Chapter 20: Makoto Flashback Chapter 14: Jason (Vol. 1)

It had been about a week since my work was able to extend my time with Makoto to until after recess was finished.  I didn't know how long this was going to last but, hopefully, long enough, until I could figure out a way to prevent the bullying, without me, physically, being with her.  Unfortunately, I couldn't think of a single way that would actually work or was realistic enough for the school to listen to.  Makoto was still wearing long sleeves, today, at school to hide the bruising on her forearms, that were still clearing up.  I had already seen what the bruising looked like and they were just as awful as my work made it sound, if not worse.  Both of her forearms were covered with them.  It frustrated me, to no end, that kids were able to do that to her with little to no repercussions but I wasn't surprised.  Even when I was in school, the teachers and staff didn't have a handle on bullying.  The system was fucked in every conceivable way.  They would always claim that they had a "zero" tolerance for bullying.  What a load of shit.  That's just what the schools told themselves to ease the parent's and student's minds.  It never fixed the problem, obviously, considering girls like Makoto were still being harassed, without consequences.  And God forbid, a student actually did stand up for themselves because they would end up getting the same consequence or, sometimes, a worse one than the bullies, themselves.  Shit like this was never going to change and it was, honestly, better for me to just accept it but still, it didn't prevent me from getting pissed about it.  My eyes shifted from Makoto, who was waiting for class to start, quietly, to the empty seat in front of her.

At least, I was able to convince the teacher to move Xander to a different part of the classroom, I thought to myself.  

My eyes then moved to Xander, who was sitting on the complete opposite side of the classroom from Makoto.  Every once in a while, I could see him scowling at her, making me believe that he still hated her, for some reason. This didn't make me feel like the bullying from him was going to stop, any time soon.

Little shit head, I cursed to myself.  

Before I could cuss out the little bastard in my mind, any further, the front door to the classroom opened and the teacher, Ms. Williams, made her way towards the front of the classroom with what looked like a new student, accompanying her.  The boy had short, black, spiky hair and a big goofy grin on his face as he stared at the other students.  

As soon as Ms. Williams and the new student were at the front of the classroom, she started with, "Hello class; today, we actually have a new student joining us.  Would you like to introduce yourself?"

"Hello, my name is Jason," the boy introduced, excitedly.  "I'm so excited to get to know you all!"  

Huh, bubbly little dude, I, silently, observed.  Seems harmless enough, though.

"Okay Jason, how about you sit over...at that seat...the one by Makoto," Ms. Williams directed, pointing to the seat in front of Makoto. 

Simultaneously, Makoto's expression turned to immediate panic while Jason's goofy grin grew even bigger.  Jason rushed over to the desk in front of Makoto's and sat down, already facing her.  

"Wow, you're so pretty," Jason complimented.  "I really like the flower in your hair too."  

After the abundance of compliments, Makoto turned around to face me, her face redder than I've ever seen it.  I could, faintly, hear her humming, meaning that she felt uncomfortable.

Usually, I would offer Makoto some advice but, for once, even I was at a complete loss of words.  Luckily, Makoto turned back around to face Jason, who hadn't taken his gaze off of her for a second.

"T-Thank you," Makoto said, nervously.  "M-My name is...M-Makoto.  It's n-nice to meet...you...Jason."

A perfect introduction, even under stress.  Holy shit balls.  That was so amazing.  

"Makoto, that's such a cool name," Jason said, smiling.  "I'm really happy I get to sit by someone as pretty as you.  If you ever want to talk, just tap me on the shoulder."

"O-Okay," Makoto responded, not sure of what else to say. 

Much to her relief, Jason turned back around to face the teacher, who was beginning her first lesson of the day.  In the corner of my eye, I could see Xander staring at Makoto, angrily. 

Hm, this boy, albeit a bit weird, might be a good thing for Makoto, I thought to myself.  

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"Okay class, the reading assignment should now be on all of your desks," stated Ms. Williams.  "I'd like you and a partner to take turns reading the assignment to one another, out loud.  Once everyone is finished, we'll each share one thing we learned about the story."

After instructing the class what to do, all of the other students in the classroom found their partner and began taking turns reading out loud.  Makoto was already looking at her own paper and reading it to herself, inside of her head, like she usually did.  Before she could read for too long, Jason spun around to face Makoto, the reading assignment in his hands.

"Alright Makoto, do you want to read, together?" he asked, happily. 

Makoto looked up from her paper for a second, gave it some thought, and shook her head, no.

Well, that kind of response isn't too surprising, I thought to myself.  Makoto hates reading out loud but, then again, this would be a perfect opportunity to not only practice her speech skills but also, some social ones, by working with a partner.  Plus, this boy doesn't seem like the kind, who'll make fun of or rush her.  Sorry, Makoto, I know you're going to hate me for this.

"Makoto, I know you usually like reading by yourself but since Jason asked if wanted to read with him, why don't you give it a try, this time?" I interjected.

Makoto turned around to face me with an annoyed look on her face.  I thought she was going to ignore me but she turned to face Jason.  

"Y-You get...first...paragraph...it's long," she said, bluntly.  

"Of course, that sounds good to me!" Jason responded, excitedly.  

Jason began reading the first paragraph, perfectly, without messing up a single time and it wasn't long until it was Makoto's turn.  During the entire time Jason was reading, Makoto was chewing on a strand of her curly hair.  She took the hair out of her mouth, squinted her eyes a couple of times and then began reading her short paragraph.

"T-The boy a-and his friends g-got in t-trouble for g-getting h-home late f-from their a...a..."

"Oh, do you need help?" asked Jason, noticing that Makoto was struggling.  "Let's see.  This word is adventures...like going on an adventure."

"A-Adven...tures.  Thank you."

Makoto continued to read her paragraph while Jason assisted her when she struggled with saying a word out loud.

Shit, this kid is doing my job for me, at this point, I thought to myself, smiling.  It's reassuring that she'll have a partner that's patient and considerate, from now on.  On top of that, this will allow me to promote more social interactions, in future school sessions.  

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I watched as Makoto took a bite of her sandwich and chewed it exactly 10 times, before swallowing and washing it down with some juice, that she would drink after every bite.  The fact that I was able to know how many bites Makoto took for each type of food she ate was, mostly, due to how many times I’d eaten lunch with her.  In addition to that, this way of eating was very familiar to me, since I ate in similar fashion, even as an adult.  When I was by myself, I always took a bite of my food and then a sip of my water…I repeated this pattern until I was, completely, done with my food.  I never counted my bites like Makoto did but I could understand this systematic way of eating…to be honest, when I was out and about, I would force myself to eat like a normal person, especially because I’d notice people would comment on how slow I ate.  I hated drawing attention to myself in anyway so I decided to just eat the way I like to when I’m by myself.  This was most likely why I hated eating out with people…because I couldn’t watch TV while I ate which helped take my mind off my anxiety…because I couldn’t eat the way I wanted…and because I had to eat food that made my pain symptoms, considerably, worse.

"Makoto, do you have any plans for after school, today?" I asked, attempting to initiate a conversation with her, since she was finished chewing.

She paused, stopping herself from taking another bite of her sandwich and answered, "D-Daddy said we're having...pizza...for dinner."

"Oh, pizza is your favorite," I returned smiling.  "What type of pizza do you guys usually get?"

"Hm...we get half cheese...and half pepperoni.  I e-eat the cheese because...I don't like the crunchiness of the pepperonis."

"Oh, I like cheese pizza as well.  Do you want to know what my favorite pizza is?"

Makoto thought for a moment, before replying with, "No thank you," and then resumed her eating.  

"Oh...uh...Makoto, remember...our objective is to keep the conversation going so, even if you aren't too interested in my favorite pizza, you have to pretend like you do, for the sake of the conversation," I reminded.

Makoto finished chewing her sandwich 10 times and then swallowed.

"Oh, w-what's your...favorite kind of pizza, Ms. Yuuki?" she asked.

As I went on to explain what my favorite type of pizza was, a part of me couldn't help but think about how cringe and forced this damn conversation was.  I always hated running this program, probably because I hated talking like this as much as these kids did.  Plus, I wasn't very good at it and that only made it more awkward.  Still, improving these kiddos' social skills was part of my job so I had to force myself to pretend like I was good at talking. Besides, Makoto was getting better at talking to me.  She still needed some work on keeping conversations going and also, some practice with talking to other students.  She could talk to kids her age but she seemed to struggle with it a lot more, in comparison to when talking to me or her parents.  She just needed to find a kid, who she felt comfortable talking to, which was easier said than done.  

Clang!

The sound of a lunch tray being placed right next to Makoto, caused her to nearly fall out of her seat in fear.  

"Hey Makoto, do you mind if I sit by you?" asked Jason, smiling at her.  

This, once again, even took me by surprise and Makoto began looking back at me for help.  She then began making hand motions, indicating that Jason was too close to her and wanted him to move.

"U-Um—"

Before I could say anything to Jason, he slid his tray and moved his body one seat over, leaving a seat between him and Makoto.

"S-Sorry, was that too close for you?  It's okay if you want a little bit of space."  

Makoto seemed a bit calmer, now that there was a seat between them and I was, again, impressed at how Jason was able to read that situation so perfectly. 

"Is this better or do you want more space?  I can move another seat down, if that would make you feel more comfortable?"

Makoto shook her head, no, and responded with, "Y-You...are f-fine there."  

"Okay, just let me know if you change your mind.  Hey, Makoto, what kind of sandwich is that?"

Holy shit, he's initiating conversations with her too!  This kid is amazing.  

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Unfortunately, I could tell that Makoto was planning on ignoring him as she attempted to take a bite of her sandwich.  I put my hand in between her mouth and the sandwich and she frowned at me.

"Nice try," I said, smiling.  "First, you have to answer Jason's question and then you can take a bite."

She turned to face Jason, who was still waiting, patiently, for her answer.  

"J-Jelly," answered Makoto, quietly.  

"Oh, just jelly?  Do you not like peanut butter?"

A follow up question.  He's really not making this easy for her.  

"I-I'm...allergic to...peanuts," Makoto said, softly.  

"Oh, you have a peanut allergy.  I need to remember that, just in case I ever have something with peanuts in it.  I had a choice between a slice of pizza and spaghetti but I chose the pizza because it looked less terrible."

"I-I like...pizza...too.  I'm having it...at home, tonight."

"Really?  Lucky.  You get to have the good pizza and not this cardboard."

Makoto tilted her head, slightly, in confusion, by his remark.

"You're...eating cardboard?" she questioned, now studying his slice of pizza a bit harder than before.  "I thought...it was pizza?"

"O-Oh, that was a...joke," explained Jason, awkwardly.  "I was saying the pizza tasted like cardboard because of how bad it looks."

"Haha, Makoto doesn't quite understand jokes or sarcasm very well, yet," I claimed.  "We're working on it, though."

"Oh, you don't like jokes, Makoto?  Hm, that's probably just because you haven't heard one that you found funny.  Don't worry.  I'm going to think of a joke that's going to make you roll on the floor in laughter."

I wish you the best of luck with that, I thought to myself, recalling that I could count on one hand how many times I or anything had made Makoto laugh.  

She was the toughest audience imaginable for a comedian.  Then again, this kid kept surprising me so, perhaps, he would do it, again.  

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"Bop...Bop...Bop," Makoto repeated to herself as she thought about what to write or draw in her sketchbook while she watched the other kids play during recess.  

Each sound she made, she tapped her knee as well. I had just finished passing the soccer ball back and forth with Makoto and that, in addition to my workout, was enough for me to feel a bit fatigued.  My pain was kind of bad, today, because of how shitty my morning workout was but I was, desperately, trying not to let it show. I began watching the other kids play as well and, in the corner of my eye, I could see Jason, running around, squatting down, doing something and then repeating this over and over again.

What the hell is he doing? I pondered to myself.  Is he playing some kind of game by himself?  Hm, maybe, I should have Makoto check to see what he's doing?  Eh, she's already done quite a bit of physical activity and I know she likes her sketchbook time.  I'll just leave her be.  There's always, tomorrow.

To my surprise, Jason stopped what he was doing and was, now, rushing towards Makoto, holding what looked like very small flowers that he, most likely, ripped out from the ground.  Makoto didn't notice Jason at all and was too invested in her sketchbook.  

Hm, this'll be interesting.  I could get involved but I guess I'll just see how she reacts, first.

Jason arrived at Makoto, holding the collection of small flowers, of varying colors, and waited, patiently, for her to look at him.  She stared at him for a second, placed her sketchbook next to her and stood up.  

"H-Hi, I'm sorry for bothering you," said Jason.  "I picked these for you.  My mom always told me that if I ever see a pretty girl, I should give her flowers to make her day better.  I know they are kind of small but...they were the only ones I could find."

Makoto squinted at the flowers for a second and then took the flowers from Jason which seemed to make his smile grow larger.  Makoto stared at the flowers, closely, and didn't say anything.

That's so fucking cute, I thought to myself.  Come on, Makoto, say something back to him.  I know you can do it.

After studying the flowers, Makoto shoved them into her mouth and began chewing, nonchalantly.  

Fuck's sake, I, internally, panicked to myself as I rushed over to Makoto as quick as I could.

"Come on, Makoto, spit them out," I instructed, calmly, while Jason could do nothing but watch.

Makoto made a strange humming sound, puffed her cheeks out in defiance and then spit out the flowers onto the ground and then stared at Jason as if nothing happened.

"H-Haha," I laughed nervously, turning to face Jason.  "Sorry, she has a nasty habit of eating random sh...I mean stuff on the ground...or just random stuff in general."

Despite trying to rationalize Makoto's actions, all Jason did in response was laugh as well, his smile not leaving his face.  

"Well, I'm just happy she liked them," he said.

"Makoto, what do you say since he took the time to get you flowers?" I reminded.

"T-Thank you...they...didn't taste...too g-good, though."

"U-Uh, do you mind if I hang out with you during recess?" he asked, shyly. 

"She'd love the company," I answered, before Makoto cold, bluntly, reject him.  

Makoto stared at me with an annoyed look on her face but I didn't let it bother me.

I walked away to give the two some space as they plopped down and sat close to each other. Makoto picked up her sketchbook and pencil and was going to begin drawing in it but saw Jason staring at what she had been working on.

"Oh, is that a comic book?" he asked, pointing to the sketchbook.  "W-Would you mind if I saw it?"

Makoto recalled the way Xander had made fun of her comic book and, instantly, covered it with her arm so Jason couldn't see what she was working on.  

"Oh, that's alright if you don't want to show me, yet.  I hope...one day you will, though.  I bet whatever you're working on...is really good."  

Makoto blushed a bit at the compliment but turned her face away so Jason wouldn't see.  She then stared at him, again, and motioned him to move to the side a bit, away from her.

"Oh, I get it.  You need a little more space.  Sorry about that."

Jason scooted a little bit away from Makoto to give her enough space so she was comfortable.  

"I-Is this okay?" he asked.

Makoto nodded her head, yes, and, finally, felt comfortable enough to resume working on her comic book while Jason watched her.  I had been watching the entire time and couldn't help but smile at the sight.  Not one of my forced or fake smiles...a real one.  

Hopefully, overtime, I can reduce that space between them but I'm just so happy that some boy sees Makoto in the same light as me and her parents do.  Jason is exactly what Makoto needs, right now.  At first, I thought it was all a ploy and hell, it could still be but the way he looks at Makoto...as much as it kills me to say it, reminds me of how Jacob looks at me, sometimes.  

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Minerva pulled her car up to the front of the school to pick up her daughter like she usually did.  She stared out the window, expecting her daughter to be standing, alone, like usual but, instead, this time she was standing next to a boy, who seemed to be her age with spiky, black hair.  Minerva could see that the boy was doing most of the talking but Makoto didn't seem to mind.  In fact, and it could have been Minerva's imagination, but Makoto seemed to smile, slightly, at some of what he was saying.  Makoto turned to the boy she was standing by and waved goodbye to him and made her way to her mother’s car while Minerva pressed her forehead against the steering wheel, trying to refrain from crying.

Thank you, God, she said to herself.  Thank you so much for bringing some joy into that poor girl's life.  

Minerva heard her car door open so she lifted her head off of the steering wheel while Makoto climbed into the back seat, took her backpack off and put it on the seat next to her.  She closed the car door behind her.

"W-Who's that boy you were standing by out there?" Minerva asked, smiling.  

"J-Jason...he's new...he sits by me in c-class, now," she replied.  "He's...really nice...to me."

"T-That's so awesome to hear," Minerva said, happily.  "We'll have to tell daddy that when we get home.  O-Oh, Makoto look.

Minerva pointed out the window at Jason, who was waving goodbye to her, with his usual goofy grin on his face.  Makoto put her face to the car window and waved goodbye to him while Minerva began driving off, still holding in her tears of joy.  Internally, she couldn't wait to tell her husband the good news when the two got home.

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