A thousand nights

January 4th

I have a little nostalgia of my childhood friends Logan and Shai, so I've decided to write about this memory of them from elementary school.

'Run faster Park or we'll miss it!'

'But I don't want to see it'

'Shut up man and move your legs'

Shai and I were busy playing ninjas with another group of fourth graders during recess when Thompson The Dodge-ball - we called him that because he was fat and smelly so everyone wanted to avoid him - came rushing in the playground announcing that Logan McKinley and Matthew Johnson where fighting at the water fountain on the other side of the playground. At once Shai run after Thompson The Dodge ball to the place, forcing me along. She couldn't miss this fight.

Matthew was a fifth grader who couldn't keep his mouth shut about anything. He always bragged about his wealth and didn't hesitate to point out how everybody else wasn't as well-off as him. He and his rich friends once pranked Logan by soaking his clothes in the toilet of the chainging room, those were the permanently stained toilets that only the sweaty athletes of the school used for urgent number twos. To say that Logan got mad was an understatement. He burned his clothes and Matthew's $70 football shirt. Ever since then the two have always been fighting each other.

Shai pushed the crowd of fourth graders away as she made her way to see what was going on. I came right behind her, now curious myself to see what was going on.

Logan and Matthew were on each other. Logan, with his 5'2 inches of height looked more like a 6th grader, was elbowing, pushing and punching Matthew, whilst the latter, well...attempted to swing some punches too.

Shai couldn't contain the amusement embodied on her lips.

'Come on McKinley, my grandma would've beaten his ass already by now!' she shouted. The crowd laughed.

Logan freed himself from Matthew to glare at Shai's smug face. Matthew came back, and Logan pushed him again, resuming their elbowing-hugging fight.

'Are you gonna help him?' I asked Shai. Shai never stopped smiling. It baffled me how she could switch from being a savage wild beast and a calm articulated eleven year old on command. Everyone in school feared her, even I.

'Not so quickly' she kept staring at the two. After some minutes of staring, she made her mind up to stop that silly encounter.

She stepped on Matthew's white Reeboks' and kneeled him in the abdomen. He fell on his knees in pain.

'Shhh momma and daddy are gonna fix that with the new apple mp3 and a trip to Disneyland anyway' She told him. The crowd laughed again.

'I'll get you back for this Shailini Dara' Matthew uttered through the pain.

'Aww Matt you're stronger than I thought' she pushed him on the floor and placed her foot on his back. Shai turned to the crowd.

'Get back to your recess now, there's nothing more to see!' Everyone obeyed, they didn't dare cross her.

'McKinley, those punches of yours, too weak, you need to work on it' she crossed her arms.

Logan rolled his eyes. ' I didn't need you to butt in, I could have finished him easily'

'Sure' she smiled. 'You still punch terribly'

'And you're annoying, honestly Dara you are making me want to punch you' he narrowed his eyes.

'Do it then' she challenged.

'Oh my God guys can you stop, look we've got math in a few minutes can we just start walking to class already?' I told them in annoyance. It's always like this, they would start insulting each other and then I'd have to end it before the teachers came in.

'Sorry Park, you're right, let's just start going' Shai started walking away.

'What about Matthew?' I asked them looking down at him clutching his foot, Shai went easy with his abdomen.

'A teacher will find him eventually' Logan concluded.

'Are you not scared that they will exclude you or give you detention?' I asked again, I couldn't just neglect Matthew. Logan shrugged. He started waking away as I reluctantly followed.

'Hope you've done my math homework Dara' Logan smiled to Shai.

'Oh I have' she smirked devilishly. I walked next to them, unaware of the turnouts of life in the years that were to follow.