[SHYAN] a short history of almost something

☆ﾟ. * ･ ｡ﾟ

just a small oneshot as i take a short break from writing skeptics :p ; tw for homophobic slurs at one point

title comes from another year: a short history of almost something by amanda palmer

Shane is six-years-old when he meets Ryan Bergara.

He is not happy about it-- this Ryan kid is moving into the home previously occupied by his best friend, Sara. Sure, Shane and Sara will still see each other in school (it's nearing the end of summer, and Shane is a recently-enrolled kindergartener) but she's no longer next door, and it's Ryan's fault. If Shane was older and had a more colorful vocabulary, he would've said this new kid was an asshole.

He peers through the blinds of his living room, watching the family carry items from the moving van. Mainly out of curiosity; he wants to see the evil, awful people who have replaced the Rubin family across the street. He sits on the back of the couch, small hands holding the blinds down so he can see a kid around his age jump out of one of the cars and run across the yard.

Shane doesn't know it in that moment, but later he will learn that this kid is Ryan Bergara; even later, Ryan will end up as Shane's best friend. But right now, Shane is as angry at someone as any six-year-old can be. It's something that he hasn't felt very often, but he recognizes the ugly, burning feeling that starts in his chest and makes him ball up his small fists and move away from the window to sulk in a corner.

In that moment, he hates Ryan. (Shane is a very melodramatic six-year-old).

--

"Hi, I'm Ryan!"

Shane is mad again. It's the first day of school, of kindergarten, and his sworn nemesis has been sat next to him. Well, sworn-nemesis-that-does-not-know-he-is-my-sworn-nemesis. Right now, Ryan's got his crayons scattered all over his own desk (and consequently they have spilled over onto Shane's desk, which Shane finds very annoying), and is looking at Shane expectantly.

Shane doesn't know what to do. He wants to tell Ryan that he doesn't like him, but that would probably get him in trouble with the teacher. So instead, he gets up and goes over to where Sara and some other girl were playing with Legos. After greeting his best friend and sitting down to play with her, he hoped that Ryan would've gotten the message and left him alone. Preferably forever.

He did not.

The very next day Ryan was back at it, if anything with a renewed spirit; he greeted Shane as soon as he entered the classroom, much to Shane's chagrin. They were being forced to sit at their desks as the teacher taught the alphabet, and thus, Shane was forced to sit next to Ryan without any escape.

"I'm Ryan," Ryan repeats himself from yesterday, apparently thinking Shane did not hear him-- once again, he simply ignored Ryan. Crossed his arms and turned away from him in the desk chair and pointedly didn't look at him.

Someone tapped on Shane's shoulder, and he felt his annoyance rise. Glancing behind him, he could see Ryan staring at him with big brown eyes.

"What's your name?" He asked, not getting the hint. Shane frowned, then side-eyed the teacher, who was writing letters on the board.

"I'm Shane, and I don't like you," He said, quiet enough to where the teacher wouldn't hear him.

Ryan tilted his head in confusion. "Why's that?" He asked, sounding more puzzled than hurt, "Did I do somethin'?"

"You live in the house across the street. Now Sara doesn't live there and Sara's my best friend," Shane explained impatiently, childish petulance in his tone, "That's why I don't like you."