"Hey, wouldn't that be a bit better?" she asked, pointing towards a much more flatter stone than the one we had picked up.
"Nah, this one is definitely much more better than that," I said, throwing the stone in the air and catching it.
We were both in a river.
Both of us didn't really know each other that much. One day, we just happened to pass by each other as we were venturing through the forest. It was a rather unusual one, as well.
When I think of people, especially children, going through the forest alone, I'd think of someone like me, a boy, instead a girl. It seems like she was not like any other girls, though.
It just started as basic greetings whenever we passed by each, but after a few weeks, we became close to each other. I didn't know why, but it felt as though I might just become great friends with her.
That's not all. Her unusual natural long blue hair that flowed all the way to her legs was a sight to behold. The only girl I've ever seen with the longest hair in this town was Mom, so to compare that to her with a natural color, it was mesmerizing.
"But, you can have that," I said. "I'll just stick with this one."
At first glance, I could already tell that the one she was pointing to was much more better than mine. I was just saying that so I wouldn't have to go through the hassle of picking another stone.
"Really? I was going to consider giving it to you."
Even she could tell that the stone was a much more suitable option. It felt more and more like she was a boy than a girl with how she was able to identify a stone by its texture.
"It's fine, really. It's pretty obvious that you want it."
Although she herself couldn't tell what I was talking about, the way she said that she would give it earlier really did just set that hint off. I wouldn't want to take the stone that she found herself.
She picked up the stone and threw the one she was holding to the river, making it sink to the very bottom. There's probably no way that another person would be able to find that. I could, but I'm not going through there. It's way too cold this time of the year.
"Get ready!" she said.
We both faced the river and then threw the stones at a certain angle at the same time. They skipped two times, then five, then the other one sank down. It was my stone. Hers skipped seven times.
"Hah! I won!" she shouted, celebrating.
That was impressive. Even though both of our stones were skipping in the same time, hers went much more farther and quicker than mine. The amount of skips it did was impressive as well. Even if the same stone she had thrown was presented to me, I'd probably be able to just do six.
It just really gave me doubts. Was she a boy or a girl, I couldn't tell.
We spent most of our time just skipping stones. Sometimes I won, and most times she won. In the end, the winner was already decided, and the match was already coming close to an end.
"It's already turning dark," I said. "We should probably head home by now."
"That's true," she said as she chose some stones on the ground. "Then, one final round! This match will decide who will win!"
"But it's already pretty clear who won. Can't we just head our separate ways already?"
"Stop whining and get a stone already! It's not like this is supposed to make us lost in the woods the moment we throw them."
I sighed. I was honestly worried right now.
Although I didn't know her name, I can already tell that she's stubborn by nature. She'd probably babble on about something for hours, which is pretty typical for girls. The only way to end this whole thing was to just go along with her.
I picked up the flattest rock I could find, and after she counted down, we both threw it at the same time. This time was much more unusual than the other ones we had done.
For some reason, my throw became more faster, and the angle was just about perfect. Like earlier, she was able to hit seven skips, but mine far surpassed hers with a skip of ten.
"H-How…?!" she said, startled with the amount.
"I honestly have no clue…"
This was a first for me. I'd never been able to hit anything past six, so breaking my record with a ten was far too impressive for me. This was a personal achievement that will be remembered for life.
"Hngg…!" she grumbled. "Fine! You win the whole thing! Just remember I'll get my revenge back on you someday!"
"This isn't really something to fight over with…"
Her nature of stubbornness really just looks and feels like a boy to me. The way she grumbled, the way she shouted, everything just screamed that. It's something that was really unusual, but with the events that's been happening, I think I've gotten pretty used to it.
After a few minutes of her just shouting revenge and the like towards me, she finally calmed down. She raised her hand towards me.
"This is for our meeting next time! The moment you see me, I'll have become a much more better person than you!"
"Again, this isn't something to fight over with."
I wondered why she was offering her hand to me, but after awhile, she grabbed my hand and shook it vigorously. She was asking for a handshake. It's felt more like a declaration of war than everything.
"I'll be able to skip over fifty!"
"That's something humanely impossible."
We both separated our hands. With that, our assumed battle was concluded for now, and we went our separate ways. She's truly a rather weird individual, and I'm sure that she'll be taking a vacant room in my memories.