Little Lonely Hibiscus *HIATUS*

I Befriend The Bakery Boy

Laughter and screaming arose from further down the road. Some trouble looking kids peddled quickly on their bikes towards us. I guess we weren't quiet enough to start a fight here. The boy squeaked and made a run for his bike, but the kids got there first.
"Look at that, Mr. Burger Buns himself," one of the kids snickered, and hopped off his bike. Mickey started to back away as one of the kids stepped in front of the boy.
"Leave me alone, Jackson..." The boy muttered, and shifted his weight onto one leg and another nervously. Mickey grabbed my arm and tilted his head to the forest surrounding the pond. I hesitated and looked back at the boy.
Another kid got off his bike and started kicking the boy's bike off the road and into a ditch. The kid who appeared to be Jackson stepped closer to "Mr. Burger Buns" and spat in his face.
"Slash his tires, Mike. Trevor, go and get my strawberries," his mouth curled into a malicious smile. I looked at Mickey slowly, his demeanor telling me that we had to go. But I wasn't going to leave the boy alone with those kids. I shook my arm off his grip and take a step towards them.
"Hey, you there. Kid in the rock and roll doll costume," I say, trying to fill my tone with bravery instead of me quivering in fear. His eyes twitched from the boy to me, and he tilted his head a bit to the right. "What did you just call me?" He growled, and walked closer to me. He bared his teeth, showing off his red braces and the acne that littered his face. His mean dark eyes made me feel like he was staring right down into my soul, and his black leather jacket didn't make matters any better.
"Leave that boy alone," I say loudly, ignoring the fact that my hands started shaking. He laughed quietly at first, but then started roaring with amusement. "Shut up, you pathetic girl. I wouldn't bet a dime that you know what you're getting into," he laughed and pretended to wipe a tear off his face. Mickey stepped up next to me, pulling me behind him.
"Take that back, punk," Mickey said quietly, but loud enough to sense the anger in his tone.
"Or what? You gonna cry? You gonna run back to your mommy and ask why you're such a little piece of shi-" He never finished his sentence because Mickey gave him a swift punch in the stomach. He groaned, then yelled and tackled him down, slamming his leg hard on the road. I gasped and pried Mickey off of him. He breathed heavily, watching Jackson wipe the blood off his mouth. He clipped his lip with his now broken braces.
"Trevor!" He screamed to one of his friends. "Did you grab the bloody box yet?" The kid who seemed to be Trevor held a small wooden crate, filled with strawberries. Jackson snatched the box from him and grabbed the berries holding it up to the boy. Mike was holding his arms back so he couldn't move. I put Mickey's arm over my shoulder, helping him get back on his feet. The boy started to kick and turn his head away from the strawberries. Tears ran down his face and he held his mouth shut.
"Say ah, Burger Buns," Jackson laughed and pushed the berries closer to the boy. If it hadn't rained earlier, even for just the small bit of it, I'm not sure what I would've done.
"Rock and roll doll boy," I called out to him. His head whipped to my direction, and his smile faded immediately. "Get a load of this!" I shouted, and threw a big fat mud ball at him. He shrieked in surprise and fell backwards, dropping the strawberries.
"Its in my eye! It's in my damn eye!" He screamed and tried to wipe the mud off. Trevor reached into Jackson's pocket and pulled out a Swiss army switchblade knife. He grunted and started running towards me. I threw another mud ball at him, but he dodged and slid across the mud, scratching my leg. Mickey caught him and started throwing some punches, while I took his switchblade and limped towards Mike. Even though I was already wounded and covered in mud, he still seemed terrified.
He let go of the boy and picked Jackson up frantically, then picked up his bike. He and Jackson both kicked the stoppers off and started peddling as fast as they could.
"Wait!" Trevor calls out to them, pushing Mickey and his punches off of him. He stumbled to his bike and didn't even bother to put his helmet back on. I wiped some mud off my face and watched him chase his friends down the road until they were out of sight.

I quickly ran to Mickey, helping him to a tree for balance, and turned to look at the boy. He looked like he was still in shock, but he snapped out of it. He rose to his feet and started walking towards me. Mickey snatched the switchblade from my pocket and held it out weakly to him.
"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, wondering if he still thought that the boy would hurt us. He groaned, and dropped the blade into the wet dirt, and slumped down to the ground.

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I tied the washcloth around my calf to help stop the bleeding. I sighed in relief and looked towards Mickey, still sleeping. He must've been exhausted from all that fighting.
"Are you worried about him still?" Kenny, the bakery boy, asked me curiously. I shook my head. He grabbed my hand and looked up at me with hopeful eyes. "My mom is the best nurse in the world; he'll wake up soon in no time." I smiled and realized Mickey was staring right at us. He blinked furiously and tilted his head left and right, trying to figure out where he was.
"Mickey!" I cheered and ran over to the bed he laid on. He groaned and pushed himself up, leaning against the white pillows.
"Cybil? Where are we?" He asked in confusion, but his eyes darted to Kenny who was sitting on a chair next to a desk.
"Bakery boy?" Kenny rolled his eyes when he heard that, and shuffled next to him. "Its Kenny, and you're in my home. You got beat up badly so my mom took care of you." Mickey looked down in shame, then paused. "Is Mr. Chuck here?" Kenny shook his head. He told Mickey that if his dad were there, he would throw him out with all his might. He said that he was down at the shop, which was only a couple minutes away. I looked over at the clock. 3:45 it showed. The Bakery would be closing in 5 minutes. I give Kenny a look in a way where he seemed to understand me. "Kenny...about the bread..." Mickey started to say, but Kenny interrupted with a small laugh.
"Don't worry about it. He makes too much bread anyway, and sometimes he'll make me throw the stale slices out to the ducks. Here, let me get you guys a basket real quick before you leave." He got up and ran out of the room. Mickey and I exchanged looks. "If I knew that we would've gotten a basket if I got beaten up, I would have fought Jackson months ago." We laughed and got up. I handed Mickey an ice pack for his badly bruised arm and put on my shoes. Kenny came back with the most beautiful basket I've ever seen. Glazed donuts were in a box with a couple bagels and some of the most prettiest looking blueberry muffins ever. Fake flowers were tied to the handle of the basket, and a fancy "Get Well" sign was stapled in the outside of it.
"Dad made some baskets for our neighbor's family after they all got the flu, but one of them seemed to avoid getting it." He handed me the leftover flu basket, but I wasn't sure how to react. I set it down next to Mickey and gave Kenny the biggest hug I've ever given someone. He smiled and looked down, clearly flustered, and shuffled out of the room embarrassed. Mickey coughed and tried to hide some laughter. "What's so funny?" I asked, crossing my arms and trying not to smile. He smirked and shook his head. "Oh, nothing." He stood up and put his shoes on. I held the front door open for him and thanked Kenny one last time. He was still embarrassed, but he managed a smile and then ran upstairs. Mickey and I stepped out, him holding the basket as if it were fragile. He still has a look on his face, the same sly and trying not to laugh look.
"Tell me, what's so funny?" I asked again, trying to make eye contact with him.
"How come you never hug me like that?" He laughed, and I covered my face with my hands. "That right there is why," I muttered, but loud enough for him to hear. He gave me a sarcastic look, then started to crinkle the plastic covering the pastries.
"If you wanna act that way, fine. I guess I'll just eat all of these by myself." I looked at him with a fake surprised look, and snatched a bagel out of the basket.