Renny Boy

“Water Softener.”

“Rocking Chair.”

“Uh…The Circuit Riders.”

“Hometown.”

“The Black Holes, maybe.”

“Achilles Heel.”

“Naked Senior.”

“I dunno, Gingivitis?”

“The Entourage.”

“The Planet Losers.”

“Ooh! Ooh! PUKEFEST!”

“I think that name might be taken.”

The Frisbee sliced through the air, flying over to Luke. “Besides, don’cha think that’s a little morbid?” he added.

Brendan leaped in the air and caught it, throwing it to Soria. “I’m stickin’ with Naked Senior!” he cheered. I snorted a laugh as it flew in my direction.

“Dude, that’s sick,” I said, tossing it to Luke.

“How about…Picture Imperfect?” he suggested.

“Emooo,” Soria wailed, catching the Frisbee and tossing it to Brendan.

“Mighty Morphin’ Idiot Rangers!” I said, and they laughed.

“We’ll call that a maybe,” she replied, catching it from Luke.

“Sit and Spin,” Soria boasted, receiving it from me. However, she tossed it upward a little too much and it landed up in the big oak tree in my front yard.

“Ain’t that a toy?” Luke questioned.

“Crap,” Brendan spat, looking up in the tree.

“Crap! Yeah! Let’s call our band Crap!” Soria gushed. I couldn’t tell whether or not she was being sarcastic, though, as she walked over to the trunk of the tree.

Three of us huddled around as she slowly clambered up the tree. She struggled for a while to get her footing, but eventually got steady. “Um…Soria, it’s only a Frisbee…” I bargained, but she continued climbing.

“That thing cost me ten bucks; it’s not going to waste.”

I heard Brendan snicker, “That’s what she said,” and Luke elbowed him harshly in the ribs.

Soria slipped a few times but didn’t fall. My heart sped up a million times, my palms getting sweaty as she carefully approached the toy. I saw her grit her teeth in frustration, inching toward it. At any moment, she could lose her balance and fall straight down, plunging to an injury.

And curse my pounding heart, because it jinxed her.

No, no, no - it jinxed the crap outta her.

Right as she slipped on the branch and flung at the earth, Brendan cussed, Luke gasped, and I desperately scrambled to the landing site. Of course, I was off by a mile and Soria most definitely did not land in my arms.

She landed on the ground with her arm sticking out behind her, her eyes wrenched shut in sheer pain.

- - -

I’m not gonna be an ass and make you wrack your brain thinking of all the outcomes. Soria broke her wrist.

The good thing was, it was her left wrist and she could still move her fingers. I was just glad she was okay and could still maneuver around, because it would really suck if she couldn’t.

Mom took the three of us to the hospital after she was taken away in an ambulance. All the way there, we were quiet, but I was freaking out inside. She’d grown to become my best friend and I really hoped she was alright.

She was, much to everyone’s relief. Me, Luke, and Brendan walked into her hospital room and Soria waved at us with her hand that wasn’t bandaged up. A few cuts and bruises covered her body, but she acted like she didn’t even get hurt.

I wrinkled my nose at the sterile scent of the hospital. It smelled like death in here and she didn’t seem to care.

“Hey guys,” she spoke softly, leaning back.

“Soria…” I trailed off. Luke sat next to her and Brendan stared at her wrist.

“Did that hurt?” he said, pointing.

We all looked at him funny.

“Yeah…actually, yeah, it hurt like heck,” she answered with a skeptical face. Mom burst in with a look of pure shock, accompanied by Soria’s dad - but no sign of her dad’s girlfriend.

“Oh, Soria, honey!” she gasped, pulling her into an earth-shattering embrace.

I shot her a knowing smirk; she pouted.

Her dad sat next to her, looking like his insides were weeping; his face sagged even more than it normally did. I could see her fidget, unable to meet his eyes. It sure as hell wasn’t one of the first times I’d seen him, but let me tell you, it didn’t leave a flattering impression.

My mom and her dad walked out because he had to sign some papers and she had to call my dad to let her know I wasn’t kidnapped.

“Oh my God! I just got the best idea ever!” Soria yelled out suddenly. We stared at her, confused at what she was referring to. “The name! For the band!” she explained.

“Shoot,” I told her.

“Plaster Caster!” she beamed.

All three of us bobbed our heads in agreement.

“Sounds good,” Brendan shrugged.

“Tight!” Luke approved.

“Okay, I guess from now on…we’re Plaster Caster,” I smirked.

The name stuck. Just like that dumb nickname given to me by Soria, Renny Boy (possibly the stupidest nickname anybody could ever have. I hate it, just so you know). We discussed it in less than thirty seconds, and yet we’d already decided what our name was. Pretty cool.

By then, it was about eight at night, and the moon peered in through the window. Luke had called his folks to pick him up, and Brendan apparently hitchhiked home (he said that he didn’t want a ride from either of his brothers, since they were always drunk). I begged Mom to let me stay longer, and she happily said yes.

It was just me, Soria, and her dad in the room at the moment. He kept rubbing his eyes like he had a major headache. We were stuck in a painfully awkward silence for what felt like hours before a nurse finally walked in with a clipboard.

“Ms. Atkinson, your cast will be ready tomorrow. Would you like to take a shower?” she said, perfectly mimicking a flight attendant.

Soria huffed and jumped at attention. “Would I!”

She was escorted to the hospital showers with the nurse, leaving just me and her dad, who I’d never really said more than, “Hey,” and, “Fine,” to. He slowly opened his mouth, taking me by surprise by those two words he said to me:

“Thank you.”

Okay. My brain went dead for a minute. Chills went up and down my spine. I never knew much about the guy. And here he was, saying thanks for something I didn’t even know I’d done. I barely had a clue about anything that had to do with him, except for the fact that Soria sprouted from his loins and that he was in the navy or something.

“…Huh?”

Whoops. Operation: Sound Smart - failure.

He looked me in the eye, trying to smile but not succeeding. “Thank you. For being Soria’s friend,” he whispered. I could see his eyes water up but he stared at the floor. “Since we moved here, I didn’t see her smile. At all. But after the school year started up and she met you, she’s happy again.”

Before I could register what was going on, he had his hand clasped over his mouth like this was the hardest thing he’d ever said. “And since you guys started that band, she’s just…I don’t know. Enthusiastic. Ecstatic, I guess. But the point is, thank you for helping her out and being so kind.”

I took my breaths like they were cough syrup. “Sir,” I responded, unsure of what to call him despite being in his home more times than I could count, “she’s my best friend, and I don’t know where I’d be if I never met her, and…” I trailed off, realizing something.

This was the person who Soria was crying about a month ago. Here he was, telling his side of the story, and HE was basically crying. God, I wished she were there.

“She’s the only flesh and blood I got right now.”

Just then, I saw a fat tear roll down his cheek and drip onto his shirt. He blinked and no more tears fell, just like magic. This dude was weird for me to figure out. I sort of had an invisible beef with him after making his own daughter break down, and he never knew about it. But I can’t exactly blame him for acting like he did. I mean, his wife was dead, and he only wanted Soria to live the best life she possibly could. That’s a dad.

He clung onto her. I could feel it. The way he hung his head in the hospital room, the way he cried for a split second. I don’t blame him at all for that. She’s the only reminder he had of his wife.

“Thank you,” he repeated, smiling genuinely this time just as Soria walked in, holding her normal clothes and wearing a hospital gown.

“I sense a disturbance in the force,” she said jokingly, her arm in a sling. She sat on the bed, pulling up the covers with a little help from her dad. He kissed her forehead and this time, she didn’t resist.

What…? Did she hear…?

Never mind.

Mom walked in, motioning for me to come home with her. I took the hint and waved to Soria, saying goodbye and wishing she would get well soon. As I turned to walk out the door, something urged me to stay a little longer - so I stayed back for a few more seconds.

I hugged her goodbye.