"Harper, wait that's not fair! You only touched my shirt!"
"Come get me, loser!" The little girl teased as she ran across the jungle gym of their elementary school, located in a small town just an hour drive out from the city of Atlanta. It was a calm and quiet sunny Tuesday afternoon. The little boy ran as fast as he could after the young girl. His small feet dug into the wood chips of the playground, kicking the air with each step. "Guess I'm to fast after all-" The girl said turning around as she ran farther away, but tripped over a branch that had fallen from the tree just hanging above her. She tried to use her hands to stop her fall, but they quickly filled with splinters. "Harper!" The boy shouted slowing down his pace and dropped to his knees at her side. "Let me see." He said as she propped herself up and held out her palm. "Stay still." He instructed. "Ouch! Carl!" "okay! Sorry.." The little girl began to wince at the pain as the boy wiped the blood away from her palms. "Let's get you to Mrs. Wilder, she can help." He said picking her up from the ground and standing her on her feet. The two leaned against each other as they walked off the playground and through the tiny building that held a little under fifty students
"Mrs. Wilder?" Carl knocked on the door to the school nurses office. "Hello dear, how can I help you?" She politely asked looking up from her laptop. "I don't need help, but she does." He said bringing Harper into the lightly dimmed room. "Harper fell on the playground and she's bleeding, can you help her?" "Of course, bring her in." Mrs. Wilder said sliding out from her desk and digging into a cabinet. Harper crawled onto the small bed like seat and swung her legs back and forth impatiently. "Carl, would you like to stay with us or head back to the playground?" The nurse questioned. Carl looked at Harper who had her head dropped down and was wiping away tears with the back of her hand. "I'd like to stay, if that's alright." Her small and freckled pale face turned into a smile as she looked back up at Carl who was blushing.
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"I think that's a swell idea!" The nurse laughed as she took a cotton ball from a jar and dabbed rubbing alcohol onto it. Carl took notice of the young girls face becoming nervous and got up from his seat to stand at her side. "Now Harper, this is gonna sting, but only for a second," The nurse assured. And with that, the nurse placed the cotton ball onto the young girls palm and began wiping the blood away. "Ow! It burns!" Harper cried out. "It's okay, just look at me." Carl told Harper as she bit her bottom lip holding in her whines. "Good, now you need a bandaid..which I'm all out of. Carl, can you wait here while I run to the front desk to grab some more?" Nurse Wilder asked. Carl nodded and the nurse took off. Carl's face twisted in confusion and Harper took notice. "What is it?" She asked. "What's that bruise on your arm?" Carl wondered. "It's nothing." The girls eyes narrowed and she looked down again. "I can have Mrs. Wilder look at it-" "I said, its nothing!" Harper screamed making Carl jump a little. "Once again, I'm sorry."
Not to long after, the nurse came back with two packs of bandages. "Which kind would ya like?" Nurse Wilder asked the young sad girl. The two packs were different themed, one being about farm animals and the other being about dinosaurs. "Dino's are really cool! Can I have the stegosaurus please?" "Harper, you know I don't know which one that is. Could you remind me?" Harpers fascination for dinosaurs was like no other. She had collected tiny figurines of the extinct creatures and books about them too. If anyone knew the Jurassic park movies better than anyone else, it was her. "That greenish one right there." Harper took the bandaid out of the box and handed it to the nurse. Nurse wilder gently placed the bandage over her cuts and gave her a lollipop afterwards. "Let's go!" They cheered running back to the playground to continue playing. Their entertainment was cut short as the school bell rang. As other kids quickly raced by each other to grab their bags and go home, Carl and Harper walked side by side, tracing each tile that was placed on the ground. The two grabbed their backpacks and headed outside. A few minutes passed and they sat swinging their legs back and forth munching on graham crackers leftover for lunch. "Want my goldfish?" Harper held the bag up and Carl though about it. "Erm, no thanks." He played with his hands nervously. "More for me then!" Harper cheered and giggled in between, turning Carl into a blushing red mess."Thatwascute" He thought to himself.
Carl couldn't stop feeling like he was on fire, especially in his cheeks. He turned his body into her direction and admired her wavy blonde hair that the sun reflected on, turning it more golden than ever. The placement of her freckles and the ever-so-perfect smile that appeared when she looked at him made his heart nearly jump out of his chest.
"you look deep in thought." She interrupted, pulling him back to reality and his eyes met hers. "And your face!" She giggled once more. "What do you mean?" He panicked. "You're red as a tomato! Are you sweating? Its not even that hot out here!" Harper couldn't control her laughing at this point and realized Carl hadn't said anything. "I didn't mean to embarass you." She cleared her throat and began crunching on her goldfish again. "If I tell you something, can you promise not to look at me another way?" He asked concerned. "Of course Carl, were best friends. I hope." She winked. Carl's stomach started doing flips when she did that. "I kind of.. I kind of have a crush on you." She turned to him still crunching on her food and then taking a big swallow. "Y-you do?" She smiled. She smiled! Carl thought once again In his head. "You're super pretty and I was scared to tell you because I didnt think you liked me back. Your personality is different from everyone else ive ever been friends with and you're..my first crush." Harper began blushing and set her lunchbox back in her backpack and set it aside. "Can I be honest with you too, Carl?" "Of course, were best friends. I hope." He mocked her words from earlier and the wink she did. They both began laughing when suddenly she reached to put her hand over his. This time, it was very different from the other times they held hands. "I like you too." She mumbled clearly embarrassed too. "Same as you said, I really enjoy your presence and how you take my mind off of bad things." She continued. Carl and her sat talking for a few more minutes when he saw his mother pull up. "My parents are here. Want a ride home?" He asked. "No thanks, im sure they'll be here soon." She sighed kicking her legs. "Okay then. See you tommorrow!" He shouted hopping into his car. His mother waved to Harper and Harper could make out Carl laughing in the car with his dad at his side, begging her to stop. "He's so adorable when he's embarassed." She said to herself.
