August 2,2001
The large boys laughed as they pushed the much smaller and considerably weaker boy to the ground. He flew headfirst into the gravel road and had to flail his arms in front of him to protect his face. Light soft skin,torn by the rocks,he gasped at the sudden pain.
"Come on,Pee-Wee,fight back." Conner urged. Conner was the head of the first grade bully pack,the alpha. Mainly because he was the biggest kid in the grade. The smallest boy in the grade was Paxton Webb,naturally being the one to be picked on and bullied the most.
Paxton was short and skinny,underweight for his age with ghost white blonde hair and countless galaxies of freckles in constellations all over his body. Two large light blue eyes blinked behind thick lensed glasses. He was always quiet and constantly had his nose in a book,large books advanced for his age tucked under a skinny arm.
"I'm not going to fight you,Conner." He returned shifting his position in the ground and wiping a bloody nose they had given him before pushing the boy to the ground.
"Why not? I'm sure your mommy wouldn't care. Oh wait of course she wouldn't,dead people don't care about anything." Conner jabbed at Paxton's dead mother but he said nothing,gritting his missing-tooth ,crooked smile. "Come on take a swing."
"No." He refused firmly standing shakily to his feet. Just as he stood up strait,Conner snickered kicking him hard in the stomach,this time leaving no excess time for thought to put his hands out falling back into the ground face forward,gripping his stomach.
Paxton coughed and gasped trying desperately to inflated the small lungs with oxygen. His glasses had skittered off his nose and he couldn't think strait as to where they were or if they were even intact. These beatings happened practically every day after school but he would never get used to them.
Unable to move or breathe he curled up into a ball,the fetal position and struggled for air hoping they would soon grow bored and leave him alone. Suddenly he heard the loud swish of powerful brakes and boots crunching over gravel.
"Hey!" A strong powerful voice scolded in the background. "What do you think your doing?" Paxton heard The smaller feet of Connor and his friends running in retreat only to be stopped and lectured about something he couldn't make out and suddenly felt large hands touch his shoulder.
Paxton clenched his body,still struggling for breath until deep soft words soothed him.
"Hey,buddy,you okay? It's okay,now they're gone." Paxton cracked and eye and saw a kind tan skinned fireman hovering over him. "Can I take a look?" He offered kindly and Paxton loose send allowing the generous man to sit him up. The fireman noticed his distress. "You having trouble breathing,buddy?" Paxton nodded and he turned to the fireman who had just lectured the kids,now walking over.
"Stills, being me some O2 small mask." The fireman Stills nodded and jogged off. Paxton looked up at the strong young man with his wide blue eyes. "This happen often?" He asked and Paxton shook us head quickly not wanting to give them any more reasons to beat him. "Come on,don't lie to me buddy. Lying never got anybody anywhere." He said simply. The firemen had coal black-brown eyes that seemed to cut into his mind as if he could read it.
Soon Stills returned with an oxygen mask. Paxton shivered slightly at the scary looking piece and the fireman seemed to know that too.
"Hey buddy,I'm gonna just out this over your nose and mouth and it's gonna help you breathe okay?" As he explained Paxton calmed a bit but still was thick with uncertainty. "Here." He offered pulling the mask over his face first. It was too small and only fit over his nose,squishing his lips downward:he looked so funny Paxton started to laugh,coughing a bit. He nodded and put his small hands out as a symbol to permission to wear the funny mask.
The fireman fastened the mask over Paxton's face and he breathed in greedily,sucking in free air. The fireman,Stills,left and returned with some sterile towelettes which they used to clean the fired blood from his nose,since it had stopped bleeding. "There ya go." He said gently with a voice so deep Paxton was pretty sure his glasses rattled each time he spoke.
A third firemen jogged up to the scene this one was younger and looked old to Paxton but probably wasn't much older than Paxton's brother. Paxton's brother was eighteen and looked over him while his mom died. Paxton's dad left them before Paxton was born,since then Bryce,Paxton's older brother,watched over him.
"White,take this back to the engine." The dark eyed firemen ordered gently removing the O2 once Paxton's breathing was normal again. The young firefighter nodded and jogged off,Paxton took note about how he followed each command. "Now,you okay son?" He finished and Paxton nodded.
"Thank you,sir." He spoke softly and shyly feeling inferior to the large strong tan skinned protector.
"No problem,come on,kid." He stood and Paxton looked up from his position on the forums confused. The fireman took his hand and helped the small boy up,thinking he couldn't have weighed more than a paper weight. Stills collected Paxton's books and school supplies,tucking them under his bulging muscular arm easily.
"Excuse me sir?" He asked stumbling after the fireman that was already walking back towards the engine.
"You do want a ride don't ya?" He offered with a twinkle in his black eyes. Paxton's blue eyes grew to the size of plates and he grinned with all of his missing teeth.
"Yes sir."
"Okay hustle up here then,kid." He commanded opening the door to the back section of the engine and pulling out a fold-down seat. Paxton skipped up to the engine and struggled to get his leg high enough to reach the step up to the engine and could feel the fire men give him a shove form behind,a little too roughly propelling him up into the engine,knocking his glasses askew.
Paxton grinned and settled into the seat,buckling the seat belt while pushing up his thick glasses and swinging his feet which didn't reach the apparatus floor. The fireman chuckled at the sight of the small kid and reached over pulling a headset over his head,already they were slipping down.
Stills jumped in the drivers seat and the fireman jumped in passengers side. White took another backwards facing seat to the right of Paxton. Paxton's could soon hear the firefighters voices speaking as if they were tossing directly in his ear.
"Okay,kid,tell stills how to get to your place."
Paxton knew exactly how to get home and have him precise instructions,grinning like a kid in a candy store the entire time. Although he was too short to see out the window Beside him,he could feel the higher elevation of the engine and he felt cool.
When they finally managed to pull up front of the small shed-like house,with various safety violations visible from just the outside,Paxton was almost disappointed that the cool ride was over. The dark haired firemen was almost nervous to send the small kid back in to what he claimed was his home. Not only did it look concerning but he and grown a slight attachment to the skinny boy. He was small but smart and tough,the good kind of kids.
"Thank you." Paxton piped gratefully as the fireman retreated around the engine and to the side with Paxton's door,opening it and Rosing him by the armpits out of the apparatus and back to the safety of the patchy yellow-dead grass.
"No problem,kiddo." He grinned ruffling the light blonde hair.
"My name is Paxton." Paxton offered Gavin emerged from his shell.
"Well Paxton,I'm firefighter Willy." He smiled and dropped to one knee pulling out a pack of firefighter badge stickers from his pant pocket. "You want a badge?" Willy offered as Paxton nodded intently. "Alright then,you've got to promise me your not gonna let those kids pick on you anymore,okay?"
"Okay,promise." The small boy promised crossing an index finger over his heart. Willy peeled the sticker from its wax bed and handed it to Paxton who instantly pasted it to his chest in pure joy. The young probationary firefighter,White,walked up from the engine with a shining item in his hand as well as his books and school supplies.
"Better take one of these too." White said as he placed a shiny red plastic fireman's helmet on his head. "There you go,now you really look like a firefighter." Paxton grinned his toothy crooked smile and straitened his back,chest puffed as if he already were a man,books placed carefully at Paxton's feet.
The fireman laughed in unison as their radios crackled to life. There was an accident and Paxton knew it meant they had to go. The firemen stood and gave one last wave to Paxton while hopping onto the engine. Driving away with sirens blazing,lights reflecting off Paxton's deer in the headlight-wide eyes,he watched them go little heart swelling with something he had never felt quite like this before.
Inspiration.