BEFORE
Her long brown hair flew behind her as she chased after the ball a boy hit a little too hard. Clara ran as fast she could through the playground at her school, so she could get back to the game she was playing with her classmates. However when she neared the ball, that had managed to stop right before the sharp corner that lead to a side of the building where no eyes could see from the field, Clara heard sniffling, and curiousity got the best of her. She kicked the ball back to her friends and followed the noise, slowly rounding the corner.
Clara found a boy there. She'd seen this boy in her class, so he must be around her same age. She still didn't know everyone in her class yet, it was still her first week at this school. Though despite being around 9 years old, he was crying. That was the sniffling she had heard. The boy sat with his back against the wall and his knees to his chin and the tips of his blonde hair fell into his eyes and he was crying so hard he was gasping for breath. Concerned furrowed her eyebrows.
He glanced up at her and tried wiping all the tears off his face, but there was too many replacing the ones he tried rubbing away, and Clara could tell he was really hurting on the inside, so she plopped down beside him, gently touching his shoulder.
"What's wrong? Did you fall?" She asked, and he just shook his head, refusing to look at her, his cheeks warming, but he knew it was either sit here with her or have everyone else see him cry, and that was more embarassing than just one girl. "Are you just sad? Sometimes I just get sad, and I cry. And I just don't know why," she added the last sentence to cover her tracks. She did know why. But that was her and her mom's boyfriend's secret.
But he shooked his head again and took a shallow breath, trying to calm himself down again now that he wasn't alone. In a shaky voice he finally said, "My momma's sick."
Clara let out a sigh, making her sound years older than her 9 years, and nodded understandingly. "When I was 7, my daddy was really sick too. I cried a lot too."
"Did he get better?" The boy asked, a hint of hope appearing in his voice, but Clara had to shake her head.
"No, he didn't. He died a couple weeks before my 8th birthday, and I'm 9 now," Clara answered, solemnly, but added in a happier voice, "But your mom probably isn't as sick as he was. She'll probably be okay," she tried to comfort him as she saw tears fill his eyes again.
"I don't know. Grandpa tells me she'll lose all her hair and be tired all the time. And that she's really, really sick," He replied, as the tears fell out. He rubbed them away angrily, "I'm such a baby for crying."
But Clara was shaking her head before he'd even finished the sentence. "You love your mom and seeing her sick hurts as much as falling and hurting yourself," she said matter of factly.
The boy nodded slowly, but didn't cry anymore. Maybe he was all cried out. He really just looked exhausted, and Clara knew he could probably use a good nap right about now.
"I'm Clara. Clara Everly Williams," she finally introduced herself, with a half smile, "Come play with me." She remembered feeling better when she played Barbies with her friends and they could create a world where her daddy's sickness didn't exist.
He caught her bright blue eyes with his dark green, and nodded, "I'm Peter. Peter Jason Quill."
our first 'BEFORE'! yay! this is Clara and Peter's first meeting. obviously it was before he was abducted and it was in the beginning of his mom being sick. and Clara's mom's boyfriend isn't a good guy. :( I won't go into too much detail with him, but as previously mentioned there is someone who really hurt Clara to cause her to act like she does in the 'NOW' bits. their story and her and Peter's story will unravel in the 'BEFORE's as they try to help Clara and take down the bad guy in the 'AFTER's. I hope you like it, let me know with a review! Thanks to the new favers and followers, and zoekanehewitt for the review! :)