Bumps In The Road / Paul Lahote

8. Revelations

Chapter 8

Will and I had met on the first day of primary school. Will had pulled a little toy car from his lunch box and attempted to build it a garage in the sandbox. I had watched with wonder as he had built it with such care and detail. He'd made the effort to bring his water bottle into the sandpit to dampen the sand and mix it with dirt to give it a stronger structure. He had patted down the walls and treated it with delicate pride. Then, just as Will was making finishing touches one of the Grade Four's stomped all over it and laughed when Will's eyes glistened with tears of disappointment. 

Even though I was only six at the time, I had felt a strong burning sensation in the pit of my stomach to stand up against the bully and show him the treatment he'd just shown Will. Thus, I used the few combat skills I had in my arsenal and defended Will to the greatest of my abilities. While my intentions were of good nature, the execution didn't lead to my desired outcome of being the hero. After pushing the bully out of the sandbox, the Grade Four child became so enraged with humiliation that he pushed me back, ultimately leading to a sprained wrist. Definitely not my greatest victory, that was for sure.

But nonetheless, that day led to the beginning of a great friendship that only grew stronger as we got older. The friendship remained platonic throughout its entire course and never once did I look at him as anything more than a second brother. Even though we had only been apart for a little over a week, it felt like we'd been separated for months on end and seeing him again felt like a reunion. That night, with Will's familiar grin across the table from me, I was able to fully relax knowing that I wasn't completely alone. His stupid grin reminded me of home; in fact it made me feel like I was home again. Despite the combination of a dull thudding against the back of my skull and a sharp pain when I applied too much pressure onto my thigh, I couldn't feel happier.

"How was the flight?" Emily asked Will, eyes full of curiosity. Will turned to her with his beautiful smile.

"Very, very long," He responded, "I'm waiting for jet lag to hit me." Emily chuckled and exchanged a glance with Sam, whom sent her a soft smile.

"You've lost a day too!" I reminded him. His brows lifted in agreement and he nodded with amazement.

"Right? It's so weird!"

"Well, Australia isn't exactly around the corner" Emily joked.

"Nope, mum did a good job at finding the furthest place..." I'd mumbled under my breath, resulting in an awkward silence to hang over the table.

"Are you a chef, Emily?" Will quickly broke the silence and diverted the subject. Emily beamed at him.

"No, no. I just put some ingredients together."

"No need to be modest. This is amazing stuff!"

...

"What's up with you and that Paul guy?" Will asked, falling onto his bed. I rolled my eyes at his question and walked around the room, finding a place to lie down beside him.