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Narrative Essay On Paper Crane

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My fingers play with the edges of a worn paper crane. There’s never a day that goes by that doesn’t remind me of life and passion. Not much got through to me, back then. My mother made me tough, with sinewed skin and a soul of steel. The strength is what got me through the school bus rides. The boys would touch me as I walked down the aisle, there’d be the occasional brawl. I just never cared. My life was cold, and the only real sparks of emotion came from the boy who sat in a seat diagonally in front of me on the bus. He was in the same grade as me, but we never shared the same classes. I was in regular math and science, and from the way he often wrote poetry, he was probably advanced in language arts, a subject I failed to succeed …show more content…

His face turns to a mix of excitement and misery. “They’re for my mom,” he says. “But, well, I...if you want...” He starts to stammer and his cheeks turn pink. “Yeah?” I say, trying to urge him on. “I want you to have one,” he says and gives me the most genuine smile I think I’ve ever seen. His whole face glows and he offers me a delicate pink crane.
My heart actually fluttered a bit. It stops me, sends me spinning. “I mean, you don’t have to,” he says, “I just thought... never mind, I know it’s silly...”
“No!” I spurt out, remembering why I started blushing in the first place. “It’s awesome, I love it.”
I take the little bird from him and tuck it safely into my violin case. I forget to thank him, and the kids start to pile in. I throw him a sort of awkward good-bye smile and turn toward the window. I forget about the confusing feelings by taking out my homework. I lose myself in numbers. The noise of the bus disappears. It’s algebra and me. There 's something terrific about the way numbers fit together like gears. “Cranes? Loser, I feel bad for your mom. You’re a disgrace.” I don’t know why, but that one voice snaps me out of my focus. Daniel sits in his corner and pulls on the sleeves of his sweatshirt. He stares intently out the misty window with the bag of cranes sitting neatly in

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