"Mercury"
"Yeah! That's a good name!"
"It's official then...I shall call her Mercury"
"The better version of me"
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"Mercury! Wake up! It's time to go back to class!"
I immediately woke up, seeing a red-head with two sky-blue eyes looking upon me with a cute grimace on her face, crossing her arms and waiting for me to sit up from the soft, green grass that lies beneath me. This girl happens to be my best friend, Amy.
I looked up at her still dazed from sleep.
"Recess is over already?" I replied back, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
"Yeah! You slept through it all, again! I haven't had one chance to play with you this week! What's going on??" Amy asked as she offered her hand to me.
I blinked a few times at her and soon realized what she meant. Feeling guilty, I took her hand, and stood up at her level. I then looked at her.
"Sorry, Ames. I had to take care of my brother this week and I haven't had any sleep thanks to him" I answered nervously.
"Oh..but I thought your Aunt Mary was taking care of him this week" Amy said with confusion.
"She was but...the nurse said she needed more time in the hospital until they really know what's wrong with her" I said while rubbing my arm, hesitantly.
I turned away from Amy, trying to hide the sadness from my face. I don't want her to see me like this, I don't want to be a burden to her, but I guess I already am, aren't I? What's sad is that I'm still in 8th grade and I'm way too young to be dealing with this stuff. Aunt Mary is in the hospital because of a panic attack that happened a week ago and my brother, Zachary (who is 10 years older than me) has to be taken care of due to a mental illness that just occurred around the time of his girlfriend's death. Amy knows this and yet she continues to be friends with me, it's amazing.
In the midst of my thoughts, I feel someone lay a hand on my shoulder. I turn and see Amy with a sympathetic smile on her face. Smiling is contagious but smiling in that way, in the way she is doing it, it haunts me. It makes me feel like I am someone to feel pity for or something along the lines. I turned away from her again, indicating my insecurity to her response. It seems that Amy got the message as I saw no one behind me anymore.
"What kind of a friend am I?" I quietly asked myself.
The school bell rang once more, drawing me out of what has just occurred between Amy and I.
I looked around me and saw many students running back to their classrooms, abundant with friends and smiles shared all around them.
I then looked at myself as I walked slowly back to my next classroom.
No friends to share my walk with, no smiles to show.
Just me and my shadow.
I knew at that moment that Amy and I had a small break up.
And it was all my fault.
-End of Part 1-
