The summer sun was fresh and hot, dangling there in the sky and dripping it’s heat onto the kids playing beneath it in the schoolyard. Looking across the green field she could see the shimmering illusion of a heatwave rising up from the grass.

Fanning herself with the papers she’d brought out just for that purpose, she strode over towards the playground where it seemed two of her students were preparing for one of their imaginary duels. *these kids* she thought to herself smiling.

“YOU DON’T CALL ME THAT!” Jose, one of her fourth grade students, screeched, ripping the calm in half.

“YEAH!? And what are YOU going to do about it!?” Seth, a fifth grader, was yelling back.

She realized this was NOT an imaginary duel and remembered how the two of them had been having a rough week of getting along with one another and quickened her pace to a light jog.

*These kids* she thought to herself again, but did not smile.

“I’ll have my friends help me beat you up.” Jose said angrily, his head down.

Seth laughed exaggeratedly, “Your friends?,” he laughed again, “What friends? You don’t have friends!”

Jose moved his head quickly to look up at Seth, his hands dove into both pockets of his cargo shorts, “THESE FRIENDS!!” he shouted, pulling his hands up and opening them to reveal piles of small rocks.

She interrupted the altercation unfolding in the elementary school yard before Jose’s friends could do any beating. She knew the two boys would be back to being close friends by the end of the day, and had the most trouble with concealing her smile at the drama that had just played out before her eyes.