Chapter 6
How was school today,sweetie?”
Raine jumped into the front seat of Abel’s truck, throwing her bag in the back seat. “It wasok.”
She wasn’t her normal, bouncing, bubblyself.
“What’s up, gloomy? Everything allright?”
She shrugged. “Yeah.” With a huge forced sigh she hugged Miss Gilda to herchest.
“Was someone mean to youtoday?”
Shenodded.
“Was it a girl orboy?”
“It was a bunch ofkids.”
My heart gradually started breaking. No one ever deserved to be bullied, especially a child as sweet and goodhearted asRaine.
“What were theydoing?”
She shifted in her seat, staring blankly out the window as I pulled out of the school’s parkinglot.
“It’s ok, Raine. You can tellme.”
“They were saying mean stuff atrecess.”
“Does this happen alot?”
I kept glancing over at Raine as her cheeks got redder and redder, her nose started sniffling, and her eyes watered. I pulled the truck to the side of the road. I took my seatbelt off and shifted so I could put both my hands out for her tograb.
She just stared blankly at me. Clearly this was not something she felt comfortable telling grownups about. I really wished Abel was there to help handle it, but I couldn’t let her be sad, it wasn’t fair toher.
“Sweetie, please tell me. I know we just met, but I think we’re really good friends. Good friends trust each other with big secrets. Would it make you feel better if I told you a secretfirst?”
She wiped her nose with her sleeve beforenodding.
“Ok.” I sighed and finally Raine took my hands, squeezing tightly. “I was bullied so bad in school because I didn’t have a daddy. He had moved far away when I was just about your age. Kids were mean to me aboutit.”
Her eyes got wide, like she was shocked someone else could relate to how mean kids could reallybe.
“Now can you tell me yoursecret?”
She took in a deep breath and with a sigh of relief, she whispered, “They were making fun of me because Mommy is inheaven.”
I felt the waterworks welling quickly. Those freaking jerks at her school were little monsters. I wanted to turn that truck around and go spank each and every one of them and then tell their parents to put hot sauce on their tongues, or better yet soap like my mom used to do to me when I talked back toher.
“That’s not fair sweetheart. I’m sosorry.”
She forced a smile, gripping my hands with her tiny fingers. “It’s ok. They don’t have a mommy angel and Ido.”
And there ya had it: the most put together five-year-old on the freaking planet. Abel really was doing an amazing job withher.
“How about we get you home and we call your daddy to see if we can get some icecream?”
She perked up in her seat. “Yay! Icecream!”
