The Dragon

I Wish

13 years old

"Lindsey...I told you. I don't do that kind of stuff. You know how I am around people..."

"Please Mark? I need you! I need my best friend! Are you telling me that after 8 years of being my friend, you won't go to the dance with me?"

"You know it's not personal...I just can't. You know that."

She sighed and sat next to me on top of the stone wall that I was sitting on, which was overlooking the school track.

"Yeah, I know...it just sucks. I don't want you to be alone while everyone else is having fun."

"I'll be fine, Lindsey. Really. It is possible to have fun without me. I know I am pretty fun, but..."

She started laughing when I said that, gently punching my shoulder.

"You're not that fun, you goofball!"

Then after a brief silence, she turned back to me.

"Hey, how about we play games at your house? We never did have that Mario Kart rematch..."

I turned around to see her smiling at me brightly.

"You don't have to stay home with me. If you want to go to the dance, then you should go."

"But what if I want to spend the evening hanging out with my best friend? The dance is no fun if I can't stand on the sidelines with you and make fun of the one kid who thinks he's a great dancer but is actually really really bad."

Then I started smiling at her and I hugged her tightly.

"Thank you."

"No problem, Mark."

~~~

Me and Lindsey had been playing Mario Kart for hours now and I don't know why I wanted a rematch. She's still beating me! But I walked downstairs quickly to get us some water when I heard my parents talking.

"My son needs to pull himself together! He can't live like this!"

"I told you, we're getting him help. He can't control anxiety, honey. Especially with how bad it is..."

"He has no friends! He rarely leaves the house! He obsesses about small things like washing his hands 20 times a day, and can't find anything to make him happy!"

"I told you, he has a lot for us to work on. The OCD, and GAD, and ADHD, and social anxiety, and now the newest addition! It's going to take a lot of time, but the doctors say it's possible. And he has Lindsey. We both know how much they care for each other."

"Yes, but she's the only friend he has. Hell, she's the only person he talks to that doesn't live in the house. He doesn't even hardly talk to relatives when they visit. He can't. I'm just happy he has her..."

"Me too, honey. Me too..."

My eyes were filled with tears as I ran back to my room, slamming the door shut on the other side and sliding down it.

"Hey, did you get the wa...hey, are you okay?"

She walked over to me, sitting next to me and wrapping her arm around my shoulders in a hug as I cried my little heart out. After I had calmed down a little, she asked me about it.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"My parents were talking and...I dunno. I guess I had just never heard it all out like that. I guess I'm one hell of a messed up kid."

"You've got a lot of your plate, and in your head. But you're not messed up. You're great, Mark!"

"I wish I was more like you..."

"Why? I'm probably the most boring kid on the planet."

"You're not boring. But you're normal. Not like me..."

She sighed as she got up, grabbing something from across the room, and bringing it to me. When I looked up, I saw her holding the dragon she had given me 8 years ago. I had come to love it more than my mangled teddy bear, which I still had. But this one was really special, since she got it for me. Then she started giving it a goofy little voice and "it" talked to me.

"Hm...I wonder who the absolute best person in the world is...who do you think it is, Lindsey?"

"Well, I think it's Mark. He's sweet and kind, and he's willing to be around me for more than 5 minutes which is already a miracle. And whenever I'm at his house, I know I'm safe because he's there to protect me...and because I know he's checked literally EVERYTHING in the house to make sure it's safe and in its proper place...including me."

I laughed a little at the last part.

"Hm...well he does sound like the most amazing person ever. I agree. And I'm a magical dragon, so it must be true."

I laughed as she looked at me with a sincere look in her eyes.

"Well, dragons don't lie, so..."

"Thank you, Lindsey."

"It's what I'm here for. Just don't doubt yourself like that, though. You are literally amazing, Mark. More than I could ever tell you."

"And so are you. You're the only person I can actually talk to, and I trust you with my life."

"And I promise I'll never break your trust, Mark."

"Thank you..."