The Buddy Bench

 Here's a flash fiction I wrote for my class.  It's called Buddy Bench.

Do I want to play?  Are you asking me that because you see me sitting alone on the buddy bench?  Because the answer is no.  I'm not sitting on the buddy bench because I need a buddy.  I'm sitting on the buddy bench as a form of protest. 

I don't think it's a good idea for you to sit here with me.  The recess teacher will think we've suddenly become buddies and she'll suggest that we get off the bench so some pitiful kid can sit here alone.  

But if you're interested in joining the protest, go ahead and sit down. 

So let me bring you up to speed. Basically we are protesting the bogus lack of democracy at this school's student council meetings.  You're not a student council rep like I am, so you probably do not know what happened last meeting.  I keep telling people about it, but no one even cares.

Remember last month when student council reps passed out ballots about playground equipment to classes? Remember those purple papers?  They had a list of playground equipment? Swings? Climbing gym? Sports equipment?  You don't remember?  Who's your student council rep?  Sam Bushey? We'll need to talk with him. 

Anyway, I handed out my ballots, as instructed, after making a short speech about the importance of more equipment, especially swings.  The class voted and over 80% of the kids in Room 402 voted swings. I asked everyone individually what they voted for after they voted. Swings won by a mile. Obviously. Get real, people. There are five swings out here and the same five fifth graders use them every single day. 

Like I said, I'm student council rep, so I brought the shoebox to the meeting. All the reps were ready to tally the votes. Ms. Bronson told us to put the shoeboxes on the shelf behind her desk. Those boxes sat there the entire meeting while she made us watch a Youtube video about Buddy Benches and how they help kids who are lonely at recess. I couldn't figure out how sitting on a bench was going to bring you friendship, but the people on the video were crazy in love with buddy benches. 

After the video, I asked Ms. Bronson when we were going to count the votes for the playground equipment, and she said we would probably count the votes at next month's meeting.  Then she said she knew we would be so excited about the new buddy bench we'd be seeing out at recess soon. I will bet you one million dollars that we will never see those votes again.  

So now we have this bench that no one wants. And we still have five swings with the same 5th graders having a blast swinging and talking. You know who is swinging right now?  Of course you do. You don't even have to look over there. Stevie Mongold.  Jayson Sprechler.  Karlie Bridgewaters.  And of course the Hanson twins.  Those two get on my last nerve.   I've talked to the supervisor about how these same 5th graders hog the swings every day and she always says the same thing.  We have to take turns.  That's what I'm trying to tell her.  We need to take turns. She does nothing.  Supervisors are useless.  Student Council is useless. 

This bench has been empty for the eight days it's been here.  You know why?  Because no kid wants to announce to the world that they're miserable and friendless and desperate for any attention they can get. 

I wonder how much this bench cost. My mom is sick and tired of the way this school wastes taxpayer money.  We wanted swings.  We voted for swings. But it doesn't matter what we want. Doesn't matter what we vote for. 

Wait a minute.  Are the Hanson twins jumping off the swings? Two open swings. Come on. Let's go.  Run. Run fast.