The Storm: Chapter 3
First Reconciliation
By Han Tamashii





Author's Notes:

Birthdays are important to children, and for more than just the
presents. It's like getting a promotion. You're older, treated
with more respect, and given more freedom.

Birthday parties are also very important. This is the time when
you gather your peers, friends, and enemies in order to display
your new rank and status. This ensures that everyone knows where
they fit into the hierarchy. And, of course, it's an excuse to
eat cake and be hyper.

Have you ever been purposely not invited to a birthday party?
It's an awful feeling of rejection and disrespect. When our
protagonist feels that hurt, he vows to make sure it doesn't
happen again. And he's got a year to make things right.

Let's pray for him and hope it doesn't take that long.

HT





"Why weren't you at Brynn's party?"

I was too stunned to reply to Mary's question. Party? What party?
Mary, being used to my quiet demeanor, kept talking rapidly. I
couldn't imagine her not talking, actually. It was her favorite
thing to do. I imagine her talking in her sleep and talking in
the bathroom. I bet she talked underwater when we took swimming
lessons in Phys. Ed class at school.

"You really missed out. The cake was amazing! It was ice cream
cake. Chocolate!"

Cake? That means...

"They didn't use eight candles, though. Just one big candle
shaped like the number eight. I think that's cheating. How's she
supposed to have boyfriends if she only has one candle to blow
out?"

Birthday. Brynn's eighth birthday party. She didn't invite me.
Did she hate me that much? Maybe it was just that she didn't want
boys there.

"Everyone was there. Even boys. I was shocked! Who invites boys
to a girl's birthday party?"

She hated me. Everyone was there, except me. Even boys. I'd never
seen her playing with any other boys. I'm ashamed to admit it,
but in the three weeks since we stopped talking, I've been
keeping an eye on her. Leanne tells me how she's doing too, when
I ask. She's a shy girl, and doesn't play often with anyone other
than her sister. And never boys.

"It was fun anyway, though. We went to the lake! The water was a
bit cold, but we swam around for awhile. I HATE seaweed. It's so
gross! It got between my toes. Yech! My mom says some people EAT
seaweed. But I think she's just making it up. She's such a dork
sometimes."

The lake? I love the lake! I love swimming! I like the squishy
feeling of seaweed between my toes! Why does someone like Mary
get to go to such a wonderful party and I don't? Just
because...because...wait, I'm not even sure why Brynn is mad at
me.

"We had a fire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows! Brynn's dad
was showing me all the different ways to roast marshmallows. He's
nice. Doesn't talk to me like I'm a little kid."

I wasn't even listening to her anymore. How could I let this go
on so long without even finding out why Brynn was upset? I'm such
a fool. I can't ask Brynn directly, though. Right? She would just
yell at me to go away or something. I couldn't take that.

Leanne would know! Wouldn't she? And she would tell me. Since
that day, however, we haven't seen each other very often. Since
she normally plays with Brynn, and it's well established that
Brynn doesn't want to be around me, it's difficult for us to
spend time together.

When we do meet up, we always play the same game. I call it strip
tag. She runs off, leading us somewhere private, and I follow
trying to catch her. When the coast is clear, she lets me catch
her. That's when the real games begin. I'd gotten better with my
hands and tongue. She didn't need to guide me as much anymore.

Thinking about it, I felt myself start to get hard. Mary, as cute
as she was, wasn't someone I wanted seeing me with a hard on. I
made some excuse and wandered off to find Leanne.

I didn't find her that day. Or the next. Her family went away for
the weekend. The last weekend before school started up again.
They went on camping trips and fishing trips all the time. It
made me envious. My family rarely traveled.

When Monday came again, I was suddenly in third grade. School was
something I still enjoyed at that age. There were plenty of
opportunities to show off my superior intellect without seeming
to be as arrogant as I actually am. In my mind I was imagining
how much fun it would be, and how far ahead of the other kids I
would be.

All of my dreams were shattered, like a stained glass window hit
by a meteor, when I walked into my homeroom and saw her there.
Brynn and I were classmates. Universe, we have to talk.

She spotted me and spent the rest of the day pointedly ignoring
me. When we chose seats, she sat as far as she could get. She
actually asked a boy to move! I couldn't hear what she said, but
as she was talking, she pointed directly at me. The boy looked
around her, checking me out. He nodded, picked up his stuff and
moved.

"Stay away from her, Creep!" he spit at me as he passed me.
Universe, come on! Give a guy some pity.

Recesses were the hardest. It took all of five minutes before
everyone in the class hated me. No one would play with me. The
playground had some big tractor tires sunk half way into the
ground. I ducked into the inside of one and hid until the bell
rang to return to class.

I felt empty. Completely empty. When people talked, their words
echoed inside me, but I could not make out their meaning. The
teacher scolded me repeatedly, but I did not feel shame. Just a
deep void where feeling should be.

Was Brynn enjoying this? Did she like seeing me suffer? I turned
my head slowly towards her, but she was turned away from me
looking out the window. It was a sunny day, and the sun shone
brightly upon her. But somehow, the way she held herself, seemed
gloomy.

Her back was slouched forward, shoulders drooped. Her head was
almost on her desk, but turned to the side to look out the
window. Her legs were crossed, as was proper since she was
wearing he cute pink dress. Only the tips of her toes touched the
ground. She looked...small. Pained. And I wasn't allowed to
comfort her.

I raised my hand and told the teacher I was feeling sick. She
gave me permission to go to the office and phone my parents. I
shuffled out of the room and only looked back as I was closing
the door. Brynn's head was down. All I wanted to do was stroke
her hair and tell her it was all going to be alright. Instead, I
closed the door and walked away.

Later that night someone knocked on our door. I heard it from my
room, where I was laying in bed looking as miserable as possible.
My mom answered and a moment later I heard someone stomping up
the stairs towards my room.

Leanne burst in without knocking. She leaped onto the bed and
began some playful wrestling. When I didn't play along, she
stopped and looked at me worriedly.

"You really are sick, huh?"

I was embarrassed. I didn't want anyone, especially her, to see
me looking so wretched. This was, however, my opportunity. Leanne
was here, without Brynn, and I could finally ask her the question
that's been on my mind for half a week.

"Why...does Brynn hate me?"

The words had come up in sobs, and by the time I'd said Brynn's
name, I was a crying, sniffling wreck. I was watching Leanne
through tearful eyes, silently pleading for help. She glanced
quickly towards the door of my room. A small, gentle smile graced
her lips when she looked back at me.

Her arms wrapped around me and I melted into her embrace. The
blissful comfort soothed my aching chest. My sobs quieted, tears
slowed. She gently stroked my back and head, cooing softly like a
mother to her baby. When I was finally calm again, she spoke.

"She thinks you don't like her."

What? That didn't make any sense at all. How could she not know
that I liked her? She was my sparkling princess, radiant and
divine. Her smiling face was all I needed to feel happy. When she
had hugged me, I had felt an affection so overwhelmingly intense
well up inside me, that I could not name it.

"I like her!" I shouted simply and determinedly. Leanne smiled
warmly, holding me tight. Her eyes flicked towards my bedroom
door again, but when I looked, there wasn't anything interesting
over there to look at.

"I know. I know." she said over and over. Like a mantra, calming
my soul.

It took me a huge amount of effort to get my next words past my
lips. Over time, it hasn't gotten any easier to say them. They're
heavy words, they seem to sit in your stomach like lead weights.
You push and push trying to force them out, knowing that it's
necessary. Nothing will change until you say them. But it still
takes every ounce of strength in you to lift them into your
throat.

"Help me. Help me make it better."

There! I'd done it. I felt exhausted. Worn out. Leanne kissed my
forehead. It was the simplest gesture. Natural. Effortless. It
made all the difference to me, at that moment. It was just what I
needed.

"Oh, don't worry. She'll come around. Just you wait and see."

I believed her. There really wasn't any reason to, but her small
reassurance sank deep into my mind and took root. It sprouted
quickly into a beautiful flower. I looked upon the pink petals
and felt hope.
Hope was a bit faded, but still alive, the next day as I walked
into home room. Brynn was already there. She looked over as I
entered. Our eyes met, but I looked down quickly. I thought I saw
something different in that moment, but I couldn't be sure.

Classes passed slowly. The dreaded recess was looming ahead, so I
didn't mind. If time were to stop, I would have rejoiced. There's
nothing more lonely than being surrounded by people and feeling
alone.

The bell rang, as it must, and in contrast to my peers, I
sluggishly shuffled outside. I surveyed the playground. Should I
try to play with someone? Nothing has changed, though, has it?
No, I'll just go to my hiding spot and wait for the bell.

I ducked down into the tire. The smell of the rubber burning in
my nose. The dark interior was comforting. It felt private. Like
my own little space. Even when one of the other kids would run
over the top, it didn't bother me. In here, I was safe.

I was smiling to myself as I begun to imagine this tire as a
fortress. The walls and gates protecting those inside. No one
could enter without the king's permission, and I was the king.
The thought was startled right out of my head as Brynn ducked
under the edge of my fortress, stepping inside wordlessly. We've
been invaded.

I couldn't look her in the eyes, so I studied her dress. Today
she was wearing a white and purple dress. It had lace and frills
on it. I thought it looked too nice to wear to school. It wasn't
even picture day. Her shoes were shiny black and strappy. Also
much too nice to wear in the sand like this. Her white knee socks
were going to get filthy!

My eyes raised to hers, my intent was to warn her that her
clothes would get dirty playing under here. Looking into her deep
brown eyes, however, I was paralyzed. She was beautiful.
Stunning. I'd forgotten just how radiant she was. She hadn't been
this near to me for weeks.

My legs weakened and wobbled. I let myself fall. My knees thudded
into the dirt, but I didn't feel a thing. My eyes were still
locked on hers. She looked startled when I fell. She may have
said something if I had not beat her to it.

"I'm sorry," as soon as the words left my mouth, I thought they
were completely inadequate. I wanted to tell her how much I liked
her. The way she brightened my world. I wanted her to know the
way I adored her. A simple apology just wasn't enough, but my
throat constricted, cutting off any words that may have followed.

What happened next was better than anything that had happened. It
was better than Christmas morning. It was better than birthdays.
Nothing could compare when she smiled at me. A smile that said a
thousand things, but most importantly, it said, "I forgive you."

I couldn't help but smile too. It was infectious. At first it was
smile of relief and gratitude. It kept growing, though, until it
was full of joy and affection. I'm sure, with that smile, she
knew everything. I didn't need to speak a word. It was plain to
see.

And so, in an instant, we were friends once more. I thought that
would be it. What more could there be to end this sad chapter of
my life? Brynn was more imaginative than I was, apparently. She
knelt down, oblivious to the fact that she was getting a
beautiful dress dirty. She took my right hand in both of hers.
She leaned in. She kissed me.

It was a soft, tender kiss. Our lips barely touched, but I
remember their softness vividly. Her hands were squeezing my
right hand tightly. I didn't want her to ever let go.

My left hand, moving on its own, touched her cheek. Our kiss
ended and she nuzzled her face into my hand. I pulled her to me
and held her. With our cheeks touching, and my lips near her ear,
I said the most obvious and unnecessary thing.

"I like you."

















Leanne says,

"It didn't matter at all, did it? The more you were with me,
the more you wanted to be with her. You're just like HIM.
Why can't you look at ME that way? Look at me!"














"I was in the hall outside your door the whole time.
I couldn't go in. I'd been so mean. You were crying,
and then you yelled again. That yell made me whole again,"

says Brynn












First Reconciliation
The Storm: Chapter 3
End