I was a Mistake

Playground Trouble

When a group of boys walked up to the bench and begged Noah to play tag, I pushed his arm gently, encouraging him to play. It wasn't fair of me to keep him from having fun. I sat by myself on that bench until Katie and Gracie, girls from my class, walked up to me. I hoped they'd ask me to play. Nobody ever did that and I wished for a change. I'd even worn my best dress and paid extra attention to my hair, thinking this day might be different. That someone might decide I wasn't worthy of the constant hate and choose to befriend me.

"What's wrong, Eden?" Katie asked, her eyebrows lifted high on her pristine head. "Did your bodyguard leave you? It's pathetic that you have to hide behind Noah all the time!" My smile vanished and my heart dropped to my belly.

"Yeah," Gracie agreed, "It's even sadder that he only stays beside you because he's too nice to be mean to you like everybody else! My mom said that your mom's a cheater! I bet you look so icky because your mommy hates you! Your stupid limp makes you look like some kind of monster!"

She grabbed one of my pigtails and dragged me off the bench. I was still at least a head shorter and weighed much less than most of my classmates. They took advantage of the fact every chance they could. "Eden, you're ugly and everybody knows it. Nobody likes you, not even Noah!"

She pushed me back and I went rolling down a hill at an incline. The brunt of my fall landed on my lower half- the place Momma and Carl hit- and to my horror, a gasp of pain and tears escaped before I could hold them back. I stayed on the ground, rocking and trying to alleviate the pain that wouldn't quit.

As most fights I'd seen play out, a crowd of people was at the scene in seconds, laughing and pointing, calling out names I didn't like to repeat. My tears continued and I couldn't seem to stop them. Noah broke through the crowd like a bulldozer, anger clearly plastered to his face. His head circled around to glare at the congregation of people before sitting on the ground beside me and grabbing my hand, pulling me to his side.

That was how the teacher found us, circled in people that loved to abuse me and Noah, the boy I had to believe honestly cared for me. They helped me inside and I was given ice packs for my pain. I wished for Momma's much stronger pain medication, but was grateful for what they had.

❃ ❃ ❃

At lunchtime, laughter still echoed the cafeteria. "Hey, Eden! I always knew you were still a baby! You looked just like my baby sister, curled up and crying for your Mommy!" Jarvis, a mean kid in my class, couldn't help but scream across the room. I'd never cry for my Mommy to comfort me anymore, but still, I held my head low, ashamed. My teacher had her head turned away from the ruckus, talking to the lunch lady.

Noah stood up, rage seemingly filling every pore in his body. He stomped over to Jarvis, his fist raised, ready to pound the boy to defend me. I was so tired of Noah getting in trouble for me. I knew my teacher would yell at him, Mrs. Winters would be mad, and Jarvis might not get in trouble at all, so I did the first thing I could think of. I grabbed a handful of my untouched noodles and chucked it at Noah. It caked his t-shirt, but he stopped advancing on Jarvis, and that was my intention.

I felt bad instantly. I didn't want Noah to be mad at me, but I hated when he got in trouble for something that was my fault. He turned around to face me slowly, his head cocked to the side. "Edith, what was that for?" I looked to my knees, playing with the hem of my skirt.

"Eden Morrison! Go to the principal, right now! I cannot believe you would throw your food at a classmate, Noah much less!" Apparently, my teacher was watching that part.

I nodded slowly, my eyes still looking to the floor. Noah was yelling at the teacher in protest. Tears filled my eyes and I looked into Noah's, begging for forgiveness. I had never been to the principal's office, but knew that it always warranted a call home. Momma hated calls home almost as much as she hated me. I shook in the office chair as the principal, Mr. Granville, talked to my mother, telling her I started a fight in school. I shook my head, adamantly trying to tell him I wouldn't do that, but he didn't seem to notice.

When he got off the phone, he smiled at me. "Your mother says I have permission to give you three licks from the paddle. I don't normally like using my paddle, but your mother insisted. Starting a fight is a very bad thing, Eden."

I nodded, shaking like a Chihuahua in the winter. My bottom ached already and I worried it couldn't take much more. Mr. Granville grabbed the paddle out of a drawer in his desk and instructed me to put my hands on the desk. He hit me three times with sharp licks that increased my pain tenfold. "Go back to class. Don't make a habit of starting fights. Your mother sounded very disappointed in you."

I struggled to my classroom, shuffling and stopping to rest along the way. Opening the heavy door, I was met with smug faces from my bullies. My teacher instructed me to sit down and told me she'd sign my folder for disrupting the class in a minute, another offense that would earn another beating from Momma. Noah looked beyond worried, and scraped his fingers through his hair, standing up to help me to my seat beside him.

I sat down gingerly switching from one side of my bottom to the other. He whispered to me, "I understand why you threw your noodles at me. I'm sorry I got so mad. You're very pale. Did he call your mom?" I nodded slowly.

"Is she angry?" I nodded again.

"Oh, boy. I'm so sorry, Edith." I grabbed his hand under the table and squeezed, assuring him that I didn't blame him for anything.

If you like my story, please let me know by voting or commenting!