For The Longest Time

Classmates

We could only ever stand each other. I always smelled, and Mare's attitude wasn't any better. I wasn't exactly the smartest child in the classroom either, but we had each other, sort of.

I am only thankful that the kids didn't even bother with us. They didn't care for the boy who would leave soon to become a fisherman's apprentice, or his only friend, the girl in the back of the class who only got in trouble and gave people the stink eye. They just left us alone, and we didn't care about them anyways. It was a win win situation, in its own twisted way.

But we had each other.

Yeah Mare gave me a hard time but she always came back after a fight with as much as she could get, food, a bandage or two. Sometimes she even gave me a hug. But that was only if I got myself into trouble, rather than her bringing it to me.

Like I said, our classmates didn't bother with us, but when Mare wasn't around I would get my own bullies.

It wasn't often, I could usually hold my own ground, but Mare had to come and pick up the aftermath every now and then. Especially the one time when I got it real bad from stealing a kid's lunch.

It was a rough week, and not much better for Mare.

I was just so hungry. Most of us were. And he had so much to spare. I only took an apple, but even if it was something small, it was his, and he was not going to let me off easy for taking something of his.

"Hey! Fish boy! What do you think you're doin' with my food? What? Mommy couldn't get something for you this week? Oh wait, she isn't here no more."

He grabbed my right by the shirt. And because I was too tired to fight, I just dropped the apple. But that wasn't good enough for him.

"What? You think I'm just going to let you go for giving up? You should have at least fought for it Warren. Even if you weren't goin' to win. Might as well fight for a cause."

"Just let me go Rylan," I whined while trying to kick him in the stomach. "I just wanted some food. C'mon!"

He didn't listen. He twisted me around to face the rest of our class, then flipped me upside-down.

I had faced so much humiliation that year I didn't even care that my shirt was so big and old that it was about to slip off, or the fact that I could see Mare marching over while the crowd split to make way for her. No one wanted to mess with Miss Barrow.

"Hey shit head! Let go of the boy and we'll settle this Stilts-style. At least it'll be a fair fight."

I didn't want her to do it. I tried to protest and make her run away, but I was so tired.

He did let me down. But I couldn't get up before he kicked me in the side and stepped on my face.

"Don't do it again," he said. Then walked away.

I was only happy he didn't take it out on Mare. She didn't have to get hurt for my stupidity and, well, weakness.

The small crowd started to thin out then, but Mare was already by my side scowling at me.

She crouched down to me and hoisted me up, careful not to hurt my side. On my way up I did snatch up the apple.

We "walked" over to a bench and she looked me up and down while I complained about being fine. She couldn't do much at the time anyway, so she just looked me dead in the eye and slapped me. Then hugged me.

"Why do you do this," I asked. "Why care for the careless fish boy who can't even fight his own fights half the time?"

"Because you're my careless fish boy," she whispered into the crook of my neck. "And because I can't help but feel sorry for you. You can't even fight your own fights half of the time."

She let go of me and I could see a hint of a smile on her face. A rare sight to see, especially these days.

"We worked hard for this, might as well eat it," she said, rubbing the apple on her old jeans.

I smiled back, admiring her hair when she wasn't looking, then grabbed the apple out of her hand and took the first bite.

"To not dying, this time, and to a lifetime of this messed up friendship," I said.

And I meant ever word.