My Beauty Queen

She's crying in a corner, her small, four-year-old body shaking with sobs. He stops still and looks at her, wondering why her crying makes him so sad. Compelled by something he doesn't understand, he walks over to her and crouches down.

"Excuse me," he says softly, "but why are you crying?"

The girl looks up, tears streaming from her eyes, and quietly wipes her face. She merely points to the other side of the nursery, where a group of boys are laughing. He instantly understands.

"What did they say to you?"

She sniffs, looking up at him with her shining sapphire eyes. "They said I was ugly."

"But that's just stupid," he retorts. "You look like a beauty queen."

For the first time, she smiles. In that instant, the boy realises just how beautiful she is.

"Thank you," she says shyly. "I'm Steph."

"Robin. Nice to meet you," he replies solemnly, holding out his hand for her to shake like he's seen his parents do.

She shakes it with her small, cold hands, smiling. He smiles back, a four-year-old's gap-toothed grin.

Steph and Robin have been best friends ever since nursery. But he's been in love with her for longer than he can remember. It's the classic, tragic cliché: he loves her, she loves jerk.

Steph's had lots of trouble with herself. But Robin will always be there to catch her when she falls.

Contest: So You Think You Can Write? and Pre-Write Contest and The Maroon 5 Sonfic Contest.
Song: She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5
Background Picture: here
Word Count: 2,288