Good Enough (How We Met)
#7 of Good Enough Side Stories
Good Enough--Side Story--How We Met
Years Ago, Fourth Grade
"I don't wanna go back!" nine-year-old Thomas Martan cried petulantly, throwing his backpack off as he entered the bedroom. His mother, seated on the bed, looked up with a scowl. He returned the glare, sniffling irritably.
"Don't be so loud," Mary Martan admonished firmly as she pulled up the blanket over her younger son, Theodore, who started to cough once more. "Your brother needs to rest."
"Then let me stay home with him tomorrow," Thomas insisted.
"No," she answered. "You need to go to school."
"But--"
"Don't you argue with me," she snapped. Then, in a softer tone, she said, "What happened? I thought you were excited about third grade. Bad teacher?"
"No... Miss Singer is okay... but..."
He sniffled again and Mary stood, pausing only to double-check Theodore's temperature. She sighed. "What happened, Tommy? Are you okay?" He shook his head. "What's going on?"
Thomas sniffled again. "They don't like me."
"Who doesn't?"
"The other cubs. They keep picking on me at recess," Thomas whined, wiping his eyes as tears formed. "They kept calling me a freak and a weirdo and a crybaby and--"
She shushed him, putting her finger on his lips before kissing his forehead. "How about I bake you some of those cookies you love?" she offered. "Will that make you feel better?"
Thomas wiped his eyes again. "Y-yes..."
Little over an hour later, with his mother's warm cookies in his belly and a glass of milk in his paw, Thomas did feel slightly mollified. His mother had once more retreated to Theodore's bedside to tend to him. Thomas stood in the doorway, watching.
"Is Teddy going to be okay?" Thomas wondered.
"Yes, his fever's going down," Mary replied. "He'll be fine. If he gets healthy enough, he might be able to go to school tomorrow, but you're going no matter what."
"But... mama..."
"I know it's hard," she said. "And I know what it's like to be picked on. But you need to learn to stand up for yourself or go tell your teacher. If you need me to, I'll go up there and--"
"I'M HOME!" Henry Martan called.
At once, by habit, Thomas ran out to greet him. And, just as easily, Henry hefted his son up, hugging him lovingly as their faces pressed together in a warm embrace. Henry smiled at Thomas, though that smile faltered when he got a good look at his eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked, setting Thomas back down.
"What do you mean?"
"Your eyes are--"
"STOP!" Thomas yelled, covering his ears. "LA-LA-LA-LA--OW!"
Henry had seized his son's shirt collar, frowning. "What's wrong with you? Why're you acting like this?"
"Why does everyone hate my eyes?"
"What?" Henry scoffed. "Where'd that come from?!"
"Why does everyone say I have weird eyes?!"
"Who's saying that? I was going to ask why your eyes are so red. Have you been crying again?"
"No! I'm not a crybaby!"
"Thomas, what's going on? Talk to me."
Mary's voice cut into the conversation, calm and soothing, like a lullaby. "He's being bullied at school."
"What?" Henry snarled, an edge of anger coloring his voice now. "Is that true, Tommy?"
Thomas didn't answer. "How's Teddy doing?"
"He's fine. Answer your father," Mary insisted.
Thomas looked down and turned back around. Unable to face his father's gaze, he instead talked to his father's shiny, though admittedly ugly, belt buckle. "They just said I had ugly eyes. Like a freak. They said that I looked like a freak because my eyes are two colors."
"Who?"
"Some of the cubs in my class."
"Thomas... have a seat," Henry said. He sat on the couch and Thomas joined him.
"Am I a freak?"
"No," Henry said. "You're a handsome, strong little one. And I know you're get even stronger. But here's the thing; you have to work on being strong. And if you want them to respect you, you need to show that you're not going to let them push you around. Don't misunderstand me; I'm not saying to get into fights or anything. But stand up for yourself. If you need a teacher, go get your teacher. If you need me, call me. I know what it's like to be bullied. It hurts... but it'll hurt even more if you don't fight against it."
"Hey! You're the cat that they keep calling a crybaby?"
Thomas jumped up in surprise, expecting it to be those leopards, those same ones who had just pushed him around, who had just poked, prodded and pinched him over by the slide. But no... this white rabbit... Who was he? Thomas's watery eyes could just barely make out the rabbit's features, but he could see the white fur, the pink shirt and the beige shorts. The rabbit sat down in front of him, watching him curiously.
"Go away!" Thomas insisted.
"No."
"... Leave me alone!"
"No."
"Why not?!" Thomas rubbed his eyes, trying and failing to force himself to stop crying. "Just go!"
"No."
Thomas sniffled again. "Please?"
"No." And the rabbit leaned forward, looking at Thomas who quickly tried to cover his eyes with his paws. But the rabbit moved his paws aside, holding them away from the face. "Oh. Wow... So they were right. Two color eyes. How'd you do that?"
"I didn't mean to!"
"Wow! That's cool... Never saw anything like it..."
"Let go!" Thomas whined, pulling his arms back. And he stood and stomped off.
Yet, much to Thomas's surprise, the rabbit didn't leave him alone, not that day.
Or the day after. Or the week after!
One Week Later, Thursday
Oswald "Ozzy" Prier wasn't sure what drew his attention towards the panther, currently being teased with his back against the wall of the school. His eyes surveyed the teachers who were supposed to be monitoring recess, though they seemed preoccupied with themselves, having their own weird conversations that no fourth grader would understand. Well, no ordinary fourth grader, but Ozzy was sure that he understood the gist of what was being said. Bills, cheaters, that cute new second grade teacher.
But his gaze soon returned to the scrawny, awkward panther and the two leopards currently pushing him, taunting him, trying to get him to cry. Curious, Ozzy moved forward and was soon close enough to hear their voices.
"Cry, baby, cry!" they teased. "Cry, baby, cry!"
"Stop it!" the panther, in a strained, weak tone, begged, just barely keeping in the tears.
"Cry, baby, cry! Cry, baby, cry!"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Ozzy cleared his throat noisily, as if he was going to cough. The leopards looked at him and one of them, the thinner one, snorted indignantly.
"Go away, cottontail," he snapped.
"I was just wondering why you're messing with him," Ozzy murmured.
"Cause we can!" the fatter said. "Look at this freak! Look at his eyes!"
Despite the panther's best attempts to look away, their eyes met. Ozzy could see those two-toned colored eyes, one bright green and the other a golden yellow, each one sparkling in the light for the brief moment they were focused on the rabbit.
"So what? His eyes have two colors... That's pretty cool."
"No, he's a freak," the thinner leopard snarled. "And a crybaby! Just look at him!"
The fatter leopard yanked on the panther's tail, eliciting a loud scream from him. "He peed himself in front of class yesterday!"
"STOP IT!" the panther whined.
"Well, if I remember right, you"--he pointed to the thinner leopard--"started crying when you had to do that one project in front of the class and you"--he pointed to the fatter leopard--"actually peed your pants when you saw a bee."
A moment of silence formed and Ozzy smiled wide. The leopards exchanged looks of fear before pushing the panther towards Ozzy. The panther looked at Ozzy with confusion, unsure of what to do. The leopards glanced at each other before each launching into hurried explanations.
"I didn't cry--"
"It wasn't just a bee--"
"Hey, I gotta go!"
"Me too!"
And they dashed off, humiliated. Ozzy turned and smiled happily at the panther.
"Why'd you do that?" the panther wondered.
"I like making enemies," Ozzy answered. He was still smiling, his crimson eyes bright and shining. He held out a paw. "My name's Oswald but everyone calls me 'Ozzy'. What's yours?"
"I'm Tommy," the panther said fretfully. And he shook Ozzy's paw. "Nice to meet you."
"So, why are they pushing you around?" Ozzy wondered.
"I don't know," Tommy replied. "I think they hate my eyes." And he looked away, wiping the remaining tears in his eyes. "I'm just--"
"But your eyes are cool! I like them!"
"Really?"
"Really," Ozzy assured him. Ozzy pulled at his pink shirt. "Besides, people keep making fun of me because I like pink. But it's okay! I don't let it bother me!" He flashed a toothy grin and Tommy gave a weak smile.
"Thank you for helping me," Tommy murmured.
"No problem!" Ozzy said loudly, clapping him on the back. Then, he pointed towards the swings. "Come on! Want to play a bit before recess is over? I could give you a push on the swings!"
"Okay, but I don't really like swings. Maybe I could push you?"
"Sure!" Ozzy shouted and he pulled Tommy over.
"What's got you so happy?" Mary asked as Thomas skidded into the kitchen. She regarded him with amazement, curious as to why Thomas had come home with such a wide smile when he had been more sullen and melancholic for most of the week. Her eyes narrowed. "Where's Theodore?"
Thomas looked behind him. "Oh, he's talking to Ozzy."
"Who's Ozzy?"
"My new friend!" Thomas explained happily. "He rode the bus with me! Do you mind if he stays over for a little bit?"
"You just brought a random cub home with you?" she asked and Thomas flinched.
"Um... I can--"
"Hi, Miss Tommy's Mom!" said a bright, happy voice and Ozzy had walked in, a bright smile on his face. Theodore walked in behind him, making his way over to the counter to snatch a cookie. "Wow, you're pretty!" Mary's jaw dropped and she seemed at a loss for words. "Nice to meet you, I'm Ozzy!"
"You can call me Mrs. Martan," Mary said. "Do your parents know where you are?"
"Well, I can call them, but my dad's probably at work still and my mom's still on her business trip," Ozzy explained. "They're always busy," he added with a shrug.
"You should still call them," Mary remarked. She retrieved the phone from the countertop before frowning. "Theodore, no more cookies!"
"I only took one!" Theodore whined.
"No more!" she said warningly, giving the phone to Ozzy. She waited until he was talking to speak to Thomas. "Now, Tommy, I'm happy you made a friend. But you can't just be bringing cubs home like that. You need to ask for my permission and his parents' permission, okay?"
"But he would've been home alone. He would've been lonely."
Mary seemed to have no response, but Ozzy handed her the phone. "My mom wants to talk to you."
Mary sighed and took the phone.
"Come on, I'll show you my room," Thomas said, pulling on Ozzy's arm.
"Well, he seems nice," Henry noted as he saw the Prier family pull away in the ugly green car that Ozzy's parents had arrived in. He had, admittedly, enjoyed Kevin Prier's company, having talked with him for hours on end while knocking back nearly a whole case of beer. While Mary's interaction with Ozzy's mother, Nadine, was more focused on keeping the youths from getting hurt outside, she had enjoyed herself as well.
"He is!" Thomas said. "He's really awesome!"
"How'd you meet him?" Henry inquired.
"We were at school and he saved me from the bullies!" Thomas explained. "So, can I sleepover his house this weekend?"
"What? No," Henry said. "You barely know him and we hardly know his parents."
"But you can get to know them," Thomas insisted in a whiny tone. "Please, his my first friend!"
Henry rolled his eyes. "Tommy, I'm happy for you. I really am. But I'd rather get to know him and his family a little more before I let you stay over at his house." Thomas looked down sadly. Henry kneeled, putting his paw on his son's shoulder. "But congratulations. I'm proud of you."
"So, Oswald," Kevin said, "why didn't you tell us you were going over to your friend's house?"
"Why didn't you tell us you'd made a new friend?" Nadine asked, looking back at her son who was humming to himself in his usual, detached way. She waited a moment before reaching backward, tapping her son's knee. He looked up, head cocked slightly to the side as he looked at her. "You okay?"
"Yeah, just thinking," Ozzy replied. "You know, Tommy's my best friend. Could I have a sleepover with him?"
"Already? Didn't you just meet him? How can you call him your best friend?" Kevin mused.
"He already said he could!"
"Well, you didn't ask us or his parents," Kevin stated, "so no. And besides, we're--"
"Working all weekend?" Ozzy said with a nonchalant shrug. His parents exchanged concerned looks but Ozzy paid it no mind. "Well, does that mean I'll be staying with Logan again?"
"Ozzy, I'm sorry we have to keep doing this, but we have to keep the store open."
"I get it," Ozzy said.
"I'm sorry," Nadine replied sincerely. "I know it must be hard and I hate to leave you alone."
"But I have a new best friend. I'm not alone anymore."
One Week Later, Wednesday
Where was he?
Thomas surveyed the students fearfully as they walked outside to the playground, but there was no sign of the white rabbit, of Ozzy. Once outside, the students scattered, making it even harder to find him, if he was here. But was he even here?
"HEY, CRYBABY!"
Thomas's fur stood on end as he heard that familiar taunt in that hated voice. He turned and saw the two leopards approaching. He broke into a run, weaving between other students and the playground, hoping to get away, but he soon felt his tail grabbed, pulling him backward. He fell down onto the gravel and did his best to hold the tears in.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Thomas bellowed, but the thinner leopard pulled him up, pushing him to his friend. "Get off!" Thomas said, but the fatter leopard simply pushed him back.
And Thomas swung, not thinking. He felt his elbow connect with something and saw the thin leopard fall down, hold onto his jaw with the most hateful look Thomas had ever seen. The fatter leopard's arms suddenly hooked beneath Thomas's as the thinner one stood, eyes blazing with anger.
Then, someone slid--literally--into the fight, kicking the thinner leopard and tripping him. The leopard fell as a white-furred rabbit in a green shirt jumped up with a wide grin.
"SAFE!" Oswald Prier declared proudly.
The fatter leopard let go of Thomas and walked around to his friend, helping him back up. Ozzy smiled at them as he walked closer. They started to walk backward, looking at him oddly, as if Ozzy had just grown a second head.
"Listen here, boys!" Ozzy said boldly. "This"--he pulled Thomas closer, his arm around the panther--"is my new best friend. You mess with him, I kick your butt! Get it?"
They nodded.
"Then get lost!"
And they walked off, the thinner leopard limping slightly, leaving Thomas feeling slightly guilty as he watched. But when Ozzy turned to face him, that toothy grin somehow made the guilt fall away.
"You okay? Sorry about that!" Ozzy said.
"About what?"
"Not being here for you," Ozzy answered. "I should've been here to help. Still friends?"
Thomas nodded in amazement. "Y-yeah... Thank you for helping me."
"No problem. That's what friends do!"
Two Years Later, Sixth Grade
"Lame and kiddy, I believe were your words," Thomas griped as he and Ozzy walked home. He walked a few paces ahead of Ozzy, refusing to look back at him. Ozzy fidgeted nervously, looking downward as he followed.
"Well, you see, it's complicated," Ozzy remarked. "I just--"
"What's so complicated?" Thomas countered nonchalantly. "You let them tease me because you didn't want to get teased too."
"Well, it's your fault for still wearing those tighty-whities," Ozzy said, petulantly sticking his tongue. Thomas turned, eyes narrowed and a scowl on his face. Ozzy stopped and took a few steps back. "Well, only little cubs like your brother wear those."
"You only switched to not get teased!"
"Why didn't you?"
"Because I don't want to! You know, with friends like you, I don't think I need any enemies!"
"Tommy, I'm sorry! I'll make it up to you!"
Thomas looked at him, amazed at what he saw. He couldn't remember ever seeing Ozzy look sad; he looked as though he were about to cry and Thomas's guilt wormed through him like an icy chill. He looked down. Somewhere in the back of his mind, it registered that he hadn't had a real argument with Ozzy in years. "Dude, just drop it. I'm going home. I'll catch you later."
"Tommy--"
"Bye."
The Next Day, 3:56 PM
"SUSPENDED?!" Thomas repeated in amazement. "OZZY?!"
Kevin Prier winced as he looked down at his son's best friend. He considered closing the front door. "Must you be so loud?" Mr. Prier wondered. "Yes, he was suspended. He's back in his room right now. He's not allowed to have visitors."
"Please, let me just go talk to him this once! Please!"
"No," Mr. Prier replied. "I know you're his buddy and all, but this is part of his punishment. He shouldn't have gotten in trouble."
"What happened? Why is he in trouble?" Thomas asked.
"He was picking fights apparently," Mr. Prier stated. "Now, please leave. You can see him when he's back at school."
12:03 AM
Thomas waited impatiently as he heard the phone ring on the other side. He silently hoped that Ozzy would have the sense to keep his cell phone's ringer off, yet that he would still let it vibrate. The phone rang once, twice, three times...
"Hello?" a weary voice answered.
"Ozzy? It's Tommy."
"Yeah, I know. It's past midnight. What's going on?" Ozzy murmured. "You know if my dad finds out you called, he'll blow a gasket. He'll probably get you in trouble too."
"It's past my bedtime anyway," Thomas answered. "If my dad finds me out here, he'll rip me a new one anyway. Dude, what happened? Why were you suspended? Who were you fighting? This isn't like you. What's going on?"
"One question at a time, kitten," Ozzy said. "Look, long story short, you were getting teased behind your back. Derek and Chad were being asses so I put them in their places."
"Is this about what I said yesterday? I'm sorry," Thomas said. "I didn't want you to get in trouble over this and you know I can stay mad at you!"
"It's no problem," Ozzy answered. "What're friends for?"
"Not getting each other in trouble!" Thomas remarked guiltily. For the first time in a long time, he felt tears in his eyes. He sniffled slightly and took a deep breath. "Ozzy, I'm sorry. I didn't want you to do that! I'm so sorry."
"Are you crying? That's a sound I haven't heard in a while."
"I'm not crying!" Thomas snapped. "I'm just--"
"You are! What happened? I thought you were past being a crybaby," Ozzy jibed.
"You know what, forget it!" Thomas snarled. "Maybe you should be in trouble!"
"There's my feisty kitten," Ozzy answered and Thomas felt himself calm. "Look, I didn't stand up for you when I should've. So I did it when I could. I don't mind being suspended for it."
"I do."
"Tommy, you're my best friend," Ozzy explained. "I'd do anything for you."
"But you don't have to."
"I want to," Ozzy stated, "and you can't stop me."
For a moment, Thomas was at a loss for words. Without a doubt, they'd continue in circles and he could hear the tiredness in Ozzy's voice. Bad enough he was the reason that Ozzy got suspended. He didn't want to deprive him of any more sleep than he already had. Besides, he couldn't really think of anything more to say right now except one thing.
"Thank you."
"No problem. I'd do anything for you."