Chapter 3: Promise
"Sometimes people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them." – John Green
Promises are like babies: easy to make, hard to deliver. Trent surely knew that. He had made promises all the time. He remembers this one day in kindergarten, he promised Susy McGarett that he would help her build a mud sand castle on the playground. Another time, he had promised Heather to return her brand new pack of markers when she left them on her desk at school. He had even promised Gwen his silence...
"C'mon Green, you're going to have to be a lot faster than that if you want to catch me!"
It was a rather lazy Friday afternoon when he had met her. The school day had ended rather abruptly, sometime around 2:45 he remembered. Only him, Duncan and maybe two other girls were left to be picked up by their parents and Duncan had oh-so strategically dragged him into a third consecutive game of tag.
"I'm trying," he called out as the other boy whizzed around the turf-like furnishing.
Why Duncan suddenly possessed so much energy in the afternoon was beyond him. He had already been off climbing the red swirly side from the bottom up, laughing like a red-bull induced maniac. Trent let out a heavy sigh, placing two tan hands on his lap as his stance hunched over the ground.
"Tired already?" Duncan teased from the top of the slide, "Ready to give up?"
And let him win? No, Trent wouldn't do it.
"Ghhrr," the green-eyed boy let out a battle cry, rushing over to the monstrous plastic play thing.
Almost to the stairs, Duncan chuckled manically and slid down the contraption just to run over to the other far end of the playground.
Okay, he was tired. Exhausted at that. Was catching his friend really worth the trouble? Couldn't he just give up? He simply would, if he didn't already know that Duncan would mock him for days if he did.
It was sort of a guy thing: always fighting for dominance, bragging rights, whatever they could get their hands on to prove that they were the best. He guessed that with girls it was sort of different. Trent would always see when a group of girls would cause a ruckus in class, they would forget it ever happened by at most the next day. Maybe girls just didn't have to fight for that position of respect. He guessed that with girls, it just didn't matter. But with guys, it was everything, no matter how little the thing may be: who could color faster, who could burp out their ABC's faster... this guy in his class, Owen, would always win that one.
But Trent was born a guy. And that meant that he was automatically entered as a participant in this non-existant race that everyone just pretended was important. So what if he wasn't the fastest, the most artistic, the smartest; he was him, and that was good enough.
He needed someway to get away from Duncan. Yes, he was his best friend, but sometimes Trent just couldn't take his undying passion of competition. He needed to hide.
The boy's pupils desperately scanned the playground for a scapegoat, to get him out of this situation.
The swing set... no. He would definitely find him there. Maybe the monkey bars... no. What would he do with those, swing in clear site? That was stupid. But, how about... Edgar? Yes. He was perfect.
Edgar was the plastic green dinosaur, in the middle of the Acorn Hills Elementary playground. Kids hated him. He was old, his color was stripping, and he had a smile that could scare the jeepers out of anyone under the age of 10. Not to mention that he still smelled like urine from that time Ezekiel Adams decided he was going to use his tail as a toilet. No one played on him during recess, no one even dared to go near him. But, Trent had a different perspective. He thought Edgar was special. He didn't fit in, he was unique, he was proud of his differences, creepy smile and all. He was like Trent.
There was a hole under Edgar's leg that served as a little cubby that children could play in, and at max fit 3 people, but no one has been in there in 2 years. At least, that's what the older kids said.
Looks like he was just about to break tradition. Trent scrambled on the turf like floors and over to Edgar's cubby. The first thing that evaded his senses was the urine stench aroma that seeped through the plastic crevices.
Ew.
Just a few more steps before he'd be out of sight.
3..2..1..
The coverage of the cubby hole blocked out any ray of sunlight trying to get in.
Trent let out a sigh of relief. He began to stretch out his short legs, until he heard a squeak of pain.
"Ow!"
The boy quickly drew back his legs and held them to his chest, a deep red blush on his face. He looked up to meet with a pair of dark eyes and a pale complexion. The girl's cheeks reddened with each passing second as a hand darted to cover her mouth and some sort of book clutched to her underarm.
"Oh, I- I am so sorry! I didn't know you were in here. I can leave if you-"
The pale girl relaxed, and slowly removed her hand from her mouth.
"No, y- you don't have to leave. I'm sorry I scared you."
Trent took a moment to really look at her.
Soft black bangs fell over her left eye, and a jaggedly cut bob went slightly past her shoulders. She had looked really familiar, maybe a kid from the other kindergarten class.
"What are you doing here?" he softly asked.
There was an awkward silence between the two.
"Hiding," was her single response.
"From what?"
The girl was hesitant. She didn't even know if she could trust him. I mean all she knew of him so far is that he had just rolled into her hiding place, and he has really nice eyes... although she would never admit that to his face. Whenever she met someone new, the first thing she would notice about the person are their eyes. It was sort of her thing. But, for some crazy reason, she decided to open up as if she'd known him her whole life.
"Everyone."
When Trent had cocked a confused eyebrow in her direction, she decided to further elaborate.
"I- I cut my hair."
Trent sat there and stared at her for a good minute or two, not really sure of what to say. Sure he could run off and continue his game of tag with Duncan, or he could sit by the bench until Duncan's mom came around to pick them up. No. He decided to stay with a girl that he just met about 3 minutes ago, and... he was content with that. His eyes followed her gaze to a pair of blue safety scissors settled next to her.
"What's wrong with that?" Trent whispered.
The girl's eyes widened in horror as if he had told her the zombie apocalypse was well on its way.
"What's wrong? Can't you see what's wrong?! I'm ugly! Everyone in school is going to make fun of me tomorrow when I walk to class, like this! No one's going to want to be my friend. My mommy is going to hate me." Her voice softened with each passing word.
She finally burst during the last sentence and just broke down, curling up into Trent's chest, and allowing the fabric to soak up her salty tears. Have you ever seen a five year old have a meltdown? It's one of the most heartbreaking things you may ever experience in your life.
Trent's hand awkwardly made its way to her back, patting it soothingly.
"It- It's okay. Everything is going to be okay."
"H-How do you know?" she sobbed.
Trent paused. How exactly did he know? That's right. He didn't know. He was just desperately searching for words to make the girl feel better. That's all.
"Because, you can trust me."
"Why?" she angrily questioned him.
"Because I'm your friend."
Stupid. That was a stupid response. Now she was going to think he was some crazy stalker dude, who's been watching her to no end.
But instead of screaming like he had expected her to do, she slowly raised her head from his chest and looked at him. No strings attached. She just stared at him as if she was trying to figure him out.
"Really?" She sniffed.
"Yeah," Trent offered a smile, "And, I think you look really pretty."
Her blush deepened to an apple red as her eyes traced the ground. A silence came over the pair.
"Do you actually think that? Be honest," she warned. She pointed a bony finger in his face.
"Yes, I do. You look really pretty."
Her eyes met his, and the finger, as well as her guard, lowered to the ground.
"B-But, I don't even know your name," she sniffed again.
"Trent," he blushed.
She blushed back, slightly backing away from him to the opposite side of the cubby, and tucking a stray piece of black hair behind her ear.
"Gwen."
"Huh?" he asked.
She smiled and let out a soft giggle.
"Gwen. My name is Gwen."
"Gwen," he repeated softly to himself.
"Trent, c-can you promise me something?"
He was taken aback by the suddenness of his own name. Duncan was really the only one that he talked to around that time, and he had his own little array of nicknames for everyone. In his case, it was either Elvis or Green, Duncan personally using the latter more often.
"Sure."
She played with the patterns on her plaid skirt.
"C-can you promise me not to tell anyone about this? About me cutting my hair? I- I'd rather them find out on their own."
"Of course," he said.
Gwen furiously shook her head back and forth.
"That's not enough. Will you... pinky promise?"
Gwen held out a fragile little pinky for him to interlock with.
He stared at the pinky for a split second before joining his with hers.
"I pinky promise."
Gwen smiled as she pulled her pinky back to lay against her side.
A pair of shoes crushed through the turf beside them, and from the cubby, Trent could see the outline of bright red converse right next to the entrance of where they were.
"Elvis? Did you give up yet? Where are you?"
Duncan. Trent blushed, looking back towards Gwen who had become preoccupied in her book.
"Um, I have to go."
Her eyes shot forward at the boy.
"W-will you be okay?"
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
"I think I'll be alright."
Before Trent began to crawl out of the cubby, Gwen had grabbed his wrist to stop him.
"I just wanted to say thank you. You're really nice."
Trent blushed for the umpteenth time.
"Will I be able to see you again anytime soon?"
Trent pondered over the thought, tapping his chin.
"Tell you what, how about on Monday, I introduce you to my friend... and you can introduce me to one of yours."
She focused on the turf-ground, appalled at the offer.
"I don't think four people can fit in the cubby," she said.
Trent let out a hardy laugh.
"I meant, outside of the cubby? Like, at the swing set maybe?" he said as more of a question.
Gwen sighed. If there was ever a time to get out and meet new people like her mom had wanted her to do, it was now.
"The swing set it is."
The two offered warming smiles to each other, and signaled their departure with a single wave of the hand.
Duncan's red converse remained stationary, as he scanned the playground looking for the aloof Trent.
"Dangit, where could he have run off to now?"
"Tag!"
Something gripped his ankle fiercely, and the boy fell to the ground in a state of shock, shutting his eyes to brace the impact.
"Oof," he groaned, his face making contact with the floor.
As he pried his eyes open, he came face to face with a smirking Trent.
He sit up quickly.
"H-How did you do that?" He stared in awe.
Trent thought for a moment.
"A great magician never reveals his secrets?" he shrugged.
Duncan's frown gradually generated into a smile as he began to laugh.
"Well, I have to hand it to you Green. You won fair and square."
Duncan stood up to brush off his jeans, and a blue shirt.
Trent mockingly stood proudly in front of the other boy.
"Great. Now as victorious winner of this wondrous game of tag, I decree we go home."
Duncan smiled, "As you wish, oh great one."
The two burst into a fit of laughter, draping their arms around one another.
It must of been 30 seconds before their laughter wilted.
The two heard a beep of the horn, and a black toyota rolls up beside the playground entrance.
"Get in boys," Duncan's mom calls out from the passenger window.
Duncan and Trent went to collect their book bags which were laying against the steel fence circling the playpen.
"Hey, Duncan?" Trent paused.
"Yeah?" He paused from stuffing a book into a compartment.
"Can you promise me something?"
Duncan cocked an eyebrow.
"Like what?"
"Promise me that no matter what happens, you'll always be my friend?"
Duncan smirked.
"Well I don't call you my best friend for nothing, Green. Of course we'll always be friends."
"Yeah," Trent played with his fingers, "But you have to promise."
Duncan let out a snort.
"Fine," he dramatically dropped his book bag, placing his left hand on his heart and the other hand in an upwards position.
"I, Duncan Matthew Carter hereby promise to forever be the best companion of one Mr. Trent Blake Anderson."
Trent smiled as the two continued walking to Mrs. Carter's car. Before they got in, Trent took one last glance to the dinosaur cubby under Edgar's leg and thought about what he had promised Gwen.
"Hey, how do you feel about meeting me at the swing set on Monday?"
Duncan shut the door behind him and took a seat on the far right end of the back seats.
"Why the change? We always meet at the swirly slide."
"Just this once?" he pleaded.
"If that's what you want..." Duncan trailed.
Trent smiled to himself and took out his book from his green backpack. Their friendship was weird, but made perfect sense at the same time. And now, it was bound together by a promise. Trent looked over to Duncan's side of the seat, to see him passed out and obnoxiously snoring against the glass window. He rolled his eyes and chuckled at the sight, pulling himself to look through the other window as the cars appeared to zoom pass at a thousand miles per hour. People with good intentions make promises. People with good character keep them. He just hoped ten years from now he could look back on this moment, at his friend, and say, 'thank you for keeping your promise.'
A/N: If it wasn't already clear, that whole montage was Trent having a flashback to when he first met Gwen. Thank you so much for reading, and please review, favorite and follow! I like to respond to each review that I get, so I'm starting a new thing where each chapter I get reviews, I'm going to write my response to them at the end of the following chapter. So thank you, again. Until next time! :)
To:
IfJesusWasACriminalMastermind: First of all, nice username. And second of all thank you so much! My goal is to give all central characters a few of their own chapters to make the story interesting. Hopefully, we'll be able to see how each person's story connects with one another's. And we'll definitely get back to Heather and Gwen's friendship. Unfortunately the issue wasn't featured in this chapter, but it will be featured soon.
FFraspberry: Thank you so much for the compliment. Here's your update! I hope you enjoyed it. :3
Ali6132: Thank you, thank you. You're very kind. I'm glad you're enjoying it.