The boy in blue pajamas watched as his wish burned away in the green, grassy field. A trail of upturned earth was left where it crashed before it settled near a lone tree under the starlit sky.
David was wondering if the burning sphere really fell from the sky. It could be a trick, something the other neighborhood kids might be pulling. This wouldn't be the first time one of them set something on fire out here where no one would see. It was a monthly occurrence during spring and summer, and break was coming soon. This felt different though, especially since a bunch of morons weren't running around laughing like hyenas and taking pictures.
The events of the night replayed in his mind as he tried to make sense of it all.
On any other school night he would have been lying in bed dreading the coming school day. Each one was an onslaught of middle school bullies, homework, and dodgeballs skillfully hurled at his junk.
Tonight was different though. On this fine evening he made a very poor choice. He made a wish.
It started while laying in bed looking out his bedroom window. As he studied the starlit sky, a cool spring breeze washed over his face. It was a momentary feeling of relaxation, and he liked those. This is how most nights were, right before his thoughts were disrupted by school. Again. Just like every night this year. Middle school was pretty rough for him. With each passing day, he planned how to get through another day of it. The goal was always the same. Get in, keep his head down, and get out.
This under-the-radar tactic got him by without a blip of unwanted attention.
David turned in his homework, didn't ask silly questions, and answered enough of the teachers' own to show he was participating. This delicate balance ensured he wouldn't be called on unless he wanted to. Most of the kids knew this technique, and employed it daily.
The tricky parts were the hallways, playgrounds, stairwells, and gym. He quickly learned who the bullies were when he was younger. Staying out of their way was difficult, but David had years of practice. Most of the day he was a middle-school ninja, skillfully blending in with his surroundings. Lately, things were different. He had been having run-ins with people who made his life difficult, and they were beginning to add up.
David really wanted to have fun again. He remembered a time when he actually liked school. It wasn't so long ago, but it felt like it. Everything and everyone changed somehow when they left Lorie Elementary School. Everyone seemed interested in other things, or were busy in after-school clubs, or had made new friends, or just moved. David felt like he was the only one still the same.
Even Billy Grant, a brute of a boy skilled in bullying, seemed to be catching on and gaining popularity. David couldn't figure it out. The big ogre was cruel, and actually smelled like old cheese.
It was frustrating. David felt like he didn't belong anywhere. His problems would be solved if he knew exactly where he fit in, at least in his mind.
These were the kinds of thoughts that kept him awake lately, laying in bed and looking out his window at the sky.
Only one thing changed in his routine tonight. Maybe it was boredom, or to stretch his back after another day of being pushed into lockers. Whatever the reason, he got out of bed and went to his window.
David looked up in frustration and hope. He made a wish on the very first star he saw. That was in the rules, 'First star I see tonight' and all that.
It was a wish filled with all the desire he could muster.
Within a few seconds, he watched the star plummet from the sky.
"Well, that figures,' he muttered to himself, ' I killed it."
