Jeremy - Age 10

"We don't play with stupid. Little. Girls." Gareth punctuates each word for maximum damage, ending with a, "Duh."

My stomach ties in knots as her eyes scan ours, looking to see if anyone else will step up for her, but all I can picture is how much Gareth will punish her if I do.

Before I can make up my mind, her eyes well with unshed tears and her expression falters. She throws her hands over her face and runs off towards our houses as Gareth and his minions laugh.

"Not cool, Gareth." I shout, stepping off base.

"Aw, c'mon. Where are you going?!" He shrieks. "We're in the middle of a game!"

I shrug. "Nah. I don't want to play with stupid little girls, either." I say pointedly.

"Burn!" Mikee shouts, much to the amusement of the other boys.

I see Gareth's face turn purple with anger just as I pivot to run off after her.

I get near the front of her house and approach slowly, looking around. I never heard her door slam, so I'm pretty sure she's nearby.

"Hey. Are you here?" I call out, peeking around different hiding places. "Ignore him. He's just a dumb bully." I speak to no one in particular, looking around and behind the car in the driveway and finding no one.

I start to head back towards my front yard, wondering if she chose to hide there, calling out "Little girl?"

I hear sniffling in the hedges between our two homes and bend down to see dirty nails on little bruised arms, hugging scabbed knees to her chest.

"Aw, don't cry. He's just a dumb boy. Are you going to let some dumb boy make you cry?"

She glares at me and it reminds me of the time one of the neighborhood cats had kittens. If we tried to touch them, they'd back up into the corner, spitting and hissing at us, trying to be scary.

Just like them, she ends up looking cute and defenseless.

I crawl behind the bushes, taking up all the space beside her.

"What…what are you doing?!" She asks, incredulous.

I crouch down beside her, my shoulders pressing into the hedge and the facade of the home. "I'm sitting with my new friend."

She runs an arm across her snotty nose, and I reach into my back pocket, giving her a rag I was using to dry off between innings.

"Why would you want to be my friend? I'm just a stupid little girl." She pouts before blowing her nose generously.

Well, I guess that's her snot rag now. Ew.

"Really? Is that what you are?" Sensing we're going to be here a while, I take a seat in the soil. "Because I see someone who is brave," I bump her shoulder with mine, "and strong," I pinch her bicep the way my Dad used to do mine when I was little, "and tough."

She sniffles, her eyes welling with tears once again. "Really? You see those things?"

"Yeah! I mean, you're new here, right?" She nods. "I never would have had the nerve to ask a bunch of big kids to play with me. But you did."

She wiggles her red nose, wiping at it once more as her green-gray eyes light up. "I did."

"Yep! And, honestly, I'd rather play with a brave, strong, tough little girl, than a dumb, bully, boy any day."

Her eyes light up. "Really?"

"Yeah." My hand is covered in soil, so I wipe it off on my jeans before reaching for her hand. "I'm Jeremy. I live next door. What's your name?"

"I'm Amber."

Her voice is small and chirpy. Like a sparrow.

"How old are you?" I ask.

"I'm six. You?" She responds, a blush creeping into her cheeks.

"I just turned ten." I beam.

"Here, give me your hand." I take her scabbed knuckles in mine, and shake her hand. "This means we're friends now so, whenever you need someone to play with, you can count on me."