The Struggle is Real

Pattycake

              Jimmy sat down next to Scott in ELA class.

Katherine was standing up and talking with him.

She waved happily at Jimmy, though they've never really spoken.

Jimmy waved awkwardly back and got up to grab his notebook.

Everyone's notebooks stayed at school, and there was a little shelf in the back keeping all of them.

After a couple minutes of digging through the books, Jimmy grabbed his green notebook and walked back to his seat.

Katherine whispered something to Scott, and he playfully kicked her while she giggled.

Huh. Jimmy thought, watching as Katherine sat down next to Teagan, a girl who had brown hair with highlights. They must playfully kick each other... relationships are weird.

Jimmy sat down and noticed that Scott was doodling in his notebook.

Jimmy watched him draw a deer (which was very good) and he rested his face on his hand.

Scott paused and glanced over at Jimmy.

They made eye contact, and Jimmy's heart leapt and his face turned bright red from embarrassment.

"S-sorry." He stuttered, "I like watching people draw, and you're really good at it."

"Oh, thanks!" Scott smiled.

"Alright class!" Mr. Brinson clapped his hand, "Today we're reviewing interruptions in sentences. We're doing a little project in partners."

Everyone started to look at their friends and Mr. Brinson laughed.

"Don't go looking at your friends, since this project is done with the person sitting next to you."

Some people groaned but others shrugged.

Jimmy and Scott smiled at each other as Mr. Brinson passed out a paper.

"You guys have to write 5 sentences that have an interruption in it, and draw pictures that correspond with it."

"You're drawing." Jimmy said immediately and Scott chuckled.

"Sure." Scott said, writing his name on the paper before passing it to Jimmy.

-

"Alright, done." Scott said.

They looked around and saw that most kids were still working.

Jimmy started to tap his fingers on the table awkwardly while Scott muttered something.

"What?" Jimmy asked, only catching a word of what Scott said.

Scott turned a bit red, "Sorry, I was just...do you want to play pattycake?"

"Er- what's that?"

"It's a hand game." Scott said, lifting his hands a motioning Jimmy to do the same.

"Here, it's like this." Scott said, clapping his hands before slapping his right hand against Jimmy's left.

"I'm...lost."

Scott laughed, "Clap your hands and slap your right one against my left."

Jimmy followed Scott's directions as he did the same.

"You look so nervous!" Scott laughed.

"Shut up!" Jimmy said, "I've never done this before!"

"You never did hand games in elementary school?"