C'est La Vie

02. The Bully

>>> Flashback >>>

               “...her dad left us when she was barely one and I’ve been a single-mum ever since,” I hear mum’s voice, high with excitement coming from the living room.

I grab Huggie, my stuffed dog and climb down the stairs carefully. Once I get down safely, I see mum sitting in the living room of our new home talking to another mum with blonde hair.

               “Faye!” my mum exclaims, looking surprised to see me. She scoops me up into her arms and carries me over to the couch. She retakes her seat with me in her lap.

               “She’s adorable! Her father must have been extremely good looking,” the other mum coos. “Logan! Ryder! Come meet your new friend, Faye,” she calls out. A little while later, two boys walk into my living room.

               “Look Faye, you’ve got friends to play with now,” my mum murmurs, pointing out the two boys. I hide behind Huggie as both mums start laughing. “She’s just shy,” my mum explains.

               “That’s quite all right. Logan’s five years old, only a year older than Faye. I’m sure he won’t mind playing with her. Ryder is about to turn eight,” the other mum informs my mum.

               “Faye baby, why don’t you go play with the nice boys?” my mum suggests, setting me down on the floor. I hold on to Huggie tightly but follow the two boys into the garden. The younger boy, Logan, has blonde hair, blue eyes and a kind face while the older boy, Ryder, has black hair and grey eyes. He doesn’t look very nice.

               “What’s your doggies name?” Logan asks.

               “Huggie,” I whisper quietly.

               “That’s a stupid name,” Ryder mutters rudely. “Let’s play ball, Logan,” he calls to his brother grabbing a mini-football.

               “But we’re supposed to play with her,” Logan reminds him as he plonks down on the grass beside me. “What do you want to play Faye?” he asks gently.

I shrug my shoulders, blushing a little. This boy is so nice, so different from his brother!

               “Logan! Play with me!” Ryder whines, kicking the ball at Logan.

Logan catches it before it can smash against his face. He stands up, grasping the ball tightly. He holds a hand out for me and smiles down at me, “Why don’t you play with us, Faye?”

I nod my head, my red ringlets bobbing. Logan kicks the ball over to me gently and I kick it back to him, grinning. Ryder huffs loudly in irritation. Logan kicks the ball to Ryder with more force and Ryder grins. He kicks the ball at me really hard, and it ends up hitting me in the face. I begin sobbing hysterically, my face burning. My vision is so blurry that I have no idea which direction to run to.

               “Ryder!” Logan shouts angrily, crouching down to help me up. “It’s going to be okay, Faye. Your mummy will know what to do,” he whispers calmly, helping me into my house.

>>> End Flashback >>>

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Gah! I fumble around trying to slam the alarm clock off without having to open my eyes. I guess Logan had the same idea because our hands get tangled together and I end up falling out of bed as he pushes me to get his hand free.