Under the Willow Tree

Chapter 1 Elizabeth

    Elizabeth

I remember the first time I saw him we were in the cafeteria of our elementary school. We were waiting in line unfamiliar with the process of getting our lunch as little kindergarteners. Our teacher Ms. Bee stood there explaining to us one by one what to do. I was standing behind this boy who had funny looking hair, and every time he turned around, I could see little gold shimmers coming off of it. I thought it was really pretty but everyone else thought it was weird. When it was his turn to get lunch, he burst into tears. I was embarrassed for him, no wonder people had made fun of him, but Ms. Bee took his hand and told him that he would be alright. He walked through the line and soon made his way to the table where our entire class would be sitting. As it came to be my turn, I just hoped that I wouldn't start crying the same way he had. I didn't want to be made fun of, especially not around the other girls who had already not taken a liking to me. When Ms. Bee crouched down to talk to me, I took a deep breath and really focused on what she was saying. She handed me a card with my name and lunch number on it and led me through the line. Lunch was spaghetti and meatballs with a slice of garlic bread and apple slices with milk. I took a carton of chocolate milk and sat next to the boy who had been crying. He sat there sniffling and wiping his eyes while everyone else was eating and talking to each other.

"'Are you okay?" I asked him.

In a small voice he said "Yeah, I'm just a little upset."

I nodded and started to eat my lunch when he asked me if he could have my chocolate milk. I said no; why would I give him my chocolate milk; he reached his hand over and I bit him. He shrieked and the teacher came over. She asked what had happened and I told her that I bit him because he tried taking my chocolate milk. She moved me by myself and called my mom and made me tell him I was sorry. Needless to say, I got in trouble and hated the boy with the weird hair, and I was definitely not sorry. The next day, another boy who had the same funny hair came up to me and asked me why I had been picking on his little brother. First of all, I hadn't been the one making fun of his hair, and second, he tried to take MY chocolate milk. He did not seem to care and told me not to pick on him again, which in my defense I had not known I had done in the first place. It's not like he was going to beat me up... or would he? Later that day in class Ms. Bee told us that we were going outside but we needed handholding buddies. Everyone else immediately partnered up leaving me with the weird boy, not that anyone else wanted to be my partner because they were afraid, I would bite them. Ms. Bee told us that we would have to be partners and made us hold hands. His hands were warm and clammy, he was also a lot shorter than me, so I had to bend down a little to hold on to his hand. As Ms. Bee led us out the other kids pointed at us and made fun of the fact that the 2 weirdos had been partnered up. I let out a scream and they all stopped and stared at me and the boy. After a while they all kept on walking and when we got to the playground, I ran under the only willow tree in the entire playground. I really liked willow trees; my baby sister was named after them. I sat there by myself the entire time we had been outside and saw that boy with the weird hair staring my way. Eventually he came up to me and sat next to me.

"What's your name?'" he asked.

"Elizabeth," I replied.

"What's yours?"

"Harry," he said.

"That's a funny name, cause of your hair." I said.

"You think my hair is funny?" Harry asked as he ran his fingers over his hair trying to smooth it down.

It still had little gold shimmers in it, but this time they didn't fall out when he shook his head. He looked up at me with tears in his eyes and let a tear slip.