Next memory.

This one was the next day. I was excited. I set out quickly to go to the corner shop that was five minutes away from my house.

The group of boys who had been harassing the tie dealer (Dave) were there. Harassing Dave.

"Bro, I'm only telling you because I care." The blond boy said, smiling. "If you insist on that look, you may as well be a girl. I tried telling you nicely for a while. Now I need to get real. Like a man."

And with a smirk shared with his friends, he balled his hand into a fist and punched Dave in the stomach.

He doubled over, wheezing. The blond boys friends let go of his arms, laughing. The blond boy kicked his side, and bent down to his ear. "Just think of what I said." And walked away.

I rushed over to his side. He was groaning and gasping for breath. The shop owner came out, hand over her mouth. "Oh my..."

"Water!" I shouted at her. She rushed back into the shop.

He rolled over. "Oh, hey Hairo." He groaned. "What're you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" The woman bought out the bottled water. I opened it, nodding at her. She went back in and bought out her jumped, propping his head.

"I live here." He replied, wheezing.

"Here?" I looked at the woman.

"No, not right here. Round the bl.." He hissed through his teeth. "Round the block." He took a sip of the water. "Thanks. I'm good now, really."

"No! You're not! You just got beaten up!" I argued. He looked me in the eye, standing up.

"Hairo, I'm fine. Thanks, but I'm good. Go home."

I bit my lip. "Fine. But if it happens again, promise you'll tell me."

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, I promise."

We both knew he didn't mean it.

I watched him go round the corner before entering the shop with a heavy heart.

"He's a good kid, really." The woman told me as I bought the sweets. "It's a shame he's picked on so much. If he cut his hair, they'd stop."

"Do you think that?" I asked her, giving her the money plus a little for the water. She was quiet. "They'd just find something else. If he cut his hair, they'd win."

She handed me my change and smiled, avoiding my eyes. "Safe journey home."

I nodded and left the room.

Why does everything have to be so screwed up?

Why can't it just be like middle school? When I was the fool, and Iro was the one everyone loved?

It's because she fights back.

I stopped, bag swinging at my side. She fights back. She was different. She wouldn't let anyone tell her what to do. She was a patchwork blanket where everyone else were plain sheets.

Or she used to be like that. Ever since whatever had happened, she had crumpled. Like a tin can. Stand on it at a certain angle, and it'll flatten.

I shook as I walked back. She was waiting outside for me. Her hair almost touched her shoulders now. I could tell she was proud of it - she was keeping it well looked after. "Hey!" She called to me.

We walked in together, upstairs. I unwrapped the sweets I had bought. "You ready to write the next book?" She asked me.

I blinked at her. "Where's your story board?"

"I couldn't make one. Let's just do your idea, okay?" I bit my tongue, but nodded. "So what were you doing out?"

"Buying this." I motioned to the packets on the table.

She rolled her eyes. "You're paler then usual. What happened out there?"

I hesitated, but only for a moment. "You remember that kid - the tie dealer?"

"Yeah?"

"I saw him outside the shop with those guys again. They...." I swallowed. "They beat him up. So I helped him out."

She cursed. "Those boys! Why do they think they're allowed to do that?" She sighed. "It's not fair. Unless you look and act a certain way, and abandon anything different, then you're picked on. Boys have to like girls and have short hair. Girls have to like boys and have long hair. No in between. Only if you act right can you get away with anything else."

I stared at her. She had just voiced the thought I'd been having for ages now.

The only thing was, I looked how they wanted me to.

And now I understood why everyone was being nice to me.

They were trying to get me to act like them too.

My hands shook more as Iro examined the story board. I added a little bit in the corner. The little fox she had represented me as.

She looked at me, then at it, smiled and took the pencil, surrounding the fox in light and drawing in her little catty creature cowering in the darkness.

If only she knew how wrong she was.

If only she knew she was my light in the darkness.

She had made me shine so when she needed me, I would be there. But she had made me shine too bright. Other people were taking notice of the light, and trying to take it away, take me away from her.

All of a sudden, in under five minutes, I understood why she always had that scared look in her eye.

She wasn't in school with me anymore. She was scared someone was going to take me away. I watched her as she added in a new character - a dog with ties for ears and a tail - to the story board and I sighed.

There were a handful of ways to help her calm down. I chose the most cowardly way, and started to play music and draw little additions to the story board. She looked at me and smiled slightly, then lost the smile and looked down again to continue drawing.

Would she have still smiled if I'd kissed her cheek? If I'd held her hand? Would she have pulled away? Would she had held my hand back? Kissed me back?

I'd never know.

Awwwwwww...

Those two...

*ahem*

I don't think there's much left in this book. I said at the beginning I'm terrible at romance. Being me, I feel like I missed it out entirely. Also, this was more of a filler chapter. Things happen next.

Question...Speaking of things, what do you think is going to happen? Any theories? Ideas?

Until next time,

~Glitch