After a while of coffee and snacks, my mom and dad decided that I wasn't exactly engaging in conversation. So he did the unspeakable.
"Why don't you and Darren go outside and hang out? Its beautiful weather, and we have a huge backyard!"
I stopped drinking on my second cup of coffee and looked up at him. Never mind the fact that he invites the neighbors over. Now he expects me to participate in his gathering he brought together?
I opened my mouth to protest, but Dad shooed me off with a flick of his wrist and a simple "Go!"
Darren walked out into the backyard, and, not knowing what to do, I followed behind. At least I knew the kid's name now.
Darren looked at me expectantly. Like he was asking me for answers. I didn't know what to do! If I had the choice I would be in the forest right now, stretched out on a rock in the sunlight. But now I would have to be even more bored and uncomfortable!
When he finally decided that I wasn't planning on saying anything, he spoke up.
"Pretty nice house,"
I nodded.
"Nice backyard,"
I just smiled slightly again. I didn't wanna be here any more than he did.
He kicked his feet at the dust and we sat in silence again. I knew he was probably extremely bored, but I didn't think he would be interested by anything nature-like. He didn't seem like the type of person, anyways.
Finally I got the tiniest bit of courage to speak up.
"Are you an outdoorsy person or more of a...?" I mumbled, attempting to make eye contact. He made solid eye contact right back at me. I stared back at the ground.
He seemed a little bit interested when I had said that, actually.
"Our backyard forest is... well.... Huge! And its got all kinds of waterfalls and ponds, rock climbing places, and good trees that are absolutely perfect for climbing!" I gasped. I stopped myself there, realizing I probably sounded like some kind of nature freak idiot. But to my surprise, he nodded excitedly.
"Well, what're we waiting for?" he notioned. Surprised, I began to walk toward the forest. He chatted on about his fishing lake where he lives, and I listened intently while leading him to the waterfall. This particular one was one of my favorites. A tiny, clear waterfall with two large pieces of land sticking out on either side. Two mossy trees had fallen and stuck permanently over the waterfall in a tree-bridge-like place. He looked amazed at it. I smirked. Somebody actually appreciated it. He carefully stepped onto the bridge, taking a seat. Taking this as an invitation, I sat beside him, almost reluctantly and certainly uncomfortable, but it made all the difference that he thankfully wasn't even paying attention to me. A small pool was gathered at the bottom of the mini-waterfall; a place I had gone swimming times before. While I gazed out at the water, Darren fidgeted beside me. He was taking off his tennis shoes and socks. Before I could ask what he was doing, he gathered his balance, stood on the tree bridge, and leaped into the pool of water with a loud whoop! And a splash. More carefully, I pulled off my boots and socks and stepped down into the shallow pool of water. Darren plunged his head into the small river and pulled his head back out again. Water dripped down his lashes and his hair stuck out in every direction. His mouth was upturned into a huge grin. I stood still with my hands clasped at my waist, trying to make a decision. When I finally decided I didn't care, I walked down into the waist-deep part of the pool with my overalls, tights, and angel wing shirt still on. He raised his eyebrows and laughed.
"Are you serious? You're gonna wear that and risk getting water all over it?" I raised my chin and took out my hair band. I followed it up by plunging my head into the icy cold pool. When I came back up, Darren looked like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. But instead of asking further questions, he just jumped right in. He skipped rocks over the surface of the river, caught several tiny fish and even bigger fish with shiny scales. Later in the afternoon, we headed home soaked to the bone. When our parents saw us, they reacted at first in surprise, but when Darren broke off into story about our huge backyard forest, his parents' faces were grinning with delight.
After we had said our goodbyes and talked, I ran straight for my room. I sat in there the rest of the evening by myself, feeling the comfort of being alone again. But being with another person wasn't so bad either...