184: When love and hate collide

When love and hate collide

[FLASHBACK]1

"Ouch…" the young Paula hissed as she blew at the wound on her knee. She was on the brink of crying, but growing up, she learned that crying wouldn't help her. "I'll get back on those kids."

Her face turned sour at the thought of those kids who pushed her to the ground where she had gotten this wound. Those kids always picked on her for the reason she couldn't understand. All she knew was that they were bullying her. Not that she never fought back. 

Paula was a strong-willed middle schooler and thus, if pushed to the edge, she would bare her teeth. But alas, that one time she fought back didn't end well. Not only did the children's parents scold her, but her mother also beat her for misbehaving. 

Paula was the victim of bullying, and yet, even her own mother sided with those bullies. Thus, she learned how to keep things to herself and endure the bullying. No one would believe her, anyway.

"You should wash it."

Suddenly, a girl's voice caressed Paula's ears, making the latter raise her head. Standing before her was a cute girl looking at her worriedly. 

"You should wash that wound or the worms will come out of it." The little girl pointed at Paula's knees. "That's what my daddy says whenever I get wounds."

Paula studied the little girl warily. This was the first time she had seen this girl around here, but what baffled the young Paula was why was this girl talking to her.

"Do you want me to help you?" the little girl squatted down, blinking her doe eyes. "I have a bandaid, so we can put it on afterward."

"Uh… no."

"But the worms will come out of it if you don't wash it," argued the little girl, frowning. "It will be quick. Come."

The little girl snatched Paula's arm and pulled her up. She then dragged Paula to the restroom in the playground, helping Paula wash her knee and then put a bandaid on it. Paula didn't struggle or remain stubborn and just let this new kid tend to her wound. 

All Paula could do was watch this kid do as she pleased until the kid finished putting on the band-aid. 

"All done!" the girl clapped, standing in front of Paula. "Now the worms won't come out anymore."

"Who told you a worm can come out of your knee?"

"My daddy!" the little girl exclaimed. "That's why even if it's painful to wash my wounds, I have to because I'm scared of worms. But you didn't even cry when I washed your knee — you are amazing!"

Amazing… such an alien compliment that Paula never heard, even from her parents. 

"My name is Heaven." The girl offered her hand, smiling brightly and beautifully it was almost blinding. "Let's be friends from now on!"

Paula could remember just staring at this little girl, wondering why this girl was asking to be her friend. Was she new in town? Didn't she know that the other kids hated Paula for no reason? Had she no idea that the other kids might bully her as well? 

That time, Paula remembered ignoring her. She didn't even say a word as she turned around and walked away, hearing Heaven yell from behind, saying things to see her tomorrow or things like that. 

In Paula's young mind, she believed this new kid named Heaven wouldn't show up next time. Once Heaven knew that the other kids were bullying her, she would stay away from her. Therefore, to keep herself safe from another disappointment, Paula disregarded the friendship offered to her. 

However, she was wrong. 

Only a week later, Heaven suddenly showed up in the playground while the other kids were picking on Paula once again. 

"Hey!!" Heaven tossed a pebble in the kid's direction to get their attention. She was fuming, storming in the kid's direction, and stood in front of Paula with her arms spread protectively. 

Paula was on the ground, hugging her knees to protect herself from all the kicking. Peeking over her arms, all she saw was Heaven's back protecting her from other kids. 

"You…" her eyes coated with tears for a reason she couldn't understand. It was just that seeing Heaven's back brought this feeling she never felt before. 

"Who is this small fry?" the boy mumbled, looking at the small girl looking at them with burning eyes. 

"Are you all cowards? How can you gang up on someone, hah?!" the little Heaven ground her teeth. "Go away if you don't want me to beat you all up!"

"Ha!" the boys looked at each other before they laughed in ridicule. What could this small girl do?

"You're laughing, huh?" Heaven clenched her teeth and without thinking twice, her foot flew toward the boy, which marked a terrible fight between them. 

Meanwhile, Paula could only watch that small girl wrestle with the boy who kept picking on her. It was surprising how a small little girl could wrestle with a boy with equal strength, and she wouldn't even let him go, even when the boy started crying.

The fight didn't stop until an adult intervened. Of course, because of how serious the fight was, the kid's parents got involved. All of their parents came instead of Paula's, but well, there was no need for Paula's parents since she wasn't involved in the fight. 

"Oy, grandmas, what the — how can you blame my daughter when your kids are boys!?" a man's voice thundered, lecturing the three ladies who were the mothers of the boys. "Don't lecture my daughter without teaching your sons to be good boys. Are you raising criminals? How can your sons hurt girls and blame the victims just because these girls fought back?!"

Paula sat in the corner, raising her eyes to the man standing in front of Heaven, arguing fiercely with the ladies. Paula knew those ladies, and the last time she got in this situation, she remembered her mother apologizing to them profusely. Only for Paula's mother to beat her once they came home. 

But this man… Paula could see his frustration and even lectured the mothers to silence. 

When Paula shifted her attention to the young Heaven, sitting behind her father, all she saw was Heaven smiling at her reassuringly. 

And that marked the seemingly unbreakable friendship between the two of them. 

pqdm.com