• "It was about seventy years ago when I was young and still in unsure about my future," grandma said again while she was lying in bed, half dazed and half sane." I was always alone, always in my own world, with made up people," she said as I was remembering this was how she always started her childhood flashback of when she met grandpapa or as mother puts it, ' He was your great grandfather,' I guess they never really seemed to get along. " Until one summer vacation, I just started summer vacation after finishing my freshman year at high school," she continued as she grinned ever so slightly as she turned her head to face the window. It was getting late, the sun was setting making the sky seem warm as a campfire yet as dangerous as forest fire, no more like a fire that fate cannot escape a fire tha-
    My thoughts were cut off by a gentle touch, a hand of what felt like folds of silk and cotton slipped over my hand and stopped my fist folding before it began. Grandma's hand. I looked down then looked at her, she was grinning a small yet warm smile that almost made me cry. " I was on my way to the mall to get some gifts for my little brother who was having his sixth, no, no, no it was his seventh birthday, and I was going to get him a gift. The toy I was getting him was a, was a, a.....," she seemed to continue but fell asleep in the process. " Well grandmama, if you won't finish the story, I will," I said as I leaned over to pick up my backpack. There was a book inside there that was published around the time when I just started school, it was now a required reading book for sophmore's in advance placement classes. I picked it up and gently stroked the cover of the book, most of the copies today have fancy covers on them that seem to mock the story,but the book I held was old and the cover was like a painting you see in those old horror movies, all torn up and blurry. I opened the book and fanned the pages in my face, then I set all pages but one down and began to read. " ' It was a day like no other,' I said to myself as I walked on. I was out shopping for a gift to get my little brother for his seventh birthday, it was a pokemon plushie, I knew that he was a little too old for it but come on, he's in love with the whole anime*." Anime huh, I had to pause a bit to remember what an anime was, it was an old cartoon thing way back then, anime.....oh well I'll look into it later, I thought, it's probably in the back of the book since it's stared. Now where was I, oh right, " I was rushing out of one of the stores in the mall when all of a sudden I ran into someone or something and collapsed to the ground. My whole entire body was in pain from the fall that I almost broke out in tears, I was already wanting to leave this damn place from the start but having to wait in lines and search up stairs and down stairs until your feet hurt and you didn't know where in the universe you where and then you finally find the damn store, you leave with the damn toy, and then you run into someone or something and fall to the damn ground, I really wanted to cry then, but when I heard someone ask if I was o.k. I just did the best I could to hide it ' I said are you o.k.,' I looked up to see a boy about my age staring at me with a seriously worried look on his face.' I'm f-f-fine, ' I said, still trying to hide my tears. ' If you need to cry go ahead, it's unhealthy to hold back your tears, even if your a guy, I'm mean it's not going to hurt you pride is it,' he said looking at me with this overly concerned look on his face. Pride, I thought, what pride? I then felt a tear slide down my face and then another. ' It's o.k., cry as long as you want and need to, I make sure no one can see you crying,' it was like an angel just came from no where and I was the one lucky enough to run into him. I cried there feeling like a little kid and then that's when I felt a hand slide up onto my face and wipe away some of the tears that were sliding down my cheek, I looked up to see the boy who I ran into. He wore a kind smile on his face that I swore I at least turned pink at the sight of it, ' Do you feel better? ' I stared at him for a split second then nodded yes. He leaned foreword a bit which got my heart to beat a bit faster, ' I'm glad, it would be a shame if I caused you any pain.' I looked down for a minute and finally spoke up, ' actually, you made me feel a lot better. I've been wanting to cry all day long, but because I'm a bit stubborn and didn't have any of my friends or family around I had to hold it back.' I heard him sigh a bit and then I looked at him again ' Answer me this if you can,' he said as he wiped another tear off my face. ' Does honesty come with being cute, or is that just how you are?' At that moment I felt my heart beat rising and could of sworn my face turned red this time. ' Let's just go with that's how you are, ' he said grinning a smile that took it from red to deep red. I wanted to get up and run at that second I felt so embarrassed. As I pressed both my hands on the ground preparing myself to get up, I felt two hands grab hold of mine in a tight squeeze, that I almost screamed in pain. The hands that held were shivering and started to slowly loosen their grip as the boy spoke up again, ' I'm not too good at this am I?' I looked up to see him in a depressed mood that was even sadder than I could ever imagine since he was still smiling. ' I'm not too good at talking to people or telling them how I feel. I'm always blunt or I'm too quick in conversation, as a lot of people say,' he said as he turned his look towards me. I really wanted to say something then, but then at a time like this what does one say? 'At least let me make it up to you since I was the one who was in your way and I did creep you out. How about letting me buy you lunch?' He stared at me with this even more concerned face. Wait a minute, did we just switch places or what? ' Fine, but you can't keep feeling bad for yourself, its not good for you to do so. Oh yeah, one more thing, my names Chiva, it's spelled C-H-I-V-A, but it's pronounced like she-va.' I felt his hands grip mine tighter again, then all of a sudden I was being pulled up to my feet and forced into a hug. Now my face went from a deep red to a deep red with a racing heart. ' Thank you. By the my name is.......