~1979~
Lance sulked as he was sent down to the office, the rest of the children laughed and pointed as he made the humiliating journey downstairs.
It wasn’t the first time the Kindergartener took a trip down to the principal’s office, and according to many others, they predicted that it wouldn’t be his last.
He sunk into the wooden chair next to a kid with black hair with odd things on his legs. He looked about his age, and his hair was down to his shoulders and was in one of those new hairstyles Lance had seen around. The boy looked back at the tan, dark haired boy to his left.
“Hi.” The other boy said. “Hi.” Lance said, waving his hand. “Who’s your teacher?”
“Mrs. Watson. Yours?”
“Mrs. Briggs.”
The raven haired boy smiled slightly. “She’s my kindergarten teacher. How about yours? What year are you?”
“Kindergarten too!” Lance said excitedly.
The boy smiled and turned back to staring down at his lap, his smile fading quickly. There was an awkward silence as the two sat there. Lance couldn’t handle the silence and started blowing raspberries with his mouth.
He then turned to the boy again.
“What did you do?” Lance asked the kid. The kid looked down. “I don’t know. I don’t think I did nothing!” he said. Lance hummed in thought out loud.
“What did you do?” the black haired kid asked back. Lance sighed. “I pulled on Tracy Bartlett’s hair and then called her a puta.”
The boy cocked his head. “What’s a puta?” he asked.
“I don’t know but Mrs. Briggs didn’t like it. My dad calls his friend that, so I think Mrs. Briggs doesn’t like me being friends with girls.” Lance answered.
“I’m Keith.” The boy said. “Lance.” Lance answered back. “What’s on your legs?” he asked him, pointing down. Keith looked at his leg braces. “Oh these are my leg braces. I can’t walk well and they help me walk.”
“I thought braces were for your teeth?” Lance said.
Keith’s big eyes widened. “They make leg braces for your teeth?” he asked.
Lance shrugged. “I guess.”
The two sat in silence as a teacher gave them a look as she walked by. Keith clearly looked more distressed than Lance did, as he swung his legs back and forth nervously.
“Have you gone to the office before?” he asked.
“No! I dunno what I did!” Keith said, terrified. Lance frowned, thinking. “Only bad kids go to the principal’s office. Maybe you were bad.”
Keith looked down, the tears filling up in his eyes. “My dad’s gonna kill me.” He said. Lance looked at him. “Why? It’s just the principal’s office!”
Keith started to sob. “I’m not a bad kid I promise!” he cried, clutching Lance’s shirt.
Lance’s eyebrows raised. “Does your dad think you’re a bad kid if you go to the principal’s office?” he asked, clawing Keith off of him. The five year old furrowed his brows. “Doesn’t yours?” he asked, in genuine surprise.
Lance shook his head. “No. My dad only gets mad for a second but then he’s fine.”
Keith looked down again.
“I hope my governess doesn’t tell him. Maybe he’ll be busy with his stocks.” Keith said to no one in particular.
“You’re weird.” Lance said. He smiled. “But I like you.”
Keith smiled back.
Lance got a great idea. “I think we should become friends. Best friends.” Lance said. Keith’s smile disappeared. “Huh?” he asked. Nobody really wanted to be friends with the kid who sat in the back of kindergarten reading all day. Lance nodded. “Yeah! That way I can go tell your dad you’re good and it would be okay.”
Keith broke out into a giggle. “Okay! Best friends.” He held out his pinkie for Lance to link it with his, and they did, forming their pact that fateful day in October.
Keith was called in first for some reason or another. Lance was kind of surprised that he didn’t hear Mr. Rutley yell at Keith like he normally did at Lance. Maybe it had to do with his leg braces, Lance had concluded.
After a while of watching children go to lunch and out to recess, and the principal’s secretary telling him to “sit up straight, Mr. McClain” as she passed him by, Lance heard the door open from behind him.
“Hey Lance!” Keith from before said earlier with a twinkle in his eye. “Lookit! I got this certificate of award from the librarian for reading 25 books out loud this year!! Isn’t that great???”
Lance gave the kid a thumbs up but felt bad about himself. Maybe he was the only bad kid in River Park Elementary.
“Thanks best friend! I’ll see you later!” he said. Mr. Rutley came out and took a look down at Lance. “Ah, Mr. McClain, good to see you again.” He said curtly
“Not good to see you again.” Lance said quietly. Luckily Mr. Rutley didn’t hear him. Lance looked up at him. “Am I in trouble?”
“You bet. Come on in.”
Lance let out a sigh and trudged into the office.
It wasn’t the first time the Kindergartener took a trip down to the principal’s office, and according to many others, they predicted that it wouldn’t be his last.
He sunk into the wooden chair next to a kid with black hair with odd things on his legs. He looked about his age, and his hair was down to his shoulders and was in one of those new hairstyles Lance had seen around. The boy looked back at the tan, dark haired boy to his left.
“Hi.” The other boy said. “Hi.” Lance said, waving his hand. “Who’s your teacher?”
“Mrs. Watson. Yours?”
“Mrs. Briggs.”
The raven haired boy smiled slightly. “She’s my kindergarten teacher. How about yours? What year are you?”
“Kindergarten too!” Lance said excitedly.
The boy smiled and turned back to staring down at his lap, his smile fading quickly. There was an awkward silence as the two sat there. Lance couldn’t handle the silence and started blowing raspberries with his mouth.
He then turned to the boy again.
“What did you do?” Lance asked the kid. The kid looked down. “I don’t know. I don’t think I did nothing!” he said. Lance hummed in thought out loud.
“What did you do?” the black haired kid asked back. Lance sighed. “I pulled on Tracy Bartlett’s hair and then called her a puta.”
The boy cocked his head. “What’s a puta?” he asked.
“I don’t know but Mrs. Briggs didn’t like it. My dad calls his friend that, so I think Mrs. Briggs doesn’t like me being friends with girls.” Lance answered.
“I’m Keith.” The boy said. “Lance.” Lance answered back. “What’s on your legs?” he asked him, pointing down. Keith looked at his leg braces. “Oh these are my leg braces. I can’t walk well and they help me walk.”
“I thought braces were for your teeth?” Lance said.
Keith’s big eyes widened. “They make leg braces for your teeth?” he asked.
Lance shrugged. “I guess.”
The two sat in silence as a teacher gave them a look as she walked by. Keith clearly looked more distressed than Lance did, as he swung his legs back and forth nervously.
“Have you gone to the office before?” he asked.
“No! I dunno what I did!” Keith said, terrified. Lance frowned, thinking. “Only bad kids go to the principal’s office. Maybe you were bad.”
Keith looked down, the tears filling up in his eyes. “My dad’s gonna kill me.” He said. Lance looked at him. “Why? It’s just the principal’s office!”
Keith started to sob. “I’m not a bad kid I promise!” he cried, clutching Lance’s shirt.
Lance’s eyebrows raised. “Does your dad think you’re a bad kid if you go to the principal’s office?” he asked, clawing Keith off of him. The five year old furrowed his brows. “Doesn’t yours?” he asked, in genuine surprise.
Lance shook his head. “No. My dad only gets mad for a second but then he’s fine.”
Keith looked down again.
“I hope my governess doesn’t tell him. Maybe he’ll be busy with his stocks.” Keith said to no one in particular.
“You’re weird.” Lance said. He smiled. “But I like you.”
Keith smiled back.
Lance got a great idea. “I think we should become friends. Best friends.” Lance said. Keith’s smile disappeared. “Huh?” he asked. Nobody really wanted to be friends with the kid who sat in the back of kindergarten reading all day. Lance nodded. “Yeah! That way I can go tell your dad you’re good and it would be okay.”
Keith broke out into a giggle. “Okay! Best friends.” He held out his pinkie for Lance to link it with his, and they did, forming their pact that fateful day in October.
Keith was called in first for some reason or another. Lance was kind of surprised that he didn’t hear Mr. Rutley yell at Keith like he normally did at Lance. Maybe it had to do with his leg braces, Lance had concluded.
After a while of watching children go to lunch and out to recess, and the principal’s secretary telling him to “sit up straight, Mr. McClain” as she passed him by, Lance heard the door open from behind him.
“Hey Lance!” Keith from before said earlier with a twinkle in his eye. “Lookit! I got this certificate of award from the librarian for reading 25 books out loud this year!! Isn’t that great???”
Lance gave the kid a thumbs up but felt bad about himself. Maybe he was the only bad kid in River Park Elementary.
“Thanks best friend! I’ll see you later!” he said. Mr. Rutley came out and took a look down at Lance. “Ah, Mr. McClain, good to see you again.” He said curtly
“Not good to see you again.” Lance said quietly. Luckily Mr. Rutley didn’t hear him. Lance looked up at him. “Am I in trouble?”
“You bet. Come on in.”
Lance let out a sigh and trudged into the office.