Spork gently tapped their foot against the side of the beanbag Mari was nestled in. It was free time, and normally that meant they’d be out terrorizing the playground, but today was a rare exception. Mari was one of the few weirdos that stayed inside during recess, and they needed to talk to her, so here they were in the cool, air-conditioned classroom instead of out in the warm sun.
They made a face before plopping into the beanbag beside hers, laying their cane across their feet. “Put the book down, I wanna talk to you.”
They tried to keep their face serious, tapping the side of her sneaker with the butt of their cane to better get their point across. Hehe, butt. The smile caused by their private joke ruined their efforts for a moment, but they settled again quickly, growing solemn.
“Has anyone been bothering you?” Their voice was hushed, and they were leaning in slightly, making it clear their words were for her alone. It was weird to be talking to her like this, but they had to know. Because if it was true, then…
Then they didn’t know what they’d do. But they’d have to start thinking about it.
“Hey.” Mari replied, eyes still moving smoothly across the pages, absorbed in the adventures of Jack and Annie. She knew it was Spork, since anyone else would probably have insulted her in the same breath as their greeting.
Mari didn’t respond, even when they tapped their cane against her sneaker. She considered ignoring them completely, but knew that would make any reading during the rest of the free time impossible. So Mari instead finished her page, made a mental note of which one it was, then set down the library’s copy of Winter of the Ice Wizard before finally looking up at Spork.
That wasn’t right. Spork was supposed to be all smiley and loose, not super serious and talking to her in hushed whispers. They were never quiet.
“I mean, kinda.” Mari shrugged her shoulders. “Gary ripped Summer of the Sea Serpent last week, so Mom had to pay for a new copy.” She glanced at the doorway behind Spork, one hand on her book in case Gary decided to continue his bloody rampage.
“Why?” Why the sudden interest? It wasn’t like they’d cared much about her before. They had their arranged playdates and dinners and ignored each other at school. Why would they reach out now?
A shadow passed over Spork’s face at the confirmation of what they’d suspected. Gary. That jerk. They would have to think of something especially mean to do to him.
But hang on, why were they so angry? It wasn’t like he’d never done anything to them before. They turned their frown to the floor while they mulled it over, not wanting Mari to think they were mad at her.
This was different, they decided. It was different because it was Mari, and she might not be their best friend in the way that Penny and Janine were best friends, sitting together all the time and giggling even when the teacher was talking, but she was… Well, she was their friend. Or maybe they wanted her to be. Or maybe they just didn’t want anyone to pick on her, so that she didn’t get noticed by the teacher, and then they wouldn’t get noticed by the teacher either. Because they were neighbors, and their moms knew each other, and would talk, and that would be bad.
They weren’t really convincing themself with their own reasoning, but it didn’t matter. They had made their decision. Sitting up, they held out their hand for Mari’s. “I’m- no. We’re gonna get back at him. And if anyone bothers you again, I’ll make sure they don’t do it a third time.”
They were glowing with conviction, a smile finally breaking through the uncharacteristic cloudiness on their face. In a visible flash of inspiration, they twisted their hand, curling everything but their littlest finger into their palm. “I pinky promise.”
