The Marvelous Misadventures of Amelia Fuentes

⓶

"Alright, Darling, go show 'em they can't get you down, okay?" Vic walked her to the class door, bending down so they were eye-to-eye. She looked determined, like a soldier about to go into battle, and nodded at him. He grinned at her, pulling her in for a kiss on the forehead and sending her off to war. At the last second she turned back to him, saluted him, and ran into the room with a battle-cry. He laughed, how could he not? She was just about the cutest thing to ever exist, not that he was biased or anything.

Just as he was walking out he saw a few parents with whom he'd quarreled more than a few times. He gave them a sarcastic smile, to which they scoffed, and strutted slowly for the door. Upon reaching it, though, he was stopped by something slamming into his leg. He looked down in shock to find his daughter clinging to his skinny jeans as if she were drowning and he were a life-vest.

"Hey, hey, what's up?" He reached down to push her hair out of her way, only to have her bury her face into his jeans. She pulled back as he bent down, only because she was forced to by his movement, so that they were face-to-face (though she just pulled her hair around to use as a shield), "Amelia, what's wrong?"

She just shook her head, shaking her hair further into her eyes and falling onto his shoulder. Vic was thoroughly confused, what could have happened between the time of his daughter's war-cry before and her shaky breaths now? He was puzzled but more so concerned.

"Amy, c'mon, you've got to tell me if you want me to help you here?" She shrugged away, standing again so that they were facing one another.

"I can't go back there, Daddy... Please, Daddy, I'll just not go to school and be stupid, I don't care," she was rushing her words, her wide eyes pooling with tears.

"Baby," he pushed her hair away from her face and used his thumbs to brush away her tears, "I can't let that happen, okay? Cause you're going to grow up and be the smartest, sweetest, coolest girl ever, alright?"

"No," she leaned into his hand which had been rested on her cheek, something she'd always done when she felt drained. "Daddy, you just don't understand."

"Then help me understand, sweetheart."

"Callum said we can't be best friends anymore so none of the boys'll talk to me either and the girls say I can't play with them because of how I dress. Daddy, I'm all lonely."

"Hold on a minute, kiddo. Why don't you go back into the class and grab your bag, okay?" She looked up at him inquiringly, "I'm not saying you don't have to go to school, but I think I need to chat with your teacher."

She nodded and waited for him to stand up, she followed him so closely that she might as well be hanging onto his leg again, and they headed back to the classroom. Amy let her dad split off to talk to her teacher while she went to her cubbie. Amy pulled her jacket from its hook but had a hard time reaching her lunchbox because it was a few inches too far up. She stretched but still couldn't manage. Just as she was about to go get her dad she felt another presence beside her, a small hand reached out beside her to tug down her lunchbox, it was only a few inches longer than her own but it was the perfect height. Of course, the hand belonged to Callum. He was next to her but she refused to look at him. She yanked her lunchbox from his grasp and began to stomp away. He grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop, and came to stand in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Ames." She crossed her arms and froze to listen, "I really am. I don't care what the others say, you're my bestest friend, no matter what. Right?"

She took a second to debate it, but as he held his hand out with his pinkie finger ready to hook with hers she couldn't do anything else. She always knew she didn't really have a choice but to forgive him, they were Amy and Cal, Cal and Amy, together forever. She grinned as she looped her tiny, black-painted-nail-pinkie with his, making him beam right back at her. They dropped their hands and Amy told Cal to hold on while she ran to her dad. She pulled on his jeans, making him glance down at her.