-Chapter 3, Silvers Stars and Bruises-

Summer days were coming to an end. Fanboy and Chum Chum became close friends of mine, even though I noticed the common costume trend. My mother got used to it too and my father though it was cool.
I haden't seen Kyle since the night he had walked me home, but I thought about him alot.
It was the last week of summer. School was going to start soon. My parents were taking me to my new school. I hopped out the car and looked at the building. It was odd looking and yellow. It almost looked slanted. I stayed close to my parents as we walked into the building.
I sat down in the main office while my parents talked to a tall, thin woman at the front desk. She called herself,"Ms. Olive". She told my parents she was a Kindergarden teacher, but she also taught French to the middle school students. I would have her for that class.

"Rima," my mother started,"Say hello to Ms. Olive." I turned my attention to her. She smiled as though someone was using strings to pull her face. I shivered at her appearence. I showed her a nervous grin.
"Uh...hello,"I stammered. She clapped her hands.
"We're gonna have such FUN this year!,"she laughed. My parents laughed with her. I slid down in my seat. I was soo embarassed, even though we were the only people in the office. Ms. Olive handed my parents my schedual.
"Her homeroom teacher is Mr. Mufflin," she told them,"School starts the second, see you then Rima!"

We left the office. On the way out, I spotted Fanboy and Chum Chum.
"Mom,"I said,"You guys can go on without me." My mother smiled when she noticed the costumed boys walking down the street.
"Okay,"she replied,"have fun then." They drove off, giving me five dollars before they left, like always. I ran to catch up to my friends.

"HEY GUYS!,"I shouted. They turned around and smiles formed on their faces.
"RIMA!,"they shouted, like they always did. We hugged and laughed with eachother.
"Guess who's got five dollars?," I smiled.

"Are you gonna buy us Frosty Freezy Freezes again, Rima?," Chum Chum asked. I nodded and watched the boys hop around and cheer.

"Your the best buddy!," Fanboy said,"What would we do without you?" I blushed.
"Aw, you guys are too kind," I replied. We laughed again and made our way to the Frosty Mart. Lenny stood, hunched over the counter. He grunted when he saw Fanboy and Chum Chum enter the store.

"Lenny! My good man!,"Fanboy greeted,"What's the special for today?"
"You leaving,"Lenny replied. I frowned. I didn't know Lenny hated my friends. Something came over me. I felt angry.
"THAT'S NOT VERY NICE!,"I shouted. Lenny gasped when he saw me at the front door. I covered my mouth and hid behind my hair.
"Oh,I'm...uh..sorry,"Lenny replied. Fanboy and Chum Chum laughed.
"Rima, you have super powers!,"Chum Chum giggled,"Super Scream!" I was soo embarassed. I was never good at controlling my emotions.

"I'm soo sorry,Lenny,"I whispered. He didn't answer me. I felt a pain in my stomach, I felt guilty.
I threw the five dollar bill on the floor.
"Here guys,"I sniffed,"Treat yourselves." I ran out and ignored the calls from the boys.
I covered my face as I ran. Warm tears fell down my face. I suddenly bumped into someone and hit the floor.

"HEY! WATCH WERE YA GOIN'!,"a large teenager shouted at me. I looked up and saw a blonde haired,
large massed teen. He raised a fist at me and pulled my up by the shirt.
"I haven't seen ya round here befo!,"he laughed,"The name's Boog! Known fo my awsome skills at Chimp-Chomp and plenty of bops!"

"W...What?,"I shouted,"What are you gonna do to me?"
"What I do best!,"he smiled. He raised his fist high. I cried harder and louder. On the inside, I felt I deserved it for yelling at Lenny. Boog laughed at my crying and punched me hard at my side. I was thrown onto the sidewalk.

"That was only the beginin'!," he laughed. I closed my eyes and waited for the abuse to start again. My hair was getting stuck to my face from crying. My face was hot and burning red. My side felt bruised. I heard loud footsteps coming towards me.

"STOP!,"a familiar voice cried. I looked up and saw him. Kyle. I didn't want him to see me this way, but it was too late. He grabbed my arm and swiftly pulled me up off the floor before Boog could hit me again.
"RUN, RIMA!,"he shouted. I caught my breath and followed him. I held on tightly to his hand.
Boog shouted and chased after us. I felt like we were running a marathon. We stopped infront of a building. Kyle unlocked the front door and pushed me in. Then he let himself in and locked the door. Boog banged on the door loud and hard. So hard, the whole wall shook.

"YOUR LUCKY THAT NERD CAME FOR YA!,"he shouted. I crawled into a corner and hid my face. Boog continued to bang on the door for a few more minutes until he finally gave up. It was quiet for a few minutes until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I screamed.

"No, No, No! It's only me!,"Kyle shouted. My eyes widened. I peeked up from my hair and saw him,
looking concerned.

"K...Kyle?,"I whispered. He nodded. I quickly pulled the hair off my face and whiped away some tears that continued to fall.
"Are you hurt?,"he asked. I shook my head and tried to stand up. I fell hard on the ground and grabbed my side.

"OUCH!,"I cried. His eyes widened. He came closer to me and poked my side. I winced and quickly swatted his hand away.

"You are hurt,"he frowned,"How on EARTH did you run all this way?" I looked up at him.

"I was afraid,"I replied,"And cuz...you told me to." He stared straight at me. My heart sank again.
I hid behind my hair.

"Why do you do that?,"he asked me.
"Do what?,"I replied from behind my hair. He inched closer along the floor until he was sitting infront of me.

"That thing, with your hair,"he said. My heart rate was increasing at a deadly pace. I looked up at him. His confused face suddenly turned soft.

"Thank you,"I said, disregarding his question. I pulled myself up off the floor, holding on to my side and letting some tears escape my eyes. He quickly rushed to my side.

"Where do you think your going?,"he asked me with a tone of sass. I limped towards the door.
"Home,"I replied. He stood infront of the door and shot a serious expression at me.

"No you will not!,"he shouted. He grabbed my arm and placed it on his shoulders to help me stand.
His other hand sat on my waist as he walked me over to a burgundy couch. My face was flushed and I kept my head down. He let go of me and allowed me to sit. Then he handed me a phone.

"Call your parents,"he commanded. I followed his orders and called them.

"They said there gonna be late getting here,"I told him,"They went out and they're sorta stuck in traffic."

"Fine then,"Kyle replied. I handed him the phone, which he placed on an end table. He sat next to me on the couch.
"Rima,"he started. I faced him. His face was slightly red and he was playing with his fingers.
"Kyle?,"I said. He looked up at me.

"Remember that gift I said I was going to purchase for you?," he asked. I nodded. He pulled a small black box out of his pocket.
"I saved this till the day I would see you again,"he added. He handed me the box. I blushed as I slowly pulled off the square cover. Inside was a small, silver star hanging by a thin silver chain. I pulled it out and realized it was a necklace. I turned to Kyle.

"Is this really for me?,"I asked. He nodded. That nervous feeling I had months ago came back. I realized I wasen't nervous at all. I was...in love. I pulled Kyle into a hug. I felt his body go stiff and slowly go soft when he hugged me back. We stayed in the hug for a long time, breathing quietly. He held me tight on one side and softly on the other side where I was hurt.
I didn't want to let go, but I did. He looked at me, his face flushed red and a sick expression on his face.

"Rima...I think I-" A knock at the door interuppted his sentence. We both looked over at the door,
and then back at eachother."I think I need to answer the door,"he finished. As he walked over to the doo, I looked down at the little black box. I dropped the necklace back into the box, closed it, and pushed it into my pocket. When I looked over at the door, I saw Kyle leading my concerned parents into his house.

"RIMA DARLING! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!,"my mother shouted. I nodded. My father shook Kyle's hand.
"Thank you for taking care of my daughter,"he told him. My mother approached him too.
"Why don't you come over tomorrow for dinner?,"she suggested. Kyle looked over at me. His face,
slightly pink. I smiled at him.

"I would be delighted to,"he replied. My father helped me up off the couch and to the door. I stopped and turned to my father.
"Do you mind waiting for me outside?,"I asked him. He let go of me and smiled. He walked out with my mother. I faced Kyle.

"Thank you,"I said. He hugged me and I hugged him back."For everything,"I added.

"The pleasure was all mine,"he replied. I moved away from him before walking out the door. He watched me go and waved goodbye as we drove away.

"What a nice young man,"my mother commented.
"Yeah,"I said,"I know. I pulled the black box out of my pocket and looked at the necklace.
Even though I was attacked, injured, and now bruised, today had to be the best day of my life.