A/N: Sooo... This isn't on the exact one year anniversary, but I'd say it's close enough. It's in the same month. I'd like to thank you guys for sticking with the story so long! It really means a lot! Ok, now onto the chapter.

Emma's POV, kinda like a memory

"What did you just say?" The younger me had asked the girl from the grade above me. I knew damn well what she had said, but I was gonna make her say it again, see if she was still as confident second time around. The girl and her friends laughed for a second as a crowd gathered around us, all eager to watch. They knew they were in for a good show, because both of the possible outcomes - which were me beating the stuffing out of this girl, or me collapsing onto the ground in a pool of tears - were bound to be both equally as likely and equally as fun to watch.

"You're mother was a !" The girl repeated. As a ten year old, the word  didn't affect me as much as it would when I was older, but I had the basic understanding that it was a bad thing to call someone. "She wasn't good enough for your daddy to really be in love with! She was like a little something extra on the side for hi-"

The poor girl never got to finish what she was saying, because I had crossed the short distance to stand in front of her, stomping on her toes. She winced, and stopped talking for a second. She waited, wondering what I was going to do, but when I did noting, she smiled, pushing me back with her pointer finger. She laughed, and opened to insult me again, but was silenced when my hand connected with her cheek, the force of the blow turning her head to the side. Then, I leaned forward a little on my toes, putting more pressure on hers.

The crowd was silent, and no one dared breathe. The girl waited for me to do something again, and I waited for her to laugh. She - wisely - did not. So I took a step back off of her toes, and stood about a foot away. The crowd started shifting a little on their feet, the sight in front of them telling them that the show was over, but their knowledge of me and my temper telling them that a severe beating was going to take place. Because, in my five or six years in elementary, the student body had learned that unless you had a death wish, you avoided making fun of me or my mother. So, naturally, it became the school sport. See who could make fun of Emma the longest before she beat you to a bloody pulp. Of course, you had to take the beating if you wanted bragging rights. Otherwise it wasn't as much of an acheivement, because anyone could make me mad. But not everyone could handle getting hit hard without running or crying or submitting.

The girl in the grade above me also probably knew that she was in for a smack down. But she showed no signs of fear. If anything, her eyes were challanging me, daring me to go ahead, do it. So I did.

I sent my fist flying in a right hook, connecting with her temple. Her head snapped to the side, and she raised a hand to her head, feeling where the blow had connected. While she was distracted - not a very smart thing to do in the middle of a fight - I sent another punch to her gut. She doubled over, wrapping both of her arms around her abdomen. I laughed as she groaned, before grabbing her by her clothes around her shoulders and pulling her into a standing position. Then, using my grip as leverage, my knee came up and hit her in the same spot my fist had on her gut. I kept her from doubling over again, instead pushing her back into her friends, knowing that they'd most likely push her back to me.

And that's exactly what they did. Some friends, I allowed myself to think, before I tackled the older girl, quickly getting her to the ground. She, like most of the girls I've fought, isn't good at taking or rolling with the punches, and by this point is probably just waiting for it to be overwith.

I held both of her hands in my right hand above her head, which was a stretch, but I didn't plan on making this last much longer, so I was ok with it. With my free hand, I delivered a trio of punches in quick succession to her nose. Then, I slapped her face again, before standing up, arms crossed. I watched her as she blinked and looked back up at me, waiting and wondering if it was over. A few seconds later, she scrambled back up to her feet, brushing off her clothes. Then, she turned her back on me and walked very quickly through the crowd and away from me. I raised my gaze meet the eyes of the crowd.

"Anyone else wanna try?" I asked loudly, confidently, knowing no one would answer me. Instead, they all slowly dispersed. I smiled, and walked back to class. Once in my classroom, I took my seat in the back and grinned proudly at Kevin, who sat next to me.

"What you grinning about?" he asked, smiling back at me.

"Oh nothing. Just put one of the older kids back where they belonged." I answer.

"Back in their place." he corrected. "What'd they do?"

"She called my mother a... ." I whispered the last part so the teacher didn't have a chance of hearing. Kevin's eyes went wide for a second, but then he asked,

"And you made sure she never would again, right?"

I nodded, before the teacher called on me to answer a question, and I just recieted what we'd been talking about in science class for the past few days, figuring I'd be close enough.

After school, Kevin and I walked home together, Keivn drilling me for the details of the fight I'd been in. 

"It was nothing, really. Way to easy. I've had a harder time than what she gave me." I tried to brush it off, blushing at Kevin's compliments and approving gaze.

"I know you have, but still!" Kevin said, before he caught sight of a playground over my head. "Hey, Emma, let's go to the park!" I turned around and looked a bit above me, squinting as the sun was in my eyes. I saw what he was talking about, and boy... It was the mother of all playgrounds. Freaking. Huge. It had merry-go-rounds, see-saws, jungle gyms, swings, tire swings, and one of those thingies where you grab onto the handle and you run in a circle until you've picked up enough speed that you can take your feet off the ground and just hold on as the handle spins. It also appeared to have a rock climbing wall, and those twisty versions of rock climbing walls.

"Yeah! That place looks awesome!" I cheer. But it was at the top of the hill on the side of the road. "How're we going to get up there?"

"How else, silly? We climb!" Kevin exclaimed. I looked at the hill again as Kevin made sure the straps of his backpack weren't going to fall off as he climbed. It was pretty steep, and it was on the side of the road, which only made it more dangerous in my mind if I fell.

"I don't know... It looks pretty steep..." I observed, mentally pulling hairs out in worry.

"We'll be fine!" Kevin brushed off my worries, walking to the base of the hill and started to climb. And I don't think hill was even the right word. It was like the face of a mountain, practically straight up and down. He made it up a few feet, before looking back down at me. "C'mon! You won't fall! I promise!" His promise did little to reassure me, though it did make me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. So I made sure my straps were going to stay on my shoulders, and I followed him up the hill. I was reassured when I found that it was fairly easy, and that there were plenty of hand and footholds. I made it to the top easily, and was about to pull myself up, when my foot slipped off it's little hold. I let out a screech of fear as I clung wildly to the top of the ledge as I felt myself slip down. I wasn't looking forward to to falling that far down.

Kevin dashed to the edge, and grabbed my hands. He leaned over, his face calm, and his tone soothing. "Hey, hey, shhhh... I got you. I told you, I won't let you fall!" Then, holding my hands with a death grip, he leaned back, and slowly started pulling me up over the edge. I scrambled to my feet as soon as I could, before taking five large steps away from the edge.

"Please tell me we'll find another way down." I pleaded with my eyes at Kevin. He smiled at me, and chuckled. God, I hated him sometimes. But I loved his smile. And, though my ten year old self hardly knew it, I loved him too.