(Third Person. Connor and Aaron - 6 years old)

Connor felt distracted during class. Not that one learned anything too difficult in the first grade anyway, but his thoughts were elsewhere. He was thinking about how to avoid his best friend. He wasn't mad at Aaron, but he figured Aaron would be mad at him for what happened the previous night.

Since it had been raining, the two boys couldn't play football outside, so they were playing catch in the basement. It wasn't long before Jordan came downstairs to play on the X-box.

"Get out!"

Connor gripped the ball in his hands. "We're not gonna bother you," he mumbled. "You know mom doesn't want us throwing things upstairs." Normally he didn't talk back to his older brother, but he'd hoped that his friend's presence might tone down Jordan's reaction.

"And you think I care," Jordan scoffed, snatching the ball out of Connor's hands.

Jordan didn't like when his little brother didn't do exactly what he wanted. He felt he needed to knock some sense into him through several punches.

"Do as I say!" he ordered, pushing Connor to the ground.

Aaron stepped in between them. "You shouldn't do that!" he shouted.

Jordan eyed his brother's friend.

"He didn't mean anything by it," Connor tried to reason from the floor, but he was interrupted by Jordan stepping on his fingers.

"Oh, I shouldn't, now?" Jordan asked through feigned concern.

"Pick on someone your own size," Aaron challenged.

Jordan stepped closer to him. "Well, since it looks like you are a couple inches taller than Connor." He began pounding and kicking his little brother's friend. Aaron tried to fight back, but it was hard for a six year old to defend himself against someone twice his age.

Connor desperately pleaded with his older brother to stop, but that only served to embolden him.

As Connor relived the memories from that evening in class, he figured it was enough to make anyone not want to hang out with him anymore. As much as it pained him, he couldn't bring himself up to talk with Aaron because he was afraid of what he might say back.

Aaron, however, didn't know Connor was avoiding him. His best friend hadn't said so much as a word or even looked at him all day. He couldn't figure out what he had done wrong.

After spending the entire school day racking his brain, he finally confronted Connor.

"Why aren't you talking to me," he asked, hurt.

"You probably don't wanna be friends with me anymore," Connor said in a voice so quiet, it may as well have been a whisper.

"Why?" Aaron pressed.

"Cuz of Jordan, that's why," Connor responded. His breathing grew faster. "He's just gonna keep hurting you like he does me. I tried to tell him to stop, but he's not gonna." After a pause, he added, "he says I don't deserve to have friends."

Aaron thought getting beat up was bad, but he knew a life without Connor would be even worse. "Well he's wrong." He wrapped his arms around him. "We're not gonna stop being friends just because that's what he wants."

After pulling apart, Connor looked up at Aaron, hopefully. "Really?"

"Yeah," Aaron replied. "We're gonna be best friends no matter what."

"No matter what," Connor agreed.