Inconsistent Paper Stars

The rest of the day passed in a boring phase. They learned six letters of the alphabet altogether, took a twenty minute-recess (as promised, and Zacky found out it wasn’t so great), then back to learn six more letters before they could finally leave.

“Now, class, try not to forget A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, and K overnight! We’ll study them all again tomorrow. Those are the letters of the week!” Mrs. Burming’s voice was wracking on Zacky’s five year old nerves. He could hardly believe he had to listen to her voice all year long. That was too much for him to think about however, he decided, and grabbed his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles backpack and looked for his mom. He recalled her promise to come and get him as soon as school was over. He wondered if she didn’t know when school was over, and decided to sit on the steps and wait for her to come.

Brian sat down beside him, also waiting for his ride home. “You know, I think my mommy might want you to come over sometime, and she’s gonna wanna meet you, just to make sure I really have a friend and he’s not from my im-ma-gi-na-tion,” he said, pronouncing the last word very carefully, so he wouldn’t screw it up.

“Dat’s great!” Zacky’s excitement came off him in waves. “My mommy’s gonna wanna meet you, too, only she’ll want you around more. Only ‘cause she doesn’t like it when I hang out with the third graders. She says dey’re baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad news.” The serious look on his face was strange to see on such a happy and carefree boy. Whispering, he continued. “She says she saw one of them kissing a girl, and then reached up her shirt. When I asked him, he said that’s what you’re apposed to do when you kiss a girl. He says he saw it on a movie his parents were watching. I didn’t ask much after that, ‘cause girls are yicky.”

“Zacky, what are you talking about?” A slightly stressed-looking Mrs. Baker sat down on the steps next to her son. “And who’s this?’

“Oh, I wasn’t talking about nothing, Mommy. Dis here is Bwian. He’s my bestest friend besides Jimmy, but he got to ride the school bus home. I’d like to ride the school bus sometime. School is bowing. I’d like to skip school. Dat’d be fun. Oh, Mommy, can Bwian come over a lot? Or just a little? Or maybe awwwwwwwwl da time? Pweeese Mommy, pweeeeese?” He gave his mother his infamous cute eyes. She looked away while she answered.

“Well, Zacky, you can ride the bus home every day if you want to. No, you can’t skip school. You have to learn. Besides, I’m sure you’ll skip plenty of your high school education, so let’s keep you clean in kindergarten, okay? And Brian can come over as much as he wants to, as long as his mother says it’s okay. And you can go over to his house every once in a while, okay Zacky? Where is your mother, anyway, Brian?” She looked at her son’s friend.

Brian shrugged. “I don’t know. But she’s usually late, it’s nuthin new.” He scuffed his shoes against the steps.

Mrs. Baker took pity on the poor boy. “Brian, do you know your phone number?”

He shook his head. “But my mommy put a piece of paper with our phone number on it in my backpack. I can find it and give it to you.” Pulling it in front of him, his head, arms, and hands disappeared into the large pack as he rummaged around, looking for the scrap of paper. After thirty seconds, he became visible again and held up a rather long piece of paper, with large numbers written across it. Mrs. Baker took it, saying her thanks, and walked to the nearest payphone, looking through her purse for change.

“Hey, hey, hey, guess what, Bwian! I think my mommy’s gonna call your mommy so you can come ova!!!!” Happy and excited as he always was with anything new, he threw his arms around the shocked Brian.

He was excited to finally go over to somebody’s house other than his own or a family member’s. He got to go over to a house he actually wanted to be at!

“Well, boys,” Mrs. Baker walked over and smiled at them. “Brian’s going to be coming home with us, he’s going to have dinner, and then we’re going to take him home.”

“YAY! What’s for dinner, Mommy?” Zacky’s hyperness was really starting to show.

“Tacos!” Mrs. Baker wasn’t as hyper as her son, but she was just as enthusiastic.

“YAY!” Both boys shouted at the very top of their lungs. Zacky dragged his new best friend to the car, something he would do-once again-many times over the coming years. Mrs. Baker smiled and shook her head. She knew Zacky had found a friend to keep, and one she actually liked. She had a knack for people-kinda like Jimmy’s, only more pronounced, because she’d had practice Jimmy hadn’t. She felt that Mrs. Haner was a kind woman, though Mr. Haner not so much. She knew that she’d only send her Zacky over there when he wasn’t home. But she knew that Zacky was going to want to be around Brian a lot, so he was going to be over a lot. She didn’t mind, though. It was better than those third grade boys that watched the R rated movies.