The Cost of Living

Part 1

Prologue

Two boys played, learned, laughed, cried, grew together

The perfect example of true friendship

They stuck together through all harsh weather

And never let it from their fingertips

While other true friendships may wilt and die

This bond, this relationship, stands alone

But it pains me to tell you with a sigh

The grief from the tale you are to be shown

When the stronger one becomes gravely ill

The two friends are reunited at last

As the strong one stated in his living will

The other comes to go over their past

To keep him lucid as he fades away

By his friend's bedside, the timid will stay

Chapter 1

 The whole classroom stilled, a remarkable feat for the 23 eight and nine year olds of Mrs. Wilson's fourth grade class at Akron Elementary. The cause of such an anomaly? A boy, smaller than any other in the class, was standing in front by the whiteboard with Mrs.Wilson towering over him.

"Class, this is.." She paused nibbling the inside of her lip, trying to remember what the small six year old had said his name was. She leaned over to whisper her question, but the anxious child blurted his name before she could utter a single syllable.

"I'm Zeke. Zeke O'Hannigan." The relieved teacher noted a tinge of an accent. " Can I tell them about me?" Excitement lit up the transfer student's face. His smile reached seemingly beyond the corners of his mouth, even beyond his vibrant green eyes. It seemed the gifted child's smile filled the room with more light than the fluorescents in the ceiling. The aging teacher nodded her assent and instructed her students to listen and be respectful.

"Hello, my name is Zeke O'Hannigan. My family just moved here from Ireland and I'm excited to be here."

"Okay Zeke, why don't you sit next to Shannon in the empty desk. Okay class, pull out your math homework from last night. Shannon, please let Zeke look at yours while we go through it." The teacher adjusted the bun that was hastily placed on top of her head at the start of every lesson and began writing on the board.

Zeke had already sat down by the time Mrs.Wilson was talking and scooted his seat a bit closer to the girl with long blonde hair that covered her papers. "Can you maybe move your hair a wee bit," he asked sheepishly.

"Oh sorry, I didn't notice. Here." The girl flipped her hair over her shoulder, hitting her new deskmate with her lengthy golden locks.As she leaned back to be sure all the rebllious strands had returned to behind her ears, Zeke noticed a boy staring right at him. Zeke waved slightly at the other boy and the boy averted his eyes back to the board.