Where: Eugene's All Boy's Elementary and Middle Boarding School
Location: Los Angeles, California, United States of America
When: Fifteen Years Ago
Who: Cobra Jackson Putnam and Nathanial Walsh
This is a short drabble that spans the childhood year of CJ's first year in America, and his first semester at an all boy's school that his father sent him to. In this school, children of the same sex are paired with a roommate, who is their roommate throughout the duration of the time spent at the boarding school. This story is the first time Nathanial and CJ meet.
The nerves bubbled up in Cobra's chest as he followed the professor through the halls. Bright eyed and stupid as he was, the six year old carried only a few things: a backpack slung over one shoulder, and a teddy bear that he clutched in both his arms, almost as if it was a safety net. The teacher apparently was Mr. Nicklson, a maths teacher that had a very heavy, thick and hard to understand German accent. But CJ didn't mind. The six year old followed dutifully, a bit homesick and a bit nervous for everything that was going to happen. What was going to happen? He didn't know. He knew that his father had dropped him off without a second word, and this professor came and guided him through the halls. The six year old didn't know any better. He didn't know anything about what was even going to go on.
Mr. Nicklson stopped at a door marked "1st Grade -- 4th Dorm" and he looked at the little boy in his steed. The heavy accent came out, speaking in a rather deflated and agitated manner at the young boy, "This is your room. Your roommate will be Nathanial Walsh, a boy from somewhere in the Midwest. Be nice to him and he'll be nice to you. You two will be roommates for the rest of your time here at Eugene's," he spoke. CJ's mind raced, the tears welling up. He wanted his father, he wanted anything besides this. He was only six, so unable to wrap his mind around everything that happened. He couldn't get around it. He knew there was no way around it. The German professor rolled his eyes and opened the door before pushing in the first grader, who stumbled stupidly into the bedroom.
The bedroom was a light blue with weird designs on the walls, almost as if it was painted there. Two twin beds sat on either side of the room, with identical kid-related items. There were no toys. There were no books, nothing to keep a child entertained. On the ends of the beds were names, written in thick carved wood, as if they were nameplates. They were. On the right side, it was the name "COBRA JACKSON" and on the left, it was "NATHANIAL." Designated beds. CJ shuffled a little and sniffled, looking around the room. It seemed empty, devoid of any person. He wondered if this Nathanial kid was anywhere to be seen, if he had even shown up yet.
He shuffled to the bed with his name, and dropped his bag and his teddy bear on it. He wanted to climb into the warm sheets, and before he did, a boy peeked out from under his bed. Short hair was cropped and spiky, and his dark eyes were bright and curious, "Are you Cobra? That's a cool name. It reminds me of GI Joe's Cobra Commander! Are you a terrorist!?"
CJ stood there, feeling rather shocked and stupid. What was this boy talking about? His accent was still rather thick, so the English book shook his head, "I dunno what that is..."
Nate beamed and ushered CJ underneath his bed. CJ hesitated before crawling under and found an assortment of things under the boy's bed. Nate held a flashlight and used it as a reading light to illuminate the wonderful comics that laid strewn under his bed. He whispered to CJ who made himself comfortable, "We're not allowed to have things like this, so like, we gotta sneak them! But that's okay. They never look under the bed. I'm Nate! Let's be best friends, okay?"
And for once, CJ's life didn't seem so gloomy. He felt a little spark of hope grow in his heart and his lips twisted into the smile that mimicked his new friend's. "Sure. Best friends for life?"
"As long as you don't turn into Cobra Commander on me," Nate enthused, grinning brightly back at CJ. With that said, the bond of friendship was forged. At least CJ felt like he had someone to talk to now. And he did. Nate wasn't going anywhere on him.
