Palms and Pockets Chapter 4: A Good Feeling

Palms and Pockets

by Paul Diaz

Chapter 4: A Good Feeling

Two months have passed and Anne has never enjoyed school like she was right now. Aside from John’s group, she had more friends now. She was already accepted for who she was but there was still one group that never changed.

In campus there is a group of students who consider themselves the high and mighty. Most of them are members of the basketball varsity team of the school and a few students who wanted to be associated with them.

Every morning they would hang out at the gate and they never fail to catch Anne’s attention with their name calling and teases. This morning was no different, as Anne and John were about to enter the campus the untouchables were at it again.

Morgan, the top star player approached Anne and blocked her path. “Such a pretty face” he said and then moved to the young woman’s left side and acted all shocked and scared. “Oh my what a sudden change! What happened?” he yelled as the so called elite group started laughing.

“Excuse me” Anne softly said as she smiled at Morgan who let them pass. John had his fists clenched and his eyes were seething with anger. “John don’t get mad. I am okay with it. You taught me how to get over those type of people and I am not bothered anymore” she told him. “Yeah but they should grow up. Why cant they be like the others who have accepted you?” John softly replied.

“Don’t mind them, I don’t. We cant change everyone, if we try to then we would just be wasting time. Honestly I am okay, so cheer up now okay?” Anne told him. John smiled at her but again glanced at the group and saw one imitating how Anne walks. The young held his face and made him look at her. “John can you see the smile on my face, that means I am okay” she said.

John grinned and scratched his head and began to laugh, “For a moment the I thought you were going to kiss me” he said. Anne pinched him and likewise laughed as they began to walk again. “If that’s what it takes for you to calm down then I would” she said and John was surprised and looked at her.

“I am really mad, really angry!” John said and acted all grumpy and Anne burst in laughter. “You really want me to kiss you?” she asked. “I was just kidding, you should not be just kissing anyone. Your smile is enough for me to calm down” he told her.

“Have you ever kissed someone besides your parents?” Anne asked. “Nope” he answered. “Why is that?” she asked and John laughed. “Well I just cant go kissing anyone right? Unlike others who kiss because they just want to, for me I believe that when I kiss there should be meaning” he told her and Anne nodded her head.

“But you know what some say that they kiss because they don’t know what else to say or they don’t know how to express themselves. So instead of speaking, they just kiss. And that kiss would speak for them” John added. Anne paused and looked at him, “Whats wrong?” he asked. “Oh nothing” she said and then smiled.

Classes ended in the afternoon and the two were happily exchanging stories as Rick and the others joined them. They were about to exit the gate when they crossed paths with Morgan’s posse. “Hey I don’t remember Two-face being a girl. I am sure he was a guy” the ace player said and his group laughed.

John stepped forward and stared Morgan in the face. “You want to step outside with me?” he asked and everyone was surprised. It was the first time someone stepped up and confronted Morgan and everyone on campus was quick to notice the commotion. “Oh please lead the way” Morgan replied.

John walked out of campus mad as Anne was holding on to his arm. “John what are you going to do?” she asked. “I cant take it anymore, this has to stop right now” he told her. “But John, I told you I am okay with it. It doesn’t bother me. You taught me how to ignore them and you don’t have to do this” she pleaded.

The young man was not listening, Rick took Anne aside as John and Morgan faced each other. “Fight! Fight! Fight!” shouts were heard all around as the students formed a circle to surround the two combatants.

“Make him stop!” Anne shouted but Rick shook his head. “We cant, he cannot back out now” he told her. “I got 911 on speed dial” Kevin said. “Oh boy John is going to need that because he doesn’t know how to fight” Jeremy said and the more Anne became frightened. “Anne, John isn’t a violent person” Rick said. “How am I supposed to believe that? Please make him stop” she replied.

It was too late, John threw the first punch and missed. The crowd started to laugh for Morgan was just dancing around him touching his opponent’s face from time to time. John didn’t know how to fight and it was evident on his stance, he threw another punch which was easily blocked by Morgan who retaliated with his own that landed on John’s face.

The latter fell to the ground and Anne screamed and wanted to go to him but Rick and the other held her back. Morgan was like a pro boxer who kept dancing around his opponent, landing jabs after jabs which made the smaller guy all dizzy. John threw another wild punch only to be met by another fist on his face. Again he fell to the ground and the crowd who were jeering and cheering suddenly fell silent.

The students started to feel sorry for John as Morgan just stood in front of him taunting. “Oh come on stand up, I cant beat up a fallen opponent. That would be foul” he said. John slowly stood up wiping the blood on his lip, he shouted with all his might as he lounged forward.

He threw a left punch that Morgan easily avoided but little did he know John threw a right punch at the same time. For the first time John landed a solid blow on Morgan’s face that made the latter smile. Left and right punches landed but Morgan retaliated with on strong blow to John’s chest that downed him again.

John quickly stood up and threw wayward punches from all directions. “I am fed up with you and your group calling her names!!!” he shouted as more punches landed on Morgan’s face. “I get it you are famous but that does not give you the right to look down on others!!!” John shouted. Like a wild animal he was relentless.

Morgan was not hurt, the speed of John’s punches just made him to busy defending himself. The crowd started to cheer for the underdog and Morgan glanced at Anne for a moment and saw her cheering. The ace basketball player saw a vicious left coming, instead of avoiding it he stood still and braced himself.

Morgan absorbed a solid blow to his chin, he fell to the ground and lifted his arm to signal defeat. John stood in front of him seething in anger as the crowd cheered wildly for the victorious underdog.

The crowd dispersed and Morgan was attended to by his friends. “What happened?” one asked they slowly got the top player to his feet. “I let him win” Morgan said as he glanced over to see Anne wiping John’s bloody lip but she was all smiles.

“You let him win? Are you out of your mind? What are the others going to say tomorrow? Did you even think about that?” a girl asked. “Hey if I won would guys be happy?” Morgan asked. “Of course, did you have to ask?” one replied and the ace player shook his head. “You are happy because a bully won?” he told them.

“Look at her? She seems to be so happy. Will you all feel the same if I won? Or would you just pat my back? No matter how much I hurt him he just gets back up even if he knew he had no chance. I have had many fights in the past but his eyes were different. I didn’t see fear at all. I was fighting to defend myself for being a bully, but he was fighting to defend her”

“Among all students he was the only one who befriended her. If I won I would have broken him…at the same time it might have broken her. I can clearly see she needs him, and if he was broken she didn’t have anyone else left” Morgan said.

“Oh man I don’t know what happened to you. His punch might have rattled your brains” his friend said. “Yeah, I guess so” Morgan replied as he saw John and Anne walking away. “Lets leave them alone from now on” he added.

John was silent and Anne was worried and kept looking at him. “You didn’t have to do that” she said softly. “I am sorry, but I just couldn’t take it anymore” he replied. “But they were not teasing you, they were teasing me and I told you I was okay with it” she explained. “Yeah maybe its okay with you but for me it isn’t. I don’t want them doing that to you” he told her.

Anne felt happy hearing those words and didn’t know what to say so she just bumped her body against his. “Has it been twenty minutes? Oh sorry I wasn’t paying attention to the time. Come on lets rest” John said. “No, I am fine I just…” Anne said but John grabbed her arm as they proceeded to the nearby grassy area.

As the two were seated Anne could not help stare at John’s swollen hand. “Does it hurt?” she asked. “A little but its worth it” he told her. Anne took his hand and started to massage it as the young man bowed his head. “Are you mad at me for what I did?” he asked.

“Very mad” she replied. John shook his head and sighed but Anne started to giggle. “I felt so much pain each time you got hit and fell down. I was so scared of losing you that is why I was so mad at you” she explained. “I am really sorry” was all John could say as he kept his head bowed.

“But you know what I felt happy at the same time because you were standing up for me. Really very happy when you knocked him down” Anne said. John grinned and looked at her, “I made him surrender, right?” he said but the young woman pressed on his hand and John grimaced in pain. “I don’t want you to get violent and fight anymore do you understand?!” she scolded him.

“Okay I promise. But if I do I promise to win” John said. “No John, no more fighting. I don’t care if you win anymore. I just don’t like worrying about you. I don’t want to go through that bad feeling of holding my breath and watching you get hurt. No more fighting John” she told him as she leaned against his body.

“Okay, I promise” he replied as he too leaned on her.

The following day as John got out of the car, Anne heard metal clinging at his bag slightly hit the door. As the car sped away Anne touched the bag but John quickly moved it away from her. “What’s inside your bag?” she asked.

“Its nothing, come on we are going to be late” he told her. They entered the gate to see Morgan and his group there, all were looking at them silently. John held his bag in front of him so Anne started to worry. “John whats in the bag?” she asked.

“I told you its nothing” he replied. “John!” Anne insisted and he started laughing. “Trust me its something good” he assured her. “Is something metallic good? Are you going to pick a fight again with them? I saw your angry eyes again” she said. “Of course not, I promised you remember?” he told her. “Show whats in the bag then” she insisted. “Sorry but I cant” John replied.

Anne fell silent and walked faster. “Anne, wait up. I promise it’s a good thing but I just cant show you now” John said but the young woman didn’t budge. The bell rang and he had to just let her go as she entered her classroom.

Lunch time was different, Anne was not speaking to John and the other pretended not to notice. John tried to make her laugh by cracking jokes but the young woman kept pouting. The bell rang again and he barely touched his food, what made things worse was when Anne left without him.

The final bell of the day rang and as soon as Anne got out of her classroom, John was already there waiting. “Still mad?” he asked. “Not anymore. I understand if you don’t want to show me. I just wish you good luck” she replied. “Shall we go then?” he asked. “To your fight? No thanks” Anne told him.

John began laughing as they walked towards the gate. “What are you waiting for? There he is and he is even looking at you” Anne said. John glanced over at Morgan, the two nodded their heads and looked away. “See, we are not enemies anymore. I have proven my point to him. And I don’t know why the first thing you thought was even fighting” John said. “So what is it then? Oh don’t bother I don’t want to know anymore” Anne said.

A few meters away from the gate John stopped and began to open his bag. “I told you I don’t care anymore, lets just go home okay?” Anne said. John took out a silver metallic object and Anne pretended not to care. The young man knelt down on the ground and assembled the metallic contraption. Anne pouted and looked away as she waited for him to finish.

“There its done” John said. Anne slowly turned around, one eyebrow raised as she kept pouting. The young woman’s jaw dropped and she immediately looked at John who was smiling at her. “A scooter!” she exclaimed. “I told you it was a good thing. Sorry I could not show it to you earlier, I wanted it to be a surprise” he told her.

Anne placed her hands at the handle bars but then looked at John. “You have to use one leg to push right? I think I wont be able to do that” she said as she again began to frown. “Come on get on, both feet that is and trust me” he told her.

Anne held tightly on the handle bars as got on the scooter. John stood beside placing his hands on top of her hers. The young man started to push forward and the scooter began to move. Anne started giggling and holding on tighter as she enjoyed the ride.

“I am sorry I didn’t think of this sooner. But from now on you are never going to get tired going home. Again Anne felt something different inside her chest, she noticed his hands over hers and still saw them swollen. She looked at John’s face and noticed for the first time its bruised state. “Your eye…does it hurt?” she asked and John just smiled and shook his head.

Anne moved closer to John and kissed his bruised eye. The young man was surprised and looked at her in awe. “Im sorry, was it wrong?” she asked. John smiled and felt embarrassed then shook his head. “Nope, it was something good” he told her. They both smiled at each other and Anne leaned her body on his. “Faster” she said.

“What?” John asked. “Lets move faster” she said. “Okay, hand on tight or you might fall then” he told her. “No I wont, because your beside me” she replied. Again they both smiled at each other as John began to run.

Anne started screaming and laughing as they sped along the neighborhood. She removed her left hand from the handle bar and wrapped it around John’s waist and then shouted.

“Faster John!!!”


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Palms and Pockets Chapter 3: New World

Palms and Pockets

by Paul Diaz

Chapter 3: New World

The following Saturday, Anne was having breakfast with her parents. Colleen and Gerard Rivera noticed big changes in their daughter lately, gone was the foul mood she would have every time they would transfer to a new city.

Their living room was full of boxes because the things they had at their previous home has just arrived yesterday. “Honey are you sure they gave you a days off today? You just have been at work for two weeks and I don’t think your boss would like the idea of you having asking for a day off immediately” Colleen said.

“I didn’t even have to ask for it, my boss told me to take a day off” Gerard told her. “Did you get fired dad?” Anne asked and her father laughed. “What happened? Why did he let you have a day off? Did you do something wrong?” Colleen asked.

“Relax both of you. I didn’t ask for a day off because I gave myself one” Gerard said and the two ladies looked at him surprised. “What are you trying to say? Its not time to make jokes I tell you” Colleen said as she raised her two eyebrows. “Well you see I didn’t tell you two about this. I wanted it to be a surprise. All the sacrifices we had to go through has finally paid off” Gerard told them.

The two ladies were silent and simply looking at him. “The company transferred me here because they saw me fit to take over one of their branches. Yesterday the manager of the local branch has retired and I will be officially taking over starting Monday, but yes unofficially I am already the manager” the middle aged man told them.

“Are you saying we don’t have to transfer to another city anymore?” Anne asked. “No more dear unless you want to” her father replied. “I like it here” the young lady said and Colleen almost in tears hugged her husband. “Are you saying I don’t need to work anymore?” she whispered. “Yes dear but its up to you” Gerard replied as they both looked at their daughter who was all smiles.

“I think I will keep my job, I know we are better off now but the extra income might come in handy. We owe her so much” she whispered. “Yes I know so that is why I think she will love the gifts I got her” Gerard said as he stood up and walked towards the living room.

“Anne how come I don’t see you using our computer?” Gerard asked. “Well dad because you keep hogging it” his daughter replied as she and her mother laughed. “Well you could have just told me if you needed to use it. Like for chatting and whatever teenagers do nowadays online” her father said.

“Its okay dad, I know your work has to come first and I really didn’t have friends” Anne replied. “I heard from your mother that you do” Gerard said as he finally got hold of two small boxes and walked towards the dining table. “Yes dad and his name is John, he is a good guy” Anne said.

Gerard stood right behind her daughter as his wife was surprised to see what he had for her. “This John I want to meet him. Send him a text message and call him over” Gerard told her and Anne laughed. “With what dad? My imaginary phone?” she said and her father placed the first box on the table. “With this of course, and now you can also chat with him” he said as he lay the other box on the right side of the table.

Anne could not believe it, on her left side there was a brand new mobile phone and on her right was a brand new laptop. “This are for me?” she asked. Gerard stooped down and kissed her daughter on the forehead. “Its long overdue, sorry it took a long time” he whispered. Anne stood up and hugged her father and then her mother.

She sat back down and her parents noticed Anne so happy and confused to which box to open first. A few seconds later she chose to open the phone but the smile on her face turned into a frown. “Whats wrong dear?” Colleen asked. “Don’t you like it? I can have it changed” Gerard said.

“I like it so much dad, the problem is I don’t know his number” Anne said and then grinned at her parents. The three of them enjoyed a laugh but suddenly the doorbell rang. Colleen stood up to check who it was as Anne and her father opened the second box. “Anne, your friend is here to see you!!!” Colleen yelled.

The young lady quickly stood up and ran towards the door. She was almost near the door and could clearly see the young man smiling at her. Anne’s left knee buckled and she lost her balance. Her body was falling forward, she could hear her mother screaming as she moved her hands forward. With her eyes closed Anne fell but she the floor didn’t feel as hard as she expected it to be.

Anne felt two strong arms embracing her, she slowly opened her eyes and saw John’s face close hers. “Are you okay?” he asked. The young man was kneeling on the floor and he caught her just in time. The two slowly stood up and Anne could not believe what just happened. “You caught me” she said softly. “Of course, just as I have promised” replied as the two smiled at each other.

“So is this John?” Gerard asked as he approach the three. “Uhmm mom and dad this is my friend John” Anne said and her father stood beside her mother. “Good morning maam and sir, sorry if I was too early and I am sorry maam if I pushed you. Everything happened so fast and all I could think of was catching her” John said as Anne began to laugh.

Colleen patted the young man’s shoulder and smiled at him. “Don’t worry about it dear, whats important is you caught her” she said. “Why are you laughing Anne? That’s being rude” Gerard said. “Because he talks too much” the young woman said as John bowed and scratched his head.

“Why are you here?” Anne asked as her parents shook their head with her question. “I came to check on you and maybe ask you if you wanted to go watch a movie or go to the mall” John softly replied. Anne looked back at the living room and saw the boxes, “I’d really love to but as you can see we have to fix our things because they just arrived yesterday” she said.

“Oh I see, maybe some other time then” the young man told her. “No, why not now? Me and your mother can manage” Gerard said and the young woman was elated. “Are you sure?” she asked. “Yes dear, go get a bath first. I’m sure John can wait” Colleen said and John nodded his head.

“Can you wait a few minutes?” Anne asked. “Of course, take your time” John replied. The young woman immediately turned around as was about to run towards the stairs. “Don’t run!” the young man shouted and Anne immediately froze and turned around to look at him. John was so embarrassed for even Anne’s parents were looking at him. “Oh…don’t run please” he softly said and Anne smiled and slowly walked towards the stairs.

Colleen and Gerard were not mad, instead they were happy to see that someone else was concerned for their daughter. “You know girls do take a long time so are those arms strong enough to carry some boxes?” Gerard asked. “As long as those boxes contain cotton” John replied and Anne’s parents laughed. “I already like you John, come on help me move some stuff” the older man said and two proceeded to the living room.

An hour later the living room was clear of boxes, John sat on the couch staring at a picture frame in his hands. “That was me when I was six” Anne said. “You looked so happy in this picture” John told her. “I actually was, and then we started moving and moving. It’s a different world each time we move” she told him.

“Well this is a new world now, I promise its different from the past cities you have lived in. I just don’t know if it will be as happy as this place you were in this picture though” John said. “We’ll see. Ready to go?” she asked. John stood up and was surprised to see her so vibrant.

Anne was wearing a pink collared shirt, jeans and pink sneakers. Aside from the scar on her face, she was really pretty. “Is there something wrong?” she asked. “Oh no, come lets go” he replied. “By the way my dad is going to take us to the mall. Will that be alright?” Anne asked. John would have wanted for them to walk but he remembered her condition so he immediately agreed.

Twenty minutes later they were at the mall’s entrance. John noticed Anne bowing her head as they entered so he reminded her that he was with him. Ever since she started limping Anne has never visited the mall or any other crowded places. She faced forward and took a deep breath and walked closely beside her friend.

Something was different and she didn’t know if it was because of John. As she looked around there were so many people but only a few do stare at her and this made her happy. “So what would you like to do?” John asked. “Hmmm lets just walk around and window shop” Anne told him.

It wasn’t the items on the store windows that Anne wanted to see. It was the reaction of other people around who saw her. Some would still give her a look but gone were whispering and the simple tugging of companions to give a look to. School was a confined place so she was easily noticed but this was the real world where everyone was too busy minding their own business. Yes there were still a few but it was bearable.

Anne now knew the stupidity of what she had done. She had enclosed herself inside a shell for years because of the pain and fear of what people might think of her. If not for the man beside her she would have still been inside that shell so she was so thankful that he came to her life.

A few minutes later Anne noticed that they were heading towards a bench. “Im tired, lets rest a bit” he told her. The young woman sat down and looked oddly at John. “You are already tired?” she asked. “Nope, but your hips are aching” he replied. Anne was surprised for he was right, her hips were starting to ache but she could not believe how he knew.

“How did you know?” she asked. “We have been walking home together for almost two weeks so I somehow know. Well I actually timed it since I don’t know how I am supposed to measure distance. Twenty minutes and your hips begin to ache and now I am talking too much again” he explained.

Anne laughed for a few seconds but she felt something different inside her stomach. Her body twitched and she began to giggle automatically, she leaned her head on John’s shoulder for a second but immediately sat up straight. She felt embarrassed so she looked away and still didn’t understand what was happening. Whatever it was she wasn’t bothered for it felt good.

After the rest the two proceeded to the movie house, John bought the tickets and Anne laughed at him for he returned with two odd looking glasses. “Red and green lenses?” she asked. “Oh you have not tried watching a 3D movie?” John asked and the young woman gently shook her head. “Oh good then, you are going to love this movie. They say this movie had already beaten Titanic. Im glad they are still showing it. Come on its about to start” John said.

The movie started and it was John’s turn to laugh for Anne was trying to reach out her hand. “Put your hand down, its just a movie” he whispered. “It seems so real” she uttered. John had his attention divided the whole movie because he kept looking at Anne. He could see much the young woman was enjoying and he knew this was her first time inside a movie house.

After the movie they were again walking around the mall and Anne could not stop talking about how good the movie was. John started to limp like her which made Anne stop and look at him. “Why are you limping?” she asked. “Because you are talking too much and that’s my role. So I decided to take your role too and limp” he explained and they both laughed.

They were both starving so they grabbed lunch at a fast food joint. They had burger and fries and John was amazed on how Anne would keep talking about the story. Anne took a napkin and wiped John’s upper lip but still kept on talking. “I knew he was going to choose to be permanent blue guy” she said.

The young man looked at Anne so she paused. “Is there something wrong?” she asked. “Nope, I like the part where he tamed the big flying thing” he said as he intentionally left catsup on his lip. Anne again wiped it off, “Yeah me too, well it was the only way he could have gotten the respect of the other blue people” she said. John liked what was happening so he repeated it and again Anne would instinctively wipe it off.

A few rounds around the mall after lunch and the two decided to call it a day. It was a long way back to their houses but Anne decided that they walk the whole way back. After a few stops to rest John noticed that Anne made a bad decision.

He knelt down on one knee and patted his back. “I still can manage” she told him. “I know you can but Anne its not a bad thing if you depend on me sometimes. That’s what friends are for” he told her. Anne was hesitant but her hips were really aching. She got on John’s back and wrapped her arms around him.

John stood up and held on to Anne’s thighs that were on his sides. “Am I heavy?” she asked. “Nope, you can relax and just lean on me” he said. Anne rested her head on his shoulder, she noticed lots of people staring at them but all were smiling. Instead of being ashamed she smiled back at the people and the more she hugged John.

“Hey John, why do you think the guy chose to be a blue guy?” she asked. “Hmmm because he liked the place and he loved the blue girl I guess” he replied. “Love…have you ever been in love?” she asked. “Hmmm…I don’t think so, but I do like someone” John told her.

“He chose to be a blue guy because he was happier that way, right?” Anne again asked. “I guess so” he answered. “Yeah because in his world he feels useless because of his disability but in that world he could do so many things” Anne added but John didn’t bother to answer.

“Hey John” Anne whispered. “Yes Anne?” he replied. “I like your world much better” she softly whispered. “Its not mine…its ours from now on. Okay?” he answered. Anne smiled and leaned her head against his and closed her eyes.



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Palms and Pockets Chapter 2: Normalcy

Palms and Pockets
by Paul Diaz

Chapter 2: Normalcy

Thursday morning John was rushing and his mother noticed him acting funny. “Why do you keep running to window every minute?” Linda asked. “I am waiting for someone” the young man replied. “Is Rick coming over? It’s a school day” his mother said.

“No mom, a new friend. She lives nearby and she goes to the same school I go to” John explained. “A friend and it’s a girl. Arent you rushing things? I remember four days ago you were still sulking and being depressed about Sarah” Linda teased. “Mom, I said she was a friend” John reiterated as he again went to the window.

“Why don’t you finish your food and let me wait by the window. What does she look like?” Linda asked and his son sat down in front of the table. “She walks funny, I am sure you wont miss her” he said. “That’s no good to start a friendship if you say things like that behind her back” his mother told him.

“What’s the fuzz all about so early in the morning?” Bob asked as he took a seat in front of the table to eat breakfast. “Hurry up and eat dad, I don’t want to be late for school” John told him. “Hey we still have thirty minutes and your school is only ten minutes away from here” Bob said.

“I know but she goes to school early” John said and the couple looked at each other. “Oh my what happened to her, why is she limping?” Linda suddenly asked as she was staring outside the window. “That’s her! Dad quick eat your breakfast. Can she ride with us? Wait I am going to call her” John said as he rushed out of their house.

“Anne!!” the young man shouted and the limping girl paused to and saw John running towards her. “Hello John” she said and flashed a smile. “Whew, I was waiting for you to pass by all morning” the young man told her as he tried to catch his breath. “Why were you waiting for me?” she asked.

“So we could go to school together” John said. “Okay but I don’t see your bag with you” Anne replied. “Yeah I was eating breakfast, come on lets go and get my bag” he told her. “Why don’t you go get it and I will wait for you here” she told him. “No, you have to come with me because my dad is taking us to school” John said.

Anne shook her head and started to walk. “That wont be necessary, I will see you in school then” she said. “Hey come on Anne, I know you are hard up walking. Its not good going to school tired you know” John said. “Don’t worry I am used to it, thanks for your concern” she told him.

John frowned and bowed his head, he slowly turned around and started to walk away. “If you don’t want me as your friend you could have just said no yesterday” he uttered. “What are you saying? That is not true” Anne said. “You don’t have to lie, it all clear now. I am sorry for wasting your time” the young man added.

“Okay I will go with you” the young woman said and John quickly turned around and flashed a smile. “Gotcha! Come on now you cant take your words back, you already agreed” he told her. “You were acting?” she asked and John laughed. “Yep and it works everytime” he told her. Anne looked at him and shook her head. “So this might be a big act too then” she said softly.

“What? What are you saying?” John asked. “You being too friendly to me. Its all an act. I should have known” the young woman said. “No! Its not! I really want to be your friend” he told her. “Gotcha!” Anne exclaimed and she started laughing. The two of them shared a laugh as they walked towards the car.

“Remember the girl I told you we saw yesterday that brought out his serious side? That is her” Bob said as he drank his coffee. “So we are good parents after all, we raised a good son” Linda softly said. “Exactly what I thought off yesterday” Bob said. “Come on hurry up and we don’t want them to be late” Linda told him as she took the cup away from her husband.

Bob and Linda stepped out of the house to meet the two. “Oh mom and dad I would like you to meet my new friend, Anne” John said as the young woman smiled and nodded her head. “Oh she has a crooked left leg and she has a birth mark on her cheek that is why she covers her face much with her hair” John added.

“That’s rude to say John! Where are your manners?” Linda snapped. “Its okay maam, I am used to it” Anne said. “No dear, he should not have said it that way” the older woman said. “Mom, if I didn’t tell you then you would have not known because she wouldn’t say. You too would be ashamed to ask so I said it. Its nothing to be ashamed about, I just said the truth so there would be no more awkwardness when you see her” John explained.

Anne nodded her head and smiled as John’s parents were surprised with their son’s explanation. “Well we better get going then” Bob said. “It was nice to meet you maam” Anne said as she looked at Linda. “Same here dear, please forgive my son if he says nasty things” Linda whispered as she hugged her. “Its okay maam, he is my first friend. So I don’t care if he says harsh things, its better having one friend than no friend at all” Anne whispered back.

The car reached the school and John quickly got out to open the door for Anne. “Thanks for the ride sir” Anne said. “Youre welcome dear. You will be coming with us everyday from now on okay? I wont accept no for an answer” Bob said. The young woman was surprised and lost for words and she shyly agreed and stepped out of the car. John heard what his father said so he smiled and Bob gave him a thumbs up sign.

The two watched the car speed away and they saw a crowd of students gathered at the gate. “Come on lets go” John said. They began to walk towards the gate and Anne immediately bowed her head. As they crossed the gate John could hear the murmurs and could feel the cold stares. He looked at Anne and now he understands what she has to go through everyday.

Lunch time came and John was with Rick and friends at the cafeteria. Again there was silence as Anne entered the door. John immediately stood up and approached Anne and accompanied her to get food. He carried her tray and they proceeded to the table where John’s friends were. “Ah I can eat at the vacant table over there” Anne said. “Its boring to eat alone, you will eat with us from now on” John told her.

“Hey guys, this is Anne” John said as his friends shyly looked at the girl. “Anne, this curly dude is my friend Rick, this thin guy beside him is Jerome, and four eyes over here is Kevin” he added and Anne flashed a smile.

As the two were seated John noticed silence so he tapped the table and everyone looked at him. “Anne here limps because her left leg is crooked. She has a birthmark on her left cheek that is why she hides it with her hair. Anne show them your birthmark” John said and the young woman was surprised.

“Go ahead show them” he insisted. Anne slowly moved her hair away to show the others her birthmark. The three guys looked for a moment and then nodded their heads. “Now you know so is there going to be a problem?” John asked and the three shook their heads in unison.

“So Anne, your leg…has it been that way since you were a baby?” Rick asked and Anne paused and looked at John. “He is asking a question, why are you looking at me. You can speak right? Oh yeah guys she can speak by the way” and all of them laughed.

“Nope, I started limping when I was ten years old. We thought it was nothing so we just ignored it. Then it just kept getting worse, in short my leg isn’t growing straight” Anne explained. “Yeah my uncle had the same thing. His leg was bending outwards so he had a knee replacement. Now he has titanium knees and his leg is now straight” Kevin said.

“So why don’t you have an operation to fix it?” Jerome asked. “Hmmm they said I am still growing. And its quite expensive and we cant afford it yet” Anne replied. “Yeah and we are waiting for Kevin to grow up too, he has been short since grade school” John said and everyone laughed.

“How about the mark on your face?” Rick asked and John shook his head. “Did you hear me say birthmark? You are supposed to have that at once at birth dude. That’s why its called a birthmark. Its not just something that grows as you grow up” John explained and again they laughed.

For the first time Anne enjoyed lunch at school. She was enjoying listening to the four guys tell stories and jokes and she had never laughed this much in her whole life. Amidst the joy she was having still there were lots of students staring at her that is why she again bowed her head. “Hey, focus on us. Don’t mind the others. Keep your head up, I don’t want to see you bowing your head when you are with me” John whispered.

Even if those words of his were good to hear, Anne could not just do so. She still feels shy and could feel the cold stares all around. “Didn’t you hear me? Or are you ashamed because you are with us? Is that the reason why you are bowing your head, because you are ashamed to be seen with us?” John asked and Anne immediately shook her head.

“You are using reverse psychology again on me” she told him. “Guys I think Anne is ashamed to be with us” John exclaimed and the three looked at her. “No that’s not true” Anne replied. “Oh yes it is. Look even if we have accepted her she still bows her head. There can be only one reason…she is ashamed to be with us” John insisted and the others nodded their heads in agreement.

“No, I am not. Its just…the others” Anne said. “What others? We are the only ones here” John said as he pretended to look around seeing nothing. “Can you see dead people? We don’t” Rick added as he followed what his friend was doing. Anne felt happy, she understood what they were trying to do for her.

She took a deep breath and slowly raised her head and smiled. “Hey Anne I know what you are feeling. They call me a geek because I love reading and doing geeky stuff I guess. I know we don’t have the same situation but I know what it feels like to be different. I was a loner before until I met these guys” Kevin said.

“Well said four eyes” John said and Anne looked at him. “I thought he was your friend, then why are you calling him names?” she asked and the others laughed. “Its alright Anne, welcome to John’s therapy” Kevin said. “He calls me curly tops” Rick added. “Yeah and I got the monicker of flag pole” Jeremy quipped and everyone laughed.

“And you guys are okay with that?” Anne inquired. “Well that is what others are calling us behind our backs. John just makes sure we hear it everyday so we can get used to it” Rick explained. “Yeah, it hurts when you hear it from others but when a friend calls you by that name somehow it sounds as a joke” Kevin said. “Yup and eventually we got used to his name calling, and when we hear it from others it has no effect anymore” Jeremy told her.

“I see. So what do you call John?” she asked. “And you had to ask” John said and looked at her. “Of course, you call them names so they should call you names too” she explained. “They do trust me but you don’t need to hear them” he told her. “I want to know” she insisted. “Mega mouth” Rick said and Anne laughed. “Yappy” Kevin added. “Because he talks too much?” she asked and everyone nodded.

“So what are the other students calling me?” Anne asked and the guys looked at John. “Go ahead tell her” he said. “Well I heard someone say scarface” Kevin said and Anne nodded her head and touched her birthmark. “And others call you…” Rick was about to say but John tapped the table and looked at him. “What? What do they call me?” Anne asked but Rick just shook his head.

“John? What is it?” she asked. “You should finish your food its almost time” he told her and she noticed that he was angry. Lunch time was over, John walked Anne to her classroom. “I am just three rooms away. Wait for me here after class okay?” he told her. “Arent you going to hang out with your friends after class? I can go home alone you know” she told him.

“We only hang out once in a while but mostly on weekends. You see we have to adapt to Kevin’s schedule, his geekiness has rubbed into the rest of us so we go home after school” John explained and Anne laughed. “See you later then John” she said and he smiled at her and walked away.

Anne stood still and kept watching John’s back. Every night she wishes that everyone would treat her normally and even if he is only the one that has done that so far, she was happy. As soon as John entered his classroom, Anne felt low again. She slowly walked inside her classroom where her classmates were again staring. She took her seat and bowed her head, again she felt different.

Anne was listening intently as the teacher in front spoke. Every five minutes she would check her watch and wished for time to move faster. An hour later the bell rang and all her classmates were racing towards the door. Anne slowly packed her things and walked towards the door. As soon as she stepped out John was already there and the frown on her face immediately turned to a smile.

Side by side they walked along the campus, she could feel others staring but she didn’t bow her head. She knew as long as she was beside him everything would be okay. Once they exited the gate she glanced back and looked at the students and smiled at them. She bade the world of indifference goodbye for she was about the enter the world of normalcy.

“John, about lunch. Why did you stop Rick from talking?” she asked. “Because I didn’t want you to hear what he was about to say” John told her. “So why don’t you be the one to tell me. I am sure it would be okay if you said it” she said. “No it wont and I don’t like them calling you that since its not true” he explained.

“Which is?” she insisted. “Scarface I could let them call you that because its true and maybe crippled too but that moniker I am against it” John said. “Tell me, if its from you then it will be okay” she told him. “They are calling you freak show. You are not a freak, it just so happens you have crooked legs and a scar on your face. You are still normal like the rest of us. You are not a freak of nature” John told her.

“Freak show” she repeated and John noticed the sudden sadness on her face. “See, that is why I didn’t want to tell you. I knew you would feel bad” he said. “Yeah it hurts hearing that” she softly said. “Oh no, I really didn’t want to tell you but you forced me to. I am really sorry Anne. Please don’t get hurt when you hear that, its not true. You are not a freak. You are normal trust me. I can get my leg injured by accident and start walking like you. I don’t think they would call me freak show. Or if I get my face burned and there is going to be a scar, I don’t think they would call me freak show either”

“You see they don’t know the truth, people are like that. Once they get to know the truth then they stop calling you names. But we really cant do anything about how people think. There will always be some who will be borderline bad and call you names and all you have to do is forgive them and play deaf” John said.

Anne started giggling and covered her mouth. “Whats wrong?” John asked. “You are talking too much again” she said and they both laughed. “I want you to call me freak show” Anne told him and the young man was surprised. “I want to get used to it and if I hear it from you its okay with me because you are my friend” she added.

Halfway from home Anne suddenly stopped and massaged her right hip. “Whats wrong?” John asked. “Oh its nothing come on” she told him. “Nope I don’t believe you” he said. “Its okay its just my hip. It aches whenever I walk a long stretch” she explained and John felt sorry for her.

The young man knelt down on one knee at patted his back. “Come on get on, I will carry you the rest of the way” he said and Anne laughed. “You don’t have to do that. I will be fine, I just need to rest a bit” she told him. “Then we rest a bit” he said as he stood up and looked around.

John took off his jacket and laid it on the grass nearby. “Come have a sit here” he told her. Anne obliged and sat down and tugged on the young man’s pants to let him sit down beside her. “It didn’t hurt yesterday?” he asked. “It did but I was too shy to say so because I was too busy listening to you talk” she replied and they both laughed.

“Hey Anne, I do understand what you are going through. I don’t want to think that I am being a friend to you because of pity” John said. “Im sorry that’s what people like me would instantly think” she replied. “Yeah I know that is why I am telling you” he told her.

“A while ago you said I am already your friend so help me understand you better” the young man added. “What do you mean?” she asked. “Just like this, you get tired after a walk. I want you to be honest with me. Of course I will keep in mind you have a shorter leg but there may be times that I could forget that because I would be treating you as a normal person, and you would think I am insensitive. So I want you to be honest with me at all times” he explained.

Once again Anne did like the words he spoke, her faced was getting achy already for she was not used to smiling and recently she has been smiling a lot. “How I wish all people were like you” she softly said.

“The world would be a very very noisy place if that happens” John quipped and they both laughed aloud.

The following day at school Anne was beginning to bow her head as they entered the gate. John cleared his throat and looked at her so Anne remembered and kept her head up. There were lesser students gathered at the gate and fewer people staring and Anne was beginning to like it.

John stopped and faced the young woman and looked at her eyes. “You know what, you look better this way” he told her as he fixed her hair and clipped it behind her ear. “But John my scar” she whispered. “What scar? I don’t see any scar. All I see is a pretty face” he said.

For the first time in her life she felt her cheeks get warm. Anne couldn’t help herself smile as they began to walk again. She could not believe she walking along campus with her face fully exposed to everyone. There were still those who stared at her and she could still see some who would whisper but it didn’t bother her anymore.

She was with him, he was different, so everything will be okay from now on.



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