30 Day Blogging Challenge: Day 6

Day 6

A Moment You Wish You Could Relive

I honestly wish I could relive every day of my life up until the fourth grade. All of those times were beautiful. Those were the days of running wild with my friends when the teachers turned their backs, the Nature Club (don't ask), and building fairy houses with my cousin Isabelle. Those were the days when the biggest thing I had to worry about was math homework. Life was simple then. Oh, why do we have to grow up?

Every day, I pick a memory from a long time ago and replay it in my mind over and over all day, being sure to get every detail perfect. I then shelf it, and the next day pick another. In this way, I don't forget any of those precious memories.

I remember it was a cold morning, but those of us at the School were used to it. Two weeks ago, we had begged the teachers to start letting us go outside again.

"It's warm enough!" we said. We hated jackets. They hampered one's movements so. It was nearly impossible to play freeze tag in them, or squeeze down the curly slide. (I always marvel at the fact that one of us didn't get stuck in one of the playground tunnels. We were as big around as marshmallows in our heavy winter coats!) But we offered to wear them, just to get breath of fresh air. We were all sick of watching movies in Mrs. M's classroom. The teachers had relented to us going outside at last, and winter coats were donned as we filed out of the gymnasium. Of course, the coats were ditched five minutes later and lay in a pile by the school wall, much to the teachers' distress.

Tetherball was very popular. We would form two lines behind the two children playing. When one lost, the next person behind him would step up and challenge the winner. Usually this person would beat the former winner, and the person behind her would step up. We'd each get a turn before we had to go back inside.

Only there was this one boy, this big, tall, redheaded boy, who remained undefeated. No one in the line behind him ever got a chance. I remember I was standing nearby, watching him beat one of my friends. She was petite and shy, and she didn't stand a chance against the boy. He made fun of her, giving the ball a huge thwack! and sending it swirling around the pole. I saw him do it again, and again. He's having way too much fun with that, I remember thinking. One more wrap around the pole, and he would win again.

Just as he began his last blow, I stepped in front of the girl and took the ball for her. Jumping up, I punched it back around to the bully's side of the pole. It unwrapped once, twice, three times. I hit it again, and again, and the rope swung around the pole five times. He just stood there, shocked.

"You won, Rebecca! You beat Brandon!" I don't remember who exactly said it, but it felt good.

"Yeah, I guess I did," I was breathless. I was not used to standing up to people. For once, the shy, bookish girl had won a battle.

I remember Brandon's angry face.

"Hey, you can't do that, cheater! I dare you to do it again tomorrow. Bet you can't beat me then."

"You're on," I hissed.

And you know what? I won. And that was the end of his reign of tetherball terror.