The Sand Pit

Jane didn’t want to be around anyone else. She was quite happy to play, alone in the sand pit. She had found a great spot, behind the jungle gym, just out of sight of Miss Jenkins. Jane’s teacher was always encouraging her to play with the other children. No, it was better this way. Out of sight, out of mind, as her mother would say. Anyway, the others didn’t like playing with her. They called her names: smarty pants, egghead, know-it-all, nerd… She’d heard them all. She didn’t really mind, they were saying that she was smarter than them, and she knew that already. Still, it was easier to calculate the area of a pyramid, alone in the sand box, than it was with a bunch of silly five year olds stomping around, smashing her creations.

She looked at the four triangles she had created. Tetrahedrons, she remembered from her geometry book. All of the faces were triangles. She had made different sized tetrahedrons on purpose so she could calculate each one. She knew the formula. It was easier. All the triangles were equilateral, so she multiplied each side by itself, then multiplied by the square root of three. She could do the sums in her head. She was pretty sure that even Miss Jenkins didn’t know how to do that. For the first pyramid, she had made each side 4 cm, so she squared that to find 16, then by multiplying 16 by the square root of three, she got her answer: 27.71 cm². Just for fun, she converted it into inches: 4.29 in².

She was about to measure the second pyramid when a shadow appeared above her. She looked up and saw the new boy, Mitch. He was holding a hand full of marbles. His mop of fair hair fell untidily onto his pudgy face, and a thin line of drool was sliding down his chin. He looked down at Jane, who, worried about her pyramids, stood up and placed herself in front of them.

“What’s up Marbles?” she asked. Mitch’s face screwed up in confusion. Even by the mediocre standards of intelligence in the class, Jane knew that Mitch was on the bottom end.

Mitch didn’t answer, in fact, Jane had never actually heard him speak, and wasn’t sure he knew how. After a few seconds, he sat down in the sand and pointed at the pyramids, but said nothing. Jane sat down next to him. She paused for few seconds, trying to gauge if Mitch was about to destroy her work, but he seemed content to just sit and watch, so Jane continued her calculations.

A few minutes later, just as she was finishing her third pyramid, another shadow loomed over them. Jane looked up and saw Jared. She stood quickly. Whereas Mitch was a simpleton but basically harmless, Jared was a bully. The largest kid in class, whose favourite food was burgers and pizza, he could easily squash any other kid in school.

“Whatcha doin’ Brainiac?” he asked, wheezing. “Whatcha got there?” he pointed at the sand pit.

“Nothing, go away,” Jane said, her voice shaky.

Jared shoved her hard in the chest and she fell down on her butt. She watched in horror as Jared stomped on the biggest pyramid. Before he could step on the next one however, something collided hard with him and he fell to the ground. A moment later, Jane realised it was Mitch. He had rammed Jared hard, and both of them had fallen to the floor. The marbles that had been in Mitch’s hand flew in all directions. The fight only lasted a few seconds because Miss Jenkins came running over. She grabbed both boys by their arms and steered them away towards the building, leaving Jane alone.

She looked at the crushed pyramid, feeling her eyes burn. She stood up and walked on something hard and round. She bent down and picked up the marble, then glanced towards the building. She made a decision. Mitch was not going to be punished.

*

Jane sat in the shade of the large oak tree in front of the cafeteria, reading. She had read Jane Eyre before, but as it was required reading for her English class, she thought it best to go through it again. Her friend Amanda sat next to her, also with the book in her hand.

“Isn’t Mr Rochester dreamy?” Amanda said in a syrupy voice.

“Oh, yes!” Jane said, without looking up. “If you overlook the controlling and manipulative behaviour, the lies and secret keeping, and the adultery, he’s definitely a keeper!”

“Yes,” Amanda said, ignoring the sarcasm. “But apart from that, he is so dreamy!”

Jane laughed and finally looked up. As she did, she noticed Aaron walking past the main building about a hundred yards away. Aaron was a guy in their English class, and he was the definition of dreamy according to Amanda. Always well dressed, he loved classic literature and spoke in a soft, posh manner. Jane nudged her friend and jerked her head in his direction.

“Go ask him out!” she said.

“Oh my god, can you imagine? Mr and Mrs Aaron! It has a nice ring to it!”

“Aaron?” Jane laughed.

“I don’t know his last name, sue me!” Both girls laughed. “Oh, here comes Simpleton!”

“Don’t call him that!” Jane said sharply. She looked around and saw Mitch heading towards her. As usual when she was with Amanda, Jane had mixed feelings about seeing him. Amanda did not like Mitch.

“Marbles,” Jane said as he approached.

“Hey Sand Pit,” Mitch said, waving his blond hair out of his eyes.

Mitch was the typical football player: tall, handsome, popular. Jane, however, was a nobody. Amanda was her only real friend. She spent most of her time engrossed in books, or studying maths or physics. She was already taking university courses.

“Are you busy later?” he asked. Jane looked at him, his bright eyes, void of any real intelligence, but to Jane, they were full of empathy and compassion. Her friendship with Mitch was peculiar. She knew it, and everyone around her knew it. They were opposites in almost every way. She was smart. He was not. She liked to read, but Mitch avoided books. She liked maths, physics, literature, theatre, and he liked football and partying. They moved in different circles. Jane did not like any of Mitch’s friends, and Jane’s friends and family didn’t like Mitch. Not that he was a bad guy or anything, they just believed that he wasn’t smart enough to hang out with Jane.

Despite all of this, rarely a day went by when the pair didn’t talk. It felt to Jane as if, what they now referred to jokingly as ‘The Playground Incident’, had cemented their friendship. After that event, Jane and Mitch had played together almost every day. Jane had tried to show Mitch some of the things she liked to work on. She had tried to help him talk more, and learn to read, but she wasn’t sure she had really made any headway. Mitch was usually content to sit next to her, watching her, or playing with his own things.

As they grew older, this didn’t change much. They each did their own thing, but they also spent a lot of time together. They always sat together in whichever classes they shared, and they sometimes ate lunch together. Jane didn’t know what Mitch’s friends thought of her, nor did she much care. She enjoyed Mitch’s company, and that was enough for her.

“No, I’m not busy, why?” she answered.

“I was wondering if you’d help me study? I’ve got a maths quiz.”

For some reason, Jane felt disappointed. Amanda’s eye roll didn’t help, but when Jane shot her a look, Amanda hastily glanced down at her book and began to whistle.

“Sure,” Jane said, turning back to Mitch.

“Great, see you later,” He rested a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently before departing.

“I know what you are going to say,” Jane said, lowering her gaze to her book. She could feel Amanda’s stare.

“When’s the last time he came to you for something other than help with his homework?”

Jane preferred not to answer. The truth was that it had been a while since they had just hung out. But Mitch was so bad at working that it felt more like they were hanging out anyway. She put the idea out of her mind and concentrated on Jane Eyre, hoping that Mitch and Mr Rochester didn’t have too much in common.

*

Later that same day, Mitch and Jane were sitting on their favourite bench in the park. A few kids were playing on the swings, shouting and laughing. The studying conditions were not optimal, but they were fond of the spot.

Several times they had met here and talked. For two people who had nothing in common, they always seemed to find something to talk about. Jane knew Mitch wasn’t the smartest person in the world. He was often confused about simple things, like calculus or geography, and his school work was abysmal, but she often found herself engrossed in his anecdotes. He was funny without trying, and a natural born story teller. She knew that when he spoke, people usually listened.

“So then you take x and replace it with this number, do you see?” Jane was saying.

“I wish my ex would replace my number,” Mitch said. Jane gave a half smile.

“Is Melissa still bothering you?”

“Nah not really,” Mitch said, glancing up into Jane’s eyes. She looked back down at the textbook. Her heart beating fast all of sudden. The question she really wanted to ask was bubbling inside of her, and she knew if she did not broach the subject soon, it would come bursting out of her.

“You don’t want to get back together with her, do you?” she said, still avoiding her real query.

“No. It didn’t click, you know what I mean? I need someone with who it’s easy to be around.”

I’m easy to be around, Jane thought. Where the hell had that come from?

“Do you only hang around with me for my brains?” She blurted out suddenly.

Mitch looked up. His expression reminded Jane of the day she had called him ‘Marbles’ in the playground for the first time, and she almost laughed.

“No,” he said. “I hang out with you because you are my friend. What a strange question!” Mitch stood up, clearly uneasy.

“It’s just that it’s been a while since you’ve asked me to hang out, you know, just as friends, and not with a book between us.”

Mitch sighed and closed his textbook, dug his hands into his pockets and looked out over at the children. Jane, staring at his profile, wasn’t sure if he was doing this pose on purpose or not, but she suddenly thought he looked like a model in one of those magazines. The sun setting behind him didn’t help. She got a peculiar feeling in her stomach as she watched him.

“You know, none of my friends get why I hang out with you,” he said finally. Jane didn’t reply, but waited for him to continue. “They think you’re stuffy, no fun, a square.”

“So?” Jane said. She had heard these things her whole life. The fact that a bunch of mindless jocks felt this way about her didn’t bother her. “Is that what you think?”

“No! Of course not!” He looked affronted, as if the mere idea of thinking her a square was offensive. “I love spending time with you.” Jane’s heart swelled at these words. “That’s way I schedule these sessions with you. If my friends think it’s just for studying, I can hang out with you without worrying.” Jane’s heart, so full of joy a second ago, suddenly burst.

“Worrying about what?”

Jane watched Mitch’s face as the cracks appeared. The slow dawn of realisation of what he’d said was infuriating to her. It seemed to her that the information was taking its sweet time to get to his brain. She saw it in the eyes first. The slow widening, then the bead of sweat on his temple despite the mild weather. The alarm rose steadily within him, and when it finally shot out, he did his best to hide it. But he chose the one strategy then made it all worse: he laughed.

Before he could say anything, Jane spoke again.

“You were worried about being seen with me.” The softness of her voice surprised even her. “I’m just a nerd. I’m not cool enough to be your friend. Is that what those idiots you hang around with say?”

“That’s not fair,” Mitch said. “You can’t call them that. You don’t even know them.”

“But they can call me a nerd, can they? Do you even defend me when they do that? Or do you laugh merrily along with them?”

“Of course n-” But Jane didn’t let him finish.

“I bet you make fun of me along with your friends, and why not? I am a nerd after all. Why do you even hang around with me it you’re ashamed of me? Am I just a brain to you? Somebody to help you through school because without me you’d fail?” She stopped. She had gone too far, she knew it. She could see it on Mitch’s face.

“Is that what you think?” he said, and it was his turn to have an unexpected softness in his voice. “That I’m just a moron who uses you for school?” The softness disappeared with his next words, and instead, each syllable dripped with harshness. “I knew you were conceited, Jane, but I didn’t think you felt so low of me. You talk about my friends, but what about Amanda? You think I don’t see her roll her eyes every time I speak to you? You think I don’t know that she thinks I’m an idiot? Have you been laughing about me behind my back? Maybe I’ve asked you to work with me because I didn’t think you’d want to keep hanging around with a stupid jock like me.” He grabbed his textbook. “Thanks for the help,” he said and walked away, leaving Jane to stare at the grass, alone.

*

Jane stood in the doorway to the building, breathing a sigh of relief that the work day was finally over. She paused before exiting, because of the pouring rain. She had not thought to bring an umbrella, and she debated whether or not to make run for it, or wait until it slowed. She decided to wait. The bus wasn’t for another quarter of an hour, and it was only a five minute walk to the bus stop.

She watched as soaking wet people ran for cover, some holding umbrellas, or suitcases over their heads to stave off the rain. She looked down at her own case. It was new, and made of leather. She was damned if she was subjecting it to the downfall. She decided that if the rain didn’t let up soon, she’d wait for the next bus. She was in no hurry, there was nothing waiting for her at home, except an empty fridge and the last few pages of the book she was reading. She glanced up at the darkening sky, even though it was still early in the day. She sighed and looked back out into the street. A car had pulled up in front of the curb. She didn’t recognise it. The window opened and a face appeared.

“Jane,” the person called. Jane peered through the drops. With a flash of recognition, and completely forgetting about the rain and her new suitcase, she made her way down the few steps and towards the car.

“Mitch?” she said, surprised.

“Get in,” he urged, unlocking the door for her. “You’re getting soaked!”

Jane got in and sat down, without taking her eyes off him.

She had not seen Mitch for years. Ever since they had parted ways in their senior year of high school. Their relationship had never really recovered from that day in the park. And after graduation, they had taken different paths. Jane had studied maths and applied physics at university, and taken her PHD in astrophysics, and finally landed a job in a prestigious university, researching the movements of celestial bodies in the universe. The last she had heard from Mitch, he was working in the local McDonalds.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I was looking for you. I spoke to Amanda, and she told me you worked around here.”

“You were looking for me?”

“Yes!” He pulled something from out of his pocket. “I found this the other day in a box in my parents’ garage.” She looked at it. It was a picture of the pair of them, taken when they were about six years. They were both smiling up at the camera, sitting in a sand pit. Jane smiled. “When I found the picture, it made me think of you. Well, actually, I always think of you, Jane.”

“You do?” Jane asked looking into his eyes.

“Yeah! I’ve done a lot of thinking over these last few years. Going from one dead end job to another. And I realised how much my life has gone downhill since we’ve stopped hanging out.”

“So you miss me?” Jane said, smiling in spite of herself.

“I do,” Mitch grinned. “Do you miss me?”

“I do, but listen Mitch, I’m sorry for that day in the park. I misjudged you. I always thought I was smarter than you. You were right.”

“You are smart, Jane, but you were never smart enough to understand how much I cared for you.” He grasped her hand, but it was Jane who leaned forwards for this kiss.

“I’m glad you came, Marbles,” she whispered. Mitch grinned, and kissed her again.