shoes (shoes with thick soles, somewhat like platforms.) My favorite outfit is just a jean skirt and a lavender t-shirt that says "Nerds Rock", which I happened to be wearing on this day.
Anyway, back to our story. I sit down on the bench and unwrap my nasty, dried-out school cheeseburger while I open my novel, A Tale of Two Lupes, the ultimate "Romeo and Juliet" tale. I had just gotten to the part where Tianna confesses her love for Rick when I heard someone next to me. "Mind if I sit here?"
I looked up to see Mr. Lupid, my art teacher. "Oh, no, sir. Here, ah, do you want me to leave?" I stuttered. He chuckled.
"No, Wolfie, you're fine. It's a little crowded in there for me, I thought I'd eat out here. Why are you here? Don't you want to sit with your friends?"
I shook my head. "I don't really have any. There are people I don't mind hanging out with, but I wouldn't call them friends. What about you? I usually eat lunch out here, but I haven't seen you."
"I usually eat in my office behind the classroom, but I forgot my lunch today, so I had to buy. What are you reading?" He asked.
I held up my novel. "Ah," he said. "'T'was once upon a snowy evening, she was all alone; and looking 'round, she didn't see a soul-'"
"'Except for the lone lupine, having his nightly drink, just as lonely as she, and with, like her own, a broken heart,'" I finished. "You've read it?"
"One of my favorites," he replied as he unwrapped his cardboard-like cheeseburger. "Oh, while I'm thinking about it, I graded your last charcoal drawing. Very good, but not as cheery as your work usually is. Is something wrong?" He looked concerned; very unlike him, in class he was usually such a joker.
"No, just Hootman and Braswell bothering me again; I think it's starting to mess with my head."
"Well, why don't you come back at them with something? You're smart, I'm sure you could figure something out," he said.
"My mother thought of that, but they make me nervous, and I'm not good at thinking quickly. It's okay, I'm used to it," I assured him.
He frowned. "You shouldn't have to be used to it. You shouldn't have to deal with this! Adolescents can be so cruel sometimes." he muttered.
"Truly, Mr. Lupid," I said, "It's okay. Why does it bother you so much?"
He sighed. "I hate to see sweet kids like you become the victims of cruel words, pranks, shunning. If they do anything worse, or if they really start getting to you, will you let me know? I'll give them detention, make them scrape all the clay off my floor," he grinned.
"Okay, Mr. Lupid, if you say so." I grinned and rolled my eyes.
"No, seriously, I mean it! And feel free to come eat lunch with me, it must get lonely out here for you sometimes," he offered.
"I may just take you up on that," I said. "That would be nice."
He checked his watch. "Well, I've got some things left to do. See ya 'round, Sweets." He grinned. I watched him dump his tray and move off towards the elective building. For the first time, I realized a warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart that I couldn't yet explain.
Chapter 2
And so it began. I'd eat lunch with Mr. Lupid, or Ron, as he told me to call him outside of class. We'd talk about music, movies, art, literature, television, people at school, other teachers, our families, and pretty much anything and everything. I found myself starting to think of Ron as more than a teacher, although what that "more" was, I wasn't quite sure. One day, I was sitting in my room, working on a new poem, when my sister Phin (short for Phinhorse) came into the room. Phin was in seventh grade, but was very wise for her age. She's a starry peophin, and usually wears comfortable clothes that are appropriate for practicing battle moves; it's a hobby of hers. She was usually quiet and shy, and seemed to talk more to me than to anyone else. Anyway, I was sitting at my desk with my purple laptop, working on a poem called Heartache, when Phin came and sat on her bed next to me.
"Hi, Wolfie. Are you busy?" she asked timidly.
"Um, not really," I said, saving my work and closing my laptop. "What's up?"
"Um, er, I was just wondering, I don't see you outside the cafeteria anymore. Where do you go to eat lunch now? Have you made some friends?" She asked hopefully.
"I eat with Ron," I replied absently. Thinking of him always seemed to put my head in the clouds.
"Um, who's Ron?" Her eyes grew wide. "Do you have a boyfriend? Spill! Tell me, tell me, tell me!" She said excitedly.
I shook my head to clear it. "Oh, uh, Mr. Lupid. One day a couple of weeks ago, he ate with me outside the cafeteria. He said I seemed lonely, which I guess I was, so he said I could eat lunch with him in his room. So, no, Phin, I do not have a boyfriend."
She squinted suspiciously. "Why do you call him by his first name?" Then, you could almost SEE the light bulb switch on in her head. She put her front hooves to her mouth. "Omigosh." The muffled word came through her hooves. "You LIKE Mr. LUPID?" She stared at me like her life was hanging on whatever I was going to say.
I sighed; it was inevitable. I couldn't hide anything from Phin; she was the type of person who could see through any lie. And it's not like she'd tell anyone. "Okay, Phin. Yes, I have a crush on Mr. Lupid. But you CANNOT tell ANYONE or I will personally KILL YOU." I extended my claws for emphasis. Her eyes went really wide and she shook her head slowly. "I won't," she said through her hooves. She folded them in her lap. "But why? Why him?"
I thought on that for a minute. To begin with, it had never occurred to me that I might BE crushing on Mr. Lupid. Second, why does one have a crush on a teacher? No clue. Third, why did I have a crush on a teacher? Um. "I guess the older guy thing kinda works for him?" I said sheepishly. "Besides, he's really cool! He's got a sense of humor, which is what most people see, but when he and I are alone, he's got a sensitive side, too!" Phin just kind of stared at me. "Do you know how old he is?" She asked. "I do. How old do you think he is?" I grinned. She replied with "Thirty five, max." I said, "He's in the neighborhood of forty. Forty-five, actually." I thought she was going to die. She turned as white as a ghostkerchief. I turned back to my laptop. "Now, Phin, if you'll excuse me, I have my poem to get back to." She got up to leave. She turned back to say, "I hope you know what you're getting into, Wolfie. I hope you know." she shook her head and left.
Chapter 3
A few weeks later, I had purchased my lunch and was going back to eat with Ron. Under my arm, I carried a portfolio with some of my better poems that I thought he might enjoy: Heartache, I Don't Wanna Let You Go, and a few others. I knocked on his door to make my presence known, then walked in. Ron was sitting at his desk, his back to me. A chair was pulled up across from him. Without turning, he said, "Put your things down, Wolfie, and sit down." The emotionless tone of his voice scared me. I could feel the blood draining from my face. I did as he requested. As I sat down, he spun to face me. I was even more frightened at the stony expression on his face. He didn't look angry, so much as nervous or hurt. "Wolfie, we need to talk. I've heard from concerned individuals that your feelings for me are.more than those that a student has for her teacher, and-" "Mr. Lupid, please understand-" I began. He held up his paw. "No, Wolfie. Don't make this harder than it has to be. You're a really sweet girl, Wolfie, but you know that I could get in a lot of trouble for liking you the way you want me to." He could tell by the expression on my face that I didn't know that. "It's true. I could get jail time and have my teaching license taken away. But let's not get into that." He took my paw. "I'm not angry with you, Wolfie. I realize that you can't help who you're drawn to, who you love. I haven't been out with anyone for a long time, and you seem like a sweet girl." I wasn't sure where he was going with this, but I could tell by the look on his face that he was struggling with what he was trying to say. "Listen to me, Wolfie. I think that we could be.more. We could at least give it a chance. I mean, obviously, we couldn't go on dates or anything, but we've got this half hour together now, plus maybe a few afternoons a week after school, hmm?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Ron? Wanted to be with ME?? I gulped, gave him a nervous smile, and nodded. That was enough for him. He beckoned for me to come around the desk and stood up. He wrapped me in a bear hug and kissed my cheek. "Thank you, Wolfie."
*** As the days and weeks passed, we grew closer. Ron talked about his life before he started teaching at EFMMS, how he became single (he was married at one point), things like that. I talked about my sisters, my classes, some of my enemies. Well, I wouldn't exactly call them enemies; just the rude people who used to make fun of me. Ron started sticking up for me more and more; I remember once, some of the boys were making fun of me in class, and Ron just sort of looked at them and said, "You guys know one day, you're probably going to be working for her, right?" He always had a witty comeback, no matter what the situation. By now, it was Christmastime. Sometimes, during lunch, Ron and I would go up to the Advent Calendar and get our gifts. Then he'd fire up the small potbellied stove and we'd sit in front of it, just like a warm fireplace; He'd rest against the wall, and I'd curl up next to him, his arm around me. He'd nuzzle the top of my head and whisper things into my ear. I was in heaven. The last day before Christmas break, he stopped me in the hall on my way to class: "Don't bother buying lunch. I brought something." Lunchtime came 'round, and I went to his classroom, as always. What I saw astounded me. He had cleaned up the storeroom and placed a rug on the floor in front of the fire. Lights were strung about the walls, and there was a small Christmas tree in the corner. There was a basket with homemade bread, soup, fruit, and a small cake for dessert. I stood there like an idiot with my mouth open, trying to take it all in. He grinned. "You like it? I thought it should be special." I looked at him. "Oh, Ron, this is wonderful." We sat down to eat. As we finished, he pulled a wrapped package from a cabinet. "I thought you'd like this," he said. I opened it to find a small velvet jewelry box. Inside was a silver ID bracelet with a crescent moon and my name inscribed on it. "Turn it over," he said. On the back was a short message. "To Wolfie, my beautiful butterfly. Love, Ron." I looked at him with tears in my eyes. "Oh, Ron.I can't believe this. You shouldn't spend this kind of money on me." I trailed off. "Don't worry, Butterfly, there's no price to large for you." He pulled me close and held me for the longest time, gently kissing my face, stroking my hair. I sat up after a while and handed him my own gift. "It's certainly not as expensive as what you bought me, but I think you'll like it." He unwrapped the parcel to find a blue and white knitted scarf, which I'd made myself. His initials, R. L., were embroidered in silver on one end. He was speechless. "Wolfie, this is beautiful! Thank you, I can see you really worked hard on this." He folded it and placed it by his coat, near the door. We hugged again, and I kissed his cheek. It was almost time for me to return to class, so I stood up and turned to him. "By the way, why are you calling me Butterfly all of a sudden?" I asked. He smiled softly. "Because since the beginning of this year, I have seen you go from an awkward kid who gets picked on all the time to this beautiful lupess that stands before me today. I think you're finally comfortable with yourself." He kissed my hand. "If you say so, Ron; but if I'm a butterfly, you're my cocoon. Merry Christmas!" I said as I left.
Chapter 4
When we returned from winter break, Ron and I spent more time together than ever. I suppose it was about mid-January when he broke the news. I had noticed that morning that he didn't quite seem himself. He didn't respond when I said "hello" that morning, and he seemed sort of spaced out in class. When I came to him room for lunch, I immediately knew something was wrong. He was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands, and when he lifted it to look at me, I could see he'd been crying. "Wolfie, I'm so sorry," he said. Then I started crying. I put my tray down as quickly as I could and ran to him. I put my arms around him and kissed his closed eyes. "It's okay, it's okay. Whatever it is, I'll help you through it. What can I do?" He looked at me and shook his head. "Neither of us can do anything. That's why I'm as upset as I am. I'm being relocated." An icy fist gripped my heart. "Why are they moving you?" I asked. He sighed. "Before I became an art teacher, I had a degree in architecture. I didn't quite make it. The Neopets Staff needs everyone they can get to help design and build the other side of Neopia, including a mediocre architect. I'm leaving tomorrow, and I have no say in the matter. Either I go, or." He shuddered. I hugged him as hard as I could and stroked his wavy dark hair. "Shh. It'll be okay. No matter what, I still love you." He stopped me. "Wolfie, you're making me feel worse. Just.go. I can't take this. Goodbye." He got up and just left.
That's the last time I ever saw Ron.
The next day, everyone was talking about Ron. Apparently, he hadn't told anyone he was leaving. I remembered that I had left my sweater in his storeroom, so I went back to get it. Underneath it on the floor, there was an envelope with a note that said:
Wolfie-
I'm so sorry, my Butterfly. It wasn't right for me to yell at you and run off. I just can't handle the fact that we're probably never going to see each other again. I'm going to miss you so, but I want you to know you're in my heart forever. I know you like poetry, so I wrote you this.
The deepest beauty of the soul,
Cannot be seen, can't be controlled.
But I see your inner beauty bright,
It lights my heart, like stars of night.
It's time to move on, start anew
Although my heart still aches for you,
Find someone else, please, dear, try,
And I'll never forget my Butterfly.
Never forget me.
-Ron
Wolfie closed the letter as the tears rolled down her face. She tucked it carefully into her sweater pocket and ran out. Blinded by the tears fogging her glasses, she bumped into someone on the way out. They both fell, and Wolfie dried her glasses as she apologized. She looked through her now-clear glasses to see a small blue Shoyru gathering her things. The Shoyru had medium-length dark hair, which she wore in low pigtails. She had on glasses, a black hoodie and jeans. She grinned at Wolfie. "Oh, it's okay." She then noticed Wolfie's tears. "Are you all right? What's wrong?" She patted Wolfie on the back and rummaged through her binder. "I had a Kleenex in here somewhere." Wolfie sniffed. "It's okay, I just lost someone I really loved," she said, nodding towards Mr. Lupid's classroom. The Shoyru girl understood immediately. She hugged Wolfie. "I didn't like him, but I miss him, too. I'm Becky, by the way." Wolfie smiled softly. "I'm Wolfie." "Well, Wolfie, I think this could be the start of a great friendship." The girls walked back to the cafeteria together.
Epilogue Wolfie and Becky became close friends, finding that they shared an interest in anime and video games. Becky read several of Wolfie's poems. They often hung out together after school, and had several classes together. Wolfie never heard from Ron again, and still checks her locker and mail every day, hoping for something to assure her he was all right. Meanwhile, Ron did his best to work on the Neopia project. He dated here and there, and eventually fell in love and got married. Even though he loves his wife, he says he will never forget his Butterfly.
Chapter 1
What a surprise, no one saved me a seat. Notice the sarcasm. Not like I would expect them to, they're not my friends anyway. Don't have any. Oh well, I suppose I'll do what I usually do: go outside and eat while I read.
"Look, there she goes, miss 'I'm-so-smart, I skipped a grade.' Thinks she's all that. She's nothing but a nerd and a freak. And fat, too! Oink oink!" Oy, them again. A skieth and a grarrl, Hootman and Braswell. I'm used to them, they've made fun of me since sixth grade. "BAKAS! You sound like a couple of Snorkles! Don't you have some math to do or someone to confuse with your extensive vocabulary and your superiority complex?" I yell back at them; baka is "stupid" in Japanese. Another reason most people think I'm a freak; I'm into anime, and most people don't even know how to pronounce it. Ah, well. I suppose to understand where I'm coming from, you should know a little about me. My name is Wolfie Kino, my mom/owner is Litaj; most people call her Lita. I'm in eighth grade at East Faerieland Magnet Middle. I like to draw, read, write, listen to music, work on my web page, but mostly, I like to sing. I want to be a chorus teacher when I grow up. Chorus is my favorite class, and my favorite musical artist is Clay Aiken, from the "real world" outside Neopia. I also like hanging out with my sisters, but I don't really fit in with any of their friends. None of the guys are really into me, either, not like I'd go out with most of them even if they asked. rude pigs. Anyway, since about sixth grade, Hootman and Braswell have bothered me, called me rude names, generally referring to my weight/appearance. I'm not as thin as I'd like to be, but who is, right? I'm certainly not as fat or ugly or whatever as some people. As to my appearance itself: I'm a faerie lupess, with my wings done in purple and lavender instead of pink; a favor from my battle tutor, the Air Faerie. I've got long, silvery-blue hair, a few shades darker than my coat; I usually wear it in a ponytail or braid. I wear metallic purple glasses, another reason my appearance isn't "acceptable;" I don't like the idea of contact lenses. I generally wear silver hoop earrings, or sometimes light blue cheap-metal ones. I like to dress nice, in a skirt or nice jeans or whatever, and I'm quite fond of 'clunky' shoes (shoes with thick soles, somewhat like platforms.) My favorite outfit is just a jean skirt and a lavender t-shirt that says "Nerds Rock", which I happened to be wearing on this day.
Anyway, back to our story. I sit down on the bench and unwrap my nasty, dried-out school cheeseburger while I open my novel, A Tale of Two Lupes, the ultimate "Romeo and Juliet" tale. I had just gotten to the part where Tianna confesses her love for Rick when I heard someone next to me. "Mind if I sit here?"
I looked up to see Mr. Lupid, my art teacher. "Oh, no, sir. Here, ah, do you want me to leave?" I stuttered. He chuckled.
"No, Wolfie, you're fine. It's a little crowded in there for me, I thought I'd eat out here. Why are you here? Don't you want to sit with your friends?"
I shook my head. "I don't really have any. There are people I don't mind hanging out with, but I wouldn't call them friends. What about you? I usually eat lunch out here, but I haven't seen you."
"I usually eat in my office behind the classroom, but I forgot my lunch today, so I had to buy. What are you reading?" He asked.
I held up my novel. "Ah," he said. "'T'was once upon a snowy evening, she was all alone; and looking 'round, she didn't see a soul-'"
"'Except for the lone lupine, having his nightly drink, just as lonely as she, and with, like her own, a broken heart,'" I finished. "You've read it?"
"One of my favorites," he replied as he unwrapped his cardboard-like cheeseburger. "Oh, while I'm thinking about it, I graded your last charcoal drawing. Very good, but not as cheery as your work usually is. Is something wrong?" He looked concerned; very unlike him, in class he was usually such a joker.
"No, just Hootman and Braswell bothering me again; I think it's starting to mess with my head."
"Well, why don't you come back at them with something? You're smart, I'm sure you could figure something out," he said.
"My mother thought of that, but they make me nervous, and I'm not good at thinking quickly. It's okay, I'm used to it," I assured him.
He frowned. "You shouldn't have to be used to it. You shouldn't have to deal with this! Adolescents can be so cruel sometimes." he muttered.
"Truly, Mr. Lupid," I said, "It's okay. Why does it bother you so much?"
He sighed. "I hate to see sweet kids like you become the victims of cruel words, pranks, shunning. If they do anything worse, or if they really start getting to you, will you let me know? I'll give them detention, make them scrape all the clay off my floor," he grinned.
"Okay, Mr. Lupid, if you say so." I grinned and rolled my eyes.
"No, seriously, I mean it! And feel free to come eat lunch with me, it must get lonely out here for you sometimes," he offered.
"I may just take you up on that," I said. "That would be nice."
He checked his watch. "Well, I've got some things left to do. See ya 'round, Sweets." He grinned. I watched him dump his tray and move off towards the elective building. For the first time, I realized a warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart that I couldn't yet explain.
Chapter 2
And so it began. I'd eat lunch with Mr. Lupid, or Ron, as he told me to call him outside of class. We'd talk about music, movies, art, literature, television, people at school, other teachers, our families, and pretty much anything and everything. I found myself starting to think of Ron as more than a teacher, although what that "more" was, I wasn't quite sure. One day, I was sitting in my room, working on a new poem, when my sister Phin (short for Phinhorse) came into the room. Phin was in seventh grade, but was very wise for her age. She's a starry peophin, and usually wears comfortable clothes that are appropriate for practicing battle moves; it's a hobby of hers. She was usually quiet and shy, and seemed to talk more to me than to anyone else. Anyway, I was sitting at my desk with my purple laptop, working on a poem called Heartache, when Phin came and sat on her bed next to me.
"Hi, Wolfie. Are you busy?" she asked timidly.
"Um, not really," I said, saving my work and closing my laptop. "What's up?"
"Um, er, I was just wondering, I don't see you outside the cafeteria anymore. Where do you go to eat lunch now? Have you made some friends?" She asked hopefully.
"I eat with Ron," I replied absently. Thinking of him always seemed to put my head in the clouds.
"Um, who's Ron?" Her eyes grew wide. "Do you have a boyfriend? Spill! Tell me, tell me, tell me!" She said excitedly.
I shook my head to clear it. "Oh, uh, Mr. Lupid. One day a couple of weeks ago, he ate with me outside the cafeteria. He said I seemed lonely, which I guess I was, so he said I could eat lunch with him in his room. So, no, Phin, I do not have a boyfriend."
She squinted suspiciously. "Why do you call him by his first name?" Then, you could almost SEE the light bulb switch on in her head. She put her front hooves to her mouth. "Omigosh." The muffled word came through her hooves. "You LIKE Mr. LUPID?" She stared at me like her life was hanging on whatever I was going to say.
I sighed; it was inevitable. I couldn't hide anything from Phin; she was the type of person who could see through any lie. And it's not like she'd tell anyone. "Okay, Phin. Yes, I have a crush on Mr. Lupid. But you CANNOT tell ANYONE or I will personally KILL YOU." I extended my claws for emphasis. Her eyes went really wide and she shook her head slowly. "I won't," she said through her hooves. She folded them in her lap. "But why? Why him?"
I thought on that for a minute. To begin with, it had never occurred to me that I might BE crushing on Mr. Lupid. Second, why does one have a crush on a teacher? No clue. Third, why did I have a crush on a teacher? Um. "I guess the older guy thing kinda works for him?" I said sheepishly. "Besides, he's really cool! He's got a sense of humor, which is what most people see, but when he and I are alone, he's got a sensitive side, too!" Phin just kind of stared at me. "Do you know how old he is?" She asked. "I do. How old do you think he is?" I grinned. She replied with "Thirty five, max." I said, "He's in the neighborhood of forty. Forty-five, actually." I thought she was going to die. She turned as white as a ghostkerchief. I turned back to my laptop. "Now, Phin, if you'll excuse me, I have my poem to get back to." She got up to leave. She turned back to say, "I hope you know what you're getting into, Wolfie. I hope you know." she shook her head and left.
Chapter 3
A few weeks later, I had purchased my lunch and was going back to eat with Ron. Under my arm, I carried a portfolio with some of my better poems that I thought he might enjoy: Heartache, I Don't Wanna Let You Go, and a few others. I knocked on his door to make my presence known, then walked in. Ron was sitting at his desk, his back to me. A chair was pulled up across from him. Without turning, he said, "Put your things down, Wolfie, and sit down." The emotionless tone of his voice scared me. I could feel the blood draining from my face. I did as he requested. As I sat down, he spun to face me. I was even more frightened at the stony expression on his face. He didn't look angry, so much as nervous or hurt. "Wolfie, we need to talk. I've heard from concerned individuals that your feelings for me are.more than those that a student has for her teacher, and-" "Mr. Lupid, please understand-" I began. He held up his paw. "No, Wolfie. Don't make this harder than it has to be. You're a really sweet girl, Wolfie, but you know that I could get in a lot of trouble for liking you the way you want me to." He could tell by the expression on my face that I didn't know that. "It's true. I could get jail time and have my teaching license taken away. But let's not get into that." He took my paw. "I'm not angry with you, Wolfie. I realize that you can't help who you're drawn to, who you love. I haven't been out with anyone for a long time, and you seem like a sweet girl." I wasn't sure where he was going with this, but I could tell by the look on his face that he was struggling with what he was trying to say. "Listen to me, Wolfie. I think that we could be.more. We could at least give it a chance. I mean, obviously, we couldn't go on dates or anything, but we've got this half hour together now, plus maybe a few afternoons a week after school, hmm?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Ron? Wanted to be with ME?? I gulped, gave him a nervous smile, and nodded. That was enough for him. He beckoned for me to come around the desk and stood up. He wrapped me in a bear hug and kissed my cheek. "Thank you, Wolfie."
*** As the days and weeks passed, we grew closer. Ron talked about his life before he started teaching at EFMMS, how he became single (he was married at one point), things like that. I talked about my sisters, my classes, some of my enemies. Well, I wouldn't exactly call them enemies; just the rude people who used to make fun of me. Ron started sticking up for me more and more; I remember once, some of the boys were making fun of me in class, and Ron just sort of looked at them and said, "You guys know one day, you're probably going to be working for her, right?" He always had a witty comeback, no matter what the situation. By now, it was Christmastime. Sometimes, during lunch, Ron and I would go up to the Advent Calendar and get our gifts. Then he'd fire up the small potbellied stove and we'd sit in front of it, just like a warm fireplace; He'd rest against the wall, and I'd curl up next to him, his arm around me. He'd nuzzle the top of my head and whisper things into my ear. I was in heaven. The last day before Christmas break, he stopped me in the hall on my way to class: "Don't bother buying lunch. I brought something." Lunchtime came 'round, and I went to his classroom, as always. What I saw astounded me. He had cleaned up the storeroom and placed a rug on the floor in front of the fire. Lights were strung about the walls, and there was a small Christmas tree in the corner. There was a basket with homemade bread, soup, fruit, and a small cake for dessert. I stood there like an idiot with my mouth open, trying to take it all in. He grinned. "You like it? I thought it should be special." I looked at him. "Oh, Ron, this is wonderful." We sat down to eat. As we finished, he pulled a wrapped package from a cabinet. "I thought you'd like this," he said. I opened it to find a small velvet jewelry box. Inside was a silver ID bracelet with a crescent moon and my name inscribed on it. "Turn it over," he said. On the back was a short message. "To Wolfie, my beautiful butterfly. Love, Ron." I looked at him with tears in my eyes. "Oh, Ron.I can't believe this. You shouldn't spend this kind of money on me." I trailed off. "Don't worry, Butterfly, there's no price to large for you." He pulled me close and held me for the longest time, gently kissing my face, stroking my hair. I sat up after a while and handed him my own gift. "It's certainly not as expensive as what you bought me, but I think you'll like it." He unwrapped the parcel to find a blue and white knitted scarf, which I'd made myself. His initials, R. L., were embroidered in silver on one end. He was speechless. "Wolfie, this is beautiful! Thank you, I can see you really worked hard on this." He folded it and placed it by his coat, near the door. We hugged again, and I kissed his cheek. It was almost time for me to return to class, so I stood up and turned to him. "By the way, why are you calling me Butterfly all of a sudden?" I asked. He smiled softly. "Because since the beginning of this year, I have seen you go from an awkward kid who gets picked on all the time to this beautiful lupess that stands before me today. I think you're finally comfortable with yourself." He kissed my hand. "If you say so, Ron; but if I'm a butterfly, you're my cocoon. Merry Christmas!" I said as I left.
Chapter 4
When we returned from winter break, Ron and I spent more time together than ever. I suppose it was about mid-January when he broke the news. I had noticed that morning that he didn't quite seem himself. He didn't respond when I said "hello" that morning, and he seemed sort of spaced out in class. When I came to him room for lunch, I immediately knew something was wrong. He was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands, and when he lifted it to look at me, I could see he'd been crying. "Wolfie, I'm so sorry," he said. Then I started crying. I put my tray down as quickly as I could and ran to him. I put my arms around him and kissed his closed eyes. "It's okay, it's okay. Whatever it is, I'll help you through it. What can I do?" He looked at me and shook his head. "Neither of us can do anything. That's why I'm as upset as I am. I'm being relocated." An icy fist gripped my heart. "Why are they moving you?" I asked. He sighed. "Before I became an art teacher, I had a degree in architecture. I didn't quite make it. The Neopets Staff needs everyone they can get to help design and build the other side of Neopia, including a mediocre architect. I'm leaving tomorrow, and I have no say in the matter. Either I go, or." He shuddered. I hugged him as hard as I could and stroked his wavy dark hair. "Shh. It'll be okay. No matter what, I still love you." He stopped me. "Wolfie, you're making me feel worse. Just.go. I can't take this. Goodbye." He got up and just left.
That's the last time I ever saw Ron.
The next day, everyone was talking about Ron. Apparently, he hadn't told anyone he was leaving. I remembered that I had left my sweater in his storeroom, so I went back to get it. Underneath it on the floor, there was an envelope with a note that said:
Wolfie-
I'm so sorry, my Butterfly. It wasn't right for me to yell at you and run off. I just can't handle the fact that we're probably never going to see each other again. I'm going to miss you so, but I want you to know you're in my heart forever. I know you like poetry, so I wrote you this.
The deepest beauty of the soul,
Cannot be seen, can't be controlled.
But I see your inner beauty bright,
It lights my heart, like stars of night.
It's time to move on, start anew
Although my heart still aches for you,
Find someone else, please, dear, try,
And I'll never forget my Butterfly.
Never forget me.
-Ron
Wolfie closed the letter as the tears rolled down her face. She tucked it carefully into her sweater pocket and ran out. Blinded by the tears fogging her glasses, she bumped into someone on the way out. They both fell, and Wolfie dried her glasses as she apologized. She looked through her now-clear glasses to see a small blue Shoyru gathering her things. The Shoyru had medium-length dark hair, which she wore in low pigtails. She had on glasses, a black hoodie and jeans. She grinned at Wolfie. "Oh, it's okay." She then noticed Wolfie's tears. "Are you all right? What's wrong?" She patted Wolfie on the back and rummaged through her binder. "I had a Kleenex in here somewhere." Wolfie sniffed. "It's okay, I just lost someone I really loved," she said, nodding towards Mr. Lupid's classroom. The Shoyru girl understood immediately. She hugged Wolfie. "I didn't like him, but I miss him, too. I'm Becky, by the way." Wolfie smiled softly. "I'm Wolfie." "Well, Wolfie, I think this could be the start of a great friendship." The girls walked back to the cafeteria together.
Epilogue Wolfie and Becky became close friends, finding that they shared an interest in anime and video games. Becky read several of Wolfie's poems. They often hung out together after school, and had several classes together. Wolfie never heard from Ron again, and still checks her locker and mail every day, hoping for something to assure her he was all right. Meanwhile, Ron did his best to work on the Neopia project. He dated here and there, and eventually fell in love and got married. Even though he loves his wife, he says he will never forget his Butterfly.