The Stories of the Clouds

Chapter 2. The Fear of Strength

         A student once asked his master. "You teach me fighting and yet talk about peace. How do you reconcile the two?" The Master replied, "It is better to be a warrior in a garden then a gardener in a war." - Jaffer wilson

          I remember it so clearly, the quote meant that it's better to know how to fight and never have to use it then to not know and end up in a fight that needs to be won. I was always a pacifist, so everyone thought I didn't know how to fight. But on that fateful day everyone would learn the hard way that it wasn't that i couldn't fight only that i chose not to.

         This week was special for the school, for the populars it was the big game against our rivals and they were completely focused on the game and showing their school pride so they were too busy to notice anything else. For the people being bullied it was like a holiday because the bullies focus was taken off of them so they had a bully free week where they could relax and not have to worry about being hurt or harassed. It was basically a relaxing week for the whole school. This was also a holiday for me because Stephanie didn't come to the tree to bother me and I didn't have to watch all those people getting bullied. So I was joyfully enjoying my days in the tree relaxing and it was so nice but then the day before the big game Stephanie approached me at the tree.

          "You know I think this counts as our spot now. I mean this is where we are both at most of the time and we are here together." And at her saying this I got really mad. After everything that had happened. She doesn't talk to me during school, doesn't even consider me a friend and she has the audacity to say it's our spot like she ever considered me anything more then her own personal therapist to talk to only when it's convenient for her. So i said exactly what was on my mind. "I don't consider it ours though, you don't seem to really care about me at all except as a therapeutic relief to tell all your problems too." I sat up and looked down at her from the branch I was on. "You know I respected you and I liked you the first day that we met but then I saw you at school, torturing and bullying the other students, making sure they felt like an outcast. I thought that even if you were popular that you would stand up and make sure no one felt like an outcast, especially after the past you had but no you became exactly like the people who hurt you. I don't even know why you talk to an outcast like me. Seriously why do you continue to talk to me if you don't actually care about me. Oh right because you need someone to spill your feelings to when you feel down. Oh but wait it's only when you need someone that we can talk. What if during that time I needed someone. But no of course Ms.Popular wouldn't care about me, you say you were just like me but that's just it, you were like me and you're not anymore so do me a favor and don't pretend like you're like me anymore and just leave me alone."

          I couldn't believe I just said that to her. Before I could even try to apologize, she had put her hands to her face crying and ran away. I felt terrible for saying that and I wish I hadn't said it. I can't say I didn't mean it, but I shouldn't have never said any of it. I just wish she had at least helped the other students a little bit, I should find her and apologize. I hoped I could find her the next day because it was the big game. The only place I could find her to get her alone to apologize would be at school or during the game. The trouble would really just be if she even wanted to talk to me. I didn't know what to do so I just laid back on the branch and stared at the clouds and tried to think of a way I could get her alone so others don't see us together and I needed to figure out how to fully apologize to her. I laid there thinking for a while, slowly getting more and more sleepy. Finally I drifted off to sleep.

          I was woken up by a flashlight in my eyes. "JAMES AZAZEL! Do you realize how long we have been looking for you, you were supposed to be home three hours ago. We search all over town, only to find you sleeping on this tree again. You really need to stop making this a habit." The one shining the light was my mother. I had somehow always made a habit of accidentally falling asleep here and she would know exactly where to find me. Well sometimes she knew, while other times she went looking through the whole town before looking here at my favorite spot in town. "Come on it's time to go home, your brother made dinner tonight and he was really excited to have you taste it. Said that if the "king of cooking" in our house didn't like it then no one would get to eat, so come home so we can eat."