The Fourtitude: A Narrative of Naivety

A Challenger Approaches

The year was 2015. August Hansen was the only kid in his grade that he knew. Because he was a new kid. He wasn't introverted, because he was only nine. He wasn't self-conscious in the slightest, because he was always too upbeat to really care about anything sad.

It was his first day at his new school at Fromone Elementary, and he wasn't really scared. He slipped on his favorite pair of cargo pants and his solid black tee shirt. He was fairly confident that everyone would like him. I mean, what's not to like? He thought, straightening his blonde hair as his mother walked by and then messing it all up again after she left. He knew exactly what to say to someone new. "Hi! I'm August. I'm the new kid!"

"Get lost, loser!" Matt Ferrew shoved him out of his way, "You 'new kids' are always dorks!" The kid stood tall, smirking to intimidate August. He wiped a piece of dog hair from the shoulder of his grey sweatshirt, and August got a good look at how he dressed. Clearly he didn't care how he looked. His navy blue shirt was half tucked into his navy jeans, and you could see a white snot stain on it from a mile away. His jeans were also way too big for him, the bottoms of the pants forced under his dirt-covered white Sketchers.

"Just because you believe in something, no matter how hard, that doesn't make it true." August retaliated, stepping his right leg forward a bit and looking up at a slight angle to see Matt, but not size him up.

"Huh?" Matt's nose twitched. Snot could be seen inside his left nostril clinging to the walls of his nose for dear life.

"Just like how you believe your hair's on point. But let me tell you, there's just one hair sticking up right... here!" August smacked Matt over the head when he said that, causing him to fall over onto the hard tile floor, bumping his elbow and releasing a small tear before he could even notice, like a leak for a new Avengers movie. "Hmph. Kids like you are always dorks." August smiled and calmly walked down the hall, straightening his red Lightning McQueen backpack.