I can't Hurt You - Marcus Lopez Arguello

41

After my first period I made my way to DeLuca's class. We had Hand-To-Hand Combat today. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't the highlight of my day when I had that class.

I changed quickly in the bathrooms DeLuca's class had and walked out with my bag that was stuffed with my uniform. I placed it in the corner with everyone else's bag before looking over to take my place on the mats set up on the floor. I realized there was an empty spot next to Marcus and sat there.

"Hey, how was first period?" I asked.

"Wouldn't know. I skipped." He smirked.

"Where'd you go?" I asked.

"Billy and I were smoking a blunt in the graveyard." He said.

"Without me." I gasped acting offended.

"Shut up." He half laughed.

"I'm the stoner expert, Arguello. You can't just get high without me." I said before Billy took a seat on the other side of Marcus.

"Hey guys." He said.

"Hey. Got any extra blunts for after class?" I asked.

"No, Marcus and I smoked the only one I had. Why?" He asked.

"Dude, seriously." I said disappointedly.

"It's fine, I can give you something after class." Marcus smirked.

"Fine, meet me at my dorm if you're not a pussy then, Arguello." I challenged.

"Alright! I don't need to know when you guys are planning to fuck." Billy said in a disgusted way.

"Shut up, you didn't save me any weed." I said to Billy.

"Don't you always have weed on you anyway?" Marcus asked.

"I smoked it all on the way back from Vegas. I haven't been able to get more since." I explained.

Suddenly we heard a loud thump from the front of the classroom making everyone go quiet. It seemed like DeLuca threw a thick book onto her desk to get our attention.

"You are all soft-boiled noodles ready for my belly. Which one of you is prepared to face me?" DeLuca said intimidatingly.

From across the room I saw Viktor shove Shabnam forward making him fall face-first on the floor. Luckily he was already sitting, so it wasn't such a bad fall.

"If you want soft-boiled, Shabnam is your man." Viktor laughed.

"If Chico's absence from King's has one downside, he's left a Viktor-sized asshole void." Billy whispered to us as the class laughed at Shabnam.

"An opportunity, perhaps, for one drug-addled dirt bag to prove himself?" DeLuca said suddenly as she came up to us and stood in front of Marcus specifically, challenging him.

"No. No way." Marcus turned her down.

Before she walked away, Billy spoke up.

"Scold me, Ms. DeLuca. Beat me. Tell me I've been bad." Billy teased.

DeLuca rolled her eyes and walked away.

"Is two giant pussies. They must have menstrual cycles lined up." Viktor made a joke about Marcus and Billy to his friends, trying to stay quiet but failing since the whole class heard.

"Last time I checked I broke your nose with one punch, Viktor. So do me a favor and go suck a dick." I said rudely and loudly so the whole class could hear, especially the asshole who I was insulting across the room.

"Yeah, I'd like to see you show Ms. DeLuca a thing or two, Vik." Shabnam agreed.

Well, the day finally came. The nerd finally stood up for himself. I'm strangely proud of him.

DeLuca walked over to Shabnam and Viktor and crouched in front of them, leveling with their faces.

"Shabnam has a dream. Viktor, will you help him realize it?" DeLuca said challenging Viktor.

Viktor sent Shabnam a death glare before standing up and going towards the front of the class. He knows he's going to get embarrassed as shit. Shabnam then smiled to himself in victory due to how badly Viktor was about to get his ass beat.

Billy pulled a folded-up note out of his pocket, making Marcus and I look at each other and then him. He turned around and showed it to Petra who was sitting behind us.

"I see you wondering about this, but I'm afraid this declaration of affection isn't for you." Billy tried to show off.

"Oh no. Where will I spit my gum?" Petra said sarcastically, looking unbothered as hell.

Billy looked defeated to say the least.

"I just got my period." Petra declared loudly as she got up and left the classroom.

Billy turned back around and shoved the note in his pocket again.

"Hey, so does this mean you're over Petra?" Marcus leaned over and asked Billy.

"Nah, but since she doesn't like emotion, I figure the best way to get her to like me is to pretend I don't like her." Billy explained.

"Sound logic." Marcus nodded.

"Reverse psychology." I followed up nodding as well.

"Yeah." Billy agreed.

"Come, soft noodle, show me who you are." DeLuca said to Viktor at the front of the class.

Suddenly Viktor went at her in full speed throwing punches. DeLuca then got a hold of his arm and flipped him onto the floor in an arm lock. She did it and made it look effortless. Sucks to be Viktor, she took him down in less than a minute.

"The lesson: when faced with impossible odds, it is better to lose face and decline than to attempt that which is beyond you." DeLuca explained, not even sounding out of breath before letting go of Viktor.

"Oh, princess was so eager to impress." Shabnam teased before the bell rung.

Everyone in class got up to grab their clothes and headed out the door. Billy, however, didn't walk to the door with us.

"Billy." I called out.

"You guys go. I have something important to do." He said.

Marcus and I looked at each other and shrugged. We picked up our bags of clothes and then headed out the classroom door.

"I'll go change and meet you in your dorm in ten?" He asked in a low key voice.

"Make out session?" I asked in the same tone.

"Always." He assured me with a smirk.

"Deal." I said before giving him a smile and walking to the girls bathroom to change.

Life was perfect... for now.