YouChannell Chapter Three: I Write Friends, Not Bullies (June 1, 2012 12:01 P.M.)

It was lunch time at the YouChannell Home, and Anima and Kishi were out in the front yard watching their next-door neighbor Shiori Kuroi carrying her pink Barbie radio. Well, her legal name was Shiori, but everyone called her Shibi because Shibi herself couldn’t pronounce her own name when she first learned how to speak at the ripe young age of four years old.

Anyways, Anima and Kishi didn’t have anything better to do but to stare at Shibi, and this was the song she decided to play.

“Someone should tell this kid that she looks like a fucking idiot dancing in the front yard,” Anima said.

“Don’t say that!” Kishi exclaimed, “She has autism. She can’t help being the way she is!”

“Oh, is that what it is?” Anima asked in her head.

They finished their sandwiches yet still decided to stay out in the front yard. Greg walked outside and noticed the girls staring at Shibi.

“What are you two staring at Shibi for?” Greg asked.

The two girls shrugged. Anima wanted to tell Greg that Shibi looked like a fucking idiot dancing to Panic! At the Disco, but then both Kishi and Greg would scold her for saying that.

…

     Almost three hours later, Anima and Kishi walked back out front and noticed Greg talking to Shibi’s mother Mrs. Kuroi. Shibi was hiding behind her.

“I wonder what they’re talking about,” Kishi wondered aloud.

“We should go closer,” Anima recommended. Pretending to be spies, they crawled closer and closer until Kishi accidentally bumped her nose into Greg’s legs, causing her to push Anima to the ground with her back.

Greg looked down at the girls; he sure did look scary when one was down on the ground. “What are you two doing out front?” he asked.

Kishi blushed; her mouth was dry, and her mind was blank. Anima, on the other hand-

“Why the fuck do you dance in the front yard like that?” Anima blatantly asked Shibi.

“Anima!” Kishi whispered, annoyed.

Greg, Mrs. Kuroi, and Shibi all stared at Anima.

Greg grabbed Anima’s hand and quickly said, “I am very sorry for what Anima had said.” Then he briskly walked the little girl into the Vent Room. “Anima, you were acting very rude towards Shibi and Mrs. Kuroi,” he said.

“What the fuck did I even do that was even rude?!” Anima objected.

“You were asking, rudely, I might add, why Shibi dances in the front yard.”

“So?! What was so rude about that question?!”

“You dropped the f-bomb in your question, and you were being mean to Shibi.”

“Oh, so I’m rude because I said the word ‘fuck’ in a question?!”

“Anima, look at me. I’m just saying-”

“Fuck you! WHEN HAVE I EVER BEEN RUDE TOWARDS ANYONE!” Anima ran towards her room and slammed the door. Then she screamed at the top of her lungs, “I’M NOT RUDE!”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” a grown woman’s voice screamed back. It sounded a lot like Tamie, but it also sounded a lot more like Anima’s mother.

“YOU SHUT UP! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS YELL AT ME?!”

“BECAUSE YOU’RE A WORTHLESS LITTLE COW!” At that point, Anima’s mother, who was shorter and grayer than her youngest daughter, stung the back of Anima’s head with one swift slap.

“OW! WHY’D YOU HIT ME?!”

“BECAUSE YOU KEEP MAKING STUPID, STUPID DECISIONS!” Anima’s mother kept on slapping the back of her head.

“STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP HITTING ME!” Anima cried out.

“NO! STOP MAKING STUPID, STUPID DECISIONS!” Anima’s mother slapped with each shouted word.

“Anima,” a man’s voice interrupted, opening the door and crouching down to her level, “Let’s practice our breathing. Inhale-” The man inhaled. “Exhale.” He exhaled.

Five minutes of inhaling and exhaling later, Anima’s focused on what eventually turned out to be Greg.

“Hey,” Greg said, “Are you okay?”

Anima looked down and slowly nodded.

“Do you feel like going back outside?”

Anima pulled away.

“Do you feel like talking about what happened at the Kurois today?”

“Well you called me rude, so what’s the fucking point of talking about it?”

“Anima, I didn’t mean to say that you were a rude person. I was saying that you were acting rude towards the Kurois.”

Anima looked down. “I’m sorry, shit,” she mumbled bitterly because Greg wasn’t gonna let go of the conversation until she apologized.

“Thank you,” Greg said, “I’m very proud of you for apologizing to me.” He held Anima’s hands and asked if she felt like going back out to apologize to Shibi.

“Do I have a choice?” Anima asked.

“I’m not saying you don’t have a choice. I’m just saying that I trust you to make the right choice.”

“Oh, so I don’t a choice.”

“Anima,” Greg asked again, “Do you want to go back out and apologize to Shibi?”

Anima sighed deeply. “Seeing as I don’t really have a choice, I might as well just get this shit over with.”

“Are you sure?” Greg asked.

“Yes,” Anima huffed.

Greg sighed. “Okay then, if that’s how you want it.”

So the pair walked back to the Kurois’ house and knocked on the door.

“Hello?” Mrs. Kuroi answered when she opened the door.

“Hey Mrs. Kuroi. Anima here has something to say to Shibi,” Greg said.

Mrs. Kuroi turned away and called out, “Shibi! Anima wants to say something to you!”

Shibi lightly ran down the stairs towards the front door and looked at Anima.

Greg looked at Anima and whispered, “Anima, what you want to say to Shibi?”

Anima secretly wanted to tell Shibi to go fuck herself, and she especially secretly wanted to stab the little girl in the face. However, because Greg was watching her and she had to get it over with, she sighed and said, “I’m sorry for being rude towards you.”

Shibi stared blankly at Anima for a moment and just said, “Okay.”

“Okay?” Anima questioned.

Shibi merely nodded. “Okay.”

Huh. Anima felt light all of a sudden. Suddenly she didn’t have the thought of stabbing Shibi in the eyeball anymore.

Just then, Mrs. Kuroi had an idea. “Why don’t we have a playdate sometime soon?”

Greg was confused. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I was thinking about a playdate tomorrow afternoon. You know, sometime around lunch.”

Then Greg got the idea. “Sure. Tomorrow will work.”

“Alrighty then~! See you tomorrow~!” With that out of the way, Mrs. Kuroi and Shibi waved goodbye and left.

…

     Everyone was watching Kit Kittredge: An American Girl right before dinnertime.

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