Friendships

Walking into the Gym with John, I saw Mr. Jackson talking with a short lady with wavy brown hair pulled into a bun at the back of her head. They both looked over at us when we entered. Mr. Jackson was the first to speak. "Well, if it isn't Mr. Pheonix, and who might this be next to you?"

"Hello, Mr. Jackson, this is John Cromb. he just arrived today."

"Hello." John greeted.

"Hello to you, Mr Cromb. It's a pleasure to meet you. This wonderful lady beside me is Ms. Sarah, the school nurse.

"Hello to you both," she nodded, then said, "I would like to set a time with you as soon as you're both settled in to do the first check-up of the year, then every three months thereafter throughout the year." To ensure everything is running smoothly within you. Of course, if anything goes wrong in between those times, you are free to come to me at any time. My office is next door and is always open to you. I also have some paperwork to review, and I will send available times to your room so you can choose the times that make you feel comfortable. Did you notice the panel cabinet in the entryway of your room? There is also an emergency button for calling me located to the side under a push panel. It's for emergencies only, but I will be called directly if you need me. It was nice to meet you both, and I hope to see you again soon." With that, she left through the door I had noticed the day before, marked 'Nurse'.

"Well, now that that is covered, let's get to the purpose of your visit. As I recall, your appointment with me isn't until after dinner." Mr. Jackson teased with a smile.

"John wanted to take Aikido too, if that is alright with you?" I started with clarity. 

"Well, show him where to sign up. There are still three slots left for that time frame. And since you're here, you can let him know the gym's rules while I work on this machine over here. It needs a little kindness before school starts, and it gets abused daily." He chuckled, and with that, he grabbed the tool kit by his feet and walked over to the weight station with all the pullies and bars.

I took John over to the corkboard to sign up. He has the same free time that I did, so we will be sparring partners once the lesson starts.

"I am starting today since my parents dropped me off early. Having you here will make this even more fun to do, don't you think?" I inquired.

John nodded. "I have never done any martial arts before. It will be fun to learn."

With that, we headed back upstairs. I suggested we visit the library next. And he agreed. We had about two hours before dinner, so after the library, we went to my room to see if the games I had ordered had been delivered.

They had. I asked John if he had ever played chess, and he confirmed that he had played a lot with his grandfather, so I challenged him to a game. He agreed, and that made me happy. It had been so long since I had played. 

As we played, we talked until it was time to get ready for dinner. We agreed to meet in the dining room and to eat together as he walked out of my room.

Things were looking up in the friend department. I had hoped to make good friends in this life, and it looks like I'm off to a good start. 

There was a loud crash followed by a loud argument just as I finished getting ready for dinner. Out of curiosity, I went to the door and opened it. At the end of the hall was a spilled box of broken glass and two young kids arguing with each other. 

"Why didn't you hold it properly? Now it's ruined. We'll have to bother Dad and Mom for another, and you know what that means. No allowance for a full week to pay for it. Why do you always have to be so clumsy?"

Both girls were identical, with light brown hair pulled into ponytails. One had glasses on and wore green, while the other wore blue. "Sorry, sis, my fingers were a little sweaty and slipped." Said the one in green. Then they both looked at me as I approached.

"Oh, who are you?" Asked the one in blue.

"I'm Asher, and you are?"

"I'm Jess, this is Beth, we just arrived. Sorry if we were too loud just now."

"No worries, but you might want to hurry and clean up. Dinner starts in a few minutes."

"Sign, Thanks for reminding us." She turned to her sister. "Come on, let's clean up, then head down. I'm getting hungry." She then turned back to me. "See you down there then."

I nodded, then left. One was feisty, the other shy. It shouldn't be boring here. I laughed to myself. The broken glass looked like beakers for science, but I couldn't be sure. As I thought that, my stomach growled at me, telling me it was time for dinner. What are they serving today? I wondered.

When I got downstairs and entered the dining room, I saw John immediately. I waved, then headed toward the counter to see what was available. Roasted chicken and mashed potatoes, accompanied by fresh green beans and a slice of apple pie, were what I chose from the menu. I also grabbed a carton of milk and headed over to John. He had picked the same thing, but with corn instead of beans and cherry pie instead of apple pie.

Just as I set down my tray and sat down, the door to the dining area opened up again, and there were Jess and Beth. Jess was dragging Beth by the wrist, saying, "Hurry up or all the good stuff will be gone."

It wasn't true, but Jess didn't care. Her pulling almost made Bell trip. Finally letting go when she reached the counter, Jess placed her order and then turned around to look at the rest of the room, spotting me in the process. With a quick "Hurry up" directed at her sister, she walked in our direction. Beth, being the quiet one, made her order, then, after receiving it, followed in her sister's footsteps.

"Can we sit here?" Jess stated that, then, before we could say anything, she promptly sat down. John was a bit flabbergasted by the abruptness of this encounter. He sat wide-eyed in shock. So I nodded politely, then said, "Be my guest," rather unnecessarily, since she was already seated. 

"Thanks," She said, then waved at Beth to come over.

I began to feel sorry for Beth having such an overbearing sister, as I thought that Beth had arrived and quietly sat down next to me. I smiled at her, and she blushed shyly and tucked her head down to focus on her plate.

As we ate, Jess continued to dominate the conversation with constant chatter. Talking about both her and her sisters' lives in between bites of food, and very rarely giving anyone else a chance to say anything in between. I quietly ate my dinner, making sure to save some for later, and reminded John that he needed to do the same, as we had Aikido class after this. That caught Jess's attention.

"Aikido? What's that?"

"Aikido is a martial art that focuses on defence and counterattack rather than full-on attack like Karate or other similar martial arts."

"How cool, I want to learn!" she exclaimed.

"Sure, you can talk to Mr Sam after dinner and be able to sign up for classes." I then turned to Beth. "You should sign up too. It is always best to learn how to defend yourself." Beth quietly nodded and finished eating.

Getting containers for the rest of our meal, both John and I hurried back to our rooms to change into our gym clothes, and then told the girls to meet us on the first floor in 10 minutes. Once we got to the first floor, I led everyone to the gym.