w a l k i n g h o m e > m g c

4,, michael

Time to walk home, again. This time I have my headphones, thank god. I'm not able to hear anything but Green Day and each breath that I take, my footsteps making soft muffled thuds beneath me.

And then, suddenly I'm almost knocked to the ground by someone, but I latch onto them so I don't fall head first onto the hard cement. They hold onto me too, preventing the impact that I truly thought would come. My eyes squeeze shut in terror, but I relax once my balance is set. Then I open my eyes again.

It's the girl. The girl I saw yesterday when I didn't have headphones. The beautifully big girl with dyed bright blue hair, just like mine.

The bus drives by, the athletes of the school clad in varsity jackets that probably aren't clean sticking their heads out of the windows. They say something, but I don't hear. The only thing I can hear is Extraordinary Girl.

The next thing I know, the girl crying -bawling-in my arms. Not knowing what to do, I pull her into a hug. Anyone with a heart would embrace thisbumped girl.

Lucky for her, my heart is the size of an elephant. I'd do anything to make anyone happy. Maybe she bumped into me for a reason. So I could comfort her. God knows no one else would, I hate to admit it.

--

--

I walk inside the house, my mind reeling. I look down at the Sex Pistols shirt I decided to wear today, which is unluckily white and stained with mascara that came from the girl. Nothing like that has ever happened to me. Why today?

Taking out my headphones and setting my phone on the table in the kitchen, I quickly kiss the top of April's head, who's sitting quietly in her high chair, engaged in cutting colorful construction paper with safety scissors, before stalking to the fridge to grab an apple.

"Why is your shirt so dirty, Michael?" Bryce asks me as I enter the kitchen. Jeff is no where to be seen, so I'm guessing he got delayed at work.

"Long story." I say, and bite into the fuji, the sound being crispy and juicy.

"I've got time..." Bryce says, and crosses his arms.

"Well, this girl... I don't know where she came from, but she crashed into me while I was walking home and the next thing I know, she's crying. So, I did what any good person would do, I comforted her by giving her a hug. And I guess her make up got all over me." I explain, rubbing the stain to see if it will come off. It doesn't.

"Well, that was nice, Michael. That girl might have needed that hug." Bryce says, pulling on the metaphorical sentimental hat.

"This girl... She's not... Uh, how do I say this without being a dick..."

"Michael!" Dad snaps, flicking his eyes at April, who didn't luckily hear a word.

"Sorry..." I apologize "This girl isn't..."

"Spit it out."

"Well, she's not thin. She's... Heavy set. She's really beautiful, don't get me wrong, but people give her shi- poop." I look at April and chuckle a tiny bit, "Just like people pick on me for being a 'freak' and a 'loner', they pick on her for just being herself. I see it around the school all the time. It's awful." I shake my head, memories of her getting pushed around in the halls playing in my brain. I'd see it and pity her, but never do anything and the guilt is just now hitting me. I was a bystander, not taking action, and that makes me just as bad as the bullies, in my opinion.

"Then it was a good thing you were there for her today. I'm proud of you, Mike."

"Thanks." I shrug, and take another bite out of the apple.

--

--

I pat the pockets of my skinny jeans in a quick furry, my hands searching for my phone. My heart beats fast when it's not in my pockets. Where did I set it down...

The kitchen table.

My heart beat settling down, I walk into the kitchen, but then I'm quickly horrified by the sight in front of me. April, who has safety scissors in her hand still, is clipping away at my precious headphones, her goal seeming to be to destroy them. I gasp, and run towards her, snatching the headphones away from her little hands.

Not meaning to, I yell "APRIL!!", while inspecting the cords. They're gnawed and bent and absolutely screwed up by the kid scissors. It makes me mad, furious.

April's wails follow my yelling, and I gasp again, dropping the slaughtered white tangled mess of headphones. My mood changes in a heart beat at the sound of her innocent little cries.

"Aw... Don't cry, Mikey didn't mean to yell at you, sweetheart." I lower my volume all the way down, and unbuckle her out of the high chair, lifting her out of it.

"What's going on?" Jeff walks in to the room, alarmed by my little sister's weeps.

"Nothing, it's okay." I sigh, and bounce April in my arms, pressing my lips to her soft, thin hair covered head that smells of baby oil. She wraps her little arms around my neck and cries onto my shoulder. Luckily, she doesn't wear make up, and won't for about fourteen years.

"You sure?"

"Yeah... But, I need new headphones. Little Miss Safety Scissors cut away at them."

"Can it wait a day, Michael? Tomorrow's Friday, I'll give you money to go to the mall and get some new ones."

"I guess so..."