Seventy Times Seven
Chapter 1
I sat in my normal spot on the park bench, my best friend Jack beside me. "There once lived a pineapple...," he stated boldly, with over dramatic emotion.
I looked over at him. "What are you on about?" I sighed.
"I'm just trying to make conversation." He shot a pouting glance at me.
"I'm not in the mood to converse."
"I've noticed." He muttered solemnly and wandered over to the various sets of playground equipment. Refusing to budge, I watched him stand in the center of them all, and spin around slightly, weighing his options. After a quick double take at the monkey bars, he strolled nonchalantly to the huge metal jungle gym. I stood and slowly moped after him, taking one final longing glance at my bench.
When I had finally took my last small step to the immense figure, I scurried through the closest square in the semi-circle grid protruding from the sand. Jack was already hanging upside down, his long legs bent at the knees thrown over the tallest bar, making his baggy-black-denim-dozen-pocketed shorts parachute. I looked over at him and it was difficult to suppress my giggles. His usual shaggy dark auburn hair that flipped out wildly around his long face was now flipping wildly above his head, making many crazy shaped halos. His signature white 49ers hat laying in the sand. He looked over at me, grinning an upside down crooked smile, blue eyes shining.
I sighed. "I'm sorry, Jack... Today is just too depressing.."
He puckered his lips to the left. "Maybe if you wouldn't mope about, Charlotte."
I walked in front of him so he wasn't twisting to talk to me. I pushed his shoulders slightly making him swing back and forth. "I'm good at moping, though. Tomorrow is going to be hell, followed by months of even more of it."
His swinging slowed soon. "Then why waste your freedom?"
"Because there is nothing I would rather do than waste my days at the park, moping about and acting stupid." I poked his chest, making him swing again.
I waltzed over to a different pile of plastic and plopped myself down on the platform at the end of the monkey bars. Jack strode goofily; as usual, in front of me, extending his hands high and reaching the bar easily. He bent his knees and let his feet just touch the ground, swaying in circles. Jack was tall, very tall. He wasn't lanky or scrawny... or husky or stocky, for that matter, and there were no piles of tightly packed muscles anywhere on his body visible. He was just average looking, to be perfectly honest. Kind of like me. I shifted my head slightly to the right, letting my dirty blond hair fall into it's respective place across my left eye. My boring brown eyes. Maybe it was our averageness that brought us together, Jack and I. I'd often wondered why we got along so well.
"Hey, Char?" He asked me, lifting his legs to dangle freely mere inches from the ground covered in wood chippings.
"Yeah?" I asked, looking up, squinting at the sun.
"Are you thinking about that pineapple too?"
I laughed out loud, gasping and hushing up quickly.
No, it wasn't our similar average appearances that helped us get along so well. It was our severe difference in personality. Jack was completely and utterly insane; or so people thought. It seems I was the only one who caught on to his charade. He would do almost anything for a laugh. He craved attention, this he admitted openly. Me on the opposite, despised unnecessary attention. Probably because it wasn't often I got paid attention to, other than from teachers and friends. I was the quiet kid. I was a thinker. Jack was... well... an act now- think later type person.
"No, Jack... No pineapple in my thoughts."
He frowned. "Maybe there should be... Hey, you wanna split?"
"It depends, where do you want to go?"
"The mall. Duh." He snapped his wrist prissily.
I scowled. Of course, he craved more human interaction. "I really don't feel like dealing with anyone before it's absolutely necessary."
"Please," he loosened his grip on the bar and sunk to the splintery padding below. "Char, c'mon I need to see people."
"What people?" I questioned, eyebrow cocked at him pleading on the ground. Images of him throwing a temper tantrum like the every-day kids who don't wan to leave flowed through my mind.
"Anyone."
"Attention whore." I hissed.
"Whiner." He stuck his tongue out.
I stood and turned back to the parking lot. He jumped up quickly and took off towards his car. Great, I'm letting this spastic kid talk me into bringing my torture on a day before schedule.
I looked over at him. "What are you on about?" I sighed.
"I'm just trying to make conversation." He shot a pouting glance at me.
"I'm not in the mood to converse."
"I've noticed." He muttered solemnly and wandered over to the various sets of playground equipment. Refusing to budge, I watched him stand in the center of them all, and spin around slightly, weighing his options. After a quick double take at the monkey bars, he strolled nonchalantly to the huge metal jungle gym. I stood and slowly moped after him, taking one final longing glance at my bench.
When I had finally took my last small step to the immense figure, I scurried through the closest square in the semi-circle grid protruding from the sand. Jack was already hanging upside down, his long legs bent at the knees thrown over the tallest bar, making his baggy-black-denim-dozen-pocketed shorts parachute. I looked over at him and it was difficult to suppress my giggles. His usual shaggy dark auburn hair that flipped out wildly around his long face was now flipping wildly above his head, making many crazy shaped halos. His signature white 49ers hat laying in the sand. He looked over at me, grinning an upside down crooked smile, blue eyes shining.
I sighed. "I'm sorry, Jack... Today is just too depressing.."
He puckered his lips to the left. "Maybe if you wouldn't mope about, Charlotte."
I walked in front of him so he wasn't twisting to talk to me. I pushed his shoulders slightly making him swing back and forth. "I'm good at moping, though. Tomorrow is going to be hell, followed by months of even more of it."
His swinging slowed soon. "Then why waste your freedom?"
"Because there is nothing I would rather do than waste my days at the park, moping about and acting stupid." I poked his chest, making him swing again.
I waltzed over to a different pile of plastic and plopped myself down on the platform at the end of the monkey bars. Jack strode goofily; as usual, in front of me, extending his hands high and reaching the bar easily. He bent his knees and let his feet just touch the ground, swaying in circles. Jack was tall, very tall. He wasn't lanky or scrawny... or husky or stocky, for that matter, and there were no piles of tightly packed muscles anywhere on his body visible. He was just average looking, to be perfectly honest. Kind of like me. I shifted my head slightly to the right, letting my dirty blond hair fall into it's respective place across my left eye. My boring brown eyes. Maybe it was our averageness that brought us together, Jack and I. I'd often wondered why we got along so well.
"Hey, Char?" He asked me, lifting his legs to dangle freely mere inches from the ground covered in wood chippings.
"Yeah?" I asked, looking up, squinting at the sun.
"Are you thinking about that pineapple too?"
I laughed out loud, gasping and hushing up quickly.
No, it wasn't our similar average appearances that helped us get along so well. It was our severe difference in personality. Jack was completely and utterly insane; or so people thought. It seems I was the only one who caught on to his charade. He would do almost anything for a laugh. He craved attention, this he admitted openly. Me on the opposite, despised unnecessary attention. Probably because it wasn't often I got paid attention to, other than from teachers and friends. I was the quiet kid. I was a thinker. Jack was... well... an act now- think later type person.
"No, Jack... No pineapple in my thoughts."
He frowned. "Maybe there should be... Hey, you wanna split?"
"It depends, where do you want to go?"
"The mall. Duh." He snapped his wrist prissily.
I scowled. Of course, he craved more human interaction. "I really don't feel like dealing with anyone before it's absolutely necessary."
"Please," he loosened his grip on the bar and sunk to the splintery padding below. "Char, c'mon I need to see people."
"What people?" I questioned, eyebrow cocked at him pleading on the ground. Images of him throwing a temper tantrum like the every-day kids who don't wan to leave flowed through my mind.
"Anyone."
"Attention whore." I hissed.
"Whiner." He stuck his tongue out.
I stood and turned back to the parking lot. He jumped up quickly and took off towards his car. Great, I'm letting this spastic kid talk me into bringing my torture on a day before schedule.