Whee!

The noisy hum of screaming and laughter filled the playground, as countless children ran around the orange-brown grass, kicking furiously at the golden leaves in their path, that had descended from the looming red, yellow, and orange trees that surrounded the entire schoolyard. A large, rainbow-coloured jungle gym arose in the middle of the yard, somewhat standing out from all the dull-coloured natural scenery. A number of twirled and sloped slides, varying in size, were scattered around the yard, in addition to long, colourful swings and animal-shaped teeter-totters. In other words; it was any schoolchild’s dreamland, and the perfect getaway from the stuffy classroom.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Kevin finally asked Tao, who had just stood gazing at the large playarea in front of him ever since they got outside. “Go ahead and play with whatever the hell you want to. Knock yourself out.” Tao quickly glanced in a somewhat eager manner at Kevin, as if asking him “Gee, can I really go play with anything I want?”, and Kevin just sighed and smiled slightly, waving his hands quickly at Tao, as if he were replying “Oh, my God, Tao, yes, you can most definitely go play with anything you want.”

Tao widened his eyes and and opened his mouth, smiling, then quickly took off, running as fast as his small legs would let him, in the direction of the jungle gym. Kevin smiled to himself and snickered lightly, finding Tao’s enthusiasm and excitement about the playground quite amusing. He then sighed, leaning his head back, then pulled it back it up, and began looking around for somewhere to sit down. He spotted a green bench near the jungle gym and began to head towards it. This way I can keep an eye him, he thought. Not that I, like, really care or anything, it’s just, knowing and witnessing what he already got himself into, it’s not fair if I just let him get murdered. He sat himself down with another sigh, flopping his arms and legs across the bench. After all, it’s not called a ‘jungle’ gym for nothing.

It was a good kind of November day, an exceptionally good one for Vancouver at this time of year. Cold and fresh, a bit cloudy, but not chilly enough to be labelled ‘freezing cold.’ It was just the right weather for children to be wrapped up in their favourite sweaters, pullovers, (and of course, leather jackets), and still be able to play and run around like headless chickens outside. Kevin had grabbed his dark red sweater with the “GAP” logo printed across it in white, before he went outside. Tao had wanted to wear his bear beanie, but Kevin stopped him, telling him he’d just get ratted as soon as any of the kids laid eyes on him.

Kevin watched a group of three boys, about Tao's age, as they chased each other while playing ‘Cops And Robbers’, squealing and laughing as they playfully tackled each other, pointing their fingers at each other as if they were guns, and making ‘BANG-BANG-BANG’ sounds to go with it.

“BANG! I gotcha, Mark! Now you have to go jail!” a blonde, green-jacketed boy chirped.

“What? Why do I have to go to jail again?” the boy named Mark whined, throwing his hands down and stomping. “It’s not fair! Why don’t you take Jackson to jail, Oliver, he’s a robber too!”

“Nu-uh!” the boy named Jackson objected. “It is too fair. On account of I’m a cop now.”

“What? Since when?” Mark asked in disbelief. Then Oliver joined him, also asking “Yeah, since when?” before being nudged violently in the chest by Jackson, who shot him a glare. Oliver then sheepishly laughed and straightened himself up and sternly looked at Mark in the eyes. “I-I mean, since now.” Jackson looked back at Mark with a smirk, nodding his head. Mark rolled his eyes and grunted, crossing his arms.

“Now, run away from jail, robber, so we can catch you again!” Oliver shouted, pointing his gun fingers at Mark and backing away, as Jackson followed along.

Mark seemed to have forgotten about his complaining and being mad at his unfair friends, because in the spur of a second, the three boys went back to laughing and squealing while running around chasing each other, like nothing had happened.

Kevin scoffed and smiled, slowly shaking his head, amazed at how little kids could be so happy-go-lucky sometimes. He didn’t use the playground toys at all anymore, nor did he actually play anything at recess. He realized, since it was his last year before graduating to middle school, that he was just too old for these things. Also, his height put off other kids on the playground; it was weird to see a kid who was tall enough to pass for a high-schooler sliding down a caterpillar’s body, or stomping on top of the jungle gym, and he knew it. It also added to the matter, the fact that he didn’t actually have anyone to play, or even talk with, during recess. Not that he really cared, of course.

Playgrounds and friends aren’t a dragon’s style, after all.

“Get out of here, you little shrimp! Who said you could come play here?”

Kevin turned his attention to the voice of a girl shrieking on the jungle gym. He adjusted his glasses and leaned forward, trying to see who she was screaming at, exactly. He had a feeling he already knew.

“Omigosh, go away, already! What’s wrong with you, are you retarded or something?” she screamed again, and he could see that she was now pushing someone violently back. A small someone, with a leather jacket, and black hair!

Kevin leapt up from the bench and surged towards the jungle gym, clomping up the coloured ladder, skipping a bar each time. He lifted himself up on the surface with a huff, and began trudging towards where the girl - actually, a whole bunch of girls - were sitting. They were sitting in a circle, playing with what appeared to be Tamagotchis, and were blocking the entrance to a twirly slide behind them. Tao was looking for a way to get through, but each time, the brown-haired girl with pigtails stopped him, and sent him back.

“If you’re not going to leave, then I’m going to get up and make you!” she growled, getting up on her