Annie Loves Armin

Chapter One: Annie Loves Armin

She had initially heard that horrific chant as a first-grader.

She remembered people she had considered more than just acquaintances gathering around her and repeating those three words over and over. "Annie loves Armin! Annie loves Armin!" Just thinking about it made her shudder. Kids were so cruel. Not only just to her but also to the boy she was said to have loved.

Armin Arlert was a bright kid and the star-student of every classroom. Teachers adored his intelligence and the bullies adored the fact that he was weak and unable to separate himself from fights. They would often corner him, first throwing the worst insults any six-year-old could come up with. Some got creative and added physical harm. Of course, they would do all this during recess and out of sight of their instructor. As recess would conclude and the children lined back up, Armin would slowly join them, his nose bleeding and tears streaming down his cheeks. Their teacher was immediately concerned, but in a quivering voice tainted with tears, he'd assure her that he fell during a game of tag with his friends. It was obvious their teacher didn't believe him, but she couldn't intervene if he chose not to tell her the truth. (A flaw in the education system, Annie concluded.)

It was spring time when Annie first heard the chants she had grown to despise throughout her elementary years. Their teacher had released them for an extended recess while she prepared a science lab for them later that morning. Eren and Mikasa were both home sick with a nasty virus that had taken out most of their class earlier that week, so Armin quietly lurked around the playground, a picture book in hand. Annie stood next to her friends, Reiner, Bertholdt, Mina, and Ymir. The four were immersed in a conversation about a television program Annie had no interest in, so her mind wandered to the blond boy walking around the premises of the playground.

He finally found a quiet place near the corner of their school building and sat in the grass, opening the book and munching on the carrots his grandfather had provided as a snack. Perhaps that's why the others treated him so differently; he had a grandfather instead of a mother or father. Annie didn't quite know if that was the reason, but it was certainly plausible.

It wasn't long after when his bullies began to approach. She could see Armin tense, but his attention remained on his book. There were three of them, all towering over the tiny genius. Kent, the leader of the trio, grinned maliciously towards his target. He began to speak, but Annie couldn't decipher what he was saying. Garret, the obvious muscle of the group, made a snide remark and the three laughed, turning towards Armin to see if he had also heard what had been said. Armin ignored them and turned a page. He reached for another carrot and that's when the third, a boy named Bryan, struck.

He seized Armin's wrist and yanked him upwards. The boy yelped in pain and tried to free himself, but to no avail. Kent got up in his face, spewing words of hatred no doubt. Even though he was quite far away from her, Annie could see Armin begin to cry. He clenched his eyes shut and turned away. Kent began talking louder and this time, Annie caught two words. "...Worthless orphan!" Garret kicked Armin's shins, causing him to collapse. His wrist was released, but now he was curled up, covering his head with his arms. The bullies continued to lay blows upon the smaller child and with each successful hit, Armin let out a cry of pain.

Annie didn't know what convinced her to act the way she did. She didn't know Armin, aside from his brilliant remarks in class. She didn't care about the other times he had gotten assaulted by these three. Maybe, due to the lack of his comrades, she believed she had to do something. Anything to at least cease the beating until Mikasa and Eren came back. No matter what excuse she tried to come up with, it didn't change the fact that she was striding over to the four boys. She clenched her fist and stood upright. She heard Bertholdt call out her name, but her friends made no attempt at following her.