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✎ chapter five Saige's POV
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"Saige!" Ricky greeted, waving a small hand above his head excitedly. I grinned, putting an extra skip in my step as I neared the boy I'd met only days before. "I want you to meet somebody." The boy grabbed my hand, pulling me towards a bench, occupied by a shy-looking brunette.
"Hello," I greeted, feeling strangely flustered for reasons I didn't understand. I was usually good with new people, but this girl caused a fluttering pit in the center of my stomach that made my heart beat so quickly, I wondered if she may be able to hear it.
She nodded in response, her cheeks showcasing a sun-kissed hue of pink, followed by a nervous laugh at the sudden attention. Ricky sat beside her, swinging his tattered sneakers in an unsynchronized rhythm. "Saige, this is Nini. Nini, this is Saige."
"Nina," the girl corrected, seeming slightly frustrated with Ricky's lack of knowledge on pronunciation. Ricky shrugged, not really caring that he'd said it wrong. As they began to talk about a new cartoon episode, I felt myself staring unintentionally at Nini. I took notice of how her gentle curls flashed with tones of chestnut when she flung them over her shoulder. Her dark eyes reflected the world around her, tints of nature matching her strangely calming demeanor.
"Hey, give that back." I blinked quickly, distracted by the shouts coming from the other side of the playground. A pair of boys, probably a year-or-two older than us was holding a paper bag above a redhead's reach, chuckling sadistically with satisfaction. "This isn't funny," the helpless boy continued, crossing his arms, "you're going to drop my carrots."
"Oh no," one of the older boys gasped, his tone becoming sarcastic, "we wouldn't want your poor carrots to get dirty." With that, he reached his callused hands into the back, dumping the orange vegetables into the dirt. I released a frustrated sigh, marching over to the group, my fists clenched tightly at the sides of my maroon overalls.
"Hey, give him back the bag you little shits." I didn't know exactly what a little shit was, but I'd heard it in a T.V. show, and it seemed to be taken in a negative way. So, I used context clues and assumed it was an insult.
"Or what?" The older boy asked, wiping a drip of snot from his nose as he directed his attention towards me. I was a good 7 inches shorter than him and far weaker-looking. "You're going to beat me up?"
"As a matter of a fact," I raised my chin, wanting to appear more frightening but probably failing. "Yes. I will beat you up." The two boys laughed hysterically, using one another's shoulders for balance.
"Actually, we will." I felt a presence at each of my sides, turning to reveal a determined Ricky and a terrified Nini. They had their hands on their hips, mimicking some kind of superhero. Nini's hair seemed to blow like a cape, again entrancing me with curiosity on why I was so keen on knowing every detail about a girl I'd met only 10 minutes ago.
"Please," the bully chimed in, releasing an unimpressed pft sound.
"Alright," I matched the pair's hero poses, feeling a lot more confident with their support. "You asked for it. CHARGE!" All three of us rushed forward, punching and kicking blindly. I was pretty sure Ricky accidentally hit me a few times, but I was too preoccupied to call him out on it. The bag fell to the ground, spilling a few other lunch items as the bullies ran away.
"Victory is ours," Ricky exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly. The redheaded boy seemed amazed, his jaw dropped so far I wondered if it may have gotten stuck. "Here's your lunch, citizen," Ricky continued, handing him the bag with a smile.
"That was amazing," the redhead blurted, crinkling the brown paper between his hands. "Thank you so much! I'm Big Red, by the way." We all exchanged names, the adrenaline still flowing through our veins as a result of pure joy. The fragile beginnings of friendship lingered in the chilly autumn air, reminding me that I wasn't alone. I'd finally found my people, and I wasn't planning on letting them go anytime soon.
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