32.5 miles away from Atlanta, Georgia, lay a small town called Huntington. You would either hate the town like me or love it just like everyone else. I didn’t hate the town because of its bad smell or the fact that it was off the grid, but because of the people I was surrounded by. Unappreciative, selfish, greedy children. The thought of their destructive bodies around my property makes me cringe. My brown yard was once green, a black fence once white, and a angry man once happy. That’s me. A dark haired fellow that never changes out of his dirty, old rags.

One day, I looked outside of my window only to find a girl being picked on by a group of blonde girls. When I stepped outside onto my squeaky deck, they were all gone. All of them except for one asian child. Her frail body lay on the cold concrete petrified. Chills ran up my spine as I walked closer to the motionless girl. Suddenly, she lifted her head and our eyes met. I stood still looking at her hesitantly. “Should I help her? I don’t want to help her,” I thought. Just then, the waterworks came. Tears spilled out of her eyes as she rested her forehead on the ground.
“The ground isn’t very interesting.” I said impatiently. She looked up at me, wiped the tears from her face, and then slowly stood up. “What is your name little girl?”, I asked.
She tried to talk as clearly as possible, but it didn’t work. She only managed to get out a fragment of a word before her shoulders shuddered inward to let out a deafening cry.
“Well, I will just have to leave you here if you don’t want my sympathy.” I rolled my eyes while I walked back to my 45 year-old house. Suddenly the crying stopped. I then came to a halt and waited for her to speak.
“Alice.”, she mumbled, “Alice Kim”. She looked at me with a determined face, bright with anticipation.
“That’s an interesting name you have there, dear. Now, explain me . Why did you had to get blood on my sidewalk.” I then turned around to see her face grow red with anger and the cut across her cheek. She then stormed off through the thick grass until I couldn’t see her anymore. I felt bad for awhile, but then I realized. I had actually helped that girl. I prevented that girl from spewing anymore blood onto my sidewalk. When I went back inside of my house to sit down onto my red sofa, I heard the doorbell. What now I thought. When I opened the door, I was greeted with a kick to the shin. I grimaced in pain. When I looked up, I saw that it was the little girl. “Why do you have to be so…”, just then, she cut me off.
“No! You don’t get to talk mister!” Alice said in her high pitch voice. She then raised her hand up into the air ready the slap the snot out of me, but I had fortunately grabbed her hand before she could.
“I saved you. It could have been a lot more bloody if I didn’t interrupt your little play date.” I looked at her awaiting for a response.
“If you really did stop those bullies from hurting me, then you can stop them for good.” she looked at me with a purpose and with meaning. I thought for a while, I stared into those dark brown eyes of hers, and then I spoke.
“Fine, but you have to leave me alone after this.”
“Deal. Now. What is your name?”
I didn’t respond. I just slammed the door in her face and then sat back down on my red sofa.
The next day, she came to me with a board game in her hands. “Wanna play?”, she asked.
“Sorry, but I am quite tired today.”, I said with a cough. I don’t know why, but I wasn’t feeling the greatest lately. I woke up a bit late, but that was the only difference to my day.
“Oh. Well, that’s okay. I guess I will see you later then.” She looked a bit depressed, but despite my wanting to help her, I just let her walk away.
A week had past, and I didn’t feel well at all. I had lost 20 pounds and I had been coughing 24/7. I sat in my bed cold and uncomfortable awaiting this sickness to blow over. My stomach roared as I went to my out-dated kitchen to grab something to eat. My weak knees clattered as I stumbled towards the refrigerator door.  Just as I was hobbling back towards my bedroom, I saw Alice getting tossed around by those girls again. By the time I had opened my door to stop those bullies, I had collapsed. My knees felt weak sticks about to break. I looked up at Alice only to see blood across her face and blood on the aggressive fists that beaten her to the limit. I then slowly closed my eyes and took a deep breathe. “Hey! Leave her alone!” I exclaimed. My booming voice flooded their ears as they ran off into the distance. That was all the energy I could muster. I then just lay on my deck coughing all of my emotions out into the air. When I looked up, I was startled to see Alice sitting next to me. “Are you okay Alice?”, I asked in my raspy voice.
“Well, I suppose I am doing okay compared to your 1000 year old body,”, she said with a chuckle. I laughed as well, but it turned into a cough. My ribs hurt as I was gasping for air. “Let me help you up.” I looked up at her swollen… everything, and I had realized that she wouldn’t be able to help me up with that body of hers. So when she did grab my hand to pull me onto my feet, I did most of the work. “Are you okay?”, she asked. I gave her a meaningless yes even though I wasn’t sure what the answer to that question myself.  Suddenly, my heart began to crumble. I clutched my heart as I fell to the ground. All that was heard was the screams of  Alice over my grimacing cry. My eyes rolled into the back of my head as my face grew pale.The last I had heard, was the screeching sirens that bounced around my head endlessly. When I woke up, I was in a white room with doctors all around me.  I stared at the heart-rate-monitor until my concentration was broken by a woman saying,”He is awake!”. Suddenly I realized that the woman that had said that wasn’t a doctor, but an asian women in a turquoise shirt. Suddenly it came to me. That woman must be Alice’s mother. It had to be. There were no other asians in this area other than Alice. I tried to stand up, but the doctors held me down. “Alice!”, I shouted. I looked around the room searching for that tiny, brown eyed girl.
“She isn’t here.”, said the mother,” She is in the room next to this one getting an MRI.”
“For what?”, I exclaimed as I coughed. I then layed back down, for it was more comfortable on my ribs.
“She had a concussion. Apparently she was being bullied by a group of racist girls. I don’t know how and I don’t know why, but you knew of this and you aren’t even her parent.” She spoke with a mix of guilt and rage in her tone.
“I am so sorry I didn’t kno-.”
“No. You don’t get to speak.”, She spoke with tears in her eyes. I then broke a smile without knowing it. “What?!”, she exclaimed.
“I thought I wasn’t allowed to talk.” Her nostrils flared at this remark, but before she could speak, I cut her off. “You speak the way she speaks. You remind me of her, Alice.”
A year had past, and those memories seemed to have only been a blur. All but the deal I had broken with Alice. I didn’t stop the bullies and for everyday that passes, I regret this. I only managed to give Alice a bit more time in our world before she moved to the next. Alice Park committed suicide on April 4, 2014. When I found her body on the sidewalk where we had met, I was devastated. Her wrist was cut with the silver knife that lay in her right hand. Her eyes stared into neverland while her hair was fanned out on the pavement. When I was about to take the knife out of her hand, I noticed that there was a note. I then slowly separated the note from her hand and read it. It then stated :
Dear Brett P.,
I am sorry that it had to come to this, but I just wanted to let you know that this wasn’t your fault. It was my fault. I should have never dragged you into this situation of mine. I hope you are the one reading this because you were the only friend I have ever had. My parents have only argued ever since my concussion and your heart attack. They had to divorce, and it has taken a big toll on me. Not only this, but the bullies have bullied me at school where I am helpless. I always have been except for when you came along. I hope you were okay with my decision. I know you think there were other ways to solve this constant problem of mine, but it is far too late for anyone to change my mind. I will always remember you.
-Alice Park
Tears rushed down my face as I clutched onto the piece of paper. My hands were shaking as warm chills ran up my spine. I looked at Alice one last time before I had left the scene. Although I wasn’t invited to Alice’s funeral, I went anyways to show my respect for the one kid that actually deserved it. Alice.