Rebel Hearts

Chapter 1

Kindergarten

Harley playfully screamed as Stephen ran after her. This was their common routine at recess. They'd play tag for the full 30 minutes. Occasionally it would be hide and seek or swinging on the swing set. They weren't much of ones to use the playground equipment.

Stephen finally tagged her, and took off in a different direction. Harley turned too, trying to cut him off. She sprinted as fast as her little legs could go, and tapped his shoulder. Suddenly, the whistles blew and it was time to go in. She laughed breathlessly as Stephen whined about his loss.

"Don't worry Stephen, there's always tomorrow," her little baby voice squeaked. Her long blonde hair swayed as she walked, then blew sideways with the breeze. She giggled and raced him back inside the school. Not surprisingly, she lost.

They both had wild imaginations, but even those differed. Harley was not like most girls, she imagined taming and riding the dragon instead of slaying it, or maybe she'd imagine being the bad guy instead of catching them. She always enjoyed getting away with things, and she was kind of a rowdy, bad kid.

Stephen was the opposite, almost typical. He'd slay the dragon and save the princess, or catch the bad guys. He always imagined coming out victorious and being praised for it. Harley was never that way. Stephen was the star student, and many teachers and parents scolded him for ever being around Harley. They were polar opposites, but got along almost too well.

They got to lunch and sat next to each other. They usually both ate the same lunch, a sandwich with chips and a dessert. Stephen really liked school, probably because he was good at it. He was great at math, and always helped Harley.

Harley only liked school because she got to see Stephen. She was a terrible student. She sucked at math and had the lowest reading level ever. She really only enjoyed history or science. She never really cared about school all that much, which was not very unlike Stephen.

Stephen's parents cared so much about school that they'd do anything for him to succeed. He doesn't really care for it. He's smart, so all the work is a breeze. He doesn't have a favorite or least favorite subject because it's all the same to him. He likes school because he can make friends there, and the older he got, the more he made.

Harley and Stephen went back to the classroom, the room they both genuinely disliked. Harley loves recess, and going from there to the classroom is hard on her. Even in kindergarten they hated it. It made for a tough school life.

There was a time when Stephen and Harley were separated because Harley would make him laugh way too loudly. She enjoyed providing him entertainment because she always assumed he hated doing so much school work. Their separation lasted a week, eventually they couldn't handle it and sat on the floor. Even after they both received detentions for refusing to move.

"Harley, tell me another joke," Stephen would plead. Harley would comply, telling him a knock knock joke or a Yo Momma joke. Sometimes the jokes were so dumb they couldn't help but laugh. The teacher hated their guts.

Many kids made fun of Harley because of how different she was. Wether it was her style, her personality, or her annoying presence, they just wouldn't stop. It never bothered her that much, she was just a little kid with her whole life ahead of her and Stephen by her side.

Stephen and Harley had the craziest bond, that no one really understood. Stephen's parents hated Harley so much they tried to get their classes to be separated.

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This sparked a different kind of rebellion in her. At a young age, she started karate classes. By age 9 she was a black belt. Of course, she was made fun of this too. After karate bored her, she moved to do something more hands on. Boxing. Harley was outstanding at boxing, and started to do competitions when she was in 5th grade.

This wasn't right for Harley either. She was being reigned a champion. She was never that kind of girl. She always wanted Stephen to be ahead of her, despite her dominant personality. Eventually, she quit doing boxing so that Stephen could get his chance. She helped him train for basketball and track.

Stephen was an amazing sprinter. Over the years they couldn't play tag anymore because Harley became way to slow for him. He was one of the fastest kids in their grade. He really only did basketball because his brother did too. He became really good at both, and Harley went to every game and track meet he had. They couldn't be more closer.

Harley's boxing skills were taken out of the ring and into the streets. She became affiliated with some very bad people, and at such a young age. By the time they got into middle school, they completely lost touch.

Harley was too deep into helping people with distributing weapons and drugs that Stephen left her. Stephen needed to focus on his grades and his sports. He couldn't be around someone who would constantly get him in trouble.

His popularity around school got to his head, and he completely changed. His attitude was unlike his in elementary school. He was stuck up and cocky, which was mostly due to basketball. He really hated basketball.