Chapter One: We were Inseparable.
Austin's POV
"Look at him! He's wearing pink! He's a girl, he's a girl!" I looked around the playground, no one was around, I didn't understand where the shouting was coming from.
"No, I'm not! Leave me alone!" I heard someone crying, I tried to point out where the voices were coming from. My nose was red, my hands were cold, I was miserable, but I couldn't leave until I helped whoever had needed it. I caught sight of a small gang of boys huddled around a small figure who was all hunched over, trying to pull his bulky winter coat over his head to protect him from the mean words. I ran over to where the bullies were and stepped in front of the kid to shield him
"Get out of our way Austin, he's wearing pink! That's too girly, I bet he has girl germs, don't you Austin?" I frowned at Jimmy, not mad at him just like my mommy was when I broke that vase she really liked... disappointed. Okay, I was a little mad too, I just wanted to sound grown up.
"Stop being a meanie Jimmy, go pick on someone your own size." I crossed my arms, looking him squarely in the eyes. If there's anything that my dad has taught me, it's that I need to stand up for people who need it. Jimmy looked shocked for a brief moment before glaring back at me.
"You mean like you Austin?" Jimmy smirked at me, but I was determined not to be intimidated by him.
"You're a mean person Jimmy, you have an ugly heart," I told him calmly, not breaking my cool act.
"You have an ugly face," without a warning Jimmy threw his fist at my face, catching me in the eye. I felt the tears coming on, but the scared gasp of the boy behind was enough to make me stand up taller to proudly watch Jimmy and his friends run away, snickering at my face. I could feel a bruise forming above my eye, and the scab I'd gotten from the corner of the kitchen table had broken open, but none of that mattered. The fact that I was still freezing didn't even matter. I helped someone, that was enough.
Turning to the boy, I held my hand out, offering to help him up.
"Thanks" he took my small hand with his surprisingly even smaller one and I pulled him up to stand at his full height, which wasn't very tall. He was the smallest kid in our grade, meaning he automatically got bullied a lot. "What's your name?" he asked quietly, playing with the small pink ribbon that was pinned onto his coat.
"Austin James Malloy, yours?" I held a hand out to shake this time, a thing that I'd seen my father do with many business associates before. The boy smiled and shook it before answering,
"My name's Jack. Jack Oscar Rivers." Grinning, I couldn't help but feel I had made a new friend that day. I poked the small pink ribbon that was over his heart.
"What's that for?" I tried to ask as politely as I could without sounding like a nosy person.
"My mother has breast cancer." I blushed furiously at Jack saying the 'B' word. Jack giggled at my discomfort and gently took the ribbon off of his coat.
"Here, you can have it." I looked down at the small, slightly frayed ribbon, loving it as soon as he clipped it to my own jacket.
