A collection of souls

Poppy Seed

Poppy is someone who is awkward, like SUPER awkward around people. She's got beautiful hair that's brownish and ringletty (yes, that is now a word) around chin length and she uses it to hide behind. I am one of the few blessed souls who have actually seen her face, that is not a joke. I met her a couple of years ago when I saw her reading a book I liked. I already knew the people who hung around where she did and had become pretty well acquainted with them and I don't remember what book she was reading. Unlike most people, however, she wasn't completely weirded out by my approaching her and took it all in her stride and eventually we ended up talking about Pokemon. She was crazy about Pokemon. She took her 3DS out of her bag and I was like, 'cool I've got one at home too! have you got the new x and y games?' and she had both. I warmed up to her and we had our moments when we bumped into each other but we drifted apart.

It didn't even occur to me that I had stopped talking to her and I, being the dense bunny rabbit that I am, completely forgot about her existence. I went through some changes as a human being in the time I didn't talk to her; I got a horrible hair cut that I will forever regret, did some soul searching and that, so I felt like a different person. But you know the changes you go through when figuring yourself out aren't usually noticeable. To everyone else, you are still the same person, the same lovable idiot with a bag that weighs like a bunch of bricks. I was self-centred, as people tend to be, and when I next came across her, I didn't realise she had gone through some pretty drastic changes too.

We came into each other's lives again by attending the same class. Poppy and I had the same name (Poppy isn't actually her name, I'm the only chipmunk who actually calls her that) and we were sat side by side, as well as with another girl who shared our name. Being partners in this class, she bonded pretty  rapidly over Pokemon, and other games she was playing, like Animal Shelter and whatever else it was. By the way, her drawings are awesome, she draws pokemon, and other strange creatures. It was as if we never grew apart (oh and if there's something you should know about me, it's that I have loads of acquaintances, like Poppy, and Livia whom I learn about and everything but I try not to interfere too much or become that big a part in their lives. So the people I mention in my collection of souls won't be anyone that close, unless I say that they are. So don't expect them all to become my best friends or something). 

It was chill until I noticed her jumper sleeve slide up, I pretended not to notice, and I didn't want the teacher to either, so i 'accidentally' dropped my sharpener on the floor, she picked it up, and her sleeves slid back down. In case you haven't figured it out, there were cuts.

So, tactful as I am, I asked her why. She didn't tell me what was going on, and I don't remember what she said. But she was working on it, so I was cool with. She had a bunch of gamer friends who I knew so I knew she wasn't alone. And she loved her family and they treated her well, she also had a dog called Chococo (I was completely confused when she told me her name; she basically named it after her dog's parents). I still don't know what's causing her pain. 

Unfortunately, I was never skilled with tact, or that thing people do when they can tell everything about you at first glance, or the hidden meaning behind people's words. But what I do know is that she has a councillor, and that her friends are finally realising that they need to show her affection and appreciation. 

I think she gets it now that people do care, even though I had to practically spell it out for her. Multiple times. There was a time when she went missing during lunch break and I found her, just casually sitting in front of the classroom, not realising that her fellow gamers were in a frenzy looking for her. When they finally found her, she looked surprised that they even noticed she was missing.

I don't know what the point of this was. *shrugs*

Just.. be nice, it doesn't cost you anything and there a lot of people who need it.