Teddy Bear In The Locker

By now I’ve revealed that I would love to write for my career. I thoroughly enjoy crafting a story and would like to consider myself a ‘wordsmith’. It’s something that, like many other things in my life, had taken a back seat to my relationship. Now with that relationship over I am finding that I’m thinking more and more about writing again. This blog is also a way to keep me writing and polishing my craft. Creativity is a muscle that needs to be exercised.

I had mentioned previously that I usually write in a medieval fantasy setting. Those, along with a large amount of Star Wars novels, are what I enjoy reading. And I am a firm believer of writing what you enjoy reading. Sometimes, though, an idea strikes me and I have to write a story even though it’s not fantasy based. "And She Still Got On That Train" was one such story. The following is another. Enjoy!!

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TEDDY BEAR IN THE LOCKER

“Lauren, honey, can you come down here for a minute?” Lauren’s mom called from the bottom of the stairs.

“Coming, Mom.” Lauren grabbed me and hurried out of her room with her backpack.

“I wanted to let you know that I am going out with Wade tonight.” Her mom followed us to the door.

“But Mom! You promised to watch Harry Potter with me tonight!” Lauren huffed.

“We’ll watch it another night. I promise. But Wade has been planning this night for a while now.”

“It’s not fair! You spend all your time with him.”

“Stop it, Lauren. This is no way for you to act and you will be late for school. There’s lasagna in the fridge.” Lauren’s mom kissed her on the forehead and ushered us out of the door. We had started the long walk to school.

Lauren was just placing me in her locker, covering me up so that people wouldn’t see when she was hit from behind. Her books went flying out in front of her and the girl that ran into her kept walking without looking back. Lauren bent to pick up her stuff and another girl came to help her.

“Are you alright?” the girl asked.

“I’m fine.” Lauren spoke shortly and continued to pick up her books without looking at the girl.

“I’ll help you with your books.” The girl said cheerfully.

“I’m fine, Dinah.” Lauren snapped.

“Okay… sorry. I’ll let you get it then.” She left Lauren to continue gathering her things.

Lauren picked her books up and finished in her locker, covering up her teddy bear. That’s me, by the way. The teddy bear in the locker.

Lauren is a very nice girl, but she is finding it very hard to make friends here. She’s from the west coast where they are used to rain all winter long, not the cold white snow. She is very shy and quiet. Except to me. She tells me everything. Like when she told me that her dad was leaving. Or when she told me that her mom was going out on a date after work. That hurt her a lot.

The end of the school day came and Lauren took me out of her locker. I noticed one girl wave to her before running out the large purple double doors at the school entrance.

“Her name is Dinah.” Lauren whispered in my ear as she left the school. She was the last one to leave as usual. She would die if anyone knew she brought me to school with her. “She’s really the only one that will talk to me.” Lauren held me closer to her chest and kissed the top of my head and we began the long walk back home.

Lauren sat me on top of the marbled granite counter top when we got home and rummaged through the refrigerator for her dinner. Sighing, she slid the lasagna in the oven.

“What do you think of Wade, Teddy?” Lauren questioned around a mouthful of lasagna some time later. She looked imploringly towards me and I could only stare silently back. “Fine. Keep your silence then. I know you wouldn’t say anything negative about anyone anyway.” She stuck her tongue out at me and ruffled the top of my head.

The next day at school was a particularly hard day for Lauren. It was lunch time when it happened. She opened her locker door to get her bag. She was always careful to make sure no one noticed me. Today, though, she wasn’t quick enough to hide me.

A boy pulled me forcefully from the locker by my leg.

“HEY! That’s mine! Teddy! Give him back!” I could hear Lauren desperately struggling to retrieve me. The world spun around for me as I was tossed to and fro.

“What’s this?” a condescending boy sneered through the chaos. He held me above his head by my leg. I thought my stitching would rip. “I think the new kid misses her mommy! Bringing a teddy bear to school! What a baby.” The boy mocked. He tossed me and Lauren made a grab for me but someone else grabbed me first. I could feel hard hands around my body and I closed my eyes.

“Give him back!” Lauren sobbed. “Please?” she pleaded and I could hear the hurt and pain in her voice.

I opened my eyes and my heart went out to her. She stood in the middle of a circular group of boys, all of which were taunting and laughing at her, and hung her head. Her shoulders were heaving up and down with sobs as tears stained her cheeks.

“Leave her alone, Jared.” A girl called out from behind the group and through the parting crowd I spied a brunette head bobbing up and down as a girl came down the hallway. It was the girl who waved to Lauren the day before. Dinah.

“Why? The darling little baby brought a bear to school!” Jared sneered at Lauren as tears hit the floor.

“The ‘darling little baby’ has a name, Jared.” Dinah glared at the group that had gathered. “It happens to be Lauren, by the way.”

“Lauren shouldn’t have brought a stuffed animal to school.” The boy spat her name as if it were a curse. “She’s a big girl now.”

“Is that so? Does that mean you shouldn’t be sleeping with a night-light? You’re a big boy, after all.”

“But… That’s different, Dinah.”

“Really? How about the fact that you still watch Sesame Street? Is that different?” Dinah didn’t seem to be going easy on Jared. His face turned bright red and his friends started to chuckle. He looked around at his group and glared at Dinah. He tossed me at Lauren and stalked down the hallway.

“Do you really sleep with a night-light?” one of his friends asked before they were out of earshot.

“Shut up.” Jared muttered.

Lauren picked me up off the school floor and I basked in joy to be back in her arms again.

“Thanks. They wouldn’t listen to me.” Lauren couldn’t look Dinah straight in the eyes and held her head low, her chin resting on my head as she held me close to her chest. I hugged her back as best I could.

“Jared’s just a bully. You just have to know how to deal with him.” Dinah said cheerfully. She leaned against the lockers as Lauren slowly wiped her tears away and gently put me back in her locker. She gathered her lunch and smiled a sad smile at me as she closed the locker door.

The following couple of weeks passed without another incident and Lauren spent a lot of time with Dinah. I watched their friendship grow until they were always together. And then one day Lauren went to school without me.

Lauren had finally found someone to be a friend here and I was glad.

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Another sample of my writing. I think this story symbolizes something that we’ve all gone through, whether it was literally bringing a teddy bear to school, being the outcast or being the new person. At one time in everyone’s lives they were Lauren wishing for their Dinah to show up and help them through.

Once again, I’d love to hear your opinions. Let me know what you think!!