Time Flies

Middle School was lonely. Up until she came along.

Her name was Sauriel, and she was my guiding angel. She preferred being called Ri though, she thought her name was too biblical.

Ri brought me out of a lonely and dark place. She had always been my next door neighbor. Always been right there next to me. We never talked though.

Seventh grade was a year of difficulties and pain. I had no friends, they all left me because they thought I was a loser. I was just different.

It wasn't a big deal, just ADHD. I was almost never still except for while asleep and sometimes I couldn't control what came out of my mouth.

Anyways, it was after a day of being pushed around in the halls and being called a loser and a freak. I was used to it, but when I got home, I heard my parents fighting. They never did that. But the last comment from my father was what hit me.

"Everything was perfectly fine until that kid came along. He turned you into a different person, and he's wasted our money on medication, money that we need!"

I didn't stick around after that. I decided to put my medications to work. Grabbed my entire collection and ran to my safe area outside where I could be peaceful in my last moments.

I had just dropped all of them in my hand when she found me.

"What do you plan to do with those?" She was right there, next to me.

"Doesn't matter, no one seems to care about me anyways, why start caring now?"

"Well go right on ahead then. But you might miss out on things. Like good friends, happy memories, and girlfriends." She winked, but it was playful.

"Well I don't have any of those so what's the point?" I ask.

"But you could have them, Little Man."

After that we were inseparable. She guided me through every challenge and stood up for me. Even though they were bullies, they backed off.

I'm now a reporter for a magazine and she left me. She moved after 8th grade. I'm no longer safe from my co-workers who are just like my classmates.

Today was different though. I stood up for myself, like she taught me, to a guy named Brian.

But he didn't take it lightly and we fought, as in punching and kicking. I was losing of course, but I couldn't look weak, not when all these people had their phones out, videoing us.

Then my angel came back. Ri was my boss.

She split us up, told everyone how wrong they were to just stare and just let it happen.

Then we looked at each other. Recognition.

She smiled.

"I missed you too Little Man." Almost as if she could read minds.

Then she kissed me.

When we finally pulled away she said, "I'm so happy I didn't listen to those other kids back in 7th grade and chose kindness."