Chapter Three: Olly
Olly was a couple inches shorter than me, with buzzed red hair and a few freckles near the dimples on his cheeks when he grinned. I quickly learned, however, that his personality was larger than life.
“You won't believe this, my uncle has a dog that chewed through a boat!” Olly said, after we'd started talking.
I raised my eyebrow. It's not every day - or maybe any day - that you hear of a dog chewing a boat.
“Not like a yacht.” Olly went on, explaining. “Like a little Sign of the Beaver boat.”
“That book’s cool,” I said. “But wasn’t that like a whole hollowed out tree turned into a canoe? Your dog chewed through a tree?”
“Well..." Olly said, as if he didn't want to go on. "It wasn’t quite the size of a tree – but it was still kinda big. And it was a boat!”
I wasn’t certain Olly was being serious. After all, I had just shared the stories of two kids throwing rolls at me. Maybe he was making fun of me, but I didn't remember Olly's orange shirt from the lunch table. And if I could have two kids throw rolls and moldy soup at me, maybe Olly really did have an uncle with a crazy German Shepherd who chowed down boats for lunch.
“Ah, you make my coolest story sound so lame,” Olly sighed playfully. “I say the dog chewed through a boat, but you’re disappointed because it wasn’t the size of a tree! I swear I’m not lying. It was a little boat. It’s a crazy dog.”
I smiled. “Crazy dog,” I concurred.
I also learned Olly had a sense of humor.
Poking fun at my skepticism, he proceeded to tell me about his uncle’s lake house in San Marcos. “It’s so pretty. Like the lake is crystal clear. And really warm and comfortable, though you're not supposed to swim it it." He went on for a few minutes describing how wonderful the lake was before saying that he'd love to invite me over to prove it existed, but couldn't. Why? Because unfortunately, the dog chewed the boat in half.
Okay, so the lake house definitely didn’t exist. I still wasn’t sure about the boat.
Olly it seemed, was quite popular. Three groups of people came up to us asking him if he wanted to join a game as we chatted. Olly wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “Maybe later, I’m hanging out with my new friend Adam.” The last group introduced themselves and I tried to remember their names but forgot pretty quickly. They ran to join some other people on the monkey bars.
I tried to remember the butterfly girl's name. It was Stella, I think.
Olly and I stood there for a moment before we pointed to the other side of the playground where a group of kids were playing tag. “See that girl in the blue with the ponytail?” he said.
"Yeah?"
“She and I are married.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. She gave me a ringpop yesterday.”
“Cool.”
“I don’t really like her,” He said. "She's cool though. Don't take my word for it." He held out the ring pop. “You want to get married?”
But I didn't. Though I'd never admit it to Olly, I realized he was right. I already had a crush on Stella.
“You won't believe this, my uncle has a dog that chewed through a boat!” Olly said, after we'd started talking.
I raised my eyebrow. It's not every day - or maybe any day - that you hear of a dog chewing a boat.
“Not like a yacht.” Olly went on, explaining. “Like a little Sign of the Beaver boat.”
“That book’s cool,” I said. “But wasn’t that like a whole hollowed out tree turned into a canoe? Your dog chewed through a tree?”
“Well..." Olly said, as if he didn't want to go on. "It wasn’t quite the size of a tree – but it was still kinda big. And it was a boat!”
I wasn’t certain Olly was being serious. After all, I had just shared the stories of two kids throwing rolls at me. Maybe he was making fun of me, but I didn't remember Olly's orange shirt from the lunch table. And if I could have two kids throw rolls and moldy soup at me, maybe Olly really did have an uncle with a crazy German Shepherd who chowed down boats for lunch.
“Ah, you make my coolest story sound so lame,” Olly sighed playfully. “I say the dog chewed through a boat, but you’re disappointed because it wasn’t the size of a tree! I swear I’m not lying. It was a little boat. It’s a crazy dog.”
I smiled. “Crazy dog,” I concurred.
I also learned Olly had a sense of humor.
Poking fun at my skepticism, he proceeded to tell me about his uncle’s lake house in San Marcos. “It’s so pretty. Like the lake is crystal clear. And really warm and comfortable, though you're not supposed to swim it it." He went on for a few minutes describing how wonderful the lake was before saying that he'd love to invite me over to prove it existed, but couldn't. Why? Because unfortunately, the dog chewed the boat in half.
Okay, so the lake house definitely didn’t exist. I still wasn’t sure about the boat.
Olly it seemed, was quite popular. Three groups of people came up to us asking him if he wanted to join a game as we chatted. Olly wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “Maybe later, I’m hanging out with my new friend Adam.” The last group introduced themselves and I tried to remember their names but forgot pretty quickly. They ran to join some other people on the monkey bars.
I tried to remember the butterfly girl's name. It was Stella, I think.
Olly and I stood there for a moment before we pointed to the other side of the playground where a group of kids were playing tag. “See that girl in the blue with the ponytail?” he said.
"Yeah?"
“She and I are married.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. She gave me a ringpop yesterday.”
“Cool.”
“I don’t really like her,” He said. "She's cool though. Don't take my word for it." He held out the ring pop. “You want to get married?”
But I didn't. Though I'd never admit it to Olly, I realized he was right. I already had a crush on Stella.
Next: Chapter Four
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