The Mysterious Hero

The Mysterious Hero: Chapter 11

            When school ended, I decided to go to the grocery store before meeting Luke for tutoring at the city library. We were supposed to meet there around four, but I doubted that he was going to show. If he didn’t, then I was going to be mad. And if he did, wish me luck.

            I needed to buy a loaf of bread because we were all out, and I had promised Adam that I would get some. Entering the grocery store, cold air bit my skin. I shivered slightly, pulling my sweater closer to my body.

            I made a beeline towards the bread section, and when I got there, I had trouble deciding on what bread I should get. I liked wheat but Adam liked white. I went with the white bread because I was using Adam’s money to pay for it. He worked hard to make money and to take care of me, so it would be nice to get the bread that he preferred.

            The white bread was on the top shelf, and I had to stand on my tippy toes to reach it. Just as I grabbed it, another hand held onto it. Surprised, I retracted my hand and glanced at the bread stealer.

            “Oh sorry,” I mumbled, looking away from him.

            “No, I’m sorry. You had it first,” Mason said, holding out the loaf of bread to me. When I made no move to take it, he dropped it in my basket. “There you go. I’m just picking up some things before I have to go get my cousin. See ya’ later. Bye.”

            “Bye,” I whispered, watching Mason retreat. He was so cute. Really cute. And nice. I could see why everyone liked him. He was likeable. Mason turned back around and said, “By the way, you were really good at dodge-ball, Lila.”

            I smiled at him, pleased to know that he knew my name. “Thanks,” I stuttered as he walked forwards again.

            After I was done at the grocery store, I began walking to the library. I crossed the street so that I was strolling by the park. I watched as kids played and laughed. I slowed my walk when I saw a man pushing the swing of a little girl’s. I remembered how my dad used to do that for me when I was younger. He would push my swing really hard, and I would fly high in the air, whooshing back and forth.

            I averted my eyes because the sight saddened me a bit. No matter how much I yearned for my dad, he wasn’t going to come back and push me on the swings. My eyes zoomed in on a circle of little kids surrounding a chubby little boy. Walking closer to them, I could hear the words that were being exchanged and they weren’t nice at all.

            The kids were about eight years old, bratty and obnoxious. Those were the kids that you dreaded to babysit. The little boy that they were bullying was on the verge of crying, tears pricked his eyes. He sniffed and yelled at them to stop.

            I clenched my teeth in anger. Rage boiled up inside of me because I hated bullying. People had nothing better to do than pick on other kids. Did they really have low self-esteem that they felt the need to degrade someone else? It was pathetic.

            “He’s right. You guys should seriously stop,” I said with an authoritarian voice.

            “Shut up, old lady,” they snapped.

            Old lady? I was not old. I was only seventeen.

            “You guys should stop,” I warned.

            “Why? Henry’s an idiot and a loser! Loser!”

            Henry burst into tears, rubbing his eyes in hurt. My heart squeezed at the sight. People just couldn’t be nice. Being nice wasn’t hard. If you had nothing nice to say then say nothing at all. Why couldn’t people just follow this?