𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀 | ᴋᴀᴛᴇ ᴡᴇᴛʜᴇʀᴀʟʟ

[ uno ]

say hey (i love you) by michael franti & spearhead
( ziggy muldoon's theme song )
and the kids on the corner playing ghetto games , when i saw you getting down , girl , i hoped it was you , and when i looked into your eyes i knew it was true.

reynie sat on a bench, eating a sandwich while he waited for the quarter bell to ring inside the church so he could head to the monk building a little early for his second test. he was the only one to pass in his section, and was provided with the information to bring only a #2 pencil and a eraser along with it. any less or any more, and he would be out.

soon enough, he heard the church bell ring, letting him finish his sandwich and rise from the bench. as he mounted the steps to the monk buildings broad front plaza, reynie saw two girls a long way ahead of himself, walking together toward the front door, talking. some other test-takers he guessed. one of the girls seemed to have bright green hair -- though perhaps this was a kind of trick of the light; it shone blindly bright today, which reynie appreciated -- was carelessly flicking her pencil up into the air and catching it once again. not the best idea, reynie thought. and sure enough, her luck went down the drain -- literally -- when the girl missed the catch and it rolled into the drain nearby.

for a moment, the blonde girl walking beside her, hesitating, as if she might try to help or just leave her. taking the latter, she quickly checked her watch. 4 minutes until 1 o'clock. she winced, apologizing and walking off, the sympathetic expression leaving just as fast as it came in.

as reynie walked towards the girl who stared pointlessly into the drain, as if hoping it would magically fly back into her hand. the girls face was striking; coal black skin, hair so long she could tie it around her waist if she wanted to (and it was actually a neon green shade), and a incredibly unique dress that resembled to a cloud in the sky.

reaching the girl, reynie said, "thats rotten luck, to drop your pencil here of all places." the girl looked up at reynie, surprised he even stopped. "you don't happen to have an extra one, do you?" she asks, pleading eyes.
"i'm sorry, i was told to bring-"
"i know, i know," she interrupted. "only one pencil and eraser. well, that was my only pencil, and a fat lot of good it will do me in that drain," she stared through the grate bars into the darkness on that bright day for a moment, and looked back up again, to see reynie still there. surprised to see him, "what are you waitin for? the test starts any minute."

"i'm not gonna leave you here without a pencil," reynie insisted, "i'm surprised your friend did." the girl went one how she didnt know her and met her down by the stairs, "oh, well, reynard muldoon. people call me reynie." "ok, reynie, nice to meet you, im rhonda kazembe. so now that were friends, how do you intend to bring my pencil back? we'd better hurry, you know. one minute late and were disqualified."

reynie took his pencil out of his pocket, staring at it for moment before snapping it and half and putting one of the halves out to the girl. "we can share mine. i'll sharpen my half, and we'll all be set. you have your eraser hopefully, right?" rhonda stared at the half in surprised and gratitude, "that never occurred to me," she said, taking it out of the boys hand, "breaking it like that. now what did you ask? oh, yes, i have my eraser." "then lets get going, we only have," he checks his digital watch, "one minute."

holding back, rhonda said to him, "hold on, reynie, i haven't properly thanked you." with impatience, reynie responded, "you're welcome, now lets go!" still resisting, she pulled him back again, "no, i really want to thank you. if it weren't for you, i couldnt have taken this test, and do you wanna know something?" looking left and right, she whispered up to the 11 year old.