Fragments

Accusation

"We all live with the objective of being happy, our lives are all different and yet the same."

“Listen up!” I command, in my high-pitched childish voice. The small group of attentive five-year-olds stop what they’re doing and glance up at me, from where I’m sat on the monkey bars. Swinging down, I flip over the bar so that I’m hanging upside down. “I bet I can win all of you at a race.”

“You mean you can beat us,” a girl named Serena corrects me.

“Whatever, I still win.” I reply, dropping from the bars onto the ground.

“No, I’m faster than you.” Serena says.

“No, I’m faster than you!” I reply haughtily, hopping up off the ground. “Race you!”

“Fine!” She looks around, and then points up to the blue bin at the top of the playground, ages away from where we stand. “Race you to the bin and back,”

“Fine!” I repeat, sticking my tongue out at her. She crosses her eyes, and I’m jealous because I can’t.

We head over to the small slide, where my friend Sammy sits reading a comic in its shade. He doesn’t see us, focused as he is on the adventures of Batman and Robin. Me and Serena exchange looks.

“Sammy!” I snap, and he starts, glasses sliding down his nose.

“What?” He asks me, looking confused.

“We’re racing, and I need you to be the judge.” Sammy sits up at that. He pushes his glasses up his nose, so I know he means business.

“Where are you racing to?”

“The bin and back,” Serena cuts in, pointing. Sammy nods, and we line up.

“On your marks! Get set….GO!” He yells, and me and Serena start running, dodging the kids who walk through our race. I reach the bin first and loop around it, but Serena just taps it and starts sprinting back to the slide where Sammy stands, waving his comic in the air. I hurry to keep up.

“Cheat!” I yell, as I push myself to get alongside her. She looks tired, cheeks flushing red, her arms and legs pumping.

“Didn’t…say…you…had…to…run…around…the bin!” She gasps out, tired yet still keeping pace with me.

But not for long, as I stretch my legs out further and start to push away from her, overtaking her quickly and making it back to Sammy a few steps ahead of her.

“Can’t believe you cheated!” I frown at her as I collapse under the shade of the slide. She manages to smile at me, even though she’s clutching her side like she has a stitch.

“Are you accusing me of cheating?” She asks, looking smug at her use of the word ‘accusing’. “I never said you had to run around the bin.” I look to Sammy for help, but he just shrugs.

“It’s true; she never said you had to go around it.” Serena takes this as an opportunity to join us, slipping down onto the ground next to me and crossing her legs.

“Do you like Batman?” She asks Sammy, pointing at his comic. His grin almost splits his face in half, and they begin to talk about Batman enthusiastically. I look at them both incredulously.

“But it’s not fair!” I argue, pulling a face. They both laugh

“You still won though. You’re fast!” Serena says, smiling. She gently tugs one of my long red plaits. “You have pretty hair,” I smile back at her then. I am fast, I think as pride fills me up like I’m some kind of water bottle.

“You have pretty hair too!” I say, nodding at her long blue-black hair with its thick fringe. I always wanted a fringe, but my hair is too thin. She smiles, Sammy groans at our girl talk, and just like that I had a new best friend.