Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot

One of the earliest memories I can recall happened in the first grade. I attended a small school called Rockledge Elementary where I would regularly get into mischief. Rockledge is where I learned to play the timeless game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors." During lunch and recess, I would go around challenging people to see if they could beat me in two out of three matches. Back in first grade, "'Rock, Paper, Scissors" wasn't a game, it was a lifestyle. Only the best and brightest could win and the victor of the match would be congratulated by anyone in his or her presence. Now that I am older I see it is just a pointless game of random chance.

I can only remember one of my classmates from first grade, an unnaturally tall and thin boy named Langston Rich. Langston claimed that he was two years older than me and always told his classmates that he was held back for two years. I never believed him because it was practically impossible to get held back in elementary school, especially in first grade. Because of his age difference, Langston believed he could do whatever he wanted. He used his confidence to cheat in "Rock, Paper, Scissors." He would always wait until you went first and then would choose whatever option would beat you. One day, I was determined to defeat him and I trained against many people in my class to prepare myself for our duel to the death.

The next day I sat down at his lunch table. Approximately five children were sitting at his table and about seven were looking at me from neighboring tables. They all knew only one of us would be able to survive this match. We all cautiously looked at each other as tension arose in the room. I challenged him and he accepted. We both tightened our fists and swung them high and low chanting,
"Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot!"

After the words were said, nobody moved. Both Langston and I froze our hands high in the air, waiting for the other to make the first move.

"YOU CHEATED!" Exclaimed Langston with rage.

"SO DID YOU!" I shouted back

"REMATCH!" he screeched at the top of his lungs.

I could only imagine how confused teachers were when they walked by our table. We decided to play another round and we both agreed to place a character down directly after we both said shoot. I decided to go for my solid choice, rock -- no pun intended. One of my friends advised me that most people would select scissors so rock was the best option. Deciding to play the odds, I placed rock, but when I looked at Langston, he had a character that I had never seen before. It was a stick figure standing on the palm of his other hand.

"GOD BEATS ROCK" he screamed.

"That's not a real thing." I said looking at the audience to back me up. But nobody dared step up Langston.

"Rematch" I insisted. I was determined to win.

His following choices were not any better -- lion, alien, sun, and volcano, just to name a few. I gave up and in our final match I screamed,

"I CHOOSE CHEETAH!" and my teeth raced to his hand and chomped down as hard as a six year old could. Langston gave out the loudest screech I have ever heard which could be heard by teachers within a mile radius. The Vice Principal reached our table first and I dismissed me to the principal's office. Looking back on that memory, I feel sorry for having done this. At the same time, I laugh thinking that somewhere out there, there is a boy that remembers me as the one who bit his hand in rock, paper, scissors.