Chimes Avenue

It all started on a breezy fall day. Kenna was skipping along the sidewalk, careful not to step on the cracks because that would mean stepping on someone else’s pain.

The wind was blowing softly through the red and orange leaves and a few were flying over the ground and around Kenna’s green boots. She giggled and kicked lightly at the pretty things, letting them caress her tanned legs. The motion caused her to trip and she flew forward, her small arms waving wildly in a failed attempt at regaining her balance. She braced herself for the hard ground and squeezed her eyes together so she wouldn’t have to see the sidewalk rushing up to meet her with all its cracks. Instead of the hard sidewalk though, she felt something soft, and a metal pole hit her arm.

“Ow! Get OFF ME!” a voice growled out from underneath Kenna.

She scrambled to move from on top of the person, and opened her eyes to see who it could possibly be. A boy about her age stared back at her with a grimace on his dark face. Kenna squeaked and held her breath, wondering what he would do. They just sat there a few moments, examining one another before the boy finally huffed, swept back his long dark curls and stood up. He brushed off his scraped knees and grabbed his scooter from off the sidewalk. Kenna looked in awe at the pretty boy and hopped up herself, watching carefully for any cracks beneath her. The boy averted his gaze, glaring down at the ground as he adjusted his shirt anxiously.

“Um, I’m sorry,” she mumbled to the boy in front of her. She bit her lip at the sight of his red knees and hid her own stinging hands behind her.

“Whatever, just be more careful next time,” the boy answered with a strangely soothing voice. He placed his hands on his scooter and eyed Kenna carefully. She only gazed back at him without moving.

“What is your name?” She asked suddenly. The boy frowned then and rolled his shoulder back slightly.

“Ash.”

“Oh. I like that name.”

“Thanks, I guess.”

“I’m Kenna,” she blurted out, smiling up at the taller boy. He just blinked slowly in response.

“Cool. Can you move so I can ride my scooter?”

“Oh, yeah sure. How old are you?” Kenna asked, still standing in the middle of the sidewalk. Ash rolled his black eyes and huffed out a breath of air.

“Twelve. What about you, girly?”

“Eleven. Where do you live?”

“Why do you want to know so much about me? Honestly, this feels like a police interrogation.”

“I just want to know where you live.”

“Fine. Over there on Chimes Avenue,” Ash answered, waving in the direction of his home. Kenna’s face lit up and she giggled.

“Me too! I just moved in with my Grandmother! You should visit sometime, she likes visitors!” Kenna babbled on about her Grandmother and her new home as she grabbed Ash’s wrist and pulled him along behind her. He carried his scooter and let the younger girl pull him along with little complaint.

Kenna dragged him all the way to her Grandmother’s blue house at the end of the street and commented on every house they passed, stopping at each one to ask if it was Ash’s until finally he pointed to his home so she would stop asking.

The fall leaves floated like fairies around them as they walked along together and stepped over all the cracks in the sidewalks.