•strictly platonic• boy x boy •

•two•

Robyn Hook

Our strictly platonic, stronger than a diamond cutter, never ending, forever affectionate friendship started on the fifth grade playground. I had always been an active kid, already having so much experience in sports even if I was only in fifth grade. I remember the first time we met as clear as day. The day I met the person I love the most. My best friend.

~~~

That one fateful day during fifth grade, it was a hot recess. We were all obnoxious, sweaty kids playing out in the sun. We didn't care, playing knockout and basketball, having the time of our lives. It became so unbearably hot that the people I was playing with took a break and had idle conversations under the shade of the nearby forest. Still having energy left, I continued to practice playing basketball by myself, shooting hoops time after time. Though I was known for a chatterbox, I would much rather practice alone than talk about girls. Boring. When I was aiming for a particular shot, a very intense game of tag passed by me, causing my shot to be way off as the ball rebounded off the backboard and onto the playground.

I looked for it everywhere and eventually found it under one of the many playsets, under the one with a fire pole. I had not expected to see a boy reading a book. He was so engrossed in his story that he didn't even realize the presence of either me nor the ball. I crouched next to him and practically yelled into his ear.

"Hey!" The boy jumped in place at my sudden outburst. I could tell he was antisocial. I retrieved my ball and observed the boy. He had sun kissed, olive skin with enchanting green-hazel eyes that made me want to stare at them all day. His dark hair was matted to his forehead due to the sweat under the sun's unrelenting rays of heat. We continued to stare at each other as I held my ball in my lap. "Hi there! My name is Robyn Hook!"

The boy wrinkled his nose in thought. "Like Robin Hood?"

I snorted, having the bitter reminder of having such an unfortunate name. My teachers and coaches sometimes called me Robin Hood or Birdie just for fun. "Nah." I ignored what he said. "What's your name?"

Knowing he probably wouldn't get back to reading anytime soon, he bookmarked his page and gently set the thick book next to him. He sighed and used the back of his hand to wipe his sweat. Even under the playset, it was still hot. "Emerson Scott." He pursed his lips and said no more.

"Cool! What're you reading? That's a pretty thick book, how many pages are there?"

He put a protective hand over his book and shuffled away from me, clearly uncomfortable, yet I still pried. "I don't like reading. It's boring. But I guess I have to for school. My parents said so. I can't play basketball if I don't read."

"Seesaw," he suddenly blurted.

I gave him a confused look and he looked at the mulch next to me. "What do you mean seesaw? You wanna ride on it with me? Is that what you're saying?"

He shook his head. "No, that's the name of the book I'm reading."

I saw him visibly relax after we talked about the book for a while and he made eye contact with me once again, this time not as awkward. "Do you want to swing with me?" Emerson asked quickly. I stood up abruptly and held my hand out.

I gave him a goofy grin and pointed my thumb at the swing sets. "Sure! We can swing together!" As he took my hand, that was the moment I knew that was the beginning of a long, blossoming friendship that could stand the test of time.

~~~

Em and I were at my house, gathering all the bedding and pillowcases, making sure to throw in some hand towels as well. Just as my mom had asked. The pile grew at the door and right before we were about to take it to throw in my mom's van, said mom stumbled down the stairs. Before I could even blink, Emerson was already by her side and I immediately followed suit. Em held her hand and used his other hand to rub circles on her back.