I kick a pebble along the dirt drive behind the school. We've got a rundown playground back there that's on the outskirts of an old, shabby park. None of it has been kept up, and the school couldn't acquisition the land from the owners. I have permission from the elderly lady who owns it to walk around in the park after school. It's something I made a point of asking when I discovered that there were trails and nice spots to hang out along the creek behind our school.
That's what I was planning to do today. I usually spend an hour or so doing homework there if it's not too cold. Today is mild and breezy, so I decide to chance it. Yeah, it might be a little damp and there's snow everywhere, but I don't mind. There's a bench in one of the spots I like, and it's relatively sheltered from the wind.
This isn't what I end up doing, however. I hear loud voices and laughter. When I round the corner, I see Meri standing near the low wall surrounding the playground. The apple I gave her earlier is on the ground, and four older teens are surrounding her.
The two guys in the group are leering at her and making comments that I can't quite hear. Then the girls give an irritated farewell. They roll their eyes at the boys, say something to them that makes the two start laughing, and then sashay off.
As soon as they're gone, the boys move even closer to Meri. This annoys me even more. Not only are they bullying her, but it looks like both of them have further maliciousness planned. Sure enough, one of them says something and tries to touch Meri's shoulder.
She shoves him off weakly and tries to clamber over the wall.
That's it. I've had enough of this abuse.
I start across the school lot toward the boys as they grab her waist and haul her back towards them. Her sobs are loud enough now that I can hear her, even if it is faint. She's actually fighting back, which surprises me because up until now, she's never bothered. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"
The black-haired boy looks back at me and then to the auburn-haired one. Brunette sneers at me and shakes his head at the smaller boy.
When I come closer and ask again, the pale, black-haired guy finally answers. His voice is a little shaky, but it's more angry and defiant than anything else. "Nothing, man! Back off."
"Doesn't look like nothing," I retort, taking another step closer.
Brunette tightens his arm around Meri's waist, pulling her closer to him as she tries to elbow him.
Meri's hazel eyes are brimming up with tears, and I see them slide down her cheeks one after another. The plea in her eyes is obvious. She wants help, but she's too ashamed and afraid to ask. Her cheeks redden as I look at her, and she ducks her head, going immobile in Brunette's arms.
"Do you want to go with them?" I ask, even though I know the answer. The confirmation is necessary. Maybe her verbalization of the protest will make them back off without a fight. If not, I'm going to beat the two of them until they can't move. No one gets to treat anyone, girl or guy, like this. I'm sort of hoping they don't back off because then I can teach them a lesson.
You probably ought to call the cops. If you beat them up, you'll be the one facing assault charges, not them. My conscience murmurs. Well, the sensible part of me wins out again. I won't beat them up. I'll just get them arrested if they don't beat it.
Meri doesn't say no, but she shakes her head, still refusing to meet my gaze or the angry stare of the scrawny guy beside Brunette.
"Didn't think so. Let go of her now, dude," I demand, pointing at Brunette.
"No. This isn't any of your business. It's between us and her."
"Looks like harassment and assault to me." I pull out my phone, ready to dial 9-1-1. "But if you don't want to let her go, I can call the cops."
Brunette shoves her at me with a snarl. His eyes narrow as he crosses his arms and jerks his head toward the street, motioning the black-haired guy to leave. "Fine. Have her if you want her so badly. Have fun. Don't how you could since she's all skin and bones, but who cares?"
I glare at him, horrified. "How dare you treat another human being like an animal? And what gives you the right to act like I'm the bad guy when you were the one trying to molest an innocent teenage girl?" I snap, gently pushing Meri behind me. This low-life needs to leave now or I'll forget about my previous qualms regarding a good thrashing.
"Dude, why else would you want her?" The guy seems genuinely confused, and his pale, jittery companion seems just as perplexed.
"Because I'm trying to help her! I'm a genuinely nice person, and I'm not going to stand by while you ruin this girl's life," I hiss, stepping closer to him. "Get out of here. Before I decide I'd rather sock you both in the face. If I ever see you or any of your friends near her again, I will call the cops and report you for harassment. Got it?"
The black-haired guy eyes me and Meri, then says, "Come on, Kurt. I don't wanna end up in the slammer for harassment or attempted assault." He chews on his bottom lip as he gives Kurt a pleading look.
Gee, smart kid. Why didn't he say something before? I think, rolling my eyes.
Kurt glances at his friend. "Yeah, fine... But only because she isn't worth it. Come on, Phillip."
Does this guy always act like every smart idea is his? I wonder, then decide that he probably does. One more reason I can't stand him.
They back off, and Phillip raises his hands. "We didn't mean any harm by this. Honest."
"Yeah, sure." I roll my eyes. Now they say that...
"Please don't press charges," Phillip says to Meri. "We're really sorry... I... We were just trying to have a little fun... We wouldn't have... I mean..."
"Just... shut up!" I shove Phillip. "You and your idiot friend need to leave. Now. Or else I'm going to press charges and call the cops."
"I know my rights! She's the only who can press charges," Kurt snaps.
I narrow my eyes at them, my lips pressing together tightly. Then I let out an exasperated breath and give him a frosty smile. "Kurt, you have five seconds to leave or so help me God, I am going to make you wish you'd never met me."
The smarter kid says, "Come on, Kurt! Shut up and let's go... You're going to wind up in jail at this rate." He sounds kind of annoyed at this point.
Well, that makes two of us. You, however, brought it on yourself.
Kurt shakes his head and glares at Meri before storming off with Phillip in tow.
I take Meri's shaking hand into mine and tug her gently over to the wall. Then I lift her up onto it. She weighs practically nothing. There's no way she eats anywhere near enough food. She flinches as I touch her. "Hey... Hey, I'm not going to hurt you. You know that, Meri. Can you tell me if they hurt you anywhere?" They probably did a number to her confidence, but I'm hoping they didn't hit her or bruise anything else. Obviously, they hadn't done much. I showed up just in time.
Tears push past her long, dark lashes as she shakes her head.
"Are you sure?" I ask, feeling horrible for letting her leave by herself when I knew that the other kids weren't kind to her. "I'm so sorry they got anywhere near you."
She shrugs and fiddles with the hem of her worn out shirt. Her whole body is shaking, and I'm not sure if it's the cold or the shock getting to her. The jacket is really threadbare. I know what's going on at her place now, though, for the most part, and I can't give her a jacket. But I can lend her mine for now.
I pull it off and drape it around her shoulders, zipping it up before she can protest. "Just for now. You can give it back later when I drop you off at your place."
She smiles at me hesitantly. "You don't have to drop me off... I can take the bus."
"You want to ride the bus with those jerks after what just happened?" I eye her suspiciously.
"Not really, but I don't want you to go out of your way." Her face goes red, and she ducks her head, letting her hair fall in front of her face to hide her embarrassment.
"It's not out of my way. I go through your town on the way to my place. I'm maybe five minutes away," I insist.
"Well, I guess that'd be nice," she mumbles, slipping her arms into the jacket's. "Thank you."
"Not a problem. Now come on... I'll even help you with dinner tonight. And if you want, we could work on homework together if there's time before your mom comes home. My mom knows I'll be out later today."
Meri gives me another shy smile. "You'd do that?"
"Of course."
"That's nice of you... I just... I don't know."
"Just say yes, Meri."
"Okay, I guess you can."
I grin at her. "See, that's not so hard. My car's this way." I usher her toward the parking lot.
"Milan?" She looks up at me.
"Hmm?" I cock my head to the side and look at her, wondering what she's thinking.
"Thank you."
"More than happy to help. That's what friends are for." I hope that she'll come to understand just how true that phrase is and how much I really do mean it. But that'll take some time.
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