~Jade Steven

The dark brown choclatey eyes glared at me, watching me spellbindingly finish a bar of crackers. There were about twenty whining little toddlers and this particular girl had fixed her eyes upon me. I felt peculiar. Was she staring at the crackers I held in my hand or was I too beautiful that she couldn't take her eyes off me. The latter felt impossible so I soon dismissed the thought. I looked around the classroom- warm brown chic benches wherein students had engraved their names upon, grey blackboard coated with minute chalk particles, vivid blue, green turquoise charts taped to the weathered, poorly maintained walls. Mrs Patsy placed her delicate palms on my shoulder and directed me to sit beside that weird kid. 

" I am Jade and you?" she whispered.

" I'm Chloe" I muttered.

She stuffed her mouth with a handful of pomegranate seeds. I think she caught me drooling. 

Grinning at me she asked, " You want some?"

" Umm okay."

She didn't mind me gobbling up her entire fruit. I concluded she didn't like the fruit and found a better way of getting rid of it. I noticed that she was  a carefree, unusually pale yet beautiful, gallant six year old kindergarten kid, well groomed, whose shoes were polished and her plats were perfectly braided. My gazing was intervened by Mrs Patsy's blaring creaky voice. 

" Line up y'all. I don't want anyone getting lost." she screamed at the top of her voice.

I stood in front of  that uncanny girl, she was just few centimetres taller than I was. We made our way to the sink to rinse our hands. I lost track of time while scrubbing my hands.I rubbed and rubbed my hands against each other. One could say that I'd  totally be a perfect brand ambassador for hand soap commercials. 

" You want me to wait for you?" Jade asked me.

I nodded. I didn't not know the way back to my classroom. 

"Please wait okay?" I pleaded her.

"I'll be using the washroom till then." she promised. 

After my relentless yet futile effort of killing every germ on my palm I looked around. There was not a single trace of any living creature. Where was Jade I thought. I then spent twenty minutes standing in exact same location watching a girl wailing her eyes out, being dragged to the classroom forcefully. 

My tear glands had an automatic response 

wherein the wailing girl acted as a stimulus. I let out a loud desperate cry. As every second passed, the intensity of the cry became louder and louder. You tell me what are the odds that a kid gets lost on the first day of school. My face reddened when I thought of Jade. That brat promised me and now she was no where to be seen.

" Why are you crying, luv? Which class are you in?" asked a nearby stranger.

"I.... don't.... know."

"What's your name, honey?"

The fear made me forget my name. " I don't know ..... anything."

That was exactly when I thought that this Jade kid is going to have it from me. I thought to pester her my entire life.