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Thwack…Thwack…Thwack…the ball hit the brick wall over and over again.

“Could you please stop that?”

Thwack… Thwack….Thwack…throw, bounce, catch, throw, bounce, catch.

“I’m bored.”

Thwack…Thwack… Thwack…

“You wouldn’t be bored if you would stop that and let me think. I can’t think with that.”

Thwack… Thwack…Thwack…

“I let you think all morning. You didn’t do anything with it. Why would you start now?”

Thwack… Thwack…Thwack…

“STOP IT! Just stop it!”

“Fine…think.” she sneered.

She took a deep breath. Now she would be able to do something.

“How about you? What do you have to say?” She looked over to the corner.

“I don’t want to be here. I want to read. I’ve got three books waiting. Why do you need all of us to be here?”

“I need you all to be here to HELP me. I could use some help.”

She sighed, “Fine, but I have three books waiting.”

“OH my god! You have to see this! Seriously look at how funny this is!”

“It’s not going to be funny. You are just trying to distract me so she can slip out and read her books. I know you two too well.”

“Fine, but it was funny. Now you’ll never know.” She mouthed the word sorry toward the corner.

“I saw that! Did you think I wouldn’t see that?”

She rolled her eyes, “What ever…”

“There are cookies in the kitchen. We could go get cookies.”

“Don’t you start now! Anyway, you had cookies for lunch.”

“Yeah but there are more in the kitchen. And you know the sugar would help you think I bet.”

“No more cookies! Stop suggesting cookies.”

“How about chips?”

“Stop it. Go sit over there with her. You can talk about the cookies you want to eat while she talks about the books she wants to read.”

Thwack…Thwack…Thwack…

“WHAT DID I SAY?”

“Bored now…”

“I don’t care if you are bored now. Stop it with the ball or I will take it away and throw it outside!”

“OH! Are we going out? Let me get my shoes. Are we walking? Or hiking? Should I grab the camera? It’s a little chilly I should put on a sweatshirt. I really need some new sweaters. Maybe we should shop a little too. I have this really great website we could check super quick.”

“Stop it! No we aren’t going outside. No we aren’t shopping. I am thinking.”

She rolled her eyes, “Really? It looks like you are fighting with everyone else to me. A hike or some shopping would be better.”

“Thinking!”

“Fine!”

She looked toward the window, “Do you see anything out there?”

“Trees. The one still has leaves while the others are all bare.”

“Is that something you can work with?”

“Are you seriously trying to pawn this off on me?”

“I’m asking for some help. I just thought you know, dead trees might spark something rhymey.”

“Rhymey? You think that’s what I do? Just come up with rhymey words? Rhymey isn’t even a real word. You're being condescending.”

“Can you work with that? With condescending things?”

“The trees are as barren as your mind…how is that for a start then?”

“So that’s a yes? Could you stretch it a little maybe?”

“How fucking dare you! I cannot believe you would treat me like this!” And with that she stormed away.

Thwack…Thwack…Thwack… "You know she’s sensitive. You can’t really expect her just to perform for you after you insulted her like that.”

“STOP WITH THE FUCKING BALL! I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL SHOVE IT DOWN YOUR THROAT!”

“Oh! Are we ranting?? I have rants I have just been storing up! Let’s go! Politics? Trigger Warnings? Safe Spaces? Tender hearts and soft brains? Let’s go!”

“No, sorry. We aren’t. Not today. Maybe if I could think for awhile you could. But I really need to get this done first. Do you have any help for me?”

“That’s not really my thing. I don’t deal with your stuff. I mean, I guess we could change the names to protect the innocent? But that’s not really what you’re looking for.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Hey.” A quiet voice came from behind her.

“What?”

“Did you want to go to the bar?”

“Don’t you think I tried that earlier? Nobody was there. I hung out for awhile but nobody showed up. I guess everyone took the holiday off.”

“How about the graveyard? Sometimes they are there.”

“I stopped by there too. Nobody. It’s just dead (no pun intended) quiet today.”

“Sorry.”

“Yeah, thanks. I guess it’s time to give it up.”

“Finally!”

Thwack…Thwack…Thwack….