September. (A Josh Ramsay Fic)

Six - Parks and Recreation

As the cool Vancouver air shook my bones, I cursed the fact that I hadn't brought a coat with me when I had decided to leave the house. When we first drove here the day before, I had spotted a small, empty park tucked away near some trees. I had decided that for today's adventure, I would find that park again. It didn't take long for me to arrive there, and so I pondered what to do next. I sat on one of the peeling swings, my red converse digging into the asphalt beneath me.

I heard someone sit down in the swing next to me, and looked over to see a young boy sat there, wide eyes looking up at me in awe.

"Uhm, hi" I said, smiling awkwardly. I had never been good at speaking to kids.

"I'm Matt" he beamed, extending his hand. I shook it, and laughed slightly.

"I'm September. How old are you?" I inquired. He was very small, and surely couldn't be older than 10 or 11.

"I'm 13. How old are you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at me. I was shocked at his age- he really was scrawny.

"I'm 15, believe it or not. Are you really 13?"

"Yeah! I started Magee this year" he said, accentuating his statement by sticking his tongue out at the end.

"Guess I'll see you there then, kiddo" I joked, also sticking out my tongue in turn. Magee Secondary School was the high school that my parents had enrolled me in, as it was only an 18 minute drive from our new house. At least I knew I wouldn't be completely alone, even if my only friend was a 13 year old kid who could pass for an 8 year old.

"I bet I can swing higher" he laughed, kicking off from the ground.

"Oh, it's on" I said, my longer legs giving me an advantage.

"Hey!" Matt whined, "You're cheating!"

"I'm not cheating, Matty, I'm simply using my larger square footage to my advantage." I explained, making it kafkaesque to confuse the boy.

"Huh?" he asked, looking confused and dragging his feet on the ground as he stopped swinging.

"It doesn't matter, kid" I laughed, "it's math."

"Ew, I hate math" he said, his face contorted to show his disgust. I grinned at his childlike manner, before ruffling his soft brown hair.

"Hey!" he complained, trying to neaten his hair again. "I'm not a kid, I'm thirteen!"

"Oh, wow, I am so sorry Mr Cool, please excuse my sins." I bowed on the swing in fake servitude, and we both spluttered with laughter as I rose back up.

"I like you, September" Matt beamed, playing with the asphalt with his sneakers. "You're cool, I mean... for a girl and all."

"Ah, Matt, maybe you won't believe this, but at my last school, everyone loved me. Well, I thought they did." I said nostalgically.

"No way," Matt said disbelievingly, "You're not mean enough"

"I was mean, I promise" I said, shrugging my shoulders. Since I had been out of school, I had felt like my actions there had been uncalled for. There was no real reason for me to be so prejudiced and spiteful. I guess I had done it because I could.

Maybe here I could be a good person.