Recess was suppose to be the best part of the day at school. You got out of the classroom and got to go outside and play and breath fresh air and talk to your friends without getting in trouble. But, for me, recess was the worst part of the day.
I was transferred to a new elementary school in second grade because some higher up got the bright idea to build a new elementary school and change the boundary lines to make some kids have to switch schools. I was one of those kids and so was forced to leave all of my friends behind and started second grade out friendless. This would not be the last time in my life for this situation. Being shy and quiet I, of course, formed a bond with the other shy and quiet girl, K. Our recess included walking the concrete ties around the exterior of the playground trying not to lose our balance and fall off. Having taken all of two months of gymnastics my balance was amazing and I always won. Which was great because falling off meant death. We thought the concrete play yard was made of lava, or boiling water, or whatever inane situation we could come up with that day. I was content with this daily activity. I didn't have to talk to anyone and it kept me at the perimeter of the playground so as to avoid being hit by a stray kickball or the feet of some kid trying to kill himself on the swings. I was content that is until the day I was invited to play Red Rover.
My mother, being the overprotective mother she is, had forbid me from playing Red Rover because it would obviously break my arms and I would die. So, when a group of girls from my class asked me to play Red Rover with them one day, being the amazing child I was, I politely declined and started to walk away (on the ties of course, lava, hello!) The girls followed me and said I had to play and that they would follow me until I did. I was being confronted by bullies! I had thought that whole bully thing was a myth. But these girls were serious and started to follow me along the ties and stand in my way taunting me. I tried to get away but they were chasing me. Now, if you know me you know how I feel about being chased. I didn't know what to do and thankfully recess was over so I had until the next day to figure it out.
Well, I hadn't figured anything out by the next day or the day after that. The girls continued to stalk me around the playground and taunt me for not doing what they told me to. I even went so far as to ask a playground monitor for help which was completely useless. What exactly is the purpose of a playground monitor if they don't help kids being bullied? I wasn't expecting much though as I had had a bad experience with a playground monitor in Kindergarten. But, now I'm sidetracking. Eventually I decided that I needed to immerse myself in the middle of the playground with other kids so that the girls couldn't stalk me. Not being athletic, I chose the kids at the four square area. Who knows how to play four square? Not me. Neither did the kids at the four square area.
With the girls safely on the other side of the playground eying me up and down I proceeded to make up the rules to four square. They turned out something like tag only in a really confined space. The corners of the four square area were safe bases and the person that was "it" had to stand in the middle trying to catch someone off base. Pretty simple and not that imaginative if you ask me. But, apparently to a bunch of elementary school kids it was miraculous. Within days, everyone on the playground wanted to play with us. Even the stalker girls gave up their torture of me to try to get in and play a game. The corners of the four square were loaded with at least five kids each and even the useless playground monitor noticed the action. Somehow I turned into miss popular overnight just for creating a poor version of tag. I, of course, was the best at the game. My strategy was to sit down in the middle and close my eyes. Trying to tempt the beast, the kids would run past me and I would just sit and wait. Finally when one kid got a little too close I would catch them. Didn't even have to move to win. Everyone was amazed with my prowess at always catching the first person I went after.
This was the life and recess was amazing, until about two weeks later. Just as quickly as I had risen, I had fallen again. The game got boring and everyone went back to their old routines. I went back to walking the ties with K and the crazy stalker girls went back to their death defying Red Rover without even a glance in my direction.
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