Another long day lead you to tuck in early today. You had been more or less ran ragged at your job of nine years, but that was nothing new.
"Lars, move over." You stretch your aching arms high above your head, shedding your jeans, dirtied from the day's work.
"Huh? Sadie? That you, babe?" Lars draws in a tired voice. He rolls over, casting a sleepy grin in your direction. That smile alone is enough to add a grin to your exhausted face.
"Yeah. I'm back." You rub your eyes, crawling in to your bed. Lars pulls the wool blankets up to cover both of you, then wraps his long arms around your waist.
"How was work at the Big Donut?" He asks, interlacing his fingers with your own. You give his hand a small squeeze, letting him know that you had quite a day to relay back to him.
"Boring as usual, Steven stopped by though."
"Oh?" Lars nuzzled the pillow behind your head, causing you to giggle.
"Go back to bed, hun-." Your sentence is cut off by soft whimpers down the hall.
"Baby's up." Lars yawns, sitting up in bed. You shiver a bit at the loss of warmth, but accept it.
"You got her this time?"
"Yeah, you sleep." Your husband places a small kiss to your temple before stretching, "Alright, Alright, Rose. I got ya." He leaves the room, off to tend to your infant daughter.
You roll onto your back, sleep just wasn't coming to you today. You often used your insomnia as an excuse to think about just how you got here. You lived in a small house by the beach with your caring husband and baby girl.
But, it wasn't always that way, no, not at all. It- well...maybe you should start from the very beginning.
You're thirteen years old, sitting on your favorite swing in the whole park. It's the end of the summer, so your jacket is zipped up, your hands shoved deep in your pockets to prevent the early autumn chill from turning your fingers numb. You huddle further in your coat as a breeze whips your hair around.
"Why does it have to get cold so fast?" You question no one in particular, leaning back in your swing. A second breeze opts you to push your hood up over your head, trying to revive the warmth in your ears.
"H-hey! Let me go!" Your numb ears pick up on a desperate plea. You look up, having to squint your eyes against the fading sun set.
"Just eat the dirt, loser." A deeper voice says. You stand, trying your hardest to see whats going on. You leave your swing, beginning a short pace across the park. Just beyond the slide is a boy on the ground, three older males stand around him.
"Eat the dirt!" One of the boys, a fifteen year old with long brown hair, aims a kick for the smaller boy's ribs. A cringe overtakes you as the foot makes contact.
"N-NO! THAT'S STUPID!" The boy has sand and dirt matted to his skinny face and rust brown hair.
"Just eat it!" The second boy laughs, stepping on the kid's head.
"Hey! Leave him alone!" You ball up your fists, stepping in front of the bullies. You add an aggravated scowl to the mix. Now, you weren't very tall, defiantly not for your age. You weren't the skinniest easier, so like most bullies, that was immediately what they picked up on first."
"What's a small, fat girl like you gonna do about it?" The third boy smirks, kneeling to your level.
"You'll be very sorry when you find out." You glare back at him.
"Oh, I'm so scared. Har har, baby boy's girlfriend's come to sa-."
"SHE ISN"T MY GIRLFRIEND! JUST LEAVE HER ALONE!" The red-head drags himself to his feet, standing between you and the bully now. He laughs again, his friends easily kick the male back down. You growl at the sudden attack, aiming your fist where ever it will land. The male gasps in anguish, clutching his now sore, ahem, crotch, sinking to the ground.
"Watch your back, kid!" His friends call as they help him back up, leading the injured boy off the black top.
"No! You watch your back!" You yell, feeling prideful. A groan from the ground beside you reminds you why you were here.
"Are you alright?" You drop to your knees, helping the red-head sit up. He coughs into his fist but nods.
"Y-yeah, Corey, Duke, and Devin always do that. They're just stupid." A pout forms at the boy's lips, but he immediately winces. You look up just in time to see blood seep from the corner of his lip.
"You're hurt!"
"I-I'll be fine."
"At least let me get you a band-aid. My house is just down the street."
The boy gives you an unsure look, but you give him no choice, helping him to his feet, "Come on, you're hurt."
It's a short walk back to your house, the boy taking a seat on the front porch as you run inside for the promised band-aid.
"Sadie, where have you been?" Your mom scolds as you retrieve the first aid kit.
"Sorry, mom, I need to help my new friend." You call, trotting back out into the chilly night. Much to your surprise, the boy is still waiting for you.
"Took you long enough." He snaps. You roll your eyes.
"Just hold still." You peel the backing off a band-aid, pressing it to his wound. He pouts again, looking away. You snatch up a washcloth and begin to dab the blood on his lip away.
"Look, I'm fine." He brushes your hand away, standing, "I need to go. Dad's gonna kill me if I'm home after dark."
"O-oh...okay...good night, then." You offer him a smile, packing up the first aid kit again.
"Thanks, er..."
"Sadie."
"Sadie...yeah, um...thanks." He shrugged, shoving his hands into his own hoodie pocket.
"Your welcome...uh...I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."
There's a pause before the boy answers. "Lars."
"Oh! Well...your welcome Lars." You smile, watching the boy leave. Little did you know, this would be the very beginning.
A/N: Disclaimers: I own nothing.