When They Were Ten

Kennedy's black hair whipped around her as she sprinted away from the lunch area, her ten-year-old legs working as hard as they could. As she rounded the brick school building, she staggered to a stop, resting against the rough side. Harrison hit the wall a second after her. Bent over their knees, panting hard they grinned at each other.


Harrison's light brown hair was a bit too long and pieces of it fell into his face, obscuring one of his hazel eyes. At ten and only a couple months older than Kennedy, he was lanky and just beginning to grow upwards. Swiping a strand of hair away, Kennedy straightened.


"I think that went well," she said.


Harrison nodded. Before he could verbally offer agreement, two figures appeared around the side of the school. Surprised, Kennedy stepped back into the wall and Harrison joined her. The two boys walking towards them were scowling. In their eyes was hot anger, ignited by humiliation. Though they shared the same age as the pair against the wall, they were already a few inches taller and their builds were broader.


"Give us our money back," the brown-haired boy said, stretching out a hand like he expected the money to jump into his palm.


Kennedy clenched her fist. "It's not your money."


The second boy grinned, but there was nothing kind about it.


"Yes, it is."


Harrison crossed his arms. "No, it's not. We saw you take it from that boy, Damon. You and Trent are thieves."


Emboldened by Harrison's support, Kennedy jabbed an accusatory finger at them.


"You aren't getting it back and we're going to tell on you."


Trent took a hostile step forward, glaring down at the little girl with tan skin and fierce blue eyes.


"You think a stupid, pathetic girl like you is going to say anything?"


Harrison moved in front of Kennedy, his eyes blazing with rage.


"No one calls my best friend stupid or pathetic. Take it back."


With Harrison standing so close, Kennedy could feel his fury coming off him in waves. Trent poked Harrison in the chest.


"No. And you're just as stupid. And pathetic."


Kennedy shoved Harrison out of the way and punched Trent in the nose. He let out a cry of pain. As Kennedy went to take another swing, two hands grabbed her and threw her back. She landed hard on the cement, pain spiking through her elbows. Damon reached for her but was yanked back by Harrison. He spun the kid around and decked him in the jaw.


Recovered enough, Trent lunged for Harrison. Kennedy scrambled to her feet and ran into Trent. He let out a sharp oof and pushed her away. Still half his size, the force was enough to make Kennedy stumble. Trent came for her again, true anger etched in his face.


"You're going to pay for that," he said, his nose red.


He swung at her, but she ducked. Crouching low, she swept her leg out, knocking him off his feet. He fell to the ground with a heavy thud and Kennedy climbed onto of him, pinning his legs down. She punched him once in the face, her knuckles smarting with the impact. She didn't care, he had insulted her best friend, he wasn't getting away with it. When she went to hit him again, a hand snatched her arm and she was pulled off Trent.


"Let me go!" she shouted, flailing against the strong grip.


"Kennedy Keller stop!" The deep authoritative voice halted her struggle.


When she looked up she was met with the stern eyes of her teacher. Her gaze darted over to Harrison and she found he was being lifted off Damon by their gym teacher. Once certain they wouldn't fight, both kids were set on the ground, but not released. With their wrists held in the tight grips of their teachers, they were led away. The crowd of students who had rushed to see the action parted, watching them get hauled away to the office.


Once inside, they were told to take a seat and were left on their own. The door to the principal's office closed behind the two teachers, leaving them in a tense silence. Kennedy turned to Harrison. When he met her gaze, she let out a small gasp. His bottom lip was bloody. Ever so gently she cupped his cheeks, her face scrunched up in concern.


"Are you all right?" she asked.


He gave a small nod, but when she tapped the edge of her sleeve to the blood, he winced.


"Sorry."


He shook his head, bracing himself. With more caution this time, Kennedy wiped away the mess, staining her shirt in the process.


"It doesn't look so bad now," she said, dropping her hand.


"Doesn't matter, my dad is still going to see it."


The thought of a parental's reaction caused Kennedy to examine her own wounds. Her knuckles were red and the elbows of her shirt were ripped, the skin scraped.


"Does it hurt?" Harrison asked, eyeing her torn shirt and cut skin.


Kennedy shook her head but after a pause nodded once. Silence encapsulated them, drawing out the time until it seemed like it would never end. It finally did when Link and Maddy rushed through the office door. Instantly, they sank down in front of Harrison. Maddy held her son's face in her hands, shocked.


"Baby, what happened to you?" she said.


Link ran a hand through his hair. "I never should have let Carter and Donovan teach you to fight."


"But uncle Link," Kennedy broke in. "He rescued me."


Before Link had a chance to process this and respond, the door opened again. Unlike Harrison's parents, Kennedy's parents didn't rush to her. They entered as if they were taking a casual walk, always in control. At their appearance, Kennedy tucked her hands beneath her legs and ducked her head, not wanting to see the disappointment on their faces.


Carter knelt before her daughter, gently tilting her chin up with her strong fingers. Even as her chin rose, Kennedy kept her eyes glued to the floor. Her mother smelled like coffee and something sweet. She felt like safety. To look at her mother and see her disapproving eyes would break that.


"Kennedy," her mother said. Her voice was warm, commanding and caring all at once.


Swallowing, Kennedy lifted her eyes. Carter's blue eyes met her daughter's. In them Kennedy didn't see what she expected, there was no judging storm only a straight forward gaze.


"Do you want to explain to me what happened?" she asked.


Though it was posed as a question there was no doubt in Kennedy's mind that she couldn't refuse. She looked up at her father. He was standing just behind Carter's shoulder, hands in his pockets his face devoid of emotion. The lack of expression made Kennedy feel his disappointment twice over.


"There's this kid, Ian," Kennedy said, talking to the floor. "Everyday at lunchtime Damon and Trent steal his lunch money." She swung her foot, brushing her mother's side. "It's been happening for a week. Finally, Harrison and I decided we had to do something about it."


Feeling the weight of their decision, she looked at her mother.


"And so we stole the money from Damon and Trent and ran. We were going to give it back to Ian, we wanted him to be left alone, but when we ran they chased us. Trent asked for the money back but we told him it wasn't his and that we were going to tell on him. He poked Harrison in the chest and so I..." The words got stuck in her throat and she couldn't get them out.


Carter raised one eyebrow, prompting her daughter on.


"And?" she said.


"And I punched Trent in the nose. Damon came after me and..."


Her gaze darted to Harrison as if not willing to spill his guilt.


"I stopped Damon from hurting her," Harrison said. "He punched me so..." He shrugged. "So I punched him back."


"I see," Carter said.


She tugged Kennedy's hands from beneath her legs, inspecting her knuckles.


"Is this just from one punch to the nose?"


Kennedy avoided her gaze. "No. When he went to stop Harrison from hurting Damon...I tackled him and hit him in the face."


Carter shared a glance with Donovan then focused on Kennedy.


"Is that all?" she asked.


Both Kennedy and Harrison nodded. The door to the principal's office opened and a tall, slender woman in her late fifties stepped out.


"Mr. and Mrs. Keller. Mr. and Mrs. Evans, thank you for coming. If you will just step inside."


With one final look at Kennedy, her parents disappeared inside, followed by Link and Maddy. The door clicked shut and Kennedy let out a breath, sagging in her seat.


"How mad are they?" Harrison asked, knowing that in comparison to her parents, his parents were push-overs.


"Dad didn't say anything, so pretty mad."


They said nothing else as they waited. The voices beyond the door rose and fell. Finally, it opened again and their parents exited. This time Kennedy's father crouched in front of her.


"Kennedy," Donovan said, studying his daughter. "Do you understand what you did wrong?"


The face before her was so familiar and she could see that even though he was disappointed, he was no longer mad.


"Yes," she said. "I didn't protect my left side like you tell mommy to do."


Donovan's mouth twitched into a betraying smile. It was the flash of emotion that Kennedy needed to see, to reassure herself that he wasn't angry.


"No," he said. "You took the matter into your own hand instead of telling a teacher or even telling mommy and me about it." He rose and held out his hand for her. "Come on, we'll talk more about this at home."


Nodding, Kennedy accepted his hand. It swallowed her own little one and felt comforting. Maddy took Harrison's hand and they left the office. As they walked through the school, Kennedy looked over at Harrison.


"Thanks for having my back," she whispered.


He smiled, his swollen lip making it lopsided.


"Best friends," he said, holding out his other hand to her.


She took it.


"In every fight," she answered back.


**********************************************************************


Get him, Scooby!


(Yeah, not really sure where that came from)


So said she wanted a chapter where Harrison and Kennedy interacted and this is what I came up with! I hope it was to your liking!


What did you think?


This is how their relationship has always been, they stick up for each other and get into trouble together. It's made for an interesting childhood and a tight bond between them! It was definitely a blast to write. I know what they are like as teens, but it was fun to see how they are as kids.


I know a lot of you are now going to start asking me for more chapters about them but please know that's not likely to happen. I still love you!


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