Tuesday
February 8th, 2022
3rd block, I have my gym class
Gym class is always full of..
Unexpected events

But today, this Tuesday
Was a little different from the rest
Kelly, the gym teacher, wasn't present
Neither was my closest friend, Mercedes
I was alone

It was basketball again
I decided to be my own team
I found a lone hoop and started shooting
I never liked basketball,
But, playing alone,
There's some peace to it
I only ever make 55% of my attempted shots
I wouldn't say that is amazingly great,
But compared to my past results
I think of it as a personal win

On this Tuesday,
I was still congested from
The cold I had catched that weekend
I had went to the locker room
To blow my nose
And this sophomore girl
Had followed me
I noticed earlier, her eyes
Slight glances in my direction
Intermittenly staring into my soul

She started,
"So you just get to sit out in gym?"
"Yeah," I answered as I threw
The crumpled paper towel
Into the nearby trash can
I continued,
"Kelly is kind of my best friend,
I took his mental health class in 8th grade."
The girl didn't seem satisfied
She said something along the lines of
"He never lets me sit out"

That was it
That was the conversation
I decided to walk back out to the gym
And I continued shooting hoops
No team, no scores

But the girl had me thinking
There was more to it
Kelly is more than just a friend
Doing friendly things
He knew me
He saw me
He saw me as a normal, decent kid
Unlike everyone else
And he knew that I had hardships
Hardships within myself
Hardships I didnt ask for, or create

Kelly saw that I was trying
Kelly wanted to help me through
These hardships
Whether it be anger at a other student,
My own anxiety acting up,
Making it hard to breathe
Or simply something I ate
That made my muscles hard to work with

While other students
May ask to sit out
'Cause they're tired,
Of course Kelly would say
Keep trying, your fine
While I would ask to sit out
'Cause I cant breathe well
I'm not in reality at the moment
I'm not comfortable around all these people
Kelly would understand
He would say,
Do some light workout by the wall
Go sit out and come back when you're alright
Come sit next to me,
Let's have a relaxing talk

While to other students
It may seem like I'm being treated differently,
Maybe I'm some teachers pet,
And maybe I am
But I don't see it that way

Sure, I differ slightly from other students
I may not think in the same way they do
But all it takes is one person
To see me in a different light
To understand me
And for that, I thank you,
Mr. Kelly