The Halloween Memory (AMBW) (Completed)

Accidental Friendship

It was a bright sunny day in Jackson, Tn; children ran around the playground with sweet abandon as their parents watched with amusement and caution.

Shelia was playing hand games with a few of her friends. "My momma took me to the store, she told me not to stay so long, I fell in love with a redhead boy; who took my heart away!"

Seth looked around with curiosity in his eyes when he saw all the kids playing around the park with joy.

A bunch of boys were playing football as rough and loud as they could be.

He watched the game with amazement in his eyes, so much so that Seth didn't even notice the football that hit him square in the face.

"Whoa, you okay?" a little boy that was 12 years old came running up the hill to him and asked

"Mmm hm. ..." Seth nodded while holding his bleeding nose.

"Hey Max, what's going on?" another boy about the age of 13 came running up with annoyance on his face

"Just checking on him, Jerome," Max replied while picking up the football near the bleeding boy, wearily watching him just in case.

Jerome had a darker brown tone on his body than max does with his lighter complexion, and while Max had a haircut with his initials on the side of his head, Jerome had a small afro.

Jerome pretended to do a once over before moving away from the injured boy as if he had the flu.

"He's alright; let's go back and play the pigskin."

"Pigskin, really man?" Max asked.

"My dad calls it that every time we go to a football game," Jerome replied with an "are you stupid?" look

"Hey max, momma said that it's time to go," Sheila warned as a robust woman with genuine concern on her face came towards them in a hurry.

"Whoa, what happened to him?" Sheila asked, in surprise at the injured boy.

"My goodness, child, what happened to you!?" Max's mom came up the hill faster than a cheetah.

When Max's and Sheila's mother made it up, Jerome grabbed the football out of Max's hands and ran down the hill as if his butt was on fire.

"Jerome, what he..!?" Max yelled while Jerome retreated

"What were you going to say, boy?" the mother asked with a clear warning from her dark brown eyes.

"Nothing, momma!" Max replied with his head down in shame.

"Where's your mom, baby?" she asked in a softer tone in her voice while looking around for his parents.

"I don't know," Seth answered while trying to stop the bleeding

"Max, do you know what happened?" she looked straight into his eyes with silent fury.

"Yes, mam, I didn't mean to hit him; I was just playing football," Max replied nervously, looking anywhere but at his mom's eye.

"Sheila, look into my bag and get some tissue out for me."

"Yes, Mam," Sheila replied with quickness in her step towards the backpack and back to the parent.

"Let's go find your mom; what's your name, sweety?"

"My name is Seth zheng, mam," he called her mam since they called her that

"Seth, well, that's a sound name. Come on, baby."

Sheila looked at her brother with annoyance and simply followed their mom to find Seth's parents.

It wasn't hard to find them after what felt like a minute or two when his momma ran up to us, talking fast, and grabbed the boy to see if he had any more injuries.