Status: Wrote Preface. Workin' on Nicholas' chapter.
The Storm
Jane.
As I sat through the horrid lectures of Trigonometry, captive to the faded walls and second story windows, it couldn’t be helped. I thought of him.
Nicholas Anthony Jacobson.
Our mothers were best friends, so it’s only natural that we’d see a lot of each other. Even in diapers, our mothers noticed how we were drawn together. Like magnets, they would say. From the sandbox to the summer of fifth grade, it was us against the world. Then he went away and I never saw him again. My heart aches when I think of him. Nick, where are you?
As I close my eyes, I see him. He’s here. He’s with me. And I can feel him. I see the tiny impression in his cheek. I see the chocolate color of brown that covers the iris in his eyes. The soft waves of his thick brown hair lie messily above his head, falling slightly above his eyes. Then, he reaches out towards me. Hand in hand, we walk along the paths of the shadowy forest. Even as the sun climbs down its path, slowly veiling us in darkness, time has stopped just for the two of us. We’re five years old again.
“Ssshh.” He whispered. “It might hear us.”I stayed as quiet as possible.
One step at a time, we continued on our hunt for the legendary tree monster. The forest was absolutely silent besides the crunching of the leaves that our shoes created. The tall trees hovered above us, enclosing us in. I stayed close behind him, ready to cower in fear at the first sight of the monster. My heart raced.
“But Nick, what if it eats us? It’s getting dark, we should go.”
He looked at me. “Don’t worry, Jane. I won’t let him eat you. I’m tough. I’ll get him with this!” Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out a wooden sword. “Nothing can stop us!” His triumphant voice gave me a little hope, but I was terrified.
“But Nick, what if he eats your wooden sword? What, then?”
He gave a puzzled look. “Well, I’ll use my fists. Momma says I’m getting stronger. I’ll pound his face in, Jane! I’ll protect you.” Smiling, he pulled me into his arms.
I shook my head disbelievingly. “You’re just a kid. We can’t fight the tree monster! He’ll eat us up!”
“A kid? I’m almost six years old. I can take him.” His confidence was overzealous.
The bushes shook and crunching noises sounded. We gasped and trembled in terror. “H-h-h-hello?” Nick took out his flashlight and clicked it on. We feared for our lives as if the monster was close. Again, the bushes shook and the leaves crunched. Shook and crunched. Shook and crunched. “I-I-I’m n-no-not af-f-fuh-raid of you.” His courage vanished along with my hope.
A nasty groan echoed and widened our little eyes. “I’m coming for you,” the groan answered.
Wide-eyed and terrified, we screamed and ran for our lives. Our heartbeats sped. Through the dark forest, we went. “Jane, don’t stop running!” Nick started to slow and turned to face the monster.
“No, Nick! Keep running! Don’t! He’ll eat you!” I stopped running.
The monster, a tall creature with a grotesque face, pursued Nick. It roared and roared. Nick and I began to cry. I ran to the monster and started to hit it with my tiny fists.
“Wait, wait. It’s me, guys.” Jenna.
The monster pulled off its face to reveal its true identity, my older sister. I grimaced. “You’re mean! I’m telling mom, you ogre.” I pounded her thighs as hard as I could.
“Hey, hey. I’m sorry, guys. I just wanted some fun. Don’t tell mom. I’ll buy you ice cream.”
Nick got up and dusted the dirt off of his knees. “I wasn’t scared. I knew it was you the whole time!”
Michael, Jenna’s boyfriend, came from out of the bushes. “You are such a liar! I saw those tears!” Michael scooped Nick up and carried him on his shoulder. “It’s okay. It’ll be our secret.”
Nick looked as though his cover was blown. “Okay, just don’t tell Jane,” he whispered.
I smiled. “I forgive you, Nick.”
Jenna swept me off my feet and gave me a piggyback ride. The four of us made our way back, sauntering towards the Alexander residence. The forest, unilluminated in everyway, no longer gave us fear. Jenna and Michael protected us and the flashlights directed us to our destination. We were safe.
Looking up at the scintillated abode, Jenna displayed a face with extreme desire. She gazed at Michael, then at Nick, and lastly at me. “So, guys...how about that ice cream?” She beamed with hopeful delight.
“YEAH!” We shouted as we laughed. We were truly happy.
Smiling, I awoke and came back to the harsh reality. Two pairs of eyes burned into mine. “Lindsi? Mrs. Marie? Wha-“ I jerked straight up and looked around. The class was empty. Each desk lied unoccupied and the room stood still. My best friend and favorite teacher waited as I took a small nap.
Lindsi laughed. “Good job, dork. You fell asleep through Trig! I don’t blame you, though. Today was a total snore. ‘Cruel’man was awful.” There hasn’t been a moment when Mr. Kuman wasn’t awful. The class itself made you want to stab your eyes out, with its empty walls and suffocating atmosphere.
Rising from my chair, I asked, “What’re you doing in here, Mrs. Marie?” This wasn’t her classroom, but History wasn’t too far down the hall.
She looked at me with much concern. “Lindsi gave me the signal. We thought you had died. I came over straight away. We diagnosed you with math-killed-me-it is.” They laughed.
“But then, you started talking in your sleep, groaning, and going on about a tree monster.” Eck, how embarrassing, I thought. I looked down at my shoes, my cheeks turning a slight pink. “Come on, lunch started ten minutes ago.”
We said farewell to our beloved teacher and started for the stairs. Quickening our pace, Lindsi gave me a harsh nudge. “Geez, what was that for?” I rubbed my arm.
“You kept mumbling some guy’s name. A…Nick? Yeah, Nick. Who is he? Spill.” She sat me down, demanding with her sheer-blue eyes. Oh, great.
“Well, he’s this guy I once knew. We were best friends when we were five, but then he moved.” That wasn’t all. I missed him. I missed the memory of him. I missed his brown eyes and messy hair. I missed our adventures and the way his hand felt in mine. I missed the way his smile brightened the entire room. I missed Nick.
“Did you ever see him again?” She reflected my exact feelings on her face.
I shook my head. “No. I have no idea where he went.” Nostalgia hit me like a ton of bricks. “Can we change the subject? I’m starving!” I headed for the Cafeteria.
“You were in love with him, weren’t you?”
Stopping in my tracks, I finally realized it. The feelings never changed.
Nicholas Anthony Jacobson.
Our mothers were best friends, so it’s only natural that we’d see a lot of each other. Even in diapers, our mothers noticed how we were drawn together. Like magnets, they would say. From the sandbox to the summer of fifth grade, it was us against the world. Then he went away and I never saw him again. My heart aches when I think of him. Nick, where are you?
As I close my eyes, I see him. He’s here. He’s with me. And I can feel him. I see the tiny impression in his cheek. I see the chocolate color of brown that covers the iris in his eyes. The soft waves of his thick brown hair lie messily above his head, falling slightly above his eyes. Then, he reaches out towards me. Hand in hand, we walk along the paths of the shadowy forest. Even as the sun climbs down its path, slowly veiling us in darkness, time has stopped just for the two of us. We’re five years old again.
“Ssshh.” He whispered. “It might hear us.”I stayed as quiet as possible.
One step at a time, we continued on our hunt for the legendary tree monster. The forest was absolutely silent besides the crunching of the leaves that our shoes created. The tall trees hovered above us, enclosing us in. I stayed close behind him, ready to cower in fear at the first sight of the monster. My heart raced.
“But Nick, what if it eats us? It’s getting dark, we should go.”
He looked at me. “Don’t worry, Jane. I won’t let him eat you. I’m tough. I’ll get him with this!” Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out a wooden sword. “Nothing can stop us!” His triumphant voice gave me a little hope, but I was terrified.
“But Nick, what if he eats your wooden sword? What, then?”
He gave a puzzled look. “Well, I’ll use my fists. Momma says I’m getting stronger. I’ll pound his face in, Jane! I’ll protect you.” Smiling, he pulled me into his arms.
I shook my head disbelievingly. “You’re just a kid. We can’t fight the tree monster! He’ll eat us up!”
“A kid? I’m almost six years old. I can take him.” His confidence was overzealous.
The bushes shook and crunching noises sounded. We gasped and trembled in terror. “H-h-h-hello?” Nick took out his flashlight and clicked it on. We feared for our lives as if the monster was close. Again, the bushes shook and the leaves crunched. Shook and crunched. Shook and crunched. “I-I-I’m n-no-not af-f-fuh-raid of you.” His courage vanished along with my hope.
A nasty groan echoed and widened our little eyes. “I’m coming for you,” the groan answered.
Wide-eyed and terrified, we screamed and ran for our lives. Our heartbeats sped. Through the dark forest, we went. “Jane, don’t stop running!” Nick started to slow and turned to face the monster.
“No, Nick! Keep running! Don’t! He’ll eat you!” I stopped running.
The monster, a tall creature with a grotesque face, pursued Nick. It roared and roared. Nick and I began to cry. I ran to the monster and started to hit it with my tiny fists.
“Wait, wait. It’s me, guys.” Jenna.
The monster pulled off its face to reveal its true identity, my older sister. I grimaced. “You’re mean! I’m telling mom, you ogre.” I pounded her thighs as hard as I could.
“Hey, hey. I’m sorry, guys. I just wanted some fun. Don’t tell mom. I’ll buy you ice cream.”
Nick got up and dusted the dirt off of his knees. “I wasn’t scared. I knew it was you the whole time!”
Michael, Jenna’s boyfriend, came from out of the bushes. “You are such a liar! I saw those tears!” Michael scooped Nick up and carried him on his shoulder. “It’s okay. It’ll be our secret.”
Nick looked as though his cover was blown. “Okay, just don’t tell Jane,” he whispered.
I smiled. “I forgive you, Nick.”
Jenna swept me off my feet and gave me a piggyback ride. The four of us made our way back, sauntering towards the Alexander residence. The forest, unilluminated in everyway, no longer gave us fear. Jenna and Michael protected us and the flashlights directed us to our destination. We were safe.
Looking up at the scintillated abode, Jenna displayed a face with extreme desire. She gazed at Michael, then at Nick, and lastly at me. “So, guys...how about that ice cream?” She beamed with hopeful delight.
“YEAH!” We shouted as we laughed. We were truly happy.
Smiling, I awoke and came back to the harsh reality. Two pairs of eyes burned into mine. “Lindsi? Mrs. Marie? Wha-“ I jerked straight up and looked around. The class was empty. Each desk lied unoccupied and the room stood still. My best friend and favorite teacher waited as I took a small nap.
Lindsi laughed. “Good job, dork. You fell asleep through Trig! I don’t blame you, though. Today was a total snore. ‘Cruel’man was awful.” There hasn’t been a moment when Mr. Kuman wasn’t awful. The class itself made you want to stab your eyes out, with its empty walls and suffocating atmosphere.
Rising from my chair, I asked, “What’re you doing in here, Mrs. Marie?” This wasn’t her classroom, but History wasn’t too far down the hall.
She looked at me with much concern. “Lindsi gave me the signal. We thought you had died. I came over straight away. We diagnosed you with math-killed-me-it is.” They laughed.
“But then, you started talking in your sleep, groaning, and going on about a tree monster.” Eck, how embarrassing, I thought. I looked down at my shoes, my cheeks turning a slight pink. “Come on, lunch started ten minutes ago.”
We said farewell to our beloved teacher and started for the stairs. Quickening our pace, Lindsi gave me a harsh nudge. “Geez, what was that for?” I rubbed my arm.
“You kept mumbling some guy’s name. A…Nick? Yeah, Nick. Who is he? Spill.” She sat me down, demanding with her sheer-blue eyes. Oh, great.
“Well, he’s this guy I once knew. We were best friends when we were five, but then he moved.” That wasn’t all. I missed him. I missed the memory of him. I missed his brown eyes and messy hair. I missed our adventures and the way his hand felt in mine. I missed the way his smile brightened the entire room. I missed Nick.
“Did you ever see him again?” She reflected my exact feelings on her face.
I shook my head. “No. I have no idea where he went.” Nostalgia hit me like a ton of bricks. “Can we change the subject? I’m starving!” I headed for the Cafeteria.
“You were in love with him, weren’t you?”
Stopping in my tracks, I finally realized it. The feelings never changed.