Chit and Jake

Jake

Chit looked lost in thought as we sat down on the grass in the shade of an old oak. I decided it was best not to interrupt him so instead I leaned back against the gorgeous old tree and admired the way sunlit filtered through the leaves, bending and adjusting as the breeze ruffled the branches. I cast my gaze towards Chit, his pale green eyes still distant. Seeing him from this angle, his chocolate brown hair ruffled, quiff messier than normal, lips barely parted, lost deep in thought, his true colours shined through. You could see his intelligence and amazing, if not slightly dorky, personality. To this day it still manages to amaze me that he hasn't had a girlfriend yet...I mean, being in year eleven, most kids have, even I have, but dating has just never been one of Chit's priorities. Girls have liked him and that much was obvious, well to me at least, but Chit always saw it as them wanting homework answers or simply playing a cruel joke. Girls and everyone in general, were too scared to try be friends with him. It's always been this way, even when we were little, people avoided him naturally.

I met Chit when we were four; he was sitting under a tree alone in the shade, while everyone else at preschool was playing with each other. He was wearing preppy clothes unlike the others, who were dressed like rug-rats. I was in decked out in black. All of my clothes had always been dark. So even from that age, with my jet black hair and chubby cheeks, I looked 'emo'. I was new to the preschool because I'd recently moved, so although I was unaware of what the social groups were, I didn't care. It was obvious to me that Chit was an outsider and that he was a lone wolf. I sat by myself for the first few days, watching everyone else and how they interacted. Most kids picked on Chit and those who didn't, wouldn't try to stop it. Cowards. Chit was smart. It was something I have always admired about him. He was reading well before everyone else and his writing was always the neatest. One day, I decided to go introduce myself. He was stubborn, saying he didn't want nor need friends. Despite this I stuck at it, sitting next to him in silence, sometimes even attempting to talk. Eventually he replied and we started speaking more often. Soon enough it was every day. When he noticed me struggling in class, he started re-explaining the work to me. Not long after that I'd worked up the courage to defend him. From then on, it's been me and him against the world.
Ring ring.
The bell. It echoed throughout the grounds the way a warden's voice echoes throughout a prison. Signalling more torturous hours in class, at least now, I had Chit.