A Couple Days Later…

"Come on, let's try again! I'll hop on one leg to make it fair~"

"Ah, shaddup! You're not helping!"

Three kids hung around in the middle of the grassy plain, enjoying each other's company under the baby blue sky. A girl that wore a golden braid raced a freckled boy around the field, much to the boy's disadvantage due to a sprained ankle. The third kid sat in the grass nearby, hugging his legs as he observed his two bantering friends.

"Of course I am! You're the idiot who wants to run on a busted foot!" The girl contested her freckled friend.

"Because I'm in Varsity Track! I can't just take a break!" The boy defensively snapped back.

"Well then suck it up, crybaby! We're going again!"

"Fine then! Sheesh. Tomboys like you… no wonder why guys avoid you!"

"What did you say?!"

"Can you guys calm down…" The voice of the third boy came from below. The two kids look to their friend with expectant stares.

"He started it, Drew!"

"You're the one overreacting! Come on, tell her!"

"Uhh…" Not sure how to navigate the situation, Drew froze in conflict.

"Drew!"

"Drew…"

...

"Mr. Andrew!" A different voice called out to him this time, one that was vastly more elderly. Coming back from his daydreams, the young man found himself sitting at the information desk in the Bruma's Heart Library, his glasses nearly falling off his nose as he picked his head up from the table. Noticing his rough appearance, he started to straighten himself, fixing his glasses and tie.

"Mr. Andrew!" The voice called again. Letting out a light sigh, Andrew grabbed the brown cane sitting beside him before he got up and walked over to the voice. Entering the backroom of the library, he met the source of the shouting, a stout old man who was trying to reach a book from the top shelf. "Yes, Mr. Reed?" Andrew asked. Looking back at the young man, a sympathetic look flickered in Mr. Reed's eyes.

"Oh I'm sorry, my boy…" The man exhaled. "I forgot about your condition. I'm just not used to seeing walking canes with people so young."

"Don't worry, it's fine. Would you like some help?" Andrew walked over to the old man with curiosity. Attempting to stand on his toes, the old man grunted in annoyance. "Bah, the shelf is too damn high. I can't find my step-ladder anywhere! Think' some punk stole it."

"Hm. Excuse me a bit." The young man politely ushered Mr. Reed to the side to get a better look at the height. Deducting that the shelf is out of his natural reach too, Andrew raised his cane into the air, the handle easily reaching the desired shelf. Placing his other hand on the bookshelf, the man maintained his balance. "Which one are you trying to get?" He questioned.

"One in the middle. In Search of Lost Time." Mr. Reed answered, emphatically pointing at the book. Andrew drifted the cane's handle across the top of the books until he reached the one Mr. Reed pointed out. He then hooked the handle on the head of the book, pulling it out of the shelf and catching it in the air. With a pleasant smile, he handed it to his supervisor, who guffawed in victory.

"Ha! Thanks, kid! Even when handicapped, you're still more helpful than the rest of the people here!" Mr. Reed complimented. Andrew's mouth twitched a slight bit at the comment, but accepted nonetheless.

"I don't think it's that big of a deal." he said.

"Now, don't sell yourself short, son!" The old man continued. "I may be senile, but not too senile to forget all the times you helped me out before you graduated! And now here you are! A teacher's aide! A surprise, but a welcome one."

"Believe me… it was a surprise for me too." Andrew confirmed, rubbing the nape of his neck. "I saw that a lot of things changed around here."

"What on earth do you mean? It's still relatively the same! Didn't you graduate four years ago?"

"A-Actually it was eight, sir. I'm 26."

"Oh. Well, time passes by so fast, I'll probably die if I blink!" Mr. Reed joked, waving off his mistake. "In that case, you're right; our school did undergo quite a dramatic change, becoming a charter 'bout five years ago. An experiment, they said."

"Experiment?"

"Yeah! 'Implementing Montessori practices,' they said. Giving students more freedom with their studies and how they go about their learning." As he listened to Mr. Reed's explanation, Andrew began to recall his own research about Montessori before he got hired. From what he gathered, Montessori schools focus more on the student's development than their achievements. It provided positive results, although the difference is that most schools only dealt with younger kids rather than teenagers.

"...A lot of folks weren't sure about the changes, but the founder seemed real confident." Mr. Reed finished, heading to the desk to sit down.

"It sounds nice, but does it work?" Andrew inquired.

"I'm a librarian now, so it's hard to say. I HAVE seen it help students, though." He posed. "Look, everyone's got an opinion, but here's the way I see it; if it can help kids succeed, then why not?"

~Ding, Ding, Ring, Ding~

The school's final bell resonated throughout the library, interrupting the two men's conversation. Once the ringing ceased, Mr. Reed looked back to Andrew with a relaxed smile. "Welp, seems like it's the end of the day for you." He said.

"Are you sure you don't need help with anything else?" The young man asked, perhaps a tad too quickly. The older one simply shook his head. "I'm sure, thank you. I appreciate your help today, Mr. Andrew. Now, go on! I'll see you tomorrow." While the man cracked the book open to read, Andrew nodded and exited, leaving the old man in the peaceful library.

–OD!–

As he exited the main campus, Andrew felt that he had two options: Either take his car and drive back to an empty apartment or go on a quick walk around his old school. Unsurprisingly, there was no dispute in his mind as he continued to walk the campus sidewalk. Strolling past the portables and the auditorium, he found himself heading towards the sports section of the campus.

Hearing the cracks of baseballs being hit and bounces of tennis rackets, the young man nearly got lost in the sounds as the wind blew against his tawny skin. However, the stinging in his left leg brought him back, making his teeth grit in response. Andrew took pause, supporting himself on a nearby chain fence. Looking down at his leg, his face morphed into a look of scorn before resting in sadness. Another crack of a baseball resounded in the air, pulling Andrew out from his melancholy. When he raised his head up to the path ahead, suddenly something caught his eye. Wait, is that…

Down the path was an old gym shed, sitting across the far end of the baseball field. Observing the structure, the young man widened his eyes in remembrance as years of memories drowned his mind in a split second. Quickly hobbling to the shed, he walked around the building, viewing it in all its rusty glory. Even though it was clear the shed aged a great deal since he graduated, it still felt as though it hasn't changed at all. When he arrived at the back of the shed, another memory flashed by as he examined the metallic wall. I wonder if it's still there.

His eyes continued to canvas the wall in search of this hidden memorabilia. Right when he was about to give up, he discovered the mark that was left on the shed. In the lower section of the shed, there were scratches on the aluminum that made out a message.

AT/CM/TE

So, So, and Not So!

I am So!

After reading the message left by the past selves of him and his friends, Andrew couldn't help but crack a resigned smile. Turning around, he looked out into the grassy plain, the tree line still showing a luscious green with a tinge of autumn leaking in. With nothing but nostalgia coursing in his veins, Andrew gazed into the plain with longing. It was painful, but felt infinitely better than the pain in his leg. Is it stupid that I feel this way? He pondered.

…If it is, then I hope you two are being stupid too.

Following the trip down memory lane, Andrew decided to walk back into reality and return to the concrete path. As he passed by the front of the shed, he stopped at one of the windows. Out of curiosity, the young man decided to peer into the panel, getting a view of the room inside. "Huh." He mumbled to himself, surprised that the room inside looked a lot more spiffy and lived-in than the outside. He was about to leave until a voice unexpectedly called out.

"HEY!"

Andrew's body whipped to the sound of the voice. It's seemed that the voice came from-

THUD!

TO BE CONTINUED!