Red_Roses_and_Black_Dahlias_-_Macy_T

That nicked my heart and had me on the verge of crying but I held on. My
beautiful, brave girl. My little rose.
We stayed that way for a few minutes, I think mainly because neither of us
wanted to let go of the other. Then, eventually, we pulled away and started
walking into the park. She wanted to go to the playground first, so that’s
where we headed.
Valentina gave me one last smile before running towards the slides as I
sat down on a bench near it. Next to me, the raging mom squad whispered to
themselves, tossing me the occasional side look.
I ignored them.
They didn’t deserve me to even acknowledge their poor, miserable
existence. They wanted to talk about me? Let them. The whole town was,
anyway.
Ever since word got out about me killing that man, townsfolk seemed to
be… almost scared of me. Never mind that the newspaper specified that it
had been self-defense, never mind that I was never even charged.
Apparently, in their self righteous, narrow little minds, since I’d been
capable of taking a life once, I could do it a second time.
To be completely honest, I don’t think they would have reacted that way
had it been anyone else. People in Lakestone already hated me, and for
various reasons.
I was too loud, too opinionated, too wild, and disrespectful in their eyes.
What was funny is that the only thing I did to gain that reputation was
stand up for myself. I never took any of their shit, whether it was adults trying
to undermine me at galas or dinner parties or kids my age trying to bully me
for not feeling the need to belong with them.
Also, there was the fact that I was arrested for painting on some of their
properties. But in my defense, all those white facades looked bland. They