Someone Is With You-- Based on a True Story

The newest story I wrote goes into children's thoughts about braces.  I am Maisley in the story and I met a boy,  who is in the grade above me and also wears braces.  Many of Maisley's thoughts I have thought before and, after meeting him, thought it would be interesting if people who don't wear braces get to see a little bit of what it is like.  People who do wear braces can read my story and know that other kids (such as me) go through some of the same struggles as I do.

Someone Is With You - Based on a true story

Maisley Lomerstey went to her locker, a crowd of girls following her.  Ophelia Olerts, the meanest girl at Westy Middle School, pointed to Maisley’s legs.  Maisley had tight leg muscles, and wore leg braces.  Now, Maisley gave Ophelia and the other girls an upset look.  Just as she was about to cry, Owen Bradfest shooed the girls away.

“Don’t pick on me nor her.  I have them too.  We are all different, and we aren’t perfect,” he said.  Once the girls left, Owen gave Maisley a friendly smile.  “You okay?” he asked her gently.

“Yeah, I think so,” Maisley replied, who took Owen’s outstretched hand and got to her feet.  “I’ll walk you to Ms. Achina’s homeroom,” suggested Maisley.  A relaxed smile crossed Owen’s face.  

“I didn’t catch your name,” he said to Maisley, taking her hand.  

“Oh, um… Maisley.  The girls call me Stinky Braces”.  The smile on her face faded as she looked down at her braces.

“I know it’s hard having braces,” said Owen.  “The boys call Braces-Boy”.  Maisley reached out a hand and touched his arm tenderly.  

“You know, it’s not right to treat us differently than you treat other people,” Maisley said.  Smiling at her, Owen nodded.

He revealed his braces to Maisley.  She revealed hers to him.  Owen helped Maisley up the stairs.  “You know, I thought I was the only kid in… braces,” he told her quietly.  Maisley’s cheeks turned rosy red.  

“Me too,” she said shyly, but then let out a laugh.  “We should be friends, Owen.  We have so much in common.  I’d like to have you to talk to.”  Owen happily agreed with her.  They instantly stopped talking and walked nervously through Ms. Achina’s doorway.  Maisley sat down in the back of the room and Owen sat down next to her.  Ms. Achina’s long red hair was in a ponytail.  She was bundled in a small coat.

“Hello students,” she greeted them, her brown eyes looking over the room.  She nodded approvingly.  “A good looking group,” she said.  A few days later, Maisley got up to go to the pencil sharpener.  She accidentally stepped on a student’s foot.  

“Maisley’s braces hurt me,” groaned the student.  

“It was an accident,” Maisley insisted.  She turned to the student whose foot she had accidentally hurt.  “Sorry,” she said guiltily.  The student limped back to his desk, looking at her braces. 

“Maisley’s clumsy even WITH her braces,” laughed Ophelia.  It took all of the kindness that Maisley had to keep herself from saying something to show that she was angry.

When it was time for their class’ lunch break, the class headed to the picnic tables outside and to the cafeteria to get school lunches.  Maisley and Owen walked to Maisley’s locker first to get Maisley’s lunch bag.  Owen then got his school lunch and the sat down at a picnic table.  Maisley felt tears come to her eyes.  

“That happened to me once, too,” Owen said gently.  “It’s OK to feel sad about it.”  

Maisley nodded her head sadly.  “I don’t want you or me to be teased,” Maisley said, her voice rising slightly with her anger.

Both children felt anger for anyone with braces or wheelchairs.  Maisley, at the moment, felt like giving up.  She took ff her braces, dumped them in the grass, and then ran toward the road.  “There’s Maisley Lomerstey, the clumsy girl with braces,” said Ophelia to one of Maisley’s friends, Amia.  Amia and Owen were Maisley’s only friends.

Amia was a small girl with short hair, tights, and a flannel jacket a little too big for her.  Amia was a little shy, but very sweet to Maisley, who was her only friend.  Amia was helpful and friendly – but her enemy was the same as Maisley’s – Ophelia and the girls who did whatever Ophelia said.

Maisley overheard Ophelia’s words and was hurt and upset.  “oh, if you just would stop observing her looks and really get to know her…” was Amia’s reply.  “Amia!”  Crying, Maisley swept Amia into a hug.  “Are you alright Maisley?”  Amia held Maisley’s hands.  Maisley shook back her dark hair, her blue eyes looking intently at Amia.

“Yes,” said Maisley softly.  Amia put her blond hair in a barrette.  Her sweet brown eyes were big behind purple-rimmed glasses.  “I met Owen.  Oh, he’s so nice,” said Maisley, an image of Owen’s face coming to her.

“Owen dislikes a lot of girls,” Amia said grouchily.  “Because they tease him!” Maisley defended Owen quickly.  “About what?” Amia asked aloud.

“Braces,” Maisley said finally, and fear was shown.  Amia knew that Maisley very clearly dreaded talking about her braces, so Amia was careful no to ask anything that could possibly be hurtful to her.  Very rarely she asked about braces, but sometimes she was curious.  “Oh,” was her quiet reply.

Meanwhile, across the grassy field, Owen’s friend Brandon said, “Owen, kick the ball”.  Owen gave a light kick and fell over.  The other boys laughed at him until Maisley ran to him and helped him stand up.  Owen left the boys and joined her.  

“Hi,” Maisley greeted Owen happily.  She smiled, and he smiled back.  Then Amia went to them and Maisley introduced her to Owen.  Owen didn’t have the slightest interest in Amia in the least.  And Amia wanted Owen to talk to her, so she got mad and tried to find something else to do, and soon it was just Owen and Maisley again.  Maisley always found herself grinning at Owen –the only one at her school besides herself who had braces.  He grinned at her now, too.  

“So, Maisley,” Owen sounded shy and nervous.  “You wanna… hang out… at my house after school?”  Maisley gave a small smile and nodded.

That afternoon, the PE coach, Ms. Alonzo, led Maisley’s class to the gym and had them seat themselves on the floor.  “I love PE,” Rover Saynders, the best player on the PE Sports Team, spoke up.  Maisley heaved a gusty sigh.  

“Easy for you to say,” Maisley mumbled.  River Saynders was very athletic.   River ignored Maisley.  “OK, guys,” Coach Alonzo fingered her whistle as if she were about to blow it.  “Listen up.”  The excited chattering stopped completely.  “The next semester is beginning soon, and I have PE grades that I’d like to share with you,” the Coach said.  She held in her hand the PE Grade Records for their class.

“The highest grade goes to River Lynndelle Saynders, and the lowest grade goes to Maisley Lomerstey,” said Ms. Alonzo.  River pretended to be shocked at her victory.  Maisley began to cry as everyone else around her gathered up their gym equipment and headed to their lockers.  Sadly, Maisley went to the sink and cleaned her face, and then grabbed her gym bag and ran to her locker.  Owen was already waiting for her there.  

“I figure you wanted to talk about this,” he said, giving her a little smile.  Maisley grinned a little bit, held back her tears and nodded.  

“You know, in the long run, you won’t need to use PE,” Owen said, trying hard to comfort her.  

“That won’t help me NOW,” Maisley said, sniffling, crying, and blowing her nose as they walked to Dismissal Hall.  Other students gathered up their notebooks, pencils and lunch bags, talking noisily.  Ophelia Olerst and River Saynders walked by, sneaking a little peak at Maisley and Owen’s braces.  Maisley got stuck in the crowd and fell backwards.  Everyone around her giggled and scurried away.  Owen ran to her and offered to help her up.  Maisley got to her feet and said to Owen, “At least you’re not laughing at me.”  “Maisley, what happened?”  Owen was concerned.

“I fell backwards.  I’m slow and can’t keep up with you,” Maisley said sourly.  Her anger and sadness was rising.  “Owen Bradfest, report to Maisley Lomerstey’s car immediately,” A school staff member said through a microphone.  Owen and Maisley went to the Lomerstey’s car.  Owen helped Maisley practice shooting basketballs through hoops.  Then he told her to run a lap as fast as she could.  It took her sixty seconds.  Then forty.  Then twenty.  At the end of May, Ms. Alonzo had PE awards to pass out.  “The highest and most improved grade goes to Maisley Lomerstey.  And that is an award she has deserved from the start of this class because she has been trying.  And… the highest grade for sportsmanship goes to Owen Bradfest,” the PE teacher said softly, “Keep it up you two.”

The kids hurried to their classrooms, put their gym bags in their desks, and scurried away to their buses.  The bus that Owen and Maisley took dropped them off at Court Street.  “Maisley!  I don’t have to wear my braces anymore!” said Owen, catching up to her.  “That’s great,” Maisley’s voice had an edge to it.

“What?”

“I have to wear mine for three more years.  Since you don’t, I’ll be alone,” Maisley said.

“No you won’t be alone.  We’re friends,” Owen said.  Then, maisley knew she’d keep trying – even in PE – until she went on to achieve her goals.



THE END