A/N: Thanks to bats212 for the idea on this one, and for being an intensely awesome person. :)
"Seven times six is forty-two… seven times seven is forty-nine …"
Multiplication was doing little to distract Eliot from the fall sunshine pouring out on the playground in all its inviting glory. I knew it, he thought, gazing miserably out the classroom window. I knew today was gonna be perfect outside. He wished he had been more convincingly sick that morning, but his mom always seemed to be able call his bluffs.
"Eliot, eyes up front please," his teacher said, and he dragged his eyes up to the board as she wrote out some kind of graph.
As soon as her back was turned he was looking out the window again, wondering if he could convince his dad to take him camping over the weekend. As he watched, the Kindergarteners started filling up the jungle gym, and he looked closely, hoping he could spot Parker.
She turned out to be easy to find. She wasted little time in getting to the highest point she could - the top of the climbing gym - and perched there, giggling at her peers who tried to do the same, her blond pigtails the color of the sun's rays. Eliot smiled a little, proud that his little sister was the only Kindergartener who could get to the top.
"Eliot, maybe you could help us take a look at this equation," his teacher said, her voice a little less patient.
"Uh," he looked to the front and scanned the board for a moment. "It's seventeen."
She looked surprised. "That's right. Could you tell the class how you figured it out?"
Eliot shrugged. He hated talking in front of the whole class. "It's, okay, well … you just … it's right there," he said, gesturing vaguely at the board.
To his gratitude, his teacher just nodded and uncapped her marker. "I think what Eliot means is that if you look here and here …"
Eliot was looking out the window again without even meaning to. He noticed Parker wasn't at the top of the jumgle gym anymore and his eyes scanned the limited view of the playground, feeling unsettled, and suddenly he knew why. A group of kids had Parker cornered against the far fence - he could just barely make out her blond pigtails - and Eliot was on his feet and heading for the door.
"Eliot, where are you going?" his teacher exclaimed.
He didn't answer, even as she continued to call after him, just left the classroom and broke into a run down the hall. He broke out the side door, knowing he was going to get in trouble for running in the halls, and raced across the playground, winding between surprised Kindergartners.
He reached the group harassing Parker and grabbed the first kid he could get his hands on, holding him by the back of his shirt and giving him a little shake. "Hey!" he shouted, the rest of the kids turning toward him.
"Parker," he said. "You okay?"
She nodded, grinning at him. "Uh-huh."
"What're they doin' to you?"
The kid he was still holding spoke up. "We were just -"
"I didn't ask you!" Eliot said, shoving the kid back toward the group. "Parker?"
"They called me weird," she chirped, still cheerful somehow. "And said that I don't have a real family."
Eliot narrowed his eyes, his jaw clenched, trying to remind himself that they were only Kindergartners and he'd been taught not to hurt people smaller than him. "Parker is my sister," he growled, looking them each in the eye. "You try to hurt her, or say anything to her, and I'm always gonna have her back, got it?"
The kids stared wide-eyed at him.
"You do not mess with my family," Eliot said, holding his hand out for Parker to take.
She grabbed it tightly and he walked her back toward the jungle gym, still shooting glares over his shoulder at the bullies.
"Eliot," she said, skipping beside him. "They're just dumb, right?"
He looked at her, seeing the confusion and hurt behind her wide grin. "Yeah, Parker. You're not weird. And they're just jealous 'cause you have the best family ever."
"I know!" she said, letting go of his hand to reclaim her spot at the top of the gym. "Eliot, come play!" she said, pausing for just a second.
Eliot glanced toward the school in time to see the principal and his teacher heading toward him. "I gotta go, Parker," he said, giving her a reassuring smile.
She returned the smile and dashed off, and Eliot headed back to accept his fate.