I Will Catch You

“Boy,” one of the officers started, “Are you injured at all? These street rats will certainly be punished for touching you. Is your father around?”

I just stood there, terrified about what these people were going to do to me and this girl. They seemed to want to protect me from her. “I…um…n-n-no sir, officer. She wasn’t b-bothering me. I-I don’t know where my parents are and I just want to go home.” I was on the verge of tears once again. The man looked at me as if he didn’t believe what I said.

“Excuse me, but did I not just see her fighting with you?” He asked intimidatingly.

“No, sir please let her go.” I begged pitifully much to my dismay. I did not like that girl seeing me like this.

He frowned then opened his mouth to speak again, but then closed it as his partner spoke up, “Hey John look at this!” He examined the girl he had in his hands as he spoke. “Is your mother June?” He asked and she nodded. “Hey, she’s one of the Scott kids!” He told John, “She wouldn’t sock him
unless he deserved it. I seen ‘em all.”

“Yes!” I managed to get out, “she was defending me from those other boys!” I didn’t want to see her get into trouble.

John looked down at the pathetic little girl, “I still don’t trust these animals. Typical street scum.” He stared directly into her eyes as he spoke. Instead of cowering under his intense gaze, she met him with a hard glare, never breaking eye contact.

“Aw, c’mon,” The officer holding her back was beginning to loosen his grip, “the kids might be crazy, but they’re basically harmless. Just a bunch of kids beating each other up and nobody was severely injured. Let’s just let her go. You know her family, and remember June, don’t you?”

John looked torn for a minute, then slowly nodded his head. “Okay, fine let her go.” She was released and printed away from them and over to stand by me, rubbing her wrists. I almost cringed at the horrible condition she was in now that she was so close to me. She was covered in a layer of dirt and had injuries everywhere.

“Sorry ‘bout that missy. Say hey to your mom for me will ya?” He tipped his hat, “Better not see you two around here again, okay?” With that, he and John turned and walked away, beginning a new conversation.

As soon as the officers turned the corner, she suddenly punched me in the arm. “Ow! What was that for?” I embarrassingly yelped, caught off guard.

“Shhh!” She hissed, “Do you want them to come back?” I really did not know what was going on anymore.

“I…um…no?” Was all I could say. She just shook her head.

Suddenly, her face softened and her whole body relaxed. Her thin frown loosened up and the corners of her mouth were slightly up now while her blue eyes seemed to grow bigger and deeper instead of tight and hard. Even her dirty blond hair seemed to once again sway softly in the breeze. I noticed as she relaxed, she became shorter and was no longer straight and stiffened up. She stood a few inches shorter than me, and I noticed had horrible posture. “You okay?”

I was taken aback by her voice when she spoke this time. Instead of a hoarse, angry voice it was sweet and carried gently through the air. It certainly was not quiet or delicate, but had a surprisingly nice feel. I cocked my head to the side, taking her in. “Hello?” She asked, and her voice
held something strong and wild about it as well as the beauty. I just didn’t know.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I lied. There was no way I was about to show weakness in front of a girl. Dad says men are always stronger than girls. I felt her eyes boring into me, as if she could see right through me. I attempted not to squirm and forced out more words, “Are you alright?”

She shrugged her little shoulders, swallowed up by her dress, loosely, “Yeah, I’m cool. I’m Hazel by the way. Hazel Scott.” She abruptly changed to subject and now this girl had a name. Hazel Scott-I could remember that.

“I’m Samuel Fallbrook, but call me Sam.” I responded, then added after a second, “how old are you?” It seemed like an appropriate question.

She gave a half smile, little dimples beginning to show on her tiny yet filthy face. “I’m eight.”

“Me too!” I exclaimed. I was so glad to meet someone nice my age. Nobody was nice here.

“Cool.” She let out a little half laugh at my excitement.

She then looked up and our eyes made direct eye contact for the first time. I was aware of her large blue eyes staring into my dark brown ones, as if she could see my soul. Mom always says the eyes are windows to the soul. So I took a look into hers. I felt a funny warm feeling inside me for the first time in a very long time since all I had seen here is sadness and hardship. I couldn’t stop looking at her and I felt like I never wanted to leave her. Now I could feel myself smiling a little too.

Finally, we had to blink and she spoke up, “So where d’ya live? And what are ya doin here?” She asked as she put her bag back over her shoulder and hat back on her wavy hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. Well, maybe she deserved that job delivering papers more than me. I just couldn’t believe they made girls work so hard around here even if they were poor. Well, I didn’t know people could be this poor, either.

“Umm, I’m lost, I think.” I mumbled in return. I just knew I was somewhere in the filthiest part of New York I had seen, my head hurt, and I wanted to be back in my comfortable home in Virginia.
I guess she pitied me because she offered to take me back to her house. I felt myself break out into a grin of gratefulness. “Okay, thank you.”