The day was slow and gray, like usual during the school year in Battle Ground, WA. Frederick was a person of eerie feels-always wore dark clothing, and wasn’t much of a communicator when it came to speaking in front of a crowd or even just one other person. Sometimes he almost thought he had the guts to be himself, but when the moment came he would tense up and feel like leftover food that’s been sitting in the fridge for a week. “The same old fake me,” Frederick thought as that person that had approached him early in the morning, was walking away.
On his way home, Frederick asked himself, “Why does every day seem just as nerve rackingly the same as every other day. I want to make a difference but don’t know how to do so.” He thought about the girl that had came up to him this morning to start a conversation and focused on her facial expressions when she noticed his unresponsiveness. She looked confused but curious all in one. While still walking home at about 2:40, Frederick scrutinized the familiar faces from school that were going off  doing their own thing, almost as if he were a sibling looking up to an old brother or sister. He wished he could be like those chill people in school that were confidant in what they were saying and had friends coming from every direction. It made him think about a broken compass he once had when he was younger that just spun in circles. Although he enjoyed his walks back home from school each day, Frederick examined everything and thought about how the weather matched his personality when he wasn’t himself. Still on the same stroll he took every day after school, following the same path that he now had embedded into his mind by now, something was different. Now nearly home, he saw one of the popular kids from his school sitting alone at kiwanis park, doing what happened to look like praying. Frederick felt an urge to go talk to, who seemed to be, that popular kid at school but at the moment looked as if he may have problems just like he did himself. He could tell he might of been going through something dramatic because he was covering his face with his hands before folding them in his lap. Being about five feet away from where the kid was sitting Frederick decided to follow his urge and says, “Hello, how’s your day?”

“Oh my day’s fine,” the kid says while wiping his face.

“You didn’t seem fine just a second ago,” Frederick says with a bit of a stutter.

“Don’t worry I’m fine now, God will take care of me. My names Jorden, what’s your name?”

“Frrr frr Frederick,” he says very hesitant.

“No need to be too shy now Frederick, my intent isn’t to judge you,” Jorden said very fluently.

Frederick stops and thinks to himself for a slight amount of time, “I’m surprised to hear that from you because most of the popular kids will give me this mean glare like I’m not even human or something,” he says with a curious facial expression.

“I really don’t want to even talk about what their problem may be, they think they’re all better than everyone else or something, when infact we are all humans and aren’t perfect.” Hey, maybe you would want to come over sometime and hang out? You seem like a cool kid.” Jorden asked with a very unhesitant respectful voice.
Frederick paused and thought about what his mom said to him almost everyday when coming back home after school, “Sure, my mom always tells me that I need friends because I look lonely.”

Jorden smiled almost laughing, “ Alright sounds good, well not the being lonely part but the part where you and me just became friends. You have a good rest of your stroll home and I’ll see you tomorrow Frederick.”

“ Okay,” Frederick replied back with a smile and continued walking.

Frederick kept thinking about how magnified the change in Jorden’s mood was between the time he first saw him sitting on the bench with his hands covering his face like a mask and when they started their slightly awkward conversation.

“I would ask how your day was but you always say the same as every other day, so that makes me want to assume how your day already went,” Fredericks mom says to him when walking in the front door.

Frederick looks at her with a glare and says with a loud tone of voice, “Actually mooom today was very different! Well I guess it was actually the same until just before I got home.”

“That’s fantastic! did you make any friends?” His mom said excitingly.

“This popular kid from my school asked if I wanted to hangout with him tomorrow since it’s Friday. His name's Jorden.” Frederick announced.

His mom stood there almost in awe, “So one of them finally came to their senses.”

“I guess you could say that, Mom,” Frederick said with a laugh.

The rest of the day, the situation with him and that popular kid, Jorden, had been spinning around through his head like a tornado of thoughts, wondering what the next day would bring him.

“Maybe following my instincts are for the better. I did it today and it worked. I decided to be myself this time and it worked,” Frederick shouted with glee.