Maura Isles was on a mission; it was a very stealthy, important mission. She had been watching Gone With the Wind with her mother and she had decided that she wanted a boyfriend. He had to be tall, dark, handsome, and witty. Being in the 4th grade, there were slim pickings and most of the boys in her grade were stupid and laughed at the word poop.
There was a 5th grader that had caught her attention though. He was her knight in shining armor; he had saved her from a bully in the lunch line and he had punched another boy in the head for making fun of Maura's dresses. Maura was in love, she knew it! Her love had short curly brown hair, freckles, and the most supreme bone structure. Maura had spent many a recess watching the older boy play soccer with the big kids; he was very good at sports.
A few days later, Maura asked if she could use the restroom during class. Grabbing the bathroom pass, the tiny blonde made her way towards the ladies room. She heard a door slam and the voice of her crush resound through the halls, "But, Mrs. Young, I have a good excuse!"
"Well Rizzoli, what's your excuse for being late -this- time?"
"I..uh" mumbled the curly haired child.
Maura knew it was time for her to return the favor; she jumped in head first.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Young? My name is Maura Dorthea Isles, and er...Rizzoli here was escorting me to the nurse because I was feeling faint and needed help" Maura said, scratching at her arm that had already begun to break out into hives
"Well, I suppose that's a good enough reason for now but, Rizzoli, you get to sit out here until I'm done being furious with you" the teacher muttered.
The teacher slamming the door shut made both of them jump. The boy blushed and muttered a thank you to the blonde, deciding she was an okay person and didn't want anything in return.
Maura decided to take the plunge and pressed a tiny kiss on the boy's cheek, blushing the color of her sweater when she pulled back. She was hoping she hadn't stepped over the line.
"Thanks for saving my ass, one more office visit and I have detention" said the boy glumly. He sure was adorable.
"Oh, it's no problem. I figured that I owed it to you for saving me on multiple occasions these past few weeks. I appreciate the protection, I seem to beckon bullies." Maura stammered breathlessly. Sticking her hand out Maura introduced herself.
"My name is Maura Dorthea Isles, and I am 10 years old; it's a pleasure to meet you"
The boy stuck his hand out and shook her hand, "Rizzoli, Jane Rizzoli, you don't get the middle name till I'm dead or married, whichever is first"
Maura was confused, Jane was generally a female name. She scrutinized the. .girl...in front of her and noticed the little markers she had missed leading towards her being feminine.
"So, why is your hair so short" Maura asked defensively
"My little brother, Frankie, put a big friggin wad of gum in my hair last month and I had to get my hair chopped off. Don't tell my Ma, but I like my hair better short, it's too much of a hassle for soccer." Jane said, eyeing Maura to see if she could trust her with this secret.
" But, I thought you were a boy. I kissed you! Oh n'"
"It's okay you know, I kinda liked it" Jane said smiling at Maura who seemed a little more at ease after Jane admitted that.
"Well, I liked it too." Maura said glancing down at her restroom pass "but I must go back to class. Can I meet you by the big tree at second recess?"
"Of course you can, I'll tell Gio that I'm not playing soccer today, he'll be excited to take over"
"Great, see you then!" Maura squeaked turning and skipping uncharacteristically down the hallway back to class. She had finally made a friend and she was on cloud 9.
