I'm Sorry, Did I Just Stutter?
Nick knows, deep in his eight year old heart, that this new life is going to suck. But maybe a new friend will change that...
Nick did not like his new house.
Sure, it was big and clean and had lots of space and a big backyard, but it was new and he didn't like it.
He missed his old house and his old school and his old friends. He missed sitting on the old oak tree stump in the corner of the playground and drawing. He missed watching the big boys play football and lacrosse while he sat with the girls and cheered. He missed the tire swing in his backyard and his neighbours. He knew, deep down in his little eight year old heart, that this new life was going to suck.
He was sitting under the spindly fir tree in his new backyard drawing when a small head popped up over the low bamboo fence. Nick leap about a foot in the air when the head appeared.
"Hetho!" The head smiled, a slight lisp caused by two missing front teeth. "Who're thou?"
Nick took a deep breath and took in the appearance of the head. It was round-ish, and most of it was covered by a shiny honey-blond fringe. He had big eyes that looked like Bambi's, and his smile could have lit up a whole city. There was a big spot of white sunscreen on the bridge of his button nose.
"Hetho?" The head repeated, cocking itself to the side in confusion. It was then that Nick realised he must have been staring. He shook his head and stood up. "Whath's thour name?"
"Um… N-Nick." Nick cursed his nervous stutter. He'd gotten picked on for it at his old school, and now the head was probably going to make fun of him for it too. "Nick Hamilton."
"Hetho Nick!" The head chirped, a hand suddenly appearing and waving wildly at him. "My name'th Deff!"
"Deff?" Nick repeated. The head looked slightly cross.
"No! Deff! J-E-double F!"
"Oh!" Nick smiled with realisation. "Jeff!"
"Yeth!" Jeff smiled again. "Deff Adamth."
"Well, hello Jeff Adams." Nick walked over to the fence and extended a hand for Jeff to shake, just like his daddy did when he was meeting people. Jeff looked at it quizzically before turning back to Nick.
"Thou wanna play?" Jeff asked. Nick was taken aback. Even with his old friends he'd never really been asked to play. They were all too proper for that. "I have a fwend named Weth. He wanth me to come over and play. You wanna come too?"
….
And so, after Jeff's mom talked to Nick's mom (all the while Jeff was bouncing up and down in his denim overall's and Winnie The Pooh T-shirt) Nick ended up going to Wes's house with Jeff. And while Jeff's personality was incredibly infectious, Nick was still terrified that Wes wouldn't like him or that it was all a big joke and Jeff was actually taking him and selling him to the circus or something equally not nice like that.
"Weth!" Jeff called out as he barrelled through the large back gate. "Weth it'th Deff!"
"Hey Jeff!" An Asian boy in green shorts and a Pokémon T-shirt jumped out of the tree right in the centre of the decorative garden and charged over. He skidded to a halt when Nick peeked around the gate and looked in. "Who's that?"
Jeff turned back to look at Nick and smiled. Nick continued gripping the gate and didn't move forward.
The garden was so nice. It had pretty hedges and colourful flowers and a big twisty tree right in the centre with little stone benches around it and nicely mown grass. Nick's yard wasn't nearly as nice, but his mom wouldn't let him play in it. He wondered why Wes' parents let him have friends over to play in the grand backyard but his parents didn't.
"Who're you?" Wes repeated, starting to look a little cross.
"I-I'm N-N-Nick." Nick managed to stutter out, feeling his face turn a brilliant shade of red. "J-Jeff invited m-m-me."
"Hm." Wes hummed with pursed lips. He turned back to Jeff. "So, what do you wanna play today?"
"Um..." Jeff bounced up and down as he thought. He cast a quick look at Nick and then smiled. "How about we teacth Nick how to play tag!"
"I-I-I know how t-to p-p-play tag." Nick said quietly. Wes gave Nick another sour look, like he was on Wes' territory. Nick huddled in on himself a little more.
"Awethome!" Jeff crowed and grabbed Nick's hand, pulling him into the garden. Nick felt very out-of-place. Jeff was wearing overall's and a top, Wes had a top and shorts, but Nick had a nice white shirt with buttons and neat jeans and shiny shoes. Plus, Wes kept giving him funny looks, like he didn't really want him there.
Jeff turned to Wes and poked his arm deliberately. Wes jumped and turned to look at him.
"TAG! YOU'RE IT!" Jeff screamed before running off into the garden. Nick hesitated for half a second before sprinting off in the opposite direction of Jeff, determined to not lose and to get as far away from Wes as he possibly could.
….
"OW!"
"NICK!"
Nick rolled onto his back and looked down at his legs. The knees of his jeans were ripped from the concrete and green from the grass, and he could feel his knees stinging painfully under the fabric. Tinges of red were visible through the rips. Jeff hovered above him with a worried expression, panicking slightly that he had just hurt his new friend. Nick sucked in a breath and started tearing up slightly. Wes appeared from behind one of the hedges, a slim girl in her late teens following closely behind, a tray of lemonade in her hands.
"What happened?" Wes questioned. The teenage girl put the tray on one of the benches and rushed over to Nick.
"What's wrong baby boy?" She asked, a slight accent quirking her words. Nick sniffed and tried to huddle in on himself. "Don't be silly." She chastised and gently grabbed his ankles. He slowly stuck his legs out and she rolled up his jeans, making light coo-ing noises when he sniffled. Wes stood on the edges, looking torn between annoyed and concerned, and Jeff hovered like a bug, flitting about to try and keep a full view on Nick at all times.
Nick bit his lip to try and stop crying, and instead tried to focus on the girl. She looked a lot like Wes. She had the same tan skin and the same black hair, but hers was a lot longer and shinier and swept back into a loose ponytail. She had glasses and large jangly earrings with lots of shiny things in them. She had a freckle on her left cheek and was wearing an oversized Disney shirt with denim shorts and pink flip flops. She didn't look at all like the proper sort of girl his mother would have raised his hypothetical sister to be.
"Oh..." She bit her lip as she examined the bleeding cuts in his knees and upper shins. "These are a bit bad." She scooped him up suddenly, she was obviously a lot stronger than she looked, and plonked him on one of the benches. Jeff followed at her heels like a puppy. "I'm gunna get some cream and Band-Aids. Can you take care of yourself until then?" Nick nodded mutely and pulled his knees back up to his chest. The girl patted his head before dashing off to the house.
Jeff clamboured up next to him and wrapped an arm around him in comfort. Wes looked up at them and sighed.
"Looks like Dominique likes you." Wes started shuffling his feet. "You're lucky. She took a nursing course at school. You'll be okay."
"She seems nice." Nick mumbled as Jeff continued to squeeze his shoulders. "I like her."
"Thominique ith nice." Jeff added quietly, looking exceptionally apologetic.
….
Nick's mom was not impressed.
"Honey, you ripped your jeans. Those were brand new!"
She was concerned about him, too, you know. But those were new jeans. His knees would get better. The jeans wouldn't.
He sat back under the tree in the backyard, now in some sensible three-quarter shorts, and picked up the drawing he'd been working on when Jeff had appeared. It was a picture of the new house. It looked silly but it he still liked it.
"I'm sworry." Came a timid voice from the fence. Nick looked over and saw Jeff's Bambi eyes peeking over the top. "It wath meant to be fun."
"It was." Nick walked over and leant against the fence. "I just got a bit hurt, is all."
"I'm thill sworry." Jeff ducked his head and Nick reached out and petted him, like one would when comforting a puppy.
"Maybe I shouldn't play at Wes's anymore." He offered. Jeff looked at him sharply. "We can just play here."
"That'th good!" Jeff smiled and hugged Nick over the fence, grip tight.
Nick had the strange feeling Jeff liked hugs.
ENDING ARE HARD AND I HATE THEM OKAY???
Nick did not like his new house.
Sure, it was big and clean and had lots of space and a big backyard, but it was new and he didn't like it.
He missed his old house and his old school and his old friends. He missed sitting on the old oak tree stump in the corner of the playground and drawing. He missed watching the big boys play football and lacrosse while he sat with the girls and cheered. He missed the tire swing in his backyard and his neighbours. He knew, deep down in his little eight year old heart, that this new life was going to suck.
He was sitting under the spindly fir tree in his new backyard drawing when a small head popped up over the low bamboo fence. Nick leap about a foot in the air when the head appeared.
"Hetho!" The head smiled, a slight lisp caused by two missing front teeth. "Who're thou?"
Nick took a deep breath and took in the appearance of the head. It was round-ish, and most of it was covered by a shiny honey-blond fringe. He had big eyes that looked like Bambi's, and his smile could have lit up a whole city. There was a big spot of white sunscreen on the bridge of his button nose.
"Hetho?" The head repeated, cocking itself to the side in confusion. It was then that Nick realised he must have been staring. He shook his head and stood up. "Whath's thour name?"
"Um… N-Nick." Nick cursed his nervous stutter. He'd gotten picked on for it at his old school, and now the head was probably going to make fun of him for it too. "Nick Hamilton."
"Hetho Nick!" The head chirped, a hand suddenly appearing and waving wildly at him. "My name'th Deff!"
"Deff?" Nick repeated. The head looked slightly cross.
"No! Deff! J-E-double F!"
"Oh!" Nick smiled with realisation. "Jeff!"
"Yeth!" Jeff smiled again. "Deff Adamth."
"Well, hello Jeff Adams." Nick walked over to the fence and extended a hand for Jeff to shake, just like his daddy did when he was meeting people. Jeff looked at it quizzically before turning back to Nick.
"Thou wanna play?" Jeff asked. Nick was taken aback. Even with his old friends he'd never really been asked to play. They were all too proper for that. "I have a fwend named Weth. He wanth me to come over and play. You wanna come too?"
….
And so, after Jeff's mom talked to Nick's mom (all the while Jeff was bouncing up and down in his denim overall's and Winnie The Pooh T-shirt) Nick ended up going to Wes's house with Jeff. And while Jeff's personality was incredibly infectious, Nick was still terrified that Wes wouldn't like him or that it was all a big joke and Jeff was actually taking him and selling him to the circus or something equally not nice like that.
"Weth!" Jeff called out as he barrelled through the large back gate. "Weth it'th Deff!"
"Hey Jeff!" An Asian boy in green shorts and a Pokémon T-shirt jumped out of the tree right in the centre of the decorative garden and charged over. He skidded to a halt when Nick peeked around the gate and looked in. "Who's that?"
Jeff turned back to look at Nick and smiled. Nick continued gripping the gate and didn't move forward.
The garden was so nice. It had pretty hedges and colourful flowers and a big twisty tree right in the centre with little stone benches around it and nicely mown grass. Nick's yard wasn't nearly as nice, but his mom wouldn't let him play in it. He wondered why Wes' parents let him have friends over to play in the grand backyard but his parents didn't.
"Who're you?" Wes repeated, starting to look a little cross.
"I-I'm N-N-Nick." Nick managed to stutter out, feeling his face turn a brilliant shade of red. "J-Jeff invited m-m-me."
"Hm." Wes hummed with pursed lips. He turned back to Jeff. "So, what do you wanna play today?"
"Um..." Jeff bounced up and down as he thought. He cast a quick look at Nick and then smiled. "How about we teacth Nick how to play tag!"
"I-I-I know how t-to p-p-play tag." Nick said quietly. Wes gave Nick another sour look, like he was on Wes' territory. Nick huddled in on himself a little more.
"Awethome!" Jeff crowed and grabbed Nick's hand, pulling him into the garden. Nick felt very out-of-place. Jeff was wearing overall's and a top, Wes had a top and shorts, but Nick had a nice white shirt with buttons and neat jeans and shiny shoes. Plus, Wes kept giving him funny looks, like he didn't really want him there.
Jeff turned to Wes and poked his arm deliberately. Wes jumped and turned to look at him.
"TAG! YOU'RE IT!" Jeff screamed before running off into the garden. Nick hesitated for half a second before sprinting off in the opposite direction of Jeff, determined to not lose and to get as far away from Wes as he possibly could.
….
"OW!"
"NICK!"
Nick rolled onto his back and looked down at his legs. The knees of his jeans were ripped from the concrete and green from the grass, and he could feel his knees stinging painfully under the fabric. Tinges of red were visible through the rips. Jeff hovered above him with a worried expression, panicking slightly that he had just hurt his new friend. Nick sucked in a breath and started tearing up slightly. Wes appeared from behind one of the hedges, a slim girl in her late teens following closely behind, a tray of lemonade in her hands.
"What happened?" Wes questioned. The teenage girl put the tray on one of the benches and rushed over to Nick.
"What's wrong baby boy?" She asked, a slight accent quirking her words. Nick sniffed and tried to huddle in on himself. "Don't be silly." She chastised and gently grabbed his ankles. He slowly stuck his legs out and she rolled up his jeans, making light coo-ing noises when he sniffled. Wes stood on the edges, looking torn between annoyed and concerned, and Jeff hovered like a bug, flitting about to try and keep a full view on Nick at all times.
Nick bit his lip to try and stop crying, and instead tried to focus on the girl. She looked a lot like Wes. She had the same tan skin and the same black hair, but hers was a lot longer and shinier and swept back into a loose ponytail. She had glasses and large jangly earrings with lots of shiny things in them. She had a freckle on her left cheek and was wearing an oversized Disney shirt with denim shorts and pink flip flops. She didn't look at all like the proper sort of girl his mother would have raised his hypothetical sister to be.
"Oh..." She bit her lip as she examined the bleeding cuts in his knees and upper shins. "These are a bit bad." She scooped him up suddenly, she was obviously a lot stronger than she looked, and plonked him on one of the benches. Jeff followed at her heels like a puppy. "I'm gunna get some cream and Band-Aids. Can you take care of yourself until then?" Nick nodded mutely and pulled his knees back up to his chest. The girl patted his head before dashing off to the house.
Jeff clamboured up next to him and wrapped an arm around him in comfort. Wes looked up at them and sighed.
"Looks like Dominique likes you." Wes started shuffling his feet. "You're lucky. She took a nursing course at school. You'll be okay."
"She seems nice." Nick mumbled as Jeff continued to squeeze his shoulders. "I like her."
"Thominique ith nice." Jeff added quietly, looking exceptionally apologetic.
….
Nick's mom was not impressed.
"Honey, you ripped your jeans. Those were brand new!"
She was concerned about him, too, you know. But those were new jeans. His knees would get better. The jeans wouldn't.
He sat back under the tree in the backyard, now in some sensible three-quarter shorts, and picked up the drawing he'd been working on when Jeff had appeared. It was a picture of the new house. It looked silly but it he still liked it.
"I'm sworry." Came a timid voice from the fence. Nick looked over and saw Jeff's Bambi eyes peeking over the top. "It wath meant to be fun."
"It was." Nick walked over and leant against the fence. "I just got a bit hurt, is all."
"I'm thill sworry." Jeff ducked his head and Nick reached out and petted him, like one would when comforting a puppy.
"Maybe I shouldn't play at Wes's anymore." He offered. Jeff looked at him sharply. "We can just play here."
"That'th good!" Jeff smiled and hugged Nick over the fence, grip tight.
Nick had the strange feeling Jeff liked hugs.
ENDING ARE HARD AND I HATE THEM OKAY???