Kings of the Jungle Gym

The sun beat down upon the black asphalt of the playground where the many ages of children mingled during their last afternoon recess. The sounds of basketballs bouncing, and chatter filled the warm air. Off in the distance sat the many jungle gyms that the children didn’t bother to use anymore, and sitting upon the very top of one were two young boys. They sat upon their perch looking down upon the playground as if they were the kings of the domain that lay below them. Their faces showed their shared boredom of their current situation.

 Noah sighed as he shoved his blonde strands to one side of his forehead. He looked at his best friend in the world, Liam. Most people thought they were twin brothers when they were in public together and when they confessed, they were just best friends’ people would be shocked. Liam had blonde hair and blue eyes just like he did, they acted the same and liked the same things as well. Well almost all the same things. Liam had an infinite love of cats that Noah didn’t understand. 

 “I can’t wait tell school is out.” Noah confessed as he looked away from his friend and back down upon the common people beneath him.

Liam snorted in agreement. “6^th grade was so boring. Except Mr. Anderson all the teachers were so lame.”

 Noah smiled widely at his friend, “Yeah, Mr. Anderson was awesome! He let us wrestle in class!!”

 “Not to mention we got to explode some stuff in his science class!!” Liam added in excitement.

 They both had a good chuckle and when it died down, they resumed their look of complete boredom.

 “What do you think 7^th grade is going to be like?” Liam asked Noah nervously.

Liam shrugged, “My brother said it’s a stupid experience that all young teenagers must go through.”

Noah gave his friend a confused look, “What does that even mean??”

Liam shrugged, “Who knows. He’s a weirdo grown up, so I don’t really listen to what he says half the time.” Liam paused, then added sadly, “I don’t know what happened to him. One day he was my cool older brother then he became like this grown up that doesn’t understand me at all.”

“At least you had an older brother. I was stuck with a sister. They are horrible.” Noah replied, then glancing at Liam he stated, “I’m a little scared.”

Liam looked at his friend in surprise. “Scared of what?” Liam didn’t see what there was to be scared about. It’s just school, which if he had his way wouldn’t really be a thing because it hasn’t helped him in his 12 soon to be 13 years of life.

“Well, it’s middle school!!” Noah exclaimed.  “We are the small fish in that big pond or however they say that. We will be the ones that get picked on and the ones who don’t know the school that well. I mean the teachers alone…. we will have one for every class!!!”

Liam frowned, concern creeping into his eyes. 

“You know I overheard my sister talking about what they do to the smaller, younger kids in school to my mom. She said that one boy was shoved and locked into the girl’s bathroom!!! With all these girls in there!!” Noah paused and added in horror, “You have to change in locker rooms for P.E. and take showers around all the other guys.”

Liam’s face went white, and he looked like he was going to throw up. Liam shrugged, trying to shake the nervousness creeping up inside of his stomach making him feel like he had to use the restroom. “It’s just school Noah. I am sure that your sister was just messing around.”

Noah just stared at Liam for minute then shrugged and smiled. “Yeah, you are probably right.” He looked away and stared down at the busy playground. “What if we don’t have the same classes or teachers?” Noah asked quietly.

Liam snorted, “No way. We’ve been in the same class since we were in kindergarten!!!”

“I know but my mom said that we might not be in the same classes. She said we would have lunch time together but maybe not any classes.” Noah finished with sadness dripping from his words.

Liam looked at his friend with concern. “We will still be able to see each other though.” Liam paused studying his friend, he put his hand on his shoulder. “We will still be best friends.”

Noah looked at Liam with surprise and then smiled. “Yeah?”

Liam smiled back and chuckled. “Of course, you dork!! What did you think, if we didn’t have the same class, we wouldn’t be friends?”

Noah smiled guiltily, “Well yeah, I mean it’s just that….”

 Liam interrupted Noah with his laughing.

 Noah frowned at his friend, “Don’t laugh at me. It’s just that I’ve seen people not be friends before. My sister had a friend when she was younger, but when they didn’t have the same classes, they stopped being friends.” Noah paused and frowned. “I think that’s what she said when she was talking to her new friend.”

Liam stopped laughing, “How do you know what she was saying to her new friend?”         

Noah smiled, “I was listening through the door.”

 Liam made a face, “Why would you want to listen to what your sister and her friend have to say?”

 Noah frowned, “I was trying to hear anything I could use against her. She keeps telling me she is going to tell my mom about me buying some games online with her credit card.”

Liam laughed, “You didn’t!!”

It was Noah’s turn to shrug, “Well I knew if I asked, she wouldn’t let me. She leaves her credit cards hidden in her top drawer in her dresser. She says if she doesn’t have them on her then she won’t use them.”

Liam couldn’t stop laughing, for some reason hearing about his friend’s situation was super funny at that moment. He stopped when he saw how concerned his friend’s face looked.  He cleared his throat, “Look us being best friends has nothing to do with our classes or teachers.”

“I know, it’s just that my mom says things are going to change a lot and sometimes that changes us as a person.”

Liam snorted in disbelief, “You know sometimes you shouldn’t listen to grownups. They think they know everything but honestly, they really aren’t.”

 Noah looked at Liam with confusion.

 Liam sighed, “Look class and teachers aren’t going to change what we’ve been through together. You are my best friend because you’ve always stuck up for me. Remember in kindergarten when Kristen put glue all over my seat, you put glue in her hair. Then there was that time in 3^rd grade, when Jeffery popped my basketball on purpose, so you popped his tires on his bike. Then there was that time the baseball team had a sleepover at Tim’s house. I had a bad dream and they all made fun of me so when they fell back asleep, we wrote all over their foreheads in permanent marker.”

They both laughed together. Noah nodded, “Man those were the good times.”

Liam smiled in agreement, “Yeah, they were. Do you see, that’s what makes us best friends. We are always there for each other, no matter what.”

Noah smiled at Liam, his concern melting away. “I don’t know why I was so worried. I guess listening to my mom made me start thinking all these crazy things.”

Liam smiled, “Yeah, I don’t know what the deal is with grownups. They make things so complicated and difficult.” Liam sighed and looked back out at the mingling kids.  “I think we are going to have an amazing summer and when we go back to school, starting in middle school, it’s going to be awesome as well!!!”

Noah smiled at his friend and looked out at the playground as well. “Yeah, because we won’t let it not be right?”

Liam smiled and looked at Noah, “Right!!”

The recess bell rang, Liam and Noah climbed down their throne and walked towards the common people. They were silently contemplating what they had just discussed due to the fact that they understood that soon things were going to change. They both held that deep determination and hope inside that they would not let it change their friendship.