A Thoughtless Action

      The door slammed behind Thalia sending a rush of wind against her back. She could still hear the muffled shouting behind the door. "I really thought they were good too." she murmered to herself, as the cool night breeze ruffled her clothes. I thought these foster parents might've even worked out, or that I might have at least been able to stay until I could move out and live on my own. A tear squeezed its way out of the corner of her eye. She roughly wiped it away, angry at her own weakness.

      Thalia sighed longingly at the thought of the nice warm bed inside. Then she leaned over snatching up her suitcase and backpack. Thalia trudged towards the sidewalk, feet squishing the wet grass.

       Thalia paused at the edge of the lawn to cast a look back at the small rundown house behind her. Well I guess there's nothing to it she thought to heself, taking a step onto the sidewalk. She started along the sidewalk in the direction of her best friend, Lora's house.

      A while later she paused at the mouth of an alleyway she normally used as a shortcut to Lora's. There were a few kids beating up another about halfway through.

      A big burly kid she thought she recognized from her school, seemed to notice her presence and turned to glare at her. "What are you looking at." he growled menacingly.

      Thalia stood appraising them for a moment. She figured she could easily take them on if she wanted to, but she didn't quite feel like it right now. So she shrugged her shoulders and moved on. She would have to take the long way around.

      The bell rang loudly signalling the end of class. Thalia quickly slipped out of her seat and hurriedly navigated through the crowd of people toward her locker.

      At her locker she threw her books in, and begun throwing what she needed into her bag.

     "Your always in such a rush." complained a voice next to her.

      Thalia glanced up to see Lora, a smile found its way to her lips. "I just don't like to waste time unnecessarily is all." she replied as she turned back to her locker to finish grabbing her stuff. She didn't need to say anything more, she knew Lora would continue.

      Lora leaned nonchalantly against a locker. "Yeah, yeah I know." she sighed, put out, and continued, "Well anyway I have to talk to one of my teachers before we go. You don't mind waiting do you? I won't be too long."

      Thalia laughed at her tone. "You sound like it's the end of the world to go talk to a teacher." Thalia teased her as she tossed her backpack on. "But it's all right I'll just wait outside."

      Lora perked up immediatly, gave Thalia a quick hug and rushed off down the hall, calling over her shoulder, "I'll be half an hour tops!"

      Thalia sighed, she would have to hang around school forever, but it wasn't like she could go home, she was staying at Lora's. She shrugged the strap of her bag into a more comfortable position, and strolled leisurely down the hall, and out the back door. She started towards a picnic table, but was stopped short when she found a crowd of people in the way. "What's going on?" she asked a boy at the edge of the crowd.

      "Fight" he responded without even a glance at her. He edged away from her into the crowd, eagerly trying to see what was going on.

      Thalia started to make her way around the crowd, an unnatural silence stopped her short. A few people shifted uncomfortably, leaving a gap in the crowd. She peered through the gap. There was a big burly boy kicking a boy that was curled up on the ground. The only sound was the groans of the boy on the ground as the other one continued to kick him.

       Thalia was about to move away, but something held her back. Normally Thalia would have just kept walking, but she found herself thoughtlessly pushing through the crowd, towards the middle.

       Thalia caught the boys arm, and yanked him back before he could land another blow. "That's enough." she commanded him, in a low voice for his ears alone.

       The boy stumbled backward, then turned angrily to her. "What do you think your doing?" he demmanded feriously.

       Staying out of arms reach, Thalia stated relaxed, "You've had your fun, can't you see you've already won?" She gestured towards the boy on the ground.

      The burly boy looked startled, and glanced around with unease at evryone watching.

      Thalia turned to help the boy on the ground, but a movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention, so she quickly swung around. The boy had decided to attack her. He was swinging his fist right at her. Thalia easily sidestepped the clumsy blow. Well thats not going to work, she mused to herself, time or plan B. "Are you as much of a coward as you look?" she accused, "or are you just plain stupid?"

      He bristled as her words hit him, but he still looked ready to attack.

      "Are you so much of a coward as to kick someone when their down? And attack a girl when her back is turned?" she questioned him.

      It took a moment for her words to sink in. He shifted uneasily on his feet as he threw a look at the watching crowd. He seemed to realize his only option was to walk away before he got really embarassed. He disappeared into the crowd, which immediatly started to depart once they realized it was over.

      "Now that, that is done." she said happily, patting her legs. Thalia turned back towards the boy on the ground, who was staring up at her with bright blue-green eyes, that seemed to hide all the thoughts behind them.

      The boy wiped his soft black hair to the side with a shaky hand. "Thanks." he muttered, giving her an appraising look.

      A warm smile flitted to her face before she could suppress it. Thalia leaned over, offering him a hand up. "I'm Thalia." she told him, as he grasped her hand and she pulled him up off the ground.