She thought about those words all day, a blush slithering through her body and circulating constantly. It heated with every beat of her heart, almost like it was part of her pulse. The words stuck with her.
"Don't let any other guy touch you.... That's my job...."
The look in his eyes stuck with her as well. She was thinking, not even realizing she had already passed her classroom. She was late when she walked in. Many people stared at her, mainly the boys. This made her nervous, she wanted to please her friend, for she was sure he was her friend. She stayed quiet all day, none of her friends said a word to her. They didn't even look at her. But she couldn't care less what they thought if her anymore. She went about her day silently, answering teachers with a nod or by shaking her head, as if she couldn't get a sound out. At the end of the day, she walked out of the school and to her surprise, nobody was there. Leiko wasn't there to meet her. She looked around, disappointed and worried feelings welling up deep from her chest and traveling to every inch of her body. She walked around and looked for the base of all of these feelings that have been churning inside her for the past 2 days. She walked until she saw a crowd of people at a basketball court in the park. The court floor was of a worn cement and the half court and border lines were of faded chalk. The back board of the goal was plastic, and only half of it remained. She made her way through the crowd, and when she got to the center, she felt her breathe get caught in her throat. There in the middle of the crowd was the boy who had grabbed her and the one she was looking for, Leiko. They were both bruised, the boy had a black eye and Leiko was spitting blood and wiping his mouth, wincing a bit has his hand brushed against his busted lip. She ran and seperated them, pulling Leiko up and running from the park, dragging him behind her. She led him to her father's shack, and to the kitchen, pushing him back into a chair gently and getting out some bandages and clothes.
"Why did you do that...? Fight him I mean..."
He watches as she tended his wounds, wincing a bit. He stayed quiet not knowing what to say, how to answer. After 5 minutes, he felt her eyes on him and mumbled an answer, thinking it was slightly reasonable.
"Well.... I wanted to make sure he didn't mess with you again..."
She looked into his eyes and he looked away, avoiding her gaze and promising himself he wouldn't look at her.
"He didn't... I wish you were more careful... You had me worried sick..."
His eyes widened and he looked into her eyes, a flash of realization and frustration circulating through his body fast as if he was shocked with a string of electricity.
"You were worried?! I've been pacing around town all day, worried that you might be getting bullied by one of those stuck up tramps or raped by one of those douches. Worried because I can't be there to save you this time. And you've been worried?!"
He clenched his fists tightly, and even though his eyes were open he couldn't see anything but defeat. When he could see again, he looked at her and lost all of his strength. His back lost posture, his eyes widened, his hands unclenched, his knees went weak. He looked at her and saw something he hasn't expected to see. She had a smile drawn across her pink tinted lips, and the tears of an angel sliding down her cheeks.
"You really do.... Care, hm?"
