Hold the people close to you closer and keep them there because friendship sometimes is the only medicine. The friends I keep close have been with me for longer than I can remember. They have always been there for me even in the worst of times. How I met them surprises me to this day, but I shall never forget them.

It was 7:00 am.  I was just waking up, not knowing what would be in store for me that day, just as every other day I had ever woken up to. I hopped out of bed and leisurely walked to my closet. I put on my clothes, brushed my teeth, prepared my backpack, and walked out the door to the front of my driveway to wait for the bus to swoop by. The Lynwood Elementary School bus came, and I hastily walked to the door, then to a seat, and sat down ready to be taken to school. I was ready for the same boring day, or it would have been if I didn't always have After-School at GES. The After-School Program always had something in store for me. I had friends that went to other schools besides Lynnwood but went to my After-School.

As I laid my head on the bus window and felt the repetitive wobbling of the window on my head, I heard the roaring of the bus and other cars and thought today could be unlike other days, but, who knows, it could all be the same. At the time I wasn't as much of a video game fanatic as I am today, so when I got home there wasn't much to do. The school was normal with the regular schedule. Lucky me, that day I had no homework. After school, I sprung onto the bus, which would take me to my After-School Program.

Just like any bus ride, I leisurely laid my head on the window as I talked to one of my friends. He and I had been great friends, but I had not known him outside of school, and I still don't. I had also not known at the time how lucky I was that day and how I would never forget it even after so long. I waited for my stop.

After arriving at the After-School, I followed my normal routine. I've been going there since kindergarten, and at this point, I was in third grade. We had normal announcements that day just talking about how only the gym would be open and some other things that weren't too important. A little later, the gym line was made, and it was almost a miracle that I got in because I was the last person selected.

We raced over to the gym like we were a pack of stampeding bulls and sat down against the wall, waiting for a game to be chosen. Someone against the wall suggested jailbreak, which was more of a simple ¨team vs team¨ game.  If you get hit by a ball, you go and you wait in jail until you catch a ball, or until someone hits the backboard, which will trigger everyone in jail to be released. This gym was humongous, almost as big as Lynnwood, making it perfect to test your long-range accuracy at an absurd fire rate. After that, the teams were created and the game started. Everyone moved faster than sound and quickly acquired a ball and stepped back, propping their arms in the air, ready to fire at any given moment. I stayed back to talk to a girl who was sitting in the back of the gym alone. I asked if she wanted to play, but she said no, and this annoyed me a bit. We said our goodbyes and moved on. My team then went on to win the game. That day after school was normal. I played two more games, Capture the Flag and Hunger Games. After that, I went back to the main room and hung out with my friends until I had to be picked up.

As I was walking into my house a strange yet familiar voice was calling my name from across the street. I spun around to see the same girl from the after-school gym. We said hey to each other, but then to my surprise she asked if I wanted to come over and hang with her and her little sister. The choice I made at this very moment was going to change my life forever when I said yes. I went over, and we mostly talked and got to know each other further than just our names. On top of all this, I got to meet her grandma and learn more about what they did. We both held a huge part in each other’s lives as we were friends that day, and any other day I went over to their house. There would be no way I would be happier any other day in my life than this. I never went inside their house that day, but the sun was beautiful and there were many things to do outside.  We mostly hung out around the hammock and talked, but I had to go home early because Sara fell off the hammock. After we hung out I went back home. That night was filled with happiness, just knowing I had made some more friends.

The day ended here as I drifted off into a slumber, but this was not the end of my story with my new friends as we would make so many different memories together that it's hard to believe. Almost every time I went over a new memory was created, and I found even more friends while hanging out with them. My life changed that day just by showing someone the kindness that everyone should give to each other no matter who they are or what they do. Everyone deserves kindness.

 

 

 

 

-Jaycob S.