Mute (M.C.)

f i v e

Gathering permission from the administration was mostly a piece of cake. The fact no one could say no to a mute kid and the principal's sister-in-law. We were almost invincible. The other half of the project was going to be a overnight project. We gathered the permission to build it outside in between two halls that were the main flow of the school traffic. most of the teachers had their windows uncovered so students could see outside their jail cells. 

Fast forward to it being three weeks of working on this project and it being nearly five in the morning and we are barely finishing up the last bits of the project. I stood back and looked at what we had made. It took about three tarps that were tied to polls to cover the area. The tree was made in four parts of paper mache. Leslie insisted we never met at her house but after school in the art room. We occasionally went to my house to finish the base of the tree that I would have to transport at nearly 4 am. The tree was a gray based and we hung up Christmas lights around the ill looking tree. It was very...
"She is a beauty." Leslie huffed out and pulled her jacket close to her. "Thank you, Michael. I don't say this often but you really pulled through with this."
We sat down on the pavement and looked at the creation that was mainly Leslie Garcia.
I took out a small notepad and wrote down, what does this mean... The art of it all? Passing it to her and the corner of her lips tugged upward.
"If I tell you... You can't tell anyone." She passed back the notebook and inhaled sharply.
"I'm that tree. I'm gray and dead on the inside. I feel it... I know I am. But the lights are the good that is around me. Everyday I am loved and accepted but something in my head doesn't connect with it. Because why would someone you love-" she paused and cleared her throat. "I'm not worth saving. And I wish everyone would see that."
Before I can respond she looks at me and places her hand on mine. "My life is a tragic one, Michael Clifford. And I wish you would see that." She sat for a second and left to her car pulling away.