Evolving

Grade 0 (Kindergarten)

A hard something bumped into Shayle Everest's little body and she fell on her back. The force was so hard, nearly enough to make her cry. She wanted to cry and she would've if the body in front of her had given her a chance to.

"Aw man, now look what you did," the boy said. "I had plans for those cookies.... Who am I kidding, five second rule."

Shayle sat up and took in the appearance of the young boy, incase she had to report him to the police for something. His blue jeans were already covered in dirt patches at his knees. There were deliberate lined fingerprint smudges underneath both his eyelids, and his brown hair was disheveled from the day's exertions.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't see you, I hadn't – please don't hurt me." Shayle sputtered.

The young boy looked at her incredulously. "Hurt you? I just wanted to eat my cookies!"

Shayle began to stand up again. "I'm sorry for that too.."

The boy found her stuttering quite annoying and mocked her on instinct. "W-why are y-you st-stuttering?"

Stuttering? Shayle had never heard that word before. She figured this boy standing before her must have known a bunch of other grown-up words.

Munching on the slightly dirt covered sugar cookie, the boy spoke, "Hey, what's your name?"

"Shayle..."

"Hmm..." he nodded, chewing thoughtfully. The only thing on the boy's mind was the thought of what he was going to eat for dinner that night. "Maybe some pizza rolls..." he muttered.

"What?" Shayle questioned. She didn't seem to catch his last sentence.

"Nothing," the boy dismissed. "Where do you live, Shay?"

An alarm went off in Shayle's head sounding for 'stranger danger'. "I-I'm not allowed to say."

The boy huffed. "What are you, five? Don't you know all the cool kids around here tell each other where they live?"

"I am not five! I'm five and a half. If you must know."

"Five? You're not five."

"I am," she smiled, standing her ground with her head held high. Ever since she had turned five years old she was quick to boast about it. She was a school-aged girl, and she was proud to say that it was the most important achievement she had.

He narrowed his deep green eyes at her. "Well, I'm more five and a half than you, though."

Shayle's mouth flew open. "You're five?"

"Yes! Is there a problem with that little girl?"

"I'm not a little girl, I'm five and a half!"

"You are too! Look at you, you're tiny!"

Shayle was growing more frustrated by the minute. The wind around the two of them whipped her hair around as she struggled to look fierce against it. "My mama says in a few years I'm gonna be as tall as her!"

The boy threw the half eaten cookie on the floor and crossed his arms to match her aggression. "Yea? Well my mom says when I grow up, I'll be as tall as a... a skyscraper!"

Shayle's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "A what?"

"A skyscraper!"

"What in Davy Jones Locker is a skyscraper?"

"It's something that... it kinda... well... I'll be so tall as the sky up there that I'll be able to scrap it! That's what she meant."

Shayle's mouth hung open. "No way. How are you going to do that?"

"I... can't tell you. Little babies can't know yet, you gotta be ready like I am."

"Please?" Shayle begged. "Please teach me how to be a skyscraper."

The boy surveyed the girl's face as he thought about her proposal. He memorized the tiny little freckles forming around the edges of her small nose, her puffy cheeks, her big dark brown eyes, and thin lips. Finally, the boy sighed and let his arms fall to his sides. "Fine, little girl, I'll teach you how to be one. But you can't tell nobody, you hear me?"

Shayle nodded excitedly and smiled. "Oh thank you, thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah. Well, if we're gonna start practicing to be a skyscraper, we better start now. We only have until we grow up. And time will go by fast."

They began walking out of the forest.

"Hey what's your name, boy?"

"Jesse."

Shayle snorted. "Short for Jessica?"

Jesse gasped at her assumption. "What?! No! That's a girl's name!"

"My mama's name is Jessica and my daddy calls her Jessie from time to time."

"Your mom should be ashamed of herself, stealing my own name."

"So your name is Jessica?"

"No!"

"Could I call you Jessica? Please, please?"

"No!"

"Please?! I'll love you forever if you would let me!"

Finally smiling, Jesse replied, "You're already gonna love me forever."