Chapter 9

‘Finally Friday,’ I thought. Classes were over and there was nothing but me and the weekend. Ninth grade was rough. Teachers only cared about their paychecks and not teaching. Kids thought they were grown and thought they could do anything they wanted. The cafeteria food was disgusting as it contained more grease, oil, and artificial material than actual food. With two days of freedom I would get the chance to eat real food and be with my friends. Maybe we’d spend some time together playing games or just hanging out.

Down the halls, the usual things happened. Typical jocks flirted with the hot girls and called them ‘shorty,’ kids played pranks on each other, and teachers stood outside their rooms pretending to watch for trouble but were really waiting to dash off themselves. Kids lined up to catch the bus outside. I headed toward the parking lot and waited for Kate to pick me up.

Walking past the bench I saw a girl sitting on it. She was very short, well under five feet. She had long velvet red-colored hair with a bohemian headband around her head. She wore a tie dye t-shirt, jean shorts, and red Converse Chucks. She looked like a little hippie but more so a dead ringer for Arianna Grande before she became famous. She looked down at the ground and scrapped the gravel with her foot. Her eyes had such a heavy look, and her lips were twisted into an upside-down smile. I sat beside her.

“Hi,” I said to her. I leaned over slightly to get a better view of her. “You look troubled. What’s wrong?”

She slowly looked up at me. “Everyone hates me because I’m different. They said I’m weird and not like them. I think they’re right. Maybe I am weird. Maybe there is something wrong with me.”

I used a finger to lift her chin up. I looked straight into her glossy eyes. “You seem sweet, so I’ll tell you this. Don’t be ashamed of who you are just because a few people think with their heads in their asses. You are only who you answer to and not a single person can tell you any different.”

“Really? Is that really true?” she asked.

“Yes,” I leaned my back against the bench. “I used to have people say everything about me was wrong also,” I turned my head toward her and smiled. “I heard them, but I never listened,” I sat up. “You can do the same. Always be proud of doing the things you love and for being yourself. Never look down upon yourself because of other people’s nonsense. People talk, that’s what they do. But when people talk wrong about you, just leave them to their ignorance.”

“Oh. But all I wanted was just for a few people to like me so I could say I have at least some friends. A few people here at school at least,” she said.

“You don’t need these people,” I said. “These aren’t good friends. They’re so selfish that you wouldn’t be happy around them for long. You need to be around people who will love you, care about you, and be there for you. The kind of people who have your best intentions at heart.”

“I see,” she looked back down. “I guess for the rest of the year, and the next three years, I’m truly alone,” she closed her eyes and went silent. She took a deep breath and sighed as she opened her eyes and stared at the dirt underneath her Chucks.

I scooted closer and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “Hey. We can be friends. If you have no one else, do you want to be friends with me?”

She looked up at me with one eye squinted. I smiled at her. She slowly smiled back at me. I stood up and reached my hand out to her. She looked at it briefly and took it. I pulled her up.

“So, what’s your name?” I asked.

“My name’s Rhoda.”

“Rhoda. That’s a cute name. My name’s Stanford. It’s nice to meet you, Rhoda.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Stanford.” She looked around rapidly and looked back at me. “Hey, Stanford. Can I show you something?”

“Well I have a friend coming to pick me up,” I thought for a second. “But then again they usually come late so I guess. Will it take long?”

“No, not at all,” Rhoda pointed behind herself. “I just wanted to show you something in the forest.”

“You mean the picnic area in the woods?” I asked.

“Yes. It won’t take long, I promise,” a faint smile appeared on her face.

“Alright.” I nodded.

We walked together toward the picnic area surrounded by woods. Peaceful, tranquil, and by far the most beautiful place at school, it’s where seniors ate during lunch time. There was a wooden gazebo used for eating though there was a small nature trail where we walked down. It was early fall, and the tree branches were full of leaves vibrantly colored green, brown, red, and yellow. Such a natural environment felt comforting, which was a perk for living in such a small town in the country.

Rhoda ran ahead and held her arms out. She spun in circles with her eyes closed and a large smile on her face. Beams of golden light suddenly rained down through the clouds and illuminated the woods. They shined upon Rhoda’s face and made her appear as if she glowed like an angel.

“I love nature, absolutely love it,” she said. “It’s just so vibrant and full of energy. I feel all these feelings of love and peace channel through my being just by bathing in the sunlight.”

She stopped spinning and faced me with her hands behind her back. She crossed her legs and looked at me with a smile.

“I have always had a strong connection to the world of nature ever since I was a baby,” she said. “My house is surrounded by woods, so I spent my life outside. I love the trees, the flowers, the way the wind feels when it blows gently on my skin. I love everything that is nature. I especially love the springtime when everything comes alive and reveals its beauty. I can’t explain it but nature and I…we were meant for each other. We’re like family. I know it may sound a little weird, but this is how I feel.”

“It’s funny,” I smirked. “I too feel a strong connection with nature. My house too is surrounded by woods I used to play in when I was younger. Us kids, we’d play in the woods until evening. I’d also occasionally ride around the country and stop at a park or open forest area just to enjoy being around the trees and grass. Those were good times. But most of all, I remember the woods surrounding my house.”

The more I thought of times when I was younger the more memories came to the surface.

“Those woods had something strange about them,” I looked up at the leafless branches above. “I can’t explain it, but I always had this weird feeling. It’s like something was there beside me, like a ghost or something. But whatever it was it just felt like someone was there watching over me. It was like that since I was a child.”

“I had those feelings also,” she said. “Like there’s always something out here watching us, protecting us. Maybe it was the forest guardian.”

“Forest guardian?” I looked over at her.

“Yes. Well, no,” she glanced down briefly. “It’s actually something I made up. When I was small, I pretended there was a forest guardian who protected me. Even though it was just pretend I’d like to believe there really was a guardian who protected nature.”

“Hmm,” I mumbled.

“What, you don’t believe it?” she smirked. I was rather surprised she asked like that. It caught me off guard.

“Oh, yes,” I smirked back. “People say it’s weird to have imaginary friends, but they are known to be a lot more reliable than real ones. Always there for you, never turning on you. Come to think of it I miss my old imaginary friends. Boy did we used to go on some crazy adventures together. We used to travel to mars and the farthest stars in the galaxy.”

Rhoda chuckled and turned around. I heard flapping noises and looked around. There was a tree that suddenly had a flock of blue jays and robins landed on the branches.

“Those birds are pretty,” Rhoda smiled wide and showed all her teeth. “I love birds!”

“I do too,” I said. “I used to put up bird houses and bird feeders for them. Sometimes they’d make nest in pots that were strung up around the porch. I remember once I found three bird eggs in a blue coffee pot. I took it down since I didn’t know they were in it, but I quickly put it back up after finding the eggs. Sometimes, I’d be near that pot and the mama bird would be perched on a nearby branch. She’d swooped down at me, turning away just before flying into my face. A few days later, I checked the pot and found that the birds hatched. It caught me off guard. I didn’t want the mother bird abandoning them, so I quickly put the pot back up.”

“Oh she was just protecting her babies,” Rhoda chuckled. “So did they grow up big and strong?”

“Actually, I’m not sure,” I placed my hands in my pockets and looked up. “I think they left as I didn’t see or hear them from the pot again.”

“Oh I see,” Rhoda said, “When I was younger, I used to always go bird watching. I even fed them with bread, though it was very difficult because they’re so shy out here in the country. It’s hard getting close to them. Birds in the city are braver and stay around people who feed them, or so I heard.”

Another memory popped into my mind.

“Three years ago, I came home from school and stepped onto the porch. I turned around and saw a giant bird fly past. It was only there for a moment, but I saw it clear as day. It had a black body with white tips on its wings and tail. It had a red colored head. Its wingspan looked to be five feet. I asked others what kind of bird it was, but no one ever knew.”

Rhoda placed her fingers on her chin. Her lips twisted and her eyes squinted. “It sounds like it could had been a woodpecker, but they don’t get that big.”

“That was the only time I saw it too,” I thought hard. “If it was a woodpecker, it’s definitely the only one I’ve seen that big. Where’d it come from? Was it just a rare large one that appeared, like a mutation?”

“Maybe it was just a big woodpecker coming by to say hi,” Rhoda smiled widely.

We looked at each other awkwardly. Rhoda held her palm out and extended her finger. A red bird suddenly flew by and landed on her finger. I felt my jaw drop and my eyes widen.

“Oh my god,” I said slowly. “How’d you do that?”

“I told you, me and nature understand each other,” she said.

I didn’t know what to think. Maybe she really had a strong connection with nature, just as she said. I guess the outside world is a marvelous place when one sees what it has to offer. Or maybe she just knew how to summon birds. Who knew? I felt energized being in the woods with Rhoda. The evening rays shined beautifully from the clouds above.

I couldn’t help but think about Rhoda and our new friendship. I believed if someone took time to speak to certain people, they’d form a powerful bond that would bring out their best qualities. There’s hidden gold in certain people but it takes a special kind of person to help the other bring it out.

I wondered how different my life would had been if I’d never met Rhoda. Course I couldn’t imagine how someone so valuable in my life like her not being there. I could had passed by her on the bench and be on my merry way. Would she remained alone or would someone else eventually speak to her?

For as long as I’d known her, she was definitely more at home surrounded by trees. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but there was something unique about her that was different from other people. It wasn’t her cute appearance, nor her personality. She gave off an aura which attracted positivity. She was the kind of person who other people passed by and paid no attention too. The kind of good special that people missed out on because they never bothered to get to know her. Their lost, I guess.

‘Oh well, at least I was able to make myself a better person by getting to know someone great. It was all thanks to you. I’m glad we’re friends, Rhoda. Even if it’s just by a small margin, thank you for making my life better.’