Friendship

Her feet made splashes on the puddle that the last night's rain left in the back alley of her school. She tried to avoid the puddles but skidded and landed on her butt instead. Her aunt would hit her for sure if she saw her dirty uniform.

She didn't mind the pain in her backside and got up. Her school bag got wet and smeared with mud. She sighed loudly, clicking her tongue. Three hits in her butt that are for sure.

"Outsider!"

"Orphan!"

"Prostitute!"

The last word was followed by snickering from a bunch of 10 years old girls. They were her classmates bullying her as usual.

"Firewoman!"

She chuckled with the last word when she got up and picked up her dirtied backpack. She looked over her shoulder and saw that they were walking in her direction. She always uses this back alley to escape them but now that they know this route, she has to find another way to avoid them which is such a hassle. She likes this alley because it's a shortcut to her house.

The group of five girls approaching was the complete opposite of how she looked. For starters, they were a few feet taller than her.

Their uniforms were new and neatly pressed. They have pretty ribbons on their hair. And their hair is not a flaming mess of red nest.

It's the reason why they called her a firewoman. It's about her red hair. She's an outsider because of it. She has brown eyes and a small pointed nose that has a higher bridge than her classmates.

Everything that made her different from everyone was her father whom she never met but hated because he was the reason for all her mother's sadness. Her mother left her too early.

She gave another blank stare to her classmates who were giggling and whispering to each other throwing her looks full of disdain. She flipped her red hair and turned around. Leaving them in their childish contempt of her. It's funny how they always tried to make her feel that she doesn't belong in their circle as if she cares to be part of it. She's fine being on her own. She didn't need them to include her in their group. She made sure that they can't see her anymore when she wiped the tears that escaped her eyes as she turned around the corner.

"Your mother was a prostitute!"

The nonchalant attitude that Lalin was wearing toward the ugly words that her classmates directed toward her vanished. Her feet moved on their own accord and turned back. Her steps were purposeful.

She's fine hearing those words. She finds them childish and a waste of her time but if they directed those words to her mother, it's a different story. She could be very unforgiving.

The girls stopped laughing when they saw her come back. She saw the smallest girl pale a little but the one who was assuming herself as the leader of the group titled her chin in the air, feeling smug, probably secured by the fact that there were five of them and she was alone and quite short and thin.

When there is about ten feet distance between her and the girls she dashed. She charged toward them like a bull in the arena, annoyed at the red flag weaving and taunting. The surprise on their faces was comical but she wasn't laughing. The corner of her eyes was hot and her small fist hurt because her nails were buried in the soft skin of her palm.

When the snotty girls realized that she was angry and meant business, it was too late. They all scrambled to run but her small body could move swiftly. Not to mention, she didn't come back to exchange stupid words with them. She wants blood!

The smallest kid in the group fell face down on the puddle and immediately cried, calling for her mother. Lalin ignored her and went directly to the self-appointed leader of the girls. She's taller than her, thus she kicked her shin and when she doubled over she grabbed her pretty braided hair, decorated with butterfly ribbon. Her clenched fist flew and hit the girl's nose.

When they were at eye level, the other girl's mouth opened but no words came out. She was in utter shock, blood oozing from her nose. She was just staring at Lalin's soft brown eyes, raging with fury. Her small fist was still in front of the girl's face who surprisingly didn't cry.

"My mother wasn't a prostitute!" She spat angrily at the girl's face. She saw the other three girls from the corner of her eyes leave their leader in her mercy to save themselves. She still could hear the faint sobbing behind her but she didn't bother to look over her shoulder. She was just too angry to care. "The next time that you guys come to me, I'll make sure that you won't go home to your mommy with just a broken nose!" She pushed the other girl who was still in shock and was just staring at her. There is something in her eyes that she couldn't understand but it was making her uncomfortable.

"My mother was never a prostitute," she said in a steady voice. She unclenched her hands for Stella didn't show any sign of getting back at her. "Your father on the other hand is a pig. And I have the proof to prove it."

She stepped backward not taking her eyes off Stella who remained motionless, staring at her. When there was a safe distance between them, she turned around and saw Chythia looking down on her dress covered with mud.

"Look what you did!" She wailed when their eyes met.

"You did it to yourself," she said matter-of-factly.

The other girl looked at her in disbelief. "You—you…" Then she closed her mouth and just sigh loudly. "Good thing my mom isn't home to spank me." She clicked her tongue and walked away.

Lalin followed Chythia with her eyes. She couldn't believe that the other girl wasn't angry at her.

"Let's tell the teachers!"

The three girls who ran away to save themselves screamed in unison. Lalin ran home.