Brett

By the time I got back to class it was halfway over, I was in so major trouble Mr. Gillman had been pissed alright but he didn't suspend either one of us. I knew he wouldn't I mean were the stars of the football team. I am the QB they need me to win this Friday.

Looking at Archie who sat there grinning Kendra still in his lap smiling as she played with his shirt. How did he do it man? When did Archie become such a lady's man?

Okay so your probably thinking what do you know about the crip? Your a jock he's well he's Archie. The answer is simple. I know a lot. Archie and I use to be best friends once upon a time. Evan moved over for me but glared at me, oh yeah add him to my list of people I owe an apology to. I guess now was a good time.

Mrs. Morgan: "The assignment is simple Chose your own path this is a very important time in your young lives, one where you have to chose where your life is heading. High School is well I wouldn't want to repeat it that's for sure."

Patrice: "Gee thanks for the great endorsement there now I am really looking forward to the next two years!"

All the kids seem to laugh loosen up a little at this, looking around at their faces that filled this class, I found myself smiling a little. I have known almost all of them since I was born. We fight like crazy we cheat we steal we stumble yet in the end we are always there for each other even when some of us are royal jerks.

Mrs. Morgan: "Sorry Patrice"

Patrice looked shocked that she already knew her name, that was pretty cool I mean this was our first day of school. We barely knew her yet she knew us? How did she do that?

Mrs. Morgan: "Believe it or not I was once your age to"

We all gasped out shocked Lucy covered her mouth and pretended to faint which was not a good choice because we all freaked rushing to her. My heart leaped out of my chest remembering when she was 13. Mrs. Morgan just shock her head she was the only one who didn't fall for her trick but she did smile. Which was more than any of us were doing at her this moment Lucy just rolled her eyes. I heard her mutter drama kill buzzers. Clearing her throat Mrs. Morgan went on talking.

Mrs. Morgan: "My point kids is that yes High school can be a rough time but it all depends on the choices we make the friends we decide to walk with. Ask yourself am I follower? Am I leader? Why am I either? Do I like where I am what I am doing? Are my friends bringing me down? Are they rising me up? Ask yourself these questions"

"What will Ileave?"

"What will Itake with me?"

"No Matter What it will beit's Somethingthat you'll

be apart of you forever"

"Together your friends will help shape your memories will these memories be painful? Will they leave you smiling?"

"The answer should be simple, friends are suppose to lift you up make you smile make you sing, make you dance, friendship isn't easy but it is the most rewarding experience in life"

"Ask your parents, ask your friends parents, grandparents, neighbors everyone has a story about friendships, friends help you become a better person, simply by helping you make the choices that you make, because these choices now will shape the rest of your life."

"Celebrate with your friends, but ask yourself are they celebrating with you?"

"Cause real friends celebrate you no matter what is going on with them."

"Ask yourself to what kind of friend am I?"

"Friends fight but real friends suck it up and apologize even if their not wrong if they value the friendships they will put aside their feelings"

Evan suddenly threw his arm around my shoulders and rolled his eyes letting me know that he forgave me. Kendra stuck her tongue out at me god she was something special, I saw Lucy's face she didn't like it one bit which made me once again question, was Lucy really the girl for me?

Mrs. Morgan: "For this assignment I am choosing the pairs who will be working together" Hold your groans to people I don't want to hear uh I don't like that person, you never know what will happen I want you to question yourself why don't I like them? Am I being judgmental? Do I really know them?"

"Sometimes the answers will surprise you"

"As I hand out the assignment sheet I want you to listen to a poem by your fellow classmate Archie Walker"

Everyone turned to Archie who grinned as Kendra jumped off his lap squeezing herself between Charlotte, Lucy who both groaned. Archie cleared his throat.

Archie: "For those of us who grew up together you may remember this as the poem I read in Mrs. Oil's class back in fifth grade"

I watched everyones faces, Evan had no clue what this was all about since this was the year before he came to Appleton. He never knew that once upon a time we were all friends all he knew was when he came Eddie, Simon, Richie, I were the popular kids who got the girls like Lucy, Charlotte, Molly, Cassie. Archie was a cripple who we threw to the ground he was an outsider just like Patrice.

Nope back in fifth grade we were all friends in a school that only had 30 kids everyone knew everyone so we all knew what Archie had since we were kids our parents sat us down and talked to us. Back than he wasn't really that different he didn't need the crutches, he could play ball with us for a short amount of time. When he couldn't he simply walked over to the bench and sat down next to Patrice to read a book, he didn't make a stink about it.

Archie was one of my best friends because his mom was my mom worked with my mom they often went to lunch together they were active members of the church who did food drives together organized events for the church, volunteered at the homeless shelter which of course meant Archie and I were forced to volunteer as well. Archie was always adventurous and up to no good he would drag me into whatever prank or scam he was working on. While I always feared we'd get into trouble he had no fear, one day we were hanging out at Walmart I really wanted some candy from the store but had no money so he pretended to faint all the employees ran over to him concerned leaving me alone and free to swipe the candy. We laughed about it for weeks after the look on the cashiers face how quickly everyone ran to help forgetting the store.

We use to camp out all the time fish and build camp fires we would create our own experiments which sometimes blew up in our faces but hey you live you learn right? Like he time we tried to build a lava lamp but left it by an open flame and the damn thing exploded onto my mom's new expensive rug.

We never pointed out his difference to him. However how could you not notice? When we were all running at five years old Archie was waddling along like a duck, while we were playing tackle football at ten Archie was wheezing. He was always falling, Still we tried to do activities he could be apart of board games, video games, imaginary games. Archie was the one who pointed out his differences with his poem.

Until this day, this was the day Patrice and Lucy got into a huge fight in the lunch room, this was the day Patrice was lead out of school crying hysterically, this was also the day I did the unforgivable to Archie Walker.

Archie cleared his throat and started to read his poem looking around I could see Lucy grew uncomfortable was it because of Archie or was she remembering her own poem?

Kendra started crying she was overly sensitive though so I didn't read too much into that, it was the reactions of Eddie, Simon, Richie, Malcolm that I was waiting to see, as soon as I did I instantly regretted it. Archie's voice was deeper now it didn't crack like it did the day in fifth grade, but I could still see him standing there at Eleven years old.

That was the day Archie first came to school with those damn crutches we had a new kid named Bryan who was taller than us beefer than us he was from Montana where he was the star of his football team, he was a challenge to me all my life I have been the star here now this kid was trying to steal my spot. I would do anything to keep it I had no idea that I would have to do what I did, I blamed Archie for it why did he have to point out his difference of all days?

Did anybody else blame him now? Did I really blame him now? Could I? Should I? Did Bryan really make me do what I did? Or did I chose to do it and couldn't be man enough to face my choices and their consequences?

"Seconds become minutes

A tick of the clock another strike into my heart

Minutes become hours, hours become days

Day after day I sit, I stare I wonder what it would be like

To ditch these aides and run in fields of flowers

I see you skip with joy a smile plastered in your eyes

Your curls golden like the bright rays of a dying sun

Days turn into weeks you get older I get colder

A cure I seek a cure I fear will not be found in my lifetime

I study harder because I can't play I may seem smarter it doesn't mean I am a geek

We are all given gifts in life we are all given adversity

Someday I will ditch these crutches

Someday I will wheel past you leave you in my dust

We all grow older do we grow wiser? Have you done your homework?

Will you ever give me that chance I dream about? I know your just not as mature as I am

It's okay I don't hold it against you we all learn we all grow at different paces

At first, I could walk with no problems at all,

But now I am prone to things like slips and falls.

I've worn braces all my life, they help me to stand; yet

This disease is still hard for me to understand.

How do I accept you to understand what you don't know

I ask you please to just do a little homework

I just want that one chance

Will you stand beside me will you hold my dying hand?

I'm not afraid to die I know we all live we all breathe we all pass through our own storms

Someday I we will be joined forever more in heaven's glorious fields

I will get there before you I will save you a place bygones be bye forever more

Will you think of me when I am gone? Will you laugh at my jokes remember me with a fond

smile or curse my name?

As you grow as you learn will you stop every once and a while even years from now take a minute and remember the distant memory of a name of a boy who just wanted to be loved to be accepted who just wished he could of been normal?

Not the names you called him cripple, geek, freak but by the name his mom gave him

Archie

My name is Archie I have a heart I have a soul I am more than broken legs, more than a wheeze that you pass by.

I am here I am alive I am real

You may not care but someday you will someday you will look back and think of the boy I use to be

In that moment will you send me airplane letters to heaven fields?

Is it too much to ask? For I know we are young but someday you will grow older, will you grow wiser? Will you do all for me I can never let myself dream of doing?

Much like he did that day back in fifth grade as he read the last line he put down his laptop which back than was just a piece of paper. Back than no one knew what to say most of us shuffled our feet looked away a few girls started crying. Than Bryan yelled out "CRIP" Before I could blink he had thrown his soda at Archie drenching him.

Archie never said a word he just shuffled away blinking back tears as Mrs. Oil gasped ushering him out to the bathroom.

Back than at lunch Bryan had come up to me and told me straight to my face get rid of the crip or he would destroy me socially he would make it so I never stepped back on the football field. Football was my life it's what I was born and bred to do.

I was never a violent person not till this day but without thinking about it I did what Bryan wanted me to I walked right up to Archie, took his crutches broke them than took his food tray dumped it over his head and punched him calling him all kinds of awful names.

When I looked back at Archie laying there broken crying with one question in his eyes I did the unthinkable, I peed on him while the other kids laughed or ran away grossed out.

Why did I do it? What did Archie ever do to me that made me feel like I had the right to do something so awful to him? Nothing he was just being himself and I was well I was what did Lucy say? Oh yeah a tool.

This time no one beside Kendra cried but they didn't say a word so I took a deep breath stood up clapping, soon the other kids took turns standing and applauding. Going over to him I extended my hand.

Brett: "Archie I've been thinking about what happened when we were in fifth grade"

Archie: "You mean when you beat the crap out of me for no reason when you pissed away our friendship?"

Brett: "Yes I know I may have waited too long I know I have grown up a lot later than you and I am not as wise as you man, maybe I am still doing my homework but I wanted you to know how sorry I am, I was sorry the minute I did it, I didn't know how to say no back than, I'm not perfect man I never will be none of us will be, what I did though wasn't just wrong it was cruel it was inhumane. I shouldn't of dissed you in front of the whole school, I had no right to touch you, just like I have no right to ask for your forgiveness all I can hope is that someday you see how sorry I really am, these teenage years are a bitch, I hope we can navigate though them together"

I didn't wait for an answer I hurried back to my seat as I heard him clear his throat.

Archie: "Damn tool you haven't learned anything part of becoming a man is standing up and claiming ownership and dealing with the aftermath, that's great that you apologized but now you have to hear what I have to say so stand up take it like a man, I'm sure you had no problem giving it to Lucy like a man"

Lucy gasped as her face went red the girls all started to ohh as the boys nudged themselves. Dear god I would pay for that later. Gulping I stood back up and went over to Archie.

Archie: "You say your sorry? Prove it tell me what's changed in you why all of a sudden now did you just make this realization that beating the crap out of the school cripple was wrong?"

I had no answer right away but looking around at the eyes of my peers, it came to me.

Brett: "Mrs. Morgan made me see that I have been using my influences in a negative way I don't want to be the kind of leader who inspires fear in kids I want to be the kid who inspires his friends to do the right thing to choose their own paths, to be happy with their choices"

I made a lot of stupid choices as a kid hell I'm making a lot now but Evan pointed some things out to me one day I will have to explain to my kids the choices I made as a kid, I want to be able to tell them their dad was a man who did the right thing, who stood by his friends who didn't tear them down, I want to be able to tell them about their uncle Archie and what a cool dude he is, I want to look back and laugh at our crazy dramatic life, maybe write a book about it, I'll tittle it airplanes to heaven all about the choices I made the jokes I made the jokes that were made about me, how I just crumbled it all up in to tiny balls of paper and sent them away"

I waited everyone was silent than all at once everyone jumped up pounding me on my back hooting howling. Archie grinned slapping my hand as Mrs, Morgan cleared her throat taking our seats I saw Archie roll his eyes mouthing tool but I took it smiled and bowed.

That was until I heard.

Mrs. Morgan: "First pair of partners Brett Sampson and Patrice Parker"

Lucy: "Oh hell no! Your dead Patrice!"

Lucy shot up as I hung my head I could hear Patrice swallow and Evan groan fuck was this karma paying me back? I know she's a bitch but for real was this bitch on her menstrual cycle or something?

Nothing good could come out of this that much I knew for sure, what would come of it? I was afraid to find out.