Middle School Miniature

Chapter 10, Meeting Max

The light that I was hiding from disappeared.

His hand was there to block any escape and reached for me with an open palm. It pushed me up against the step and began closing me in. I kicked, punched, and generally flailed around in anger, fear, and panic, but I failed to persuade him to give up my capture. That is until I bit his hand after my arms had been pinned to my sides. But instead of getting the intended recoil, his hand let go, dropping me down just a bit, and a middle finger swung around flicking me in the midsection.

My gut hurt like I had done a full belly flop into a swimming pool. I instinctively curled up around my injury, wheezing in pain. This regrettably allowed the hand to roughly scoop me up and enclose me in his damp, leathery, palm. I can't believe he just hurt me.

I never had any serious injuries before. As long as you don't count having saxophone cases and neckstraps fall on me, but even those weren't terrible. The worst thing that happened was a couple of years ago when I was riding my bike. There was this tree with a big root that stuck out like a ramp. So, thinking I could do a 'cool' jump, I decided that a ramp is exactly what the root was. I raced up to the ramp and drove into it doing a partial flip. I landed on my back with my bike inches off to my side. I got up with a bruised back, a deep scrape in my helmet, a scratched-up arm, and a bloody knee. Nothing was broken thankfully, but I had still learned my lesson.

And even that was a while ago, so I was stunned by the pain blossoming from my gut. I even worried about a worst-case scenario, that maybe a rib could have been broken. I heard footsteps and doors but everything seemed hazy and the light was being restricted by the flesh around me.

I was gently slid onto a wood surface where I heard a clink. The pain slowly receded as I got a little bit accustomed to my soreness. I sat up ever so gingerly, groaning, and took in my surroundings.

Everything was blurred, I thought it was me so I blinked and wiped at my eyes, trying to see clearly, then I noticed writing in the air. No way. The jar now surrounded me again, but instead of an open top, the jar was upside down on top of me. I realized that the jar had no breathing holes, being turned upside down and all. I started to panic and struggle to my feet, fighting throbbing pains until it was too much and I fell back to my knees almost sobbing.

I look up at the glass to see Max just sitting there on his bed, staring at me with concern, fascination, and a twinge of regret. 

Is he trying to kill me!?

"Open the jar, I am going to suffocate!" I yell out to him in a weak but panicked voice as my diaphragm protests.

He mouths the word "What?" And points to his ear.

I mimic taking a glass off of my hand in the largest gestures I can. But I think it's getting harder to breathe already and I collapse from the pain in my side that flared up from my movement.

I don't know if he understood me or just took the jar off to help or hear me, but I don't care. I am just relieved that I will not be dying of suffocation.

"Uhhh, ... you ok?" The giant asked in his deep voice. His voice isn't necessarily deep because of him being big, I think I remember that he normally has a lower voice for our age.

"Seriously?!" I wheeze in response.

"What?"

"Are you going to apologize? Why did you even put that jar over me?"

"Well... I," he pauses giving an unconscious shrug, embarrassment lightly brushed over his expression. He instead changed the subject. "I'm not trying to be sexist, but girls can't take a hit." He replies. I stare at him for a moment. Shocked.