Innocence

Chapter 4

   Mom was at work late again so that meant I had to walk home from school. It wasn't so bad. It was time to reflect and think.
   When the final school bell chimed, granting us our freedom, the prisoners of school hastily made their way to the gates. It was always those awkward moments where everyone kept their heads down and tried not to bump into one another in the crowded hallways. I slipped my way through the crowd. Being only a sophomore, I was shorter than many of my peers. I couldn't see over their heads. I stood on my tip toes and strained my neck.
   I yelped. My wrist was caught in the crowd. I pulled my arm, but my bracelet must have caught on something. The bracelet. It had been a gift from Parker. He gave it to me when he asked me to the eighth grade dance. It was woven with blue string. He had made it himself. I put it on, and never took it off again-- not even to shower. The thought made me pull my arm harder. I was being dragged by the crowd. Surely someone would feel my weight being dragged by their backpack or whatever else my bracelet could have caught on.
   My wrist came loose. I quickly pulled my hand to my chest and began to massage my sore wrist. It only took me a second to notice that the bracelet was gone. It must have snapped. I immediately panicked and got down onto my hands and knees. Sure enough, someone stumbled over me. People started shouting things like, "Ahhg! Get off the ground! I almost tripped over you!" I ignored them. I was crawling on the ground, feverishly searching for the small, blue strand that held my greatest memory.
   I felt tears on the edges of my eyes. I had been really emotional lately, and that was odd because I rarely cried.
   A hand set itself on top of my own hand that laid on the ground. I looked up. It was a boy. I recognized him as another sophomore. That's when I remembered that he was an old friend of Parker. Duke. He was fairly handsome. I shook my head, shaming myself for letting that be my first thought.
   Duke had a soft smile on his lips. It wasn't a smirk. Rather, it felt almost sympathetic. Almost as if he wanted to say something important. His hand still rested on top of mine. Slowly, he raised his other hand until it was eye level. He held the bracelet. I didn't speak, and neither did he. He carefully took my hand and tied the bracelet back onto my wrist. Then, he pulled me back to my feet. If I wanted to say anything, I couldn't. I couldn't make any words come out of my mouth. Duke started leading me through the crowd. Before I knew it, we were standing outside the school gates on the sidewalk.
   I took the moment to look at Duke. He had the darkest brown eyes I'd ever seen. They were so dark that I couldn't see his pupils. His hair and skin were darker as well. He was a mix of races that I couldn't decipher-- Caucasian, Hispanic, and maybe even a little African-American. When Duke smiled, he had dimples. I had never taken so much as a second glance at him before now.
   "Thanks." I whispered.
   "No problem." He whispered back.
   There was an awkward pause as we both stood there with nothing left to say. With a final nod, I turned around and started walking in the direction of home.
   I held up my wrist with the bracelet on it. It was now worth twice as much as before. Now, it held two memories.
   I watched my shoes slap against the pavement, one in front of the other. The school year had started less than a month ago, so it was still hot outside in the summer. Sweat started to drip down my back. The heat was making my headache come back. At least this time it wasn't paired with my agonizing hunger. My backpack felt heavy and my shoulders were getting tired of carrying its weight. I was coming to the cherry orchard. I would stop and rest there to ease my aches.
   My legs dragged me to the edge of the green orchard. It was too late in the season for anymore cherries, so the trees only held green leaves. I trudged into the shade and dropped my backpack at the foot of the first tree. Parker and I used to play here every spring when the trees bloomed with cherry blossoms. The shade was an instant relief from the heat.
   I started to run. It was great. My headache began to fade. I knew that a little deeper into the trees there was a small lake with an adorable, little, wooden bridge that went over it. Parker brought me to the bridge to ask me to the eighth grade dance.
   My running came to a sudden halt. I stopped on near the edge of the lake. There were already two people on the bridge. They were leaning on the railing, staring at their contorted reflections in the still water. Jesse and Bug.
   They stood together in silence. Just staring at the water. Their backpacks laid on the other side of the lake. The moment was peaceful. I sat down on the bank of the lake and looked down at my own reflection. I saw my brown hair and brown eyes. I saw my pale face. But most importantly, I saw someone who was happy. Happier than I'd been since the day Parker died. I would be just fine.