Love Song Read Free Page A

after helping some other kid at school. But anyway. I was at the park again cause the losers were trying to catch me again today, and she was there again. And she gave me a note LOL.
    Yesterday she was kind of a brat when I helped her, but she gave me a thank you note today. I swear I’ve never seen anything so cute. Like, she could have just said it. But she gives me a note, haha.
    It was weird. And then the girls that were bullying her showed up and she ran off. She must have problems with them often cause she took off pretty fast … She speaks English, though.
    Anyway … amusing day. Yay weekend.
     
    At the bottom of the diary entry, Marceline had carefully taped the letter in.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

3
     
                  Walking along the sidewalk to the park the following Monday, Marceline kept an eye out. She’d been unable to stop thinking about that girl since Friday. And even more so during the school hours today. She’d thought about how she had run off on Friday. She really didn’t seem to want to be around when those girls showed up. And she couldn’t help but keep wondering if she went through that every day.
    It bothered her. If not for the sole reason of someone being bullied, then for the fact that she knew it was happening and there was a chance for her to stop it. And that’s why she was on her way to the park.
    And as Marceline got a little closer to the park’s perimeter, she heard her justification. The same familiar group of angry female voices. And even though the victim wasn’t making any noises in response, it was as if the silence in itself called out to her.
    She suddenly found herself running, face crumpling in anger and anticipation. Her scuffed white Vans smacked hard against the concrete as she rounded the corner of the park. And sure enough, over by the swings was the familiar sight of violence, the girl balled up in a fetal position once again.
    “Hey!” Marceline screamed, hand waving in the air. “Leave her alone!”
    Not bothering to run all the way to the park’s entrance, Marceline leaped over the metal fence, almost tripping over herself in the process. She shouted at them again, picking up speed after stabilizing herself.
    This time they heard and saw her coming, quickly gathering themselves and taking off to leave the park. Marceline continued to heckle at them until they were well on their way before skidding to a stop next to the hunched over girl. She huffed, leaning over her knees and resting her hands against them as she looked down at the cowering girl with a grimace.
    “Hey,” she panted somewhat loudly, wanting the girl to look up. “Sorry I’m late. Are you alright?”
    The girl’s head craned up, making Marceline wince. Her eyes were blood shot, and her face was scratched and dirtied. Tears streaked through the stains on her cheeks as she looked up to her savior with despair, her body slowly uncoiling from its protective position.
    “Oh, man … Shit ,” Marceline grimaced, squatting down to be level with the girl. “I’m sorry I didn’t get here earlier.”
    The girl watched as Marceline’s hands hovered worriedly over her face. But she wasn’t frightful like she was on Thursday. This was more … awe. She was surprised, to say the least, to see her at the park again – and saving her, no less. She hadn’t thought they would meet again. She thought maybe she had just gotten lucky to run into her on Friday. But there she was, whining over her face like a mother.
    “Can you stand? Can you walk? Are your legs okay?” Marceline continued to pester.
    Tears dripped onto the girl’s skirt. But these were not of sadness, or of pain. Never in her life had she had someone stick up for her, no less do so repeatedly for seeming no reason. But there Marceline was. Not once, but twice. And saying that she wished she had gotten there sooner. And though she knew nothing about her, she knew enough to trust that she wouldn’t hurt