It was Hanji's first day of school. She was excited and happy, yet scared and nervous. She was excited and happy because she got to hang around other kids her age but was scared and nervous because she didn't know if she'll make a friend.
Hanji pushed her glasses back up to it's original spot, but then slid down a bit. She smiled as she found her name on a desk and sat down. Her seat was on the last column on the second-to-last row. Behind her was a kid with black hair and showed no expression. Hanji smiled at him and waved.
"Hi! My name is Hanji Zoe, what's your name?" Hanji asked with a smile across her face.
The kid looked at Hanji for a moment before responding. "I'm Levi." He said.
"Nice to meet you Levi." Hanji smiled. Just then, a girl named Leah had found her spot, which was located next to Hanji's seat.
"Ew. I can't sit next to this freak." Leah said. Leah and Hanji lived in the same neighborhood. Leah didn't like how Hanji wore glasses and she didn't like how she was so interested about nature and titans, so she called Hanji a freak because of it. Hanji didn't understand why Leah judged her curiosity.
A couple of laughs came from the other kids and Hanji knew right there that the school year was going to be very hard.
A month later...
"I'll be handing back your science test from Friday." Hanji's teacher said. She eventually got to Hanji and handed her test back. "Nice job, Hanji. You got the best grade." The teacher said before leaving to turn in another test.
"Wow, not only are you a freak but you're also a nerd." Leah said. The kids around began to laugh at Hanji. She didn't understand why Leah had to be so mean and why the other kids laughed at her.
"You're so ugly I don't even know how your parents could deal with you." Leah laughed and then the other kids began to laugh even harder. By now, class was dismissed and Hanji quickly headed home, only to be harassed by Leah and the other children.
Hanji could feel the tears come out. "Oh, is Hanji Zoe crying? What a cry-baby." Leah said. All the other kids laughed and Hanji ran away.
Tears began to flow and her vision got blurry because of it. She ran and ran until her tiny legs couldn't run anymore.
Hanji then realized she was in a field by a tree. She didn't know how she got there, but she did. She collapsed on the ground and began to sob her heart out.
"All I want is a friend." Hanji said to the wind. The breeze gently blew as if responding back.
Suddenly, Hanji felt someone tap her on her head. She looked up and saw Levi.
Levi was the only kid in the class who never laughed at Leah's rude comments about Hanji. He thought what Leah said about Hanji was dumb and that she was jealous since Hanji got the perfect grades in everything.
"Oi, why are you crying, Hanji?" Levi asked.
"I-I'm not crying, just got allergies." Hanji said while wiping away the tears quickly.
"If you got allergies then why are you pleading for a friend and not an allergy pill?" Levi asked. Hanji sniffed a little bit and looked at the ground. She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged herself.
Levi sighed. "Don't listen to what the dummy says. She's just jealous that you're smart and pretty." Levi said.
Hanji looked up. "D-did you just call me pretty?" Hanji asked, making sure she didn't misheard what Levi had said.
"Yeah. Why?" Levi asked.
"Leah says I'm ugly and the others agree." Hanji said.
"Freckle-face Leah can shut up because she is wrong. And like I told you before, she's just jealous about you. That's why she picks on you." Levi said.
Hanji takes off her glasses and begins to rub the remaining tears away. "You're just saying that." She says, not quite believing at what Levi had said.
"If I'm just saying that then why am I here with you? Surely if I didn't like you I wouldn't be here trying to cheer you up." Levi began. "You're better than all of our classmates, Hanji. They go along with the flow because they'll afraid they'll get picked on if they don't. You and I are basically considered losers to them since we don't follow the flow. But I don't care, and neither should you."
Hanji awed at Levi's speech. No one really has done anything like Levi has. "Do they pick on you also?" Hanji asked.
"Eh, sometimes." Levi replied. He then took a seat next to Hanji. "But I don't really care. They're all a bunch of morons anyways." He said and crossed his arms.
"So Leah does pick on you?" Hanji asked again.
"Like I said, sometimes. Other times it's the other boys. Y'know, Mark?"
"Yeah."
"Well he picks on me sometimes, but he stopped when I punched him." Levi stated.
"Is that why our teacher scowled at you!?" Hanji asked.
"It's one of the many reasons. Others were for not respecting those who make fun of you. But I think she gave up on me last week." Levi said.
He does that to those who make fun of me? But, why? Hanji asked herself. "But why would you do that? You'll only get looked down by them." Hanji said.
"They already do when they found out I'm an orphan." Levi said.
"What!? I didn't know that?" Hanji said.
Levi sighed and waited for Hanji to make fun of him for not having parents, but it never came. Levi turned to Hanji and found her starring at him. "What?" He asked.
"I don't know." Hanji shrugged. "Kinda hoping you'd continued to talk."
"You're not going to laugh at me for not having parents?" Levi asked.
"No, why would I? Mama always told me kids with no parents are strong because they usually live off on their own. Are you one of those type of kids, Levi?" Hanji asked.
"Something like that. I do live off on my own but there's usually a shop owner that gives me leftovers and whatnot." Levi said. "But, let's not talk about that. You should head home. I bet those losers are gone now."
Hanji smiled and nodded. "You should come visit me sometime, Levi!" Hanji said.
"I don't think that'll be possible." Levi stated. "Anyways, lets head back."
With that, the two children headed back to town. They never really talked in school, for Hanji knew the others will go after Levi if they found out about them.
Two weeks after their conversation in the field, Hanji was getting bullied again by Leah and her annoying friends. Again, the events of her bullying took place after school, in front of the building.
"You're really a pathetic, freak, loser, ugly, and a nerd. You should be an orphan like Levi." Leah said and they all laughed.
Hanji felt her blood boil. She could feel the steam coming out of her ears. "Levi is a great person!" Hanji yell. "I don't see why you keep on making fun of him when he can't help it! And I don't see why you keep on picking on me for my curiosity and for my glasses! So what if I need these to see properly, so what of my curiosity! It isn't hurting you or any one, now is it! So quit picking on me and leave me alone!" Hanji yelled. She wasn't use to yelling, or standing up for herself or anyone. Her throat felt like it was burning and she panted since she hadn't taken a breath while she was yelling at the girls.
Leah and the other children all looked shocked. No one had yelled at them like Hanji did and her yells were scary. Leah eventually snapped out of her frozen state and smirked.
"Oh! Hanji likes Levi! Hanji likes Levi!" Leah sang and all the other kids laughed.
"What!? I thought I told you to quit picking on me!" Hanji said, no longer able to yell.
"Hanji and Levi sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" They all began to sang. Hanji felt her blood boil again, but she didn't have any more strength to yell at them and she didn't want to hurt the other knowing it would only make things worse and she would get in trouble with the teacher.
Since Hanji was next to a tree, she turned to it and punched it. For a six year old, her punch was stronger than it should normally be since she manage to crack it's bark. The children stopped singing and laughing and froze. They never realized Hanji could be so strong, even for her age.
When Hanji turned around, Leah whimpered. "Y-you're a monster!" She cried. Some boys who were with them began to grab pebbles and threw them at Hanji.
Hanji grabbed her book and began to ran away. The pebbles then turned into rocks and Hanji ran faster until she couldn't feel the pain of the rocks anymore. She didn't stop running until she made it to the field with the tree that's leaves were now falling.
Hanji fell to the ground, dropping her book, and began to sob. She brought her knees up to herself and hugged herself like she would most of the times she was alone. When her sobs were calm, she began to play with her pink, long, skirt. She saw some stains of her tears on them and she gave a shaky sigh.
"Oi, Hanji!" Someone called to her. Hanji knew that voice anywhere and immediately covered her face. She didn't want Levi to see her crying again since she was embarrass about it.
"Hanji! I saw you crying and running over here, so I followed you here." Levi said once he was standing next to her. "Why are you crying?" He asked.
Hanji just shook her head and hoped Levi would go away, but, she really didn't want him to go away. She wanted him to stay and to comfort her like he did weeks ago by calling all of the people who made fun of her morons.
Levi sighed. "It was them again, wasn't it?" Levi asked.
"T-this time it was worse!" Hanji sobbed. "T-they called me ugly, a freak, a nerd, a loser, pathetic, and a monster! I just want them to stop!" Hanji said.
Levi let her cry until she had calmed down. She looked up and sniffed a little bit. "You're not those things, Hanji." Levi began. "You're anything but that. You're not ugly, you're pretty. And you're not a freak or a nerd or loser or a monster, you're just you. Don't let them change you Hanji. Remember that." Levi said.
He got closer to her and wiped her tears away, then Levi grabbed a handkerchief he always had and began to clean her nose. Hanji felt her cheeks heat up for some strange reason, but she couldn't figure out why.
Hanji still sat in her fetal position when Levi began to collect the colorful leaves that were around Hanji. Once he manage to have a whole bunch of them in his arms, he went back to Hanji and threw them up in the air.
Hanji saw the leaves slowly fall around her. "See, you're pretty." Levi said. He kneels in front of Hanji. "You wanted a friend, right?" Levi asked. Hanji nodded. "I'll be your friend." He said. Levi took out his hand and waited her Hanji to shake it, but instead, Hanji hugged Levi.
Levi was a little bit shocked and was stiff for a moment, but then he returned the hug and for the first time, smiled.
"Thank you, Levi." Hanji smiled.
"No problem." He said. "Come on, lets get you home." With that, the new friends left the field, holding hands, not caring if Leah and the other children saw them. And little did they know they would be the best of friends until the end.
The end.