"Hey John, pass me that ball!" Connor Ryver grinned widely, a huge gap between his front teeth.
8 year old John smiled back, and using his newly-found powers, threw his ball with all his might. It sailed through the air and slammed onto the floor, 100 meters away from them. Connor and John ran to it, laughing with joy.
Connor gave John a look of awe, and then held up the deflated ball in the air like a trophy, screaming, "You're so cool!" John gave Connor a big smile, almost puffing up his chest with pride. It had been awhile since people gave compliments to John, and it made him happy and fluttery.
The two boys ran off, the burning marks on the floor unnoticed by the both of them.
--
"I need you to stop hanging around this monster." Mrs. Ryver said, sounding exasperated and nervous. Connor glared at his mother, clutching the deflated ball in his hands, the corners of his mouth pulled into an angry scowl. Behind Mrs. Ryver, Hunter tried to reach Connor, but he shrank away from him.
"He's my friend, not a monster." Connor wailed, knowing he sounded childish. He turned around, and stormed outside, ignoring his mother's desperate calls. John was waiting outside, his eyes watering with tears. Connor flinched, realizing that he must have overheard the conversations.
"She's right, you shouldn't be around me," John said, not looking at Connor, "If not, you'll be like me." Connor looked at John sadly, his eyes threatening to water too. Connor sniffled, holding up the deflated football into the air, reminding the both of them of the fun times they've had.
"My mommy left because of me, if you hang out with me, your mommy will leave too." John said, repeating the lies that mothers tell their children when they want them to stop playing with John. He didn't want them to be true, but deep inside, he feared that his mother left because of him.
Connor sniffed again, "I don't need my mommy. She's mean and she never lets me do anything fun." John flinched and turned his head away so he could wipe his tears.
"If your mommy leaves, you'll be sad. I don't want you to be sad, I want you to be happy." John yelled. Connor and John stood facing each other. Angrily, John whisked around and stormed off. Connor ran after him, his hands reaching out to grip John's wrist. John turned around, and was about to hit him, when his eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Connor turned around, and saw a bunch of older boys smirking at them.
"What is this, a lover's quarrel? Connor, you should know better than to hang out with this monster." One of the older boys teased, stepping forward and gripping Connor's shirt. He tossed him aside, then advanced to John. "You know, I heard you fought some kids a while back. Want to fight me?" John shook his head, and the boys laughed.
"Coward," the boys jeered, pushing and shoving John. Connor got up from the floor, and began to wail, begging the boys to stop. John glared at Connor, mouthing the words shut up. He then turned his attention back to the boys and said, "So what? I don't want to waste my time on you." He wriggled away from them and went to Connor.
The boys, annoyed that John wasn't scared, quickly attacked him with their newly budded powers. John, having gained experience, easily blocked their awful attacks with his shield. He held his hand out for Connor, his face impossible to read, "You shouldn't be this weak, because when I leave you, no one will protect you." Connor felt tears dripping down his cheeks, but he gripped John's hands and helped himself up.
Suddenly, the boys broke the shield and began attacking Connor, who was open and defenceless. John whirled around and began attacking ruthlessly, his eyes glowing with hatred and rage. When the boys finally gave up and ran away, John turned to Connor, his eyes still glowing, and Connor shrank back with sudden fear.
John panted, and used the back of his hand to wipe the blood away from his mouth. Connor tried to stand, but he fell weak on his knees, his shoulders shaking with fear and tiredness. Slowly, John helped him up, and carried him to the Ryver's house. Mrs. Ryver gasped in fear, clutching her child in her arms, and ran him inside his house. Hunter glared angrily at John, and spat, "I knew it. You've done it, monster. You've hurt him!" He grabbed John and punched him in the face. John, numb with exhaustion, took the blow without any fear. His mind was jumbled with thoughts and anger. Connor, who finally opened his mouth to speak, called out weakly to John. Mrs. Ryver got up and turned to John, "Leave and never come back. I don't want you near my children again." The door slammed into John's face, and he fell onto his knees and began to cry.
He wasn't crying because of Connor, or Hunter, or Mrs.Ryver ; he was crying because he wanted his mother back. Alone and tired, he walked home, his thoughts running back and forth down his mind.
I'll grow stronger, and I will protect my friends with my life, so they don't have to be hurt again. John made himself a promise, in which he intended to keep.
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Ah! 0.9k readers? I can't thank ya'll enough! Sorry if it took a while to update, I had so much work to do!! Hope you enjoyed reading, and I'll hopefully update a new chapter soon.
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