dear alice.

II. LEFT

Alice came into Murphy's life like a boulder. A small one but a boulder never the less. She came sprinting down the hallway in a rush of books, messy hair, and lateness. Murphy couldn't have known at that time and neither could have Alice. On the ground in a heap, Alice Grimsby sat rather flustered and surrounded by the contents of her hands.

That's when Alice came into Murphy's life. Not like a boulder but rather a tiny pebble.

Pulling his earphones out the boy stared down at Alice who had bumped into him and fallen backwards leaving him unharmed and still standing. She eyed him as much as he had her, glowering at the tree she had tripped over. Murphy made no effort to help the girl up instead turning to walk away in the other direction deciding she wasn't worth his time.

"So you're just going to leave me on the ground!" she called out to him. In response he began to put his earphones back in, besides he was already late to class even if he didn't care about his education, a detention wasn't worth it. He did already have two that day.

"That's just great. Juuuust fabulous," The girl muttered behind him. "You miss the bus and in return get some arrogant tree, that must be bloody made out of oak, the strongest oak I've ever met, to run over you. And not to mention you're already late to class."

What Alice hadn't realized was Murphy although he had put his earphones in did not start his music back up, instead choosing to listen to the black haired girl talk to herself. If she had paid closer attention she would have heard him chuckle at being called a tree. But Alice wasn't. And at the time, Alice couldn't give any more shits less about Murphy Thoma because she was late and Alice Grimsby was never late.

Murphy, being the creep he was, idled around the corner watching Alice struggle with her books. Not once did he think about helping her. Quite frankly he didn't want to. Anyone who went to Southford could have told you one thing about the black haired girl and every one of them would have said the same thing.

Alice Grimsby was too much to handle.

Nobody liked a person that always saw the good in everything. Nobody liked a person who smiled too much. Therefore, nobody liked Alice. Except for the select weird few Murphy had seen her talking with.

So helping Alice was both not an option and out of character. He did, however, wait for her by the stairs.

"Oh, I get it. You knock me over; don't help me up or to collect my books but wait for me by the stairs. Ironic isn't it Thoma," Alice commented trying to push her hair out of her face with mere gravity which clearly wasn't working. Then Alice stopped midway up the stairs with a frown on her face. "you're going to get another detention aren't you."

It was more of a statement than a question but Murphy replied anyway.

"Of course, I am. Mrs. Wools-bitch hates me. One more time and I'll ring your parents, Mr. Thoma. Your punctuality is a disgrace and a hindrance to my teaching," He rose his voice trying to match the incredibly high and annoying pitch of their attendance teacher.

"Well it's your lucky day," Alice declared shoving a load of books into his hands then proceeding to take off to class.

Murphy considered leaving the books on the sixths step but he had knocked the girl over and refused to help her up. Logging the textbooks up a few more stairs couldn't hurt. It was fortunate he did because when he reached the classroom Mrs. Wools-Bitch ushered him inside without a word. And Wools-bitch was not one to not talk.

He searched the room for Alice who sat smiling at him or was it chuckling. Murphy made his way to the chair next to her and sat down still holding the books in disbelief. Had that really happened?

"She loves me," Alice whispered. "I told her you were helping me carry my books. You should have seen her face. It was priceless. Murphy Thoma helping a student she couldn't fathom the idea of it."

And neither could Murphy. That's when Alice Grimsby stunned him. He made no effort to help her in any way and still she saves him from a detention and one he probably deserved. He couldn't understand why she had done it and what exactly fathom meant but rather the former. He left her yet still she went the extra mile. So Alice Grimsby stunned Murphy Thoma that day and that was just the start of many days to come.

The next and last time Alice came to stun him was on a day he'd prefer to forget. You see Murphy Thoma didn't have the best life and that was reflected in his attitude towards it. No, he didn't do drugs he just neglected living. It just happens Alice stumbled across him at one of his lowest points.

He had just come out of a fight with the wrong crowd as he had called it but Alice knew that was a very loose term. Murphy sported a black eye and a bruised cheekbone but insisted it didn't hurt much to Alice's dismay. It was by the park where she had found him when she was walking the dog in the late afternoon.

"Thoma? What's got you out here looking like you've been beaten in monop-oh, jeez" Alice scrunched up her nose. "Tell me the other one got off worse."

Murphy didn't answer. He dug his hands deeper into his hair and let out a sigh. Alice was always happy and smiling but she knew when things were serious. She also knew how to go about them. Tread lightly and offer comfort except when it came to Murphy, then things were not so subtly thrown out the window.

"Statistics say that a dog helps comfort a person when they're sad," she said standing rather awkwardly in front of him.

"I'm allergic to dogs."

"Of coarse you are," She muttered talking a spot next to him. "I think it's best if you stay on this side of me, Cheshire."

The dog that matched her hair colour padded over and lay limp on the ground next to Alice. Together they sat in silence. A silence that wasn't comfortable to either of them. Really, if Alice didn't speak up soon or leave Murphy would do them both a favour.

"I don't mean to pry but who did it? If they're in school I can get them banished or something more realistic like a talking to by Mr. Lays. He's one scary deputy principal," She said.

"This... This person can't be-" He stopped himself from spilling his guts to the Grimsby girl. She wouldn't care like the rest of them. In fact, she'd probably go tell the whole school about Murphy Thoma the boy who can't stand up for himself even if it's against his own blood. "Just people of the wrong crowd."

"Now's the time where I'm supposed to say something awe-inspiring like don't let them get to you but I don't think that's what you want to hear. I think you want someone to leave out the 'your okays' and the sympathetic looks just for once. Focus on being there more precisely than asking what's wrong. So Murphy Thoma don't tell me what's on your mind or why your face looks like a knot in a tree trunk. Instead don't say anything. You've got a shoulder to lean on Mur even if you don't want to use it."

Alice stunned Murphy for the last time she would be breathing. She didn't ask any more questions or prod at his already open wounds. All she did was be the exact thing he needed someone to be. A tree. Just there and willing to be nothing further. To be something that supplies him with a necessity yet enough not to be thought about. Alice Grimsby became Murphy Thoma's tree that day. She became something he would come to appreciate and care for even if their time together wasn't as long as he had hoped.

That day by the park Murphy let his head fall onto Alice's shoulder and she smiled. She smiled, even more, when he sneezed. Swatting Cheshire further away from her side Alice put her arm around the boy.

"Cheshire you're ruining the moment."