MspltChwdr again. This next installment of "Important People" is entitled "Danny." Danny is a person I've known since elementary school. We've been through a lot, but I didn't really recognize him as a friend until after I had met Chad. Before that, he was just another kid at school who got beat up like I did. I hope you enjoy it.

Danny:

By MspltChwdr

The first time I met Danny was on the playground. I was being picked on by a guy named Ian. Ian was pushing me around the playground. He wasn't exactly hitting me, just moving me around the playground, which was annoying in itself. From out of nowhere, I hear this maniac scream at the top of his lungs, "Leave him alone!" And then just a whole bunch of really loud growls.

I turned around to see this massive individual barrelling down my line of sight like a rhino with a bad attitude. Me being the shrimpy little marshmallow that I was, the best thing I could do was just try to get out of the way. This larger-than-life third-grader tackled Ian. After that, there was a lot of yelling, and two kids who thought they were fighting each other, when in reality, it was more like they were hugging and rolling around on the ground.

After that day, this behemoth of an elementary-schooler followed me around constantly, claiming that we were the best of friends. I really had no say in the matter.

That was in third grade. His name was Danny.

Four years later, after meeting Chad:

Chad and I were sparring outside my house, and along comes – who else – Danny. Quite like my first sight of two people fighting each other with sticks, he stood there gawking for a little bit. After a while, I noticed that he was there, and asked Chad if we could take a break. I walked over to Danny and said, "Hey, Danny, how're you doing? What do you want?"

Danny, still a little stunned by what he saw, held up his deck of Yu-Gi-Oh!® cards. "Hey, Alex. Weren't we gonna duel today?" You see, I had a bad habit of telling Danny we were going to do things and then not doing them with him because he annoyed me.

Part the reason I found him annoying was that he was autistic. This caused him to by socially awkward and to cling to anyone he considered a friend. He also had a bad habit of repeating phrases or sentences many times over. But I digress.

So, I cringed like I felt bad and scratched the back of my neck, and said, "Man, Danny, I'm really sorry, but I'm hanging out with Chad today." Danny, being unshaken by the cancellation of our dueling plans, instantly asked:

"Can I try?"

I thought about his words. I looked up to him and smiled. "Sure."

From then on, Danny clung to me even more. But I kind of liked having him around. I learned more about his autism, and I found out that he really couldn't help those "annoying" things that I mentioned. He constantly referred to me as a "king" or a "master" of fighting. As a matter of fact, after a while, he convinced me that I should be his instructor in the ways of the sword.

I'm not kidding. That's what he said. Verbatim.

Danny also became something of a brother to me. Kind of like a younger brother. He was constantly looking up to me and using me as an image of how he should act. And that made me a better person, because it made me consider how my actions affect the people around me.

No matter how many times I told Danny that I wasn't a martial arts master, the fact that I always beat him made him believe that I had to be the best. But our friendship was a lot more than he realized. I relied on him a lot more than he thought I did. He always cheered me up. It was really nice to have him around, because no matter what the deal was, he always belived that I was the best, and that I could do anything. If anything, because he believed in me, I did a lot more than I thought I ever could. The entire time he thought he was learning from me, I was actually learning more from him.

My second real friend, and my first student.

Whew! Ah...

Looking back on it, the way I treated Danny before I really got to know him was deplorable. I really feel like a total dick. I have apologized to him about it, too, but he insists that I did nothing wrong. Oh, and for those of you wondering, part of his autism affects his physical structure. The growth rate of his body is quicker than that of a normal person, which accounts for his size.

P.S. Danny, if you're reading this, practice your Wind Scar.