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"MS. WITHERSPOON, DOES THIS HAVE TO BE my permanent seat?" Harley questioned the tall blonde lady who he called his teacher. His first grade teacher to be exact. It had been a month since school started, and she was already rearranging seats. But Harley didn't understand why his seat had to be moved. It wasn't like he had been talkative lately. He was quiet like usual, but even with that, his sweet spot at the back of the classroom had been moved to the very front and center of the room.
If anything, he wasn't going to let this slide. But being the first grader he was, there wasn't anything he could do about it.
"Yes, Harley, this will be your seat for the time being. Some of your classmates are a distraction, and I think you can perform better in class if you're at the front," Ms. Witherspoon reasoned as she motioned him to have a seat with one hand, her other laced around her coffee mug. "Everyone has a different seat now, so you're not alone. You can even make a new friend."
"But I don't know anyone in this class, Ms. Witherspoon," Harley protested with a pout. "I don't like this class."
Ms. Witherspoon just sighed. Regaining her composure, she knelt down to reach the first-grader's level.
"Use your manners and be kind. Say hi and take it from there. It doesn't have to be hard," the teacher smiled before she took a sip from her dose of energy. "I'm sure you and your new neighbor will make awesome friends."
And just like that, she strutted away from her student to greet others in the classroom. It was a grueling Monday morning, and frankly, Harley didn't want to be there, especially since his teacher moved his seat. The best seat of the classroom had been given away to someone else. Unfortunately, complaining about it to his teacher didn't help the situation at all.
Facing the white board, he placed one hand on his chin, hoping the day would slip away quickly so he could head home. As he drew imaginary circles with his free hand on the wooden kid-sized desk, racket noises of a chair banged against the desk beside him. Startled, he placed his hands in his lap as he looked to see who was there.
A little girl with countless braids sprouting from her head took a seat beside him. A few bright pink beads clung at the ends of each braid, clanging against each other every time the little girl made a move. She wore a pink Hello Kitty T-shirt, a denim blue jacket, matching jeans, and pink Minnie Mouse sneakers. The nostrils of Harley's nose picked up the warm scent of cocoa butter and Vaseline. He wasn't too familiar with the smell, but from that moment on, he knew that he'd love that smell from that day on.
The little girl flashed a small smile at him before she faced the board. Her forehead was as shiny as a diamond, well moisturized and taken care of. She seemed genuine so far, so he smiled back.
The words of his teacher began to ring through Harley's brain. He didn't have any friends, but in order to make some, he'd have to say something. Hi was the word. There was nothing hard about it.
But being the shy kid that he was, Harley found it oddly difficult. So instead of forcing himself to do it, he looked at the ground towards his shoes, waiting and waiting for the right moment to say hello. Sitting around and waiting for the opposite party to do it wasn't ideal, and Harley knew it, but he couldn't find the courage to greet her either.
Before he could think about it any further, a raspy, yet soothing voice was heard. "Hi."
Looking up, Harley faced the girl that sat beside him in surprise. Feeling his voice croak, he kept the conversation going. "Hello."
"What's your name?" The girl asked, revealing her innocent smile. Besides this one tooth that was missing, her smile was perfectly in line.
"My . . . My name is Harley," the little boy introduced himself. "What's your name?"
"Summer," she mused. "Just like the season."
"Your name is . . . pretty," Harley admitted as he felt himself flush red. "I like summer. It's my favorite season because you can go to the pool.
"Thank you," Summer grinned. "I like the season, too. Have you ever been to a water park? My mommy and daddy always take me to them."
And just like that, conversation revolving around that particular season of the year stirred. As Summer and Harley had their bubbly conversation and chatter, Harley began to realize that his teacher was right. Making friends didn't always have to be hard, especially since he was only six years old. His social skills were just in development.
But nonetheless, Harley was forever grateful that Summer decided to say hi to him. If she didn't, he probably would've chickened out. With that, their friendship probably wouldn't have blossomed the way it did.
Maybe his seat in the front and center of the classroom would become his brand-new sweet spot.
