final draft

            My spring under the shadow

            Nothing seemed to mark the return of spring better than the return of  blue jays and robins to my mothers garden. Their presence marked the return of a natural order coming back into place. Trees grew, flowers bloomed and for the first time while walking home. I realized that  I had seen the appearance of my shadow. It hadn't changed much since the last time I saw it a year ago. It was still the same size, skinny on the arms, and legs yet and on the ears. A perfect composed picture, of a teenager who in two months from now would be graduating from New Roe Country High School.

            Except the shadow wasn't a perfectly composed picture of me. It had flaws in it that weren't discernible. My shadow hadn’t expressed how I longed for my shadow to change, in almost the way I had wished that I, myself could change. Just like the way I had seen my friends. Graduation opened the hope that I could achieve some form of change. But then again there was relatively nothing more I could do past marking the days till graduation. Which at the moment were two long months.

            March had gone by faster than I imagined it to be, except for me it had felt like it was three months passing. I tried my best not to mope and sigh at my longing for time to pass. My mother quickly picked up that something was wrong and decided to find a way to solve my issues. With just a few clicks of the phone and the right numbers at her side. She  decided to enrolled me  in a program, which she said. Helped teenagers to do better socially and academically in school. By giving them quote on quote. “Interaction time with kids who would be a positive support for them. Through an enhanced knowledge of the board  game Risk.” It was the biggest piece of nonsense I had ever heard at the time. I couldn't imagine how playing a board game, could some how boost my intelligence . But since it didn't cost me a anything to be in the program. I didn't care much. I did just as mom said and went to the program every Friday.

            During my first few weeks at the program. Not a word was spoken by myself or the kids who played the board game either. Making it feel like the longest three weeks of my life. Until one of the kids of the group decided  to make the first move and brake the silence. He said

“Hi dude my name is Mark, and this is Elliot”.

“ Nice to meet you,My name is Nick.” I responded back.

I got up to give them a high five and to also engage my new friends in conversation.

            The days spent talking to my new friends. I thought would be the most boring periods of my life. Yet as days went to months I realized that speaking to Mark and Elliot wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. My assumptions on these two kids being social idiots were completely out of line. Especially in the case of Elliot Price. Elliot Price was in my opinion at the time the biggest loner, if there ever was one. Though he and I went to the same school together. I had never gotten to know Elliot because he always seemed to sit by himself all the time. It was as though he had put up a wall that only came down in this program. Elliot's wall I felt should be open so I decided to take a chance to inquire more about him.

            My chance came six days later when while leaving Ms. Flangger’s history class. I saw Elliot walking right behind me. I called out “hey Elliot” Elliot looks at me and say's.

“O hey Nick. How are you?” 

“I'm good”

             I responded back as we walked to the main entrance of the New Roe High school building.  I asked Elliot if hes going to risk today and he responds that he is. But that he wasn't in the mood that day. Elliot doesn't say much as we walk to the train together so I decide to ask him about how his day was going .He says fine and the conversation begins in a friendly tone. I tell Elliot a bit about myself and he does the same as we ride to program.

            When we arrive to the program that Friday.  I quickly retreat to the board game while Elliot sits out of the game. The game quickly progresses with Mark taking all my territories in North Africa and than winning the game.  I had never seen anyone who plays as good of Mark. I ask him what his secret is and he takes a poem from his backpack called Invictus. Which reads. “I am the master of my fate:I am the captain of my soul.” 

“How does that relate to strategy” I ask him as I grab my backpack. Mark replies.

“Everything. It's about knowing your opponent and remembering that he doesn't control the Fate of the game you do.”

 “Oh. Makes sense”

I reply back as I gather my stuff to leave for the train to New Roe. The train ride to New Roe isn't a long one. I sit down in the front cart and close my eyes. Marks words come to my head and I imagine that some how, those words must work for him but not for me. Some people just can't change there fate I tell myself that my fate is going to change and I believe it as I walk to my room and lay in my bed thinking about the future.

            April comes and to my surprise a lot has happened that Month. Starting with me receiving an invitation to a party Elliot was having at his house. It's a karaoke party that barely anyone seems be going to except me, Elliot and his mom. We sang a few songs together and than Elliot and I went to the park outside his house. It’s a quite park with a few trees just the way Elliot likes it. We sit down on the grass and our shadows start to form. I can't tell if our shadows from a far are changing if it's just me. Since I'm not there to look at shadows. I turn to look back at Elliot who is busy talking about graduating. I think he's made a real friend in me. Minutes pass as we speak and before long I find myself leaving his house thanking his mom for the fun evening. Elliot mom replies “The Honor is mine” and closes the door

            The next day I caught Elliot in class and he seems more happy. He has a smile which seems to make me smile as  I go  to my locker to clear it out. When out of the blue  Emily Lively passes by me. Emily shares a locker right next to me and is also clearing her locker of last semesters books. Emily closes her locker and starts carrying her books on her arms. When she suddenly drops her books. She quickly reaches down to try to pick up her books. I bend down to help. She takes a glance at me as I help pick her pick up a few books and say's

“Hi I'm Emily.”

“I'm Nick Dawson” I tell her between the breaks I get from picking up the books and looking at her.

“Ah, Nick.” She says “I've heard of  you. Your in my English class.”

“Yeah” I respond back. 

As I give Emily her books. I notice that one of the books is a book about flowers. I tell that I love flowers and she responds so do I. I ask if maybe she would like to go to the botanical gardens with me next Saturday since she likes flowers. She says that would be cool and she would like that.

Emily picks up her backpack and says see you Saturday. .

            Saturday when I see Emily. I don't tell her it's my first time at the gardens. I just smile and go along with things. Which includes smelling and touching every flower known to man or at least known to Emily. Since she had the habit of touching everything she saw. Emily loves flowers and .I find that hanging out with her becomes even fun when we start conversing about each other. I learn a lot about her that Saturday. When I left the gardens I come out smelling like a flower. But I didn’t mind because I had a lot of fun talking to Emily. She recommends we try this every Saturday. I agree I could tell from our conversations that day that me and Emily were becoming real friends. At school I even got invited to sit with Emily. I except the invitation because it beats sitting with Tom Bergen and his groups of friends who just talk about Sudoku every lunch period. I invited Elliot to sit with us and soon our table is fitted just right.

             I almost won if it wasn't for Elliot. Who beat me two moves ahead of me. On the train ride home from playing Risk I ask Elliot how he won and he say's

            “He didn't you just forgot to turn in your cards for more troops. You would have won if you turned in your cards.” Wow I think to myself on the way home. If only I had played my cards right. I tell Elliot as I am about to leave. “I tell him how much fun I have been having with Emily at the botanical gardens.”  Elliot laughs “Have fun. Just don't forget to play your cards right.”

            The next time I will see Emily would be on the last Friday of Risk night. I still hadn't won a game yet. However I thought Erica would like it. So I invited her to come along and she does. She sat  there quietly and watches me as I play. She's such a great friend I think to myself, as  I started the round  with relatively little thought except to just win. The round starts off slow with me taking over different territories on the map. Mark who is an excellent player though keeps one step ahead of me and keeps me on my toes. I want to win so badly and the thought of winning on this last day of risk slowly comes out when I tell Elliot who is talking to Emily to shut up. Elliot doesn't last long in the game. He is gone after just 15 turns on the board. Leaving the board to just me and Mark.

            “Mark just let me win” I joke as I role against his two. He replies “not a chance” and I laugh it off. Even though I seriously want to win. I role my dice a few more turn and then take a card. The wind blows my cards from off the table and it is than. That I notice that in the stream of playing the game. The risk board had in its own way taken a shadow of it's own along the table. 

            Mark rolls a few more turns and starts getting more territory. I worry but I know I can't do much so I just roll as my turn comes. I thought of winning the game, so I stay focus and keep playing. I play and play until finally I decide hey I need to use to use the bathroom. When I return back

there is a certain look on Marks face. That says something of a cross between something is  wrong here and oh wow that awesome.

I ask.

“What wrong mark”

He says

“look at the board.”

I look at the board and it looks the same.

Emily gets up from talking to Elliot and whispers in my ear.

“I think you just won.”

“Noooo way” I say in shock as I grab my breath. Mark smiles and puts his hand on my back and says “you earned it.” Mark walks out of the park before I have time to say goodbye with Elliot.

            It's 5:00 pm along New Roe park. I'm sitting with Emily on top of a rock that over looks the park.

“It's beautiful isn't it “I tell her as I bask in the sun of the park. I still couldn't believe I won the game. I glance over at Emily, her shadow is just about right and it makes me think of my shadow. So I turn over and there it is. Except that it's growing right before me. The legs and arms of the shadow start to grow larger. My shadow has changed and for the first time in my life. I realize that some how my spring did come, and it came right on time. I smile at Emily and she points it's beautiful as we watch the sun set along the park. I smile and with the sun in my eyes. I reply.

“Yes it's a beautiful.”