The next day, Betty sat in the dirt at the edge of the schoolyard, peeling bark off the old tree. She hummed to herself one of the songs her momma played on the radio when she cooked. The sound of someone plopping down next to her made her look up.
"Hey Johnny." She said, nodding at the blonde boy. He frowned.
"Don't call me that," a slight snarl graced his lips.
"Ok... Johnny." She giggled slightly at the sour look on his face. John sighed, turning away from her and digging in the dirt.
---
John and Betty sat at the foot of their tree. Betty was concerned. She looked at John, examining his face. There was a fresh bruise blossoming on his cheek, and no matter how she tried to get him to talk, he didn't budge. She suspected what was happening, she understood it, and the fresh bruise on her ribs was evidence to the fact. Thankfully she didn't have too much first-hand experience, Mrs. Martin took the brunt of the blows, but only because Betty could leave the room faster. Her mother was a coward. She stayed at home, always making Betty run errands, never leaving the house. Still, the woman's daughter often wondered what it was like to be alone in that house all day, basking in the silence.
Betty didn't like tense silence, she liked to sit in the quiet with him, but this time it was stiff and cold. Her eyes scanned the ground for something until they landed on a stick. She smirked, picking it up and subtly poking John in the side. He swatted it away, not bothering to look up. She persisted.
"Hey, stop it!" He burst out, looking over at the girl. She lowered her head in what appeared to be penance, but she was just trying to hide her giggles. He turned his gaze away from her again, staring out across the school yard. Then he felt another poke at his side.
"Alright, that's it." John reached for a stick next to him, spinning around to hit Betty's stick with his. It skidded across the dirt and they both froze. Suddenly Betty lunged for her stick, snatching it up and standing up, tripping over the hem of her skirt.
And that was how the pair found themselves laughing despite their bruises and worries, having a sword fight at the edge of the schoolyard.
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~The Tree at the Edge of the Schoolyard~ Ace Merrill x OC
FanfictionJohn Merrill and Betty Martin had been close as long as the town could remember. A little blonde white boy, angry and aggressive like his father walking around town hand-in-hand with a doe-eyed black girl. Growing up hand-in-hand, outcasts in a tow...
