Our Beginning

It was the first day of summer school and already I felt like my world would turn upside down at any minute. I dreaded school, mainly because I didn't have very many friends. I have always been a shy person.

My feelings of the end of the world were soon turned into feelings of relief and joy as I saw Daniel, the boy I called my brother even though he really isn't related to me.

"Mallory, hey! Help me find Jake. He said he'd be here." Daniel shifted his head looking for our fearless leader, as I like to call him.

"Isn't that him over there?" I asked as I looked past Daniel's shoulder and pointed out Jake talking with another guy.

"A new friend? Let's go meet up with them, come on." Daniel dashed over while I walked behind him clutching the ends of my black dress in nervousness.

A new person entering our small circle? First impressions Mallory. Remember to smile and absolutely NO STARING!

Our friend Jake turned around with a toothy smile while the new guy had a worried look on his face. "Hey guys, meet Blake. Blake meet Daniel and our sweet Mallory." We all waved at each other while remembering to smiled.

Blake was pretty tall, at least from where I was standing, and he had dark brown hair and even darker brown eyes.

"Why don't we all go to the Waffle House after school? It'd be fun to get to know each other." Jake, the 'leader' of our friend group, suggested.

I was alright with hanging out after school, and Daniel looked excited to make a new friend, but Blake turned down the offer.

"Thanks, but I can't stay after school, I have a lot of homework to do."

His excuse wasn't working. How could someone possibly have homework when class hasn't even started? I know Daniel was thinking the same thing, but Jake knew something we didn't.

"That's alright, maybe we can all hang out next time?" Jake asked with a friendly smile.

"Yea, sure. Next time." Was all Blake said before heading to class.

After school was over, Daniel and I walked to my house while he blabbered on about how he really wanted to be friends with Blake.

"And I just don't understand why he would blow us off like that. I think he's an interesting person, you..." Daniel paused for a moment to look at something.

"Hey, is something wrong? Why did you stop talking?" I asked.

"Mal, look" he pointed to Blake across the street with some of the more popular boys in school, "I think they're messing with him."

Blake looked worried and like he was in pain. All I could do was stare at him all hunched over while the other boys slapped the back of his neck with intensity.

"Let's go, he might not want us to see this, Mal." Daniel said trying to avoid getting seen by anyone.

I felt bad. Maybe I could have gone and helped him get away from those guys, but what would everyone think if I did that?

Blake didn't come to school the next day. I didn't either, I had to stay home to babysit for my mother while she went to court.

I only knew he didn't go to school because Jake had called me to ask if I was fine. He sounded a bit distressed, I would ask if something was wrong but all he said was that he missed his friends. I chose to believe him.

My mother came home after a few seven hours. "Mallory, can you go get milk at the liquor store? I forgot to pick some up and I don't want to head back out."

"Sure mom, two percent, right?"

"Like always, thanks honey."

As I walked over to the other end of the store I noticed a man in a black hoodie and black jeans facing the freezers, not moving at all. That man made me feel very uneasy.

I walked over hoping he wasn't going to try and mug me, only to find out that I had nothing to worry about. It was Blake.

"Oh hi, it's Blake, right?" He noticed me and nodded, smiling kindly. "I'm not sure if you remember, but my name is Mallory." I smiled back at him, I felt so much better knowing he was here and I was safe.

He chuckled before speaking, "yea I remember, sorry I had to turn down Jake's offer to hang out. I didn't really have homework. I just said that because I was nervous."

"Oh, that's alright, I kinda already knew you didn't have any homework, it was the first day of school and you're only doing physical education after all. I understand though, I was nervous when I first met the guys too."

All he did was half smile at me and turn to look at the freezers. "So, what are you here to get? My mom asked me to get milk." I tried my best to keep the conversation going, but it's hard for someone who doesn't socialize very much.

"Oh right, um I'm just here to get soda, but I can't decide on what to get." Blake's eyes scanned the drinks in the freezer. His eyebrows narrowed and his pale lips pressed together as he looked to his right.

"If you can't decide, I strongly suggest Dr. Pepper. It's my favorite." Just as I finished my sentence, Derick and his friends arrived.

They didn't know what 'quiet' was, it was always a party for them.

"Blakey, there you are." Derick's right-hand man yelled out, "Oh f**k, Mallory, what are you doing here? Derick's been looking for you, you got an answer for him yet?"

"I told Derick before that I don't want to get back together with him, could you leave me alone?" I hated these boys, all of them.

Derick shoved his henchmen out of the way in an attempt to make an entrance, "Blake let's go, I've been waiting for my soda long enough."

I looked to Blake, but he was trying to hide his face from me. Why is a nice boy like him hanging out with guys like them? Maybe he was being forced, I had to do something. "Maybe I can get you some soda later. Blake promised to help me carry a gallon of milk home, right Blake?"

I think he began panicking on the inside because his eyes began darting back and forth, looking at everyone's face. Everyone except mine. "Blake?"

"Y- yes I, um, I told her I'd help." His eyes immediately fell to the ground and walked to the counter. All the boys glared as he walked past them.

I paid for the milk. Blake took both gallons and walked me home. The walk home was pretty silent except for the few times I would ask him questions. "So, um, are those guys uh, picking on you?"

"What?" He said with slight defense, "no, no, they um." He stopped in his tracks and sighed, "yea, they uh, was it that obvious?"

I looked at him for a while, his lips formed a frown which he desperately tried to force into a smile. His eyes were shut tight because he didn't want to face the fact that I knew. His fingers were tightly wrapped around the handle of the gallons, he was trying with all his might to not give in.

He lost it all when I leaned in and gave him a tight hug. I heard the gallons of milk fall to the ground and felt his arms wrap around me, he hugged back twice as tightly as I did. I could hear him sob, all I could do was tear up with him. And that was the day I found out what true pain sounded like.