BONJOUR! /Took a French test today/ How are you guys? So, I want to thank all of my lovely reviewers for their ideas! I loved them all, and hopefully I will get to write all of them! This one was based off of an idea from blueflower1594, and I just thought it was a great idea! So thank you, blueflower1594, for providing me with this idea! On another note, I have decided to have a GoogleDocs writing session, and I wanted to tell you guys because I am allowing people to watch me write for the first time! It's going to be on Saturday, October 13th at 4:00pm (Pacific Time). I don't know if anyone would be interested, but you do not need a GoogleDocs account, and there'll be a chatroom, and it'll be great to get to know my readers and maybe get a few ideas! I am also open to questioning, so if you have any questions you want to ask, I will answer. If you're interested, I'm going to start up a document; just pm me saying you're interested and I'll send the link. So, with all that informational junk out of the way, I'll let you read now! Enjoy~

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN IB, FOR THAT BELONGS TO THE "FAR-OUT" KOURI!

"Hey, half-pint, what're you doin'?" I looked up from my sketch-pad, however reluctant I was. From where I was sitting under the oak tree in the schoolyard, the three boys towered over me. I didn't want to answer, because I know I would regret it. The boys were in my class; Aidan was on the left, his green eyes which pierced me like a knife slightly covered by his thin, brown hair. Joey was on the right, an intimidating smirk stretched across his cat-like face, curly blonde locks frizzing up this way and that. The one who had spoken to me, James, was staring at me, his brow furrowed and lips in a tight line; his long black hair was tied back, a baseball cap covering the top of his head. I simply turned my head down and meekly continued my drawing. When I didn't respond, James walked over to me and bent down to my height. He stared at me and angrily snatched my sketch-pad from my hands. I let out a little cry of protest, but couldn't bring myself to take it back from him; instead, I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my forehead on my knees.

"What is this supposed to be, pipsqueak?" Aidan mocked, turning the off-white paper in a few different directions, as if trying to understand what it was. "Whatever it is, it's absolutely horrible!" He chuckled and gave the picture to Joey, who cackled and nodded in agreement.

"C-Can I please have it back, now?" I muttered, turning to look up at them. They froze and looked at me, scowling. "I-It's a picture of a friend."

James let out a sound of disbelief and took the paper in between two fingers, putting a little tear in the top. "Don't make me laugh! You don't have friends! Not with those devil eyes; If you weren't such a wimp I might even be afraid of you!" I felt tears pinching at the back of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

"H-He is real! He's coming to pick me up in a few minutes!" The school bell had rung about five minutes ago, and she expected her friends arrival in the next few minutes. "His name is Garry."

The three boys burst out laughing; horrible, jeering tones. James smiled wickedly at me and tore the paper a little more, just to see me squirm. I refused to give him the satisfaction; and that was my mistake. I knew I should have just submitted and humored him, so he would leave me alone right off the bat. My refusal must've made him angry, because after a few seconds with no reaction from me, he tore the paper clean in half. I let out a little cry and grabbed the scraps he had let loosely fall to the ground. It was coming now; the tears, the sadness, the resignation. Tears made warm little trails down my cheeks, falling soundlessly to the ground. I had worked so hard on this, just for him- now it was ruined. Their laughs were a cacophony, and it hurt to have the vile sounds pierce my ears again; It must have been at least the hundredth time now.

"Hey! What did you punks do!?" My head snapped up and turned towards the familiar voice. Garry was making his way over to us, anger flaming in his violet eyes. The boys gawked at the man; not only was he very much real, but he was an 18-year-old full grown man who looked like he wanted to pummel them into the ground. Aidan and Joey took a step back, dashing away down the hall; James stood his ground, however. He put on a nervous- though snarky- smile and laughed at the man.

"Wow, Ib. He is real; but I didn't even expect to see he actually had purple hair! And those eyes; you guys are the perfect pair of freaks!" Garry scowled darkly at the boy, clenching his fists. He wanted to hurt them, and that was perfectly clear; but these were 9-year-old boys, and he would no-doubt get in some sort of legal trouble for even laying a finger on them. Instead, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and made his expression return to normal. He slowly strode over to the boy, kneeling down to come face to face with him. Then, he gave James a look- which would later be known as the look. He narrowed his eyes and gave a tight-lipped frown, his face half-covered by his lilac bangs. He murmured something to the boy; I hadn't heard what he said, but it sounded venomous. James' smile faltered, and his eyes grew wide; he was genuinely terrified, and all he could do was let out a few squeaks and flee like his friends. Garry stood up and dusted off his coat, turning to me. I looked up at him, and he gave a porcelain smile.

"Now, shall we go? I don't think they'll be bothering you anymore." I nodded wordlessly and stood up, grabbing my small red tote bag. We walked out of the schoolyard, towards his house; we were both silent, only making slight eye-contact as we walked. "So," he began, "How long have they been doing this to you?" he asked. I diverted my eyes towards the pavement, suddenly interested in the cracks on the pavement.

"Since kindergarten," I murmured. He furrowed his brow, concern plastered on his face.

"And you never told anyone they were doing this to you? What about your parents?"

I shook my head. "No. I don't want to be a bother. It's not like they're wrong; I don't have any friends at school, and I do look like a freak." Garry let out a little sigh of resentment.

"You don't look like a freak, and who needs friends if none are willing to reach out to you first? It's obvious you're shy, and true friends are the only ones that will take your personality into account. Just trust me, Ib, you'll find others one day. But until then, you'll just have to put up with me, won't you?" I looked up at Garry, who had his hand extended to me. I felt the corners of my lips turn up, and I grasped his hand. We walked a little more, and the apartment was in sight. "You know, that drawing was wonderful."

I gasped, just remembering that I had left the drawing on the ground after it had been ripped in half. "I-I'm sorry, I forgot it after James ripped it..."

"It's okay. If you want, you can draw a new one when we get back to the apartment. I would love to have one of your drawings." I nodded, suddenly eager to get in the door. I would draw him a hundred drawings, for doing what he did.

"Thank you, Garry."

Well, not that great an ending, but I love the whole idea ^^ Reviews are always open, and I am always looking for more ideas! I am also looking for a cover for the story; I might draw it myself, but if any one of you guys can draw, it would be much preferred, for my pictures look like they're drawn by a four-year-old. xD So, until next time, goodbye~