“I would have to say the more interesting part, is how many games some people will play though. I wonder which teacher will start it, and who will finish.”

She watched him carefully, her head tilted to the side as he spoke. He didn’t speak like anyone she had met before, and it was more than intriguing. Life was one big game after all.

She flicked the crane from her finger, watching the wind fly it across the courtyard. She watched it for a moment, not having much else to say to her new acquaintance. It wasn’t that she was bored, it was just that her mind would tend to wander uncontrollably. Thoughts that didn’t matter would plague her mind as if she were creating her own future. 

Naomi stretched out her arms in front of her, entwining her fingers for a short moment. She sat up slightly, only to pull her legs up to her chest and rest her arms on her knees. She took her moved her candy from side to side as her eyes roamed the area. Her eyes traveled to the strangers around her, to the birds landing on the high top roofs. “New. New. New.” She spoke under her breath, reminding herself not to run. 

She began tapping her fingers on her knee as if she were playing a melody on a piano. As the tune began to play in her head, she noticed a girl coming toward them but choosing to make herself at home by the tree nearby.

She spoke, as if she were invading some private spot. Since the boy spoke first, she only watched the newcomer in her peripheral, waiting for her answer.