Jane [h.s.]

five

Her fingers traced over the colorful lines and she finally stopped crying. Jane sniffled and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes before opening the card carefully. Even though it was pretty and he was the only one that was ever nice to her, she was still afraid that the inside would say something mean.

It had taken her a long time to actually open the card, and now that its contents were in front of her, she wished that she had opened it sooner. There were more funny looking and colorful hearts that covered the paper, but the words caught her attention.

Harry had nice handwriting and her eyes absorbed the words faster than her mind processed them.

Jane,

I'm not good at this, but I think you're really pretty. No. You're the prettiest. I really like you, Jane. I really really do. Happy Valentine's Day

Love,

                Harry

Harry walked up to the where the teachers sat with a determined look on his face and tear stained cheeks. Mrs. Hillary was the first to notice him and she asked him what was wrong. He wanted to yell and say mean words.

"Everyone gave Jane mean cards. That's not fair."

Mrs. Hillary had a strange look on her face and Harry didn't like it. "I'm sorry Harry, but there isn't anything I can do about it."

His fists were clenched at his sides and tears sprung up in his eyes again, "Yes you can! Take away something! Make them sit and write! I'll do it to!"

Mrs. Hillary interrupted him, "Harry..."

He would have none of it, because he wasn't done yet, "No. Jane is a person. A person! Just like you! She's different, but she's still a person! She's pretty and smart and...and it's not fair. It's not fair to be mean to her when we're supposed to be nice today and every day, because God says so. Jane deserves love and friends too, even if she's different."

His teacher responded with a saddened expression, but she didn't say a word and he knew it was because she thought that he was wrong because he was a little and she was big and because Jane was different.

Harry walked away and to a spot on the other side of the playground, a spot where he couldn't see Jane because he was upset that she thought he was just like everybody else.

Jane had seen him talking to their teacher. His voice carried with the wind and she heard him defend her and she heard Mrs. Hillary's silence in response. He walked away angry and Jane felt horrible because she was mean to him, just like the other kids were mean to her, even though she knew that he probably didn't have a single mean bone in his body.

She couldn't see him after a little while and she didn't like that. The voices in her head did, they still told her that he was going to hurt her, but she ignored them the best that she could because she knew better with him.

Jane stood and clutched the beautiful Valentine's Day card to her chest. She was afraid that it would disappear if she let it go and she wanted to hold on to it forever.

Harry sat with his head down and his fingers pulling out individual blades of grass. He was sniffling and Jane felt bad for him and herself all at once. Harry was alone because he lost all of his friends when he started to be her friend. And she ruined everything so nobody liked her and she felt terrible for letting him be her friend because no nobody wanted to be his.

Jane sat next to him, with the card clutched in her hand and tears in her eyes. She started to cry the moment she turned her head to look at him.