I look towards the playground slide where some kids were apparently playing according to Brian, to me it just looked like young big kids bullying someone younger and smaller than themselves. As the joy of being outside for the first time slowly drains.
*sigh*
'Please for the love of god, don't be the bullying cliché. It's so overused to the point I myself didn't even put one for my academy arc.'
As I am walking towards the slide, I turn over to see Brian finding a place to sit as he gives me a thumbs up. 'Atleast he is keeping watch over me.'
*Thud*
I turn my attention back due to the sound only to see the younger one, now on the ground. It seemed like the bigger, meaner kid had pushed him.
'Hah, of course it has to be this crappy cliché. Sorry kid, but you are on your own, I mean this is how you are supposed to learn how to man up, right?'
I try to walk around the scene that was playing out, only to be stopped by one of the lackeys. As he towers over me, looking to be something around 10, 9? Well he definitely is older than me that's for sure.
"hey—" only to be cut off.
"Where do you think you are going pipsqueak?"
I get a better look at his face as he was atleast a head and half taller than me. He had this smug look as if this kid had just stopped bullet with his chest.
I simply point towards the metal swing next to the slide. "I am just going to sit there. You all can continue what you were doing."
I take a step only to be shoved back. Hard. I try to get my bearings in order to balance myself and try not to fall on my back.
"Hey! Thom we got another pipsqueak trying to take over our base." he shouts with the same kind of emotion as if he has found a toy to play with.
'Motherf****r, if this kid touches me I am gonna smack him in his face.' I look at the one who had just shoved me back.
'No, Arwin take deep breaths, calm yourself. Don't be impulsive. They are just kids, some stupid young brats.'
I look to see the supposed leader of these bullies. A kid who looked around 13 or somewhere close, walking towards me leaving his other two lackeys to bully the younger kid.
"Where did you come from? you tiny squirt."
Before I could even say anything, Thom grabs me by my collar and throws me near the bullied kid. I balance myself much more easily this time as I was atleast somewhat prepared, but it did not make it easier. I look towards Thom and the smug kid as they come closer.
*Sniff*
I turn towards the sound, only to see the young child was beginning to cry. He looked quite young, although he was still older than me but only by 2 or 3 years. I turn back to see all four were surrounding me, looking intimidating or atleast trying. Although to someone my age they looked like snotty nosed brat, who needed strict parents to keep them on leash.
I look towards Brian who has now found a place and is sitting near a sleeping man. He gives me a thumbs up, as if cheering me up will solve this issue.
'Why the fu*k are you giving me a thumbs up, Brian? What am I supposed to with that? help me godam...'
"Hey, where are you looking at, tiny squirt." Suddenly I am jerked forward, as one of the lackeys had grabbed my collar, copying what their leader had done and tried to push me back.
I instinctively grab his wrist, gripping it tightly to try to hold on to his wrist, cause if I am going to fall then I am taking one of them down with me.
Other kids also try to close up on me, as both I and the lackey struggle a bit.
A large shout come overs from a bench.
"Hey! knock it off." apparently it seemed Brian was now satisfied that Arwin 'has made some friends'.
The tall lackey seemed to look shaken from the shout as he immediately let go of the collar. Other kid also seemed shaken and fearful of the rough looking man, but Thom he seemed annoyed as if someone had taken his new toys straight from his hands. He glares back at Arwin.
"You take your papa with you in toilet too?" he mocks Arwin and tries rile him up.
"F**k you, you twat." I felt emotionally unmoved by his potshot of an attempt. I had heard better trash talks than this.
Thom raises his fist up, but I points towards Brian sitting on a bench observing us from the distance.
"Loser." he spits on the ground right after commenting as they back off, looking like they had just successfully committed a heist, with sneer all over their faces.
'What the hell?, do these kids think they are in UK or something.' I look towards Brian and then back to where the bullies are walking towards the slide. I also walk towards the metal swing aiming to waste time playing around for an hour and hope that Brian will take me back home. Only for it to be ruined by the next shout from him.
"Arwin help the kid up, you do know he is older than you right? Be kind and help him up, will ya." Brian shouts from the bench, not overly loud but just loud enough to be heard.
'Great, just great. Arwin you are now a babysitter while being a child as well.' *sigh* I walk over to the crying kid on the ground, although it was more of a sobbing than screaming crying.
"Hey, uh.. you ok?" I try to converse with the kid, as he is constantly sobbing and not replying to anything I say. I try to touch his shoulders only for him to suddenly jerk back as if I was hitting him.
Arwin watches the kid sobbing and shaking with a puzzled look and search around for his supposed parents.
'Ok, what do I do? I mean he is not responding to anything I am saying, and its not like this is some anime where the kid will magically stop crying and listen to me. I can't find his parents either.'
I look towards Brian and shout, "What do I do Brian?" hoping that atleast Brian will have an answer, cause even to me this was my first time encountering a crying kid in a park with no parent in sight.
The sobbing kid straighten ups for a few second, before slouching once again.
But Brian just ignores me, acting as if he has been sleeping for quite a while now with his arms crossed over his chest. ' Tch, he is no help either. What the hell, what kind of birthday is this? I had to deal with a bunch of D**kheaded kids at first and now a damsel of a kid. Think brain, think. What could calm a crying, weak child who has just been bullied.'
"Hey, can you atleast tell me your name?" the kid continues to silently sob. "Uhh, do you want me to call your mom? or like can you tell me where she is?"
Only for the kid to instinctively stops sobbing as if he has heard he was being kidnapped. He looks up with a scared expression, "Pp-pplea-please do-don't call my m-mom. Pp-please."
A chill goes down Arwin's spine. The sobbing kid looked more scared of his mother than those bullies. As the kid shivers either due to cold ground or something else.
'What the—Ah f**k me.' I forcefully grab his arm and pull him up, which was quite hard for me with my weak arms, the kid was not only taller but also seemed way heavier than he normally should be.
'Damn, am I that weak? I should really start doing some exercises if pulling a kid up is this hard for me.'
Arwin observes the kid for any injuries on his face, only to see a bruise on his cheek. "Hey, you ok? No, before that what is your name kid, I am Arwin."
The kid looks down at the ground as if the answers were there, buried in the dirt. Arwin's attention falls on the clothes this kid was wearing, which was definitely oversized for a kid this age, as well as dirty, not the kids playing in the park kinda dirty but more like the clothes haven't been washed. Interrupted from his speculation, as two hand fidget infront of his vision. Arwin looks up to see the kid trying to speak but the words come in stutter.
"Speak clearly, kid."
"I-I, m-my name is B-Brian."
*Pfft* A held back laugh comes out from my closed lips, as I desperately try hold it back.
'Brian!? Oh what a great name. I know a Brian as well.'
Calming myself after taking few deep breaths.
"Yeah? I know a Brian as well." I point towards the rough looking man sleeping on the bench. "His name is also Brian."
I pat his back weakly, walking towards the metal swing. While avoiding the bullies who were eyeing us. "Sooo.. what do you like Brian?"
I sit on the very cold, metal seat of the swing. Brian is just standing infront of me looking at the ground.
"Brian, you can sit on the other swing." I point towards the empty swing next to me, "Those dic- I mean bullies won't hurt you, as long as Brian is here, well the other Brian." I try my horrible attempt to crack a joke.
Brian slowly moves to the empty swing but not before checking on what the bullies were doing. As they were lost in their make believe world of fun. Meanwhile I just weakly swing, pushing against the ground to gain speed and pulling my legs in when it came down.
Turning my head to look around for anything interesting, as I had a terrible conversational partner or I was terrible at calming. Being that there was a large digital clock on a pole near the entrance to this playground. 7:48 am. 14/11/10.
Interestingly many of the benches were empty, with only few people left sleeping on them, either they woke up before the morning patrols officers came or they had a job. Which made the question why Brian would sit on an occupied bench more interesting, but not less interesting then learning programming. This world had made major improvements in pretty much all sectors of technology, now being ever more closer to achieving Tier 1 on kardashev scale.
My pondering is interrupted as Brian, well kid Brian as I named him in my head. Although old man Brian sounded nice to tease but he isn't exactly that much old to be called an old man it seemed kid Brian had to take a loss this time as well. He stands up from the swing and walks towards the entrance where I came from.
"Hey, kid Br- I mean Brian, where are you going?"
He stops in his track, then turns around and skitters back, coming close to my swing as he replies softly, so the bullies won't hear him. "I-I have to-o go home, m-my mother said to-o co-come home ea-early."
Even though he was talking to me, I could see him trying to take a peek behind him whether anyone was listening or not.
"Oh, well goodbye Brian. It was nice meeting you."
Hearing my reply he seemed ready to leave.
'Seems like I should also go hom- wait, if this kid leaves and Brian has decided that I should make more friends. Then I will be stuck in this playground with these dumb kids, who hate my guts. Hah, what should I do? I could convince him, I could-nah he is too stubborn and like he said, it is his weekend so he is no hurry. He might as well keep me in this playground for far longer. I-'
I suddenly look at kid Brian slowly walking back towards the gate, under the scrutiny of bullies. I turn towards Brian's direction to see him looking at his phone. 'I could use this kid to go home early, which would save me from whatever shenanigan he has planned. Thanks kid, you maybe a crybaby but you are my ticket to go home early, to my sweet-sweet warm home.'
I call out to him, "Hey Brian, me and my uncle can take you to your home."
I grab his arm and drag him to Brian, as the kid looked with uncertainty towards me and Brian. He tries to pull his arm away, I call out to Brian. "Brian, can we drop this kid to his house?"
Brian looks up from his phone as he first takes a look at kid Brian and then at me, before taking a look behind us at the bullies eyeing us. "Did you make friends, Arwin?"
"Of course, me and Brian, oh and his name is Brian as well. I have made a friend today thanks to you."
He looks at me with suspicion but before he could say anything. I grab kid Brian's arm and looking the kid in the eye, "We are good friends right?"
Kid Brian immediately nods. As I turn back to Brian as he shakes his head, "Come Brian, well you don't mind if I call you kid, right?"
As we exit the playground and walk towards Brian's car, kid Brian stops and bows his head. "Uhh-h th-thank you I can-n go alone. I k-know the path." He stutters.
"Kid, What is your surname. Since Arwin over here didn't do a good job of introducing his first friend." he gestures towards me with his shoulders as I was already near the door of his car.
"S-sir I can g-go back h-home, I kn-know the way b-back."
Brian shakes his head with dismissal, "Look kid, I ain't leaving a child as young as you to go alone. Come with us or if you are scared of me then I could request patrol officers to escort you home."
Kid Brian immediately looks up, shivering. " NO! I mean I-I, I, mo-mom told me not to-to trust any patrol o-officers."
"Don't worry kid Brian, even if we kidnap you. Who would we sell you to?" he jerks from my words. I point my hand back at the car gesturing him to come. As he relents, and walks timidly towards the car. Brian turns off the door lock on the car, as I glimpse at his face, and it was masked with a serious expression. Contemplating whether the kid was in bad situation and hoping to be wrong, which even I hoped I was wrong about his situation from the way he had represented himself.
'Kid, I really hope that your parents aren't assholes.' *Sigh* 'What would that even matter, its not like I can change his life.'
As we get in the car, I could feel the heater of car finally being turned on and giving me relief from the cold, painful nasal breaths. I look over to him, to see his shoulder drop a little, a bit more relaxed.
I feel the car move, passing by the different buildings. Hoping that when I am done with this issue, I could go back home and relax.