Where Stars Collide (REVAMPED)

Alice

"Alice and I met in 3rd grade."

The chilly air of the fall prickled my skin as the kids around me argued.

"Why should I be it?!? I didn't even lose."

"Uh yes you did you put out rock when I put out paper."

"That doesn't matter that way of deciding is stupid anyway."

A soft sigh escaped my lips as I promptly blocked the two of them out. Chris was always known for being difficult when it came to playing anyway. Their bickering continued until a new noise caught my attention.

"Man look at this who even reads things like this anymore." I turned my head to see two boys that were well known in my grade. They always picked fights with other kids and were usually just trouble. My feet began moving, ignoring my group of friends behind me as they called out to me in confusion. Once I got what I deemed was close enough to the group if boys I yelled.

"HEY! Do yall seriously have nothing better to do?" The two boys stopped what they were doing to turn to me. The taller one, who's name I learned earlier in the year was Dominick, let out a scoff as he looked at me before talking.

"I could ask you the same thing Alex. This has nothing to do with you." He said with a scowl across his face.

"I don't care if it's my business or not that kid has done nothing to you." I retaliated. Dominick rolled his eyes obviously not taking what I said seriously. Thats when the shorter one, nick, piped up.

"God Alex, always have to be a hero. Who do you think you are the avengers? Please you should be glad if you could even be recognized in the school newspaper." Both the boys laughed at this comment.

"Oh please, you would be lucky if even an ant recognized you. Seriously why do you guys even go through all this trouble when you know it's gonna do nothing but make everyone hate you." A couple of oo's sounded through the play ground as kids began to gather around at all the commotion. The scowl on Dominick's face got deeper as he looked around at the kids surrounding us. A smirk appearing on his face before he began speaking.

"You're one to talk about being disliked. Don't your own parents leave on 'business trips' because they don't want to see you?" Shocked gasps erupted in the crowd. My stoic face faltering a bit at the comment. Before I could say anything in reply however another voice piped up.

"H-hey, leave her alone!" Everyone's attention turned to the boy that was on the ground just a few minutes prior. He was a scrawny little guy who's white hair came out in messy strands. He was covered head to toe in bandaids and injuries from minor incidents. All in all the kid before me looked fragile.

Dominick let out a chuckle as he turned to the boy behind him. He began walking towards him until he was a couple inches from his face.

"Or what?" Was all he got to say until he was interrupted.

"Dominick, Nick! What are you two doing!"

Everyone turned to see our homeroom teacher Ms. Love come walking up to us. A kid from the crowd had run to get her when they deemed the situation was becoming a little too much. Ms. Love pulled the two boys away as they tried to argue why they did nothing wrong. I let out a sigh of relief before turning to the boy they were previously picking on.

"Are you alright?"

"H-huh?" He replied. A bit startled at the fact that I was talking to him.

"I was asking if you were alright." I said a light and welcoming smile coating my lips.

"O-oh! Yes, I'm fine thank you." The boy played with his hands a bit before mustering up the courage to say what ever else was on his mind. "Um, I'm sorry." Now it was my turn to be confused.

"What are you apologizing for? You did nothing wrong."

"But they wouldn't have said anything about your parents if I wasn't too much if coward to stick up for myself." His gaze turned to the ground beneath him. He looked so small as if he was caving in on himself.

"Hey," I said, drawing his attention back to me. I put my hands on his shoulders as a form of comfort before continuing. "It's no ones fault but theirs. No one told them to be so mean. I didn't do nothing wrong and you definitely didn't either okay?"

"...okay, um thanks uh.."

"Alexia! But everyone calls me Alex."

"W-well Alex I'm Alice."

"It's nice to meet you Alice!"

"You too!" A small smile spread on his face as he replied. It was the first time the seemingly small little boy even had a hint of excitement.

"And the rest is history as they say." I said turning my gaze up to the brunette woman sitting in front of me. She was writing down notes on her pink papered notepad. I shifted uncomfortably in my chair as she finished. I had opened up to this stranger about my past forgetting the reason she was hear in the first place. She wasn't interested in me no matter how much she may have pretended to be. She was hear to find out what happened that night. She wanted to know why I did what I did. The cracks in my wall that this woman have managed to make I made sure to repair bit by bit.

Ms. Williams finished writing in her notepad before turning to me with a smile. "You were always a spunky one weren't you?" Her cheerfulness practically oozing out of her voice as she spoke. I just stared back at her. Trying to desperately to ignore the feeling in my chest as I talked about Alice. The sadness, the longingness, the guilt. I shoved all the emotions down locking them away in a small abyss hopefully never to be heard from again.

Ms. Williams, seemingly not affected at all by my silence continued on.

"Did you ever feel the need to protect Alice?"

"I guess?" I said more as a question than an answer.

"We protected each other." I added as Ms. Williams gave an acknowledging smile.

"Has this feeling of having to protect Alice caused you to lash out at people?"
I scowled. I know what she was trying to do. She was trying to paint me as some sort of dangerous person that lashed out at any and everyone. Noticing my shut down she changed the topic of questioning.

"Actually let's come back to that later. Tell me about your other friend. Mr. Jake Noddingham."

I sighed eventually relenting myself to her questioning once more.