It was another cheery
day at Meadow Creek Elementary. The sun was hot, the clouds were the soft
fluffy kind, and you could just smell the pizza being prepared in the cafeteria
across the field. Janet, the most stern yet prettiest girl in the 4th
grade, was already suggesting everyone line up for four square. Per usual, John
and I began to argue as we made our way to recess as to who will be able to
stand next to Janet in the coveted King square, she always stayed in the Queen
square. I feel rather confident because unknown to John, today will be my
victory day. I have a little something up my sleeve
“So
Ben, what are we going to bet on or trade today?” John asked me with a smirk.
“I
don’t know, I thought because I let you have the window seat this morning you’d
be willing to give it to me” I suggested.
“
Ha! You didn’t let me sit there, I beat you to the bus stop this morning fair
and square” he retorted quickly.
The bus stop. I can’t
help to shudder when he says those two words. It was the place our friend ship
started when we both had the same lunch box in 1st grade. The place
we arrived at half an hour early on Fridays to plan our weekends. It’s the
place we showed each other drawings of the ultimate super heroes. And last fall
it was the place where John and I began to drift apart. And it’s all because of
something I tried to stand up for him about. Santa Claus. We had been kicking
piles of leaves and talking about making our lists for Christmas when a couple
older kids, the Pyle brothers, overheard our conversation. The Pyle brothers
were known for their cruelty to animals and girls. One time, I heard that they
cut off a girl’s pigtail because she wouldn’t share her Halloween candy with
them. No one knows if it is true, and we were all too scared to question it.
“So
Ben, are you going to ask your mom for the new Xbox, or do you think it’d be
better to have Santa bring it?” John asked me innocently.
“I
don’t want to ask my mom for anything this year, she is still working really
hard without dad being around” I tell him.
“Well
Santa always brings what I ask so why don’t you just ask him instead?” he
replied.
“John,
sometimes Santa doesn’t bring everything I ask for, I think maybe I ask too
much” I tell him.
“Santa?
Are you guys babies or something?” I hear a familiar voice and spin around to
meet eye to chin with Dan Pyle, the meaner of the two.
“Yeah
Dan, I think they are babies, that must be why they sit and talk about Santa
Claus” his brother Dave chimed in.
“HAHA!
Ben Stone believes in Santa still” John points and laughs accusingly at me.
“What?
Wait, I thought we were talking about our Christmas plans” I ask John with a
tremor in my voice.
“Yeah
but YOU still believe in Santa, and I don’t, you big baby” John stands with the
Pyle boys as they all being to taunt me and laugh at me.
And like that our
friendship was over. I can’t believe he abandoned me to save himself. And I
know he still believes in Santa because we have been talking about him ever since
we met. We of course didn’t believe that he squeezed down our chimney, but we
knew it was the magic suit that allowed him to travel through walls and carry
so many presents. How could John abandon me like that? Did he really not
believe anymore?
“Ben
Stone is a baby!” my thoughts were interrupted by the chants of the other 8
kids at the bus stop pointing and laughing at me.
I still don’t make eye
contact with the kids at my stop. And next year it will be worse because my
brother Eric will be in Kindergarten and I will be expected to protect him too.
At least the Pyle boys graduate this year, well maybe if they don’t fail. That
would be just my luck. They remain in 5th grade and make my life a
living hell.
John and I began
talking again after Christmas break, but I will never trust him again. He
really hurt me and never apologized. So now we still sit together and eat lunch
together but he is always trying to act like he isn’t really my friend when the
popular kids are watching. I don’t really have any other friends unless I want
to sit and talk to with Brendan Meyers, the nose picker. He was the kid who ate
paste in 1st grade and who gets blamed for every fart in class. I
think I will take my chances with John, the back stabber. And today was going to be my day to show him that
I can play tough too. And I am not talking about my wicked awesome four square
moves.
“Well,
since we can’t agree who will take the square, I guess I will just go talk to
Janet” I yell back to him as I have already started running toward her.
“What?
You can’t, she won’t talk to you unless it’s about…” his voice trails off as I
leave him standing stunned and alone.
By the time John finally
reaches the game I am standing proudly in the King square with Janet by my
side. His jaw drops down so far when he finally sees me holding the ball about
to serve.
“Hey Janet, I thought it was my turn to be in King square”
John whined.
“Well,
Ben helped me with my homework yesterday so I told him he could have King Square all week” Janet answered the confused
boy.
I did it. I Ben Stone,
believer in Santa, beat John honestly. Now I bet he will think twice before
treating me poorly.
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