The Awakening

by Mike Fontanini

        As the stratus clouds drifted aimlessly overhead, Tommy was on his way to school. He was talking with two of his friends as the bus bobbed over the rolling hills on its way to school. Tommy belonged to a group of bully-type kids that tended to make fun of the other kids. They were not a nice group to be around. In their group they wore plain black T-shirts and maybe a light jacket depending on the weather. They were disliked by all the other kids.
        As the bus was pulling into the school, Tommy and his two friends were joking around as usual. They got off the bus and went to class. They were almost always the ones who were disruptive in class, talking out of turn. Tommy's two friends were both older than he was. They were both seniors and he was a sophomore. Their names were Mark and Jason.
        The day passed quickly even though it was Monday. After school they rode the bus back to their houses in the country. As night fell, Tommy went to bed late after playing Nintendo too long.
        The next day, the sky was still cloudy. At school Tommy, Mark, and Jason disrupted class and joked around as usual. That afternoon, they found out that there would be a new kid going to their school. They didn't think much of it, though, except that they would have a new person to pick on.
        During the last class of the day Tommy talked to his friend Justin, who was not part of the group. Justin was a senior like Mark and Jason. He had a wise air about him. He had many friends both young and old, but he was a quiet, calm person.
        The bell rang and school was out. Everyone was excited and went home and did whatever they liked to do. Some played video games, others watched TV. Some did nothing, and some read books, and still others took naps.
        Two days later, the new kid was in school. Tommy met him that afternoon. His name was Timmy. He wore a plain old white T-shirt with blue jeans. He wasn't very talkative. At his old school he didn't have many friends, and being the new kid at this school, he had no friends. Jason and Mark started picking on him right away when they first met him, but they noticed something strange. Tommy wasn't contributing. Tommy was watching silently as they picked on Timmy. They asked Tommy why he was so unusually quiet, but he did not answer.
        Later that day, in his last class of the day, he talked to his friend Justin. He told just about the new kid, Timmy. He told him of how Mark and Jason had picked on him, and how he had strangely not joined in. He told Justin that he saw something in Timmy's eyes when Mark and Jason had picked on him. Tommy wasn't sure why this time was any different from the others, why he couldn't pick on Timmy. Justin, being wise and having seen many things in his day, had an explanation. He said, "You feel guilty Tommy, don't you? Because you saw the pain in his eyes. He hasn't had a chance to make any new friends here yet, so he is very lonely. You saw it all in his eyes, but you didn't understand what you saw. Now you do."
        That night, Tommy sat in his room thinking. He had come to realize the error of his ways. He thought of Timmy and all the other kids they had picked on. He wished he could undo it all, but no lesson comes without a price. Suddenly he felt old even though he was only 15 years old, humbled by his newly learned lesson. The next day, he wore a white T-shirt to school.
        After school, Mark and Jason were picking on Timmy and a few other weaker kids. Tommy said nothing. It had started to rain and pour, making a quick drumming sound against the windows and roof. He just stared out the window into the gloomy, gray clouds, listening to the mean things Jason and Mark said. Towards the end of the bus ride, Tommy had made up his mind. He turned to Mark and Jason as a big lightning bolt flickered across the sky branching outward like a big tree, and told them to stop. They were stunned, but only momentarily, so they redirected their jokes and insults at Tommy. He looked at Timmy, and then back out the window watching the rain fall, ignoring the fact that Jason and Mark were still mocking him.
        There were only three days of school left. The next day at school Tommy saw Timmy sitting alone at lunch, so he moved and sat by Timmy. Mark and Jason began to mock him and Timmy, but they ignored them. Timmy was surprised, not thinking that anyone would sit with him any time soon. Tommy and Timmy talked, asking each other questions and getting to know each other.
        Timmy began to trust Tommy. He told Tommy of his life at his other school, how he had few friends, how he sat at a table all by himself at lunch for almost a year. He told Tommy how the other kids didn't even seem to notice he was there, they just looked right through him as though he were invisible. Tommy told Timmy some things too, things that he could never have talked about with his bully friends that he hung out with until now. He told Timmy that he was like that once too, that he knew how it felt to be alone and that he knew the way that the emptiness seemed to seep into his heart slowly when that lonely feeling would start to come. Timmy told how many times he'd been locked in his room listening to music, and a sad song would play, and it would hit a nerve in him. He told how he hated that when he could feel his heart starting to break again, but could do nothing but wait for the tears to fall, like rain. By the end of their lunch shift, Tommy and Timmy had become close friends. They had gained each others trust and become the best of the best of friends, and what Timmy said as they walked out of the lunchroom together made Tommy feel a warmth inside that he'd never felt before.
        "Thank you for being my new best friend." said Timmy, and Tommy new in his heart that he had done the right thing.
        With two days left of school, Tommy and Timmy stopped at a water fountain in the hall and each took a drink, and continued on to their next classes. During the day they had begun to start their own group. Rather than a group of bullies, they were the opposite, a group of friends. Whenever Tommy saw a kid who sat alone at lunch or got picked on a lot, he invited them into his new group, so did Timmy.
        The last day of school went by quickly. After school, Tommy invited Timmy to his house, but not Justin. Justin had graduated and was not around anymore. Tommy missed him, he was a good friend and had never let Tommy down, but there was nothing Tommy could do. It was just Tommy and Timmy now. They got together all the time and played Nintendo games. Their favorite game was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. They played for hours.
        Tommy and Timmy were happy. Mark and Jason had graduated and were no longer around to pick on them. They had both discovered the power hidden in the heart and learned what it means to be true friends. Tommy didn't regret leaving his bully friends at all. True friendship was much better than bullying and he didn't have to hide anything from Timmy because he knew Timmy would never mock him. As they stood outside in Timmy's yard watching the clouds, it began to rain.
        Time marched ahead with its usual ruthlessness, things changed for better or worse by gain or loss, but despite everything that had changed, a lot was still the same. Whenever Tommy or Timmy saw a person in need, they helped them regardless of who or what they were, beggars, troubled teens, or disabled people. Time's cruelty was no match for their friendship, for it stood the test of time well.

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	The Awakening by Mike Fontanini
	As the stratus clouds drifted aimlessly overhead, Tommy was on his way to school. He was talking with two of his friends as the bus bobbed over the rolling hills on its way to school. Tommy belonged to a group of bully-type kids that tended to make fun of the other kids. They were not a nice group to be around. In their group they wore plain black T-shirts and maybe a light jacket depending on the weather. They were disliked by all the other kids. As the bus was pulling into the school, Tommy and his two friends were joking around as usual. They got off the bus and went to class. They were almost always the ones who were disruptive in class, talking out of turn. Tommy's two friends were both older than he was. They were both seniors and he was a sophomore. Their names were Mark and Jason. The day passed quickly even though it was Monday. After school they rode the bus back to their houses in the country. As night fell, Tommy went to bed late after playing Nintendo too long. The next day, the sky was still cloudy. At school Tommy, Mark, and Jason disrupted class and joked around as usual. That afternoon, they found out that there would be a new kid going to their school. They didn't think much of it, though, except that they would have a new person to pick on. During the last class of the day Tommy talked to his friend Justin, who was not part of the group. Justin was a senior like Mark and Jason. He had a wise air about him. He had many friends both young and old, but he was a quiet, calm person. The bell rang and school was out. Everyone was excited and went home and did whatever they liked to do. Some played video games, others watched TV. Some did nothing, and some read books, and still others took naps. Two days later, the new kid was in school. Tommy met him that afternoon. His name was Timmy. He wore a plain old white T-shirt with blue jeans. He wasn't very talkative. At his old school he didn't have many friends, and being the new kid at this school, he had no friends. Jason and Mark started picking on him right away when they first met him, but they noticed something strange. Tommy wasn't contributing. Tommy was watching silently as they picked on Timmy. They asked Tommy why he was so unusually quiet, but he did not answer. Later that day, in his last class of the day, he talked to his friend Justin. He told just about the new kid, Timmy. He told him of how Mark and Jason had picked on him, and how he had strangely not joined in. He told Justin that he saw something in Timmy's eyes when Mark and Jason had picked on him. Tommy wasn't sure why this time was any different from the others, why he couldn't pick on Timmy. Justin, being wise and having seen many things in his day, had an explanation. He said, "You feel guilty Tommy, don't you? Because you saw the pain in his eyes. He hasn't had a chance to make any new friends here yet, so he is very lonely. You saw it all in his eyes, but you didn't understand what you saw. Now you do." That night, Tommy sat in his room thinking. He had come to realize the error of his ways. He thought of Timmy and all the other kids they had picked on. He wished he could undo it all, but no lesson comes without a price. Suddenly he felt old even though he was only 15 years old, humbled by his newly learned lesson. The next day, he wore a white T-shirt to school. After school, Mark and Jason were picking on Timmy and a few other weaker kids. Tommy said nothing. It had started to rain and pour, making a quick drumming sound against the windows and roof. He just stared out the window into the gloomy, gray clouds, listening to the mean things Jason and Mark said. Towards the end of the bus ride, Tommy had made up his mind. He turned to Mark and Jason as a big lightning bolt flickered across the sky branching outward like a big tree, and told them to stop. They were stunned, but only momentarily, so they redirected their jokes and insults at Tommy. He looked at Timmy, and then back out the window watching the rain fall, ignoring the fact that Jason and Mark were still mocking him. There were only three days of school left. The next day at school Tommy saw Timmy sitting alone at lunch, so he moved and sat by Timmy. Mark and Jason began to mock him and Timmy, but they ignored them. Timmy was surprised, not thinking that anyone would sit with him any time soon. Tommy and Timmy talked, asking each other questions and getting to know each other. Timmy began to trust Tommy. He told Tommy of his life at his other school, how he had few friends, how he sat at a table all by himself at lunch for almost a year. He told Tommy how the other kids didn't even seem to notice he was there, they just looked right through him as though he were invisible. Tommy told Timmy some things too, things that he could never have talked about with his bully friends that he hung out with until now. He told Timmy that he was like that once too, that he knew how it felt to be alone and that he knew the way that the emptiness seemed to seep into his heart slowly when that lonely feeling would start to come. Timmy told how many times he'd been locked in his room listening to music, and a sad song would play, and it would hit a nerve in him. He told how he hated that when he could feel his heart starting to break again, but could do nothing but wait for the tears to fall, like rain. By the end of their lunch shift, Tommy and Timmy had become close friends. They had gained each others trust and become the best of the best of friends, and what Timmy said as they walked out of the lunchroom together made Tommy feel a warmth inside that he'd never felt before. "Thank you for being my new best friend." said Timmy, and Tommy new in his heart that he had done the right thing. With two days left of school, Tommy and Timmy stopped at a water fountain in the hall and each took a drink, and continued on to their next classes. During the day they had begun to start their own group. Rather than a group of bullies, they were the opposite, a group of friends. Whenever Tommy saw a kid who sat alone at lunch or got picked on a lot, he invited them into his new group, so did Timmy. The last day of school went by quickly. After school, Tommy invited Timmy to his house, but not Justin. Justin had graduated and was not around anymore. Tommy missed him, he was a good friend and had never let Tommy down, but there was nothing Tommy could do. It was just Tommy and Timmy now. They got together all the time and played Nintendo games. Their favorite game was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. They played for hours. Tommy and Timmy were happy. Mark and Jason had graduated and were no longer around to pick on them. They had both discovered the power hidden in the heart and learned what it means to be true friends. Tommy didn't regret leaving his bully friends at all. True friendship was much better than bullying and he didn't have to hide anything from Timmy because he knew Timmy would never mock him. As they stood outside in Timmy's yard watching the clouds, it began to rain. Time marched ahead with its usual ruthlessness, things changed for better or worse by gain or loss, but despite everything that had changed, a lot was still the same. Whenever Tommy or Timmy saw a person in need, they helped them regardless of who or what they were, beggars, troubled teens, or disabled people. Time's cruelty was no match for their friendship, for it stood the test of time well. Go Back to Writing Hompage