The playground was loud and busy as usual. Recess was always a busy place. About 6 or 7 boys were running around on the basketball court, a few girls were sitting against the chainlink fence surrounding the court watching the game. The swings were full of kids, and some were waiting around for someone to leave so that they could get a seat. A few girls on the monkey bars, 2 hanging upside down, playing some game where they clap their hands together, and another perched comfortably atop the structure, eating potatoe chips. A group of boys were sitting aorund a bench, talking and drawing things in the sand. Kids were running around everywhere, playing tag. Throughout the chaos, 2 boys walked slowly across the park, dragging their feet and staring at the ground boredly.

Marshall Mathers and Dom Marsden where the only 2 fourth graders that werent surrounded by a huge group of people.

"Im leaving tommorow. I cant believe it." Marshall complained. Dom was looking in the opposite direction, staring at a fight that had broken out across the playground between some of the bigger kids.

"Damn, but it seems like you just moved back here." Dom said, looking over at Marshall, only after some teachers had broken up the fight.

"I did just move back here 4 months ago." Marshall sighed as a boy ran past him, being chased by another boy, who shoaved Marshall away roughly, not bothering to turn around and say sorry. But Marshall was used to this kind of treatment by now.

"So, where you going this time?" Dom asked, watching the boy grab the other by the back of the shirt and force him to the ground voilently as a few other boys joined them.

"I think we staying with my grandma for a few weeks, and maybe we come back here or could go back to Missouri for good." Marshall shrugged and Dom shook his head.

"Well, Im sorry your moms making you leave, again." Dom said, sitting down against a tall chain link fence that ran the perimeter of the playground.

"So am I. I hate leaving, just when I get used to somewhere, yanno?" Marshall leaned against the fence beside Dom, looking out over the tiny playground, as if it were the last time.

Dom nodded. "Yeah, but you always seem to come back, so maybe you will. Maybe your just going for a little while." Dom said, trying to make his friend feel better.

"Probably." Marshall shrugged and slid down the fence to sit beside Dom, bending his knees slightly, and putting his hands on the ground on either side of him to play around with the sand restlessly.

"Your leaving?" A small voice, that Marshall and Dom recognized immediatly, said, as if from no where. It was Lataya Woodson, another 4th grader, who had a crush on Marshall.

Dom groaned and put his hands over his face, and Marshall sighed exasperatedly and looked down. Every day at recess she found them, no matter where they tried to hide.

Lataya stood in front of the two boys, looking down at Marshall with a worried look. "Well?" She prompted.

"Yeah." Marshall grumbled.

Lataya sighed and dropped down to sit crosslegged in front of him. "Why?"

"Because I have to." Marshall replied.

"That was a stupid question." Dom commented. Lataya gave him a dirty look and then turned to Marshall.

"When?" She asked solemnly, ignoring Doms comment.

"Tommorow." Marshall muttered.

"Oh." Lataya looked down. "Your not coming back?"

"Maybe in a year or something." He answered.

"Cant you just leave us alone for one day Lataya? Do you ALWAYS have to follow us? Hes leaving tommorow, let me talk to my friend without you around." Dom snapped suddenly.

Lataya looked from Dom to Marshall, and nodded. She got up on her knees, and leaned over Marshall, giving him a hug. "Bye Marshall." She whispered sadly.

Marshall didnt return the hug, he didnt want to. He didnt like Lataya, at all. He thought girls were gross, as did every imature minded fourth grade boy. She annoyed him, sending him valentines on valentines day, always trying to talk to him or touch him, always looking at him in class, always giggling with her friends when he walked past. He hated it. Girls were gross, and stupid. He would never know what was so funny about walking past them, and he didnt think he would want to.

Marshall wished Lataya would get off him already, this hug was lasting to long. Her long brown hair was long and blowing in the wind, tickling the side of his face.

Dom seemed to read his mind, he knew Marshall didnt like Lataya, and didnt want a hug, but he also knew that Marshall was shy and wouldnt just push her away, so Dom took this as his place to intervene.

"Lataya! Stop hugging him already!" Dom yelled. A few people glanced their direction, but not many people paid attention to Marshall and Dom, so no one really listened to cared much to turn around.

Lataya backed away from Marshall slowly, her cheeks flushing bright red. Marshall just watched her for a second, he felt weird all of a sudden, he couldnt explain it.

"Lataya, go away. He doesnt like you, he never will, and we both dont want you here! Hes trying to talk to me, until you came along." Dom sneered. Lataya was silent, letting his words dig into her, swirling around painfully in her brain.

Marshall didnt say anything, but he felt relieved. Relieved that Lataya was away from him, but in a strange way he felt bad for Lataya. She looked like she was about to cry, biting her bottom lip and taking deep breaths. Dom was always this mean to her, why did she suddenly let it get to her?

Something about the way she looked right now, sad and upset, about to cry, mad Marshall realize everyting he shouldnt have done. He always got teased and picked on, he was in the hospital just a few months back, from D'Angelo Bailey, he schoolyard bully. He relaized now that Lataya had feelings, even if she was juts a dumb girl. And Dom wasnt hurting her physcially, but she was still getting hurt. He felt horrible, he knew how it felt to be teased and stuff, so why didnt h do something about it?

He couldnt. He was frozen to the spot, staring at Latayas face. Lataya was short, and skinny. She had pale skin nd brown hair, and big sparkley blue eyes. Her nose wassmall and slightly turned up at the tip. She wasnt really very pretty, but she wasnt ugly either. She was nice, but could be annoying sometimes. He looked over at Dom.

Dom was glaring at Lataya, his brown eyes narrowed, he was talking, mostly insults and hurtful comments directed at Lataya. He was chewing gum at the same time. He was a tall kid, a good inch taller than Marshall. He had black hair that was cut short. He was peurtorican, he had moved to Detriot last year, and had been friends with Marshall since, even though Marshall had moved around alot, but they always seemed to move back to Detriot sooner or later. Dom was nice, sometimes. Right now wasnt one of those times.

"Everyone hates you Lataya. I dont know why you even hang around here and listen to conversations that have nothing to do with you, but you better stop." He continued. She looked really upset now, Dom noticed. He hadnt meant to upset her so badly to make her cry, he just wanted her to leave them alone. But lo and behold, a few tears rolled down her cheeks, regardless of what he had meant. He felt bad, but he couldnt just apologize now, he had already started yelling at her. "Marshalls glad to be leaving, he wants to get away from you. HE told me so."

Marshall looked over at Dom as if to ask what the hell he had just said. It was true that he had said to Dom the other day that the one good thing about leaving was that Lataya wouldnt be around to bother him anymore, but he didnt want Lataya to find out that he said that, he never thought that she would.

Feeling Latayas eyes on him, he turned from Dom to looked directly at her. Her blue eyes were dark, and stared into his own blue eyes. Tears glistened in the sunlight on her cheeks and her bottom lip quivered, he felt horrible at this moment, knowing that he was partly responsible for her looking like that.

He opneed his mouth to say something, he didnt know what, but she shook her head. He stared, oen mouted as she got to her feet and loooked at him one last time, giving him a look that melted through his insides, and left a cold, dull numb feeling inside of him, and then she walked away.

Dom blinked as he watched her leavethe playground, heading towards the brick building, probably to cry in the bathroom. Marshall sighed and looked over at Dom.

"You didnt have to make her cry." He said quietly.

"I didnt mean to." Dom said blankly. "She left us alone, thats what you wanted right?"

"Yeah." Marshall mumbled and looked across the part at a few of Latayas friends, who were glaring at him. "I feel bad though."

"Why? Shes just a stupid girl anyways. Girls always cry." Dom shrugged and stood up, stretching his arms out at his side and yawning.

"I guess." Marshall replied, getting up also.

"Lets go watch the basketball game." Dom said. Marshall nodded and the set off towards the basketball court.