Under the Influence (Benchtrio Troublemakers AU)

Chapter 7

"Alright class it's time to go out and play!" My teacher informed us. All the other students ran out of the classroom while I took my time getting up out of my seat. By the time I had gotten outside my classmates were already in different groups and messing around. A small girl came up to me.

"Do you want to play tag with us?!" She practically yelled.

"Uh- not really."

She looked stunned at my answer as I headed for my secluded spot by the trees.

I just never saw the point of tag. Whenever my mom drank the juice she wouldn't let me have, she'd yell at me about how I better have good grades and nothing else can get in the way. I prefer to be alone anyway. I was peacefully sitting where I normally do when some kids came over.

"Hey quiet boy! Whatcha doing?" a boy in the group yelled at me.

I didn't know what to respond with.

"Hey, can you even talk?" a girl from the group asked.

"Y-y-es." I cursed myself for stuttering. My mom always hit me for doing that after dad left.

"Why do you talk so weird? And why don't you play tag or spy game with us?"

"I just don't want to." I meekly responded.

"Ok," the first boy that talked turned to his group of friends, "let's go, he's too weird."

As they left, I felt a small pain in my heart. 'Maybe I don't prefer being alone...'

"Hey freak!" Cal grabbed my backpack before I could walk any further. "Our favorite little geek passing us without saying 'hi'? We can't have that now."

I said nothing.

"Oh yeah, I forgot he doesn't talk. Haha, no wonder he has no friends!!" Cal high-fived his friend Jared.

"Hey, maybe the freak will talk if we take what he loves the most. Everything in his backpack!!" Jared rips the backpack away from me.

"H-hey! G-give that b-back!" I reached for the backpack, but Cal took it from Jared and shoved it in the trash can.

"Hey we were right!" They both walk off and leave me to pick through the trash for my backpack.

I sigh and quickly rush to class.

I quickly walked through the hallway. I needed to get home now. I dodged all the moving middle school bodies and headed straight towards the exit. My hand pressed against the door, but before it could open I was dragged back.

"Where do you think you're going?" Cal and Jared both pushed me into the boy's locker rooms.

"We haven't seen each other all day and you go to leave like that?! So rude and disrespectful!" Cal sneered.

"Please, I have to get home." They threw me on the ground anyway. My glasses clattered to the ground.

"Hey, Cal. Let's do this loser a favor and get rid of his glasses for him."

Before I could say anything, my glasses had already been stepped on. I looked at the pile of glass on the floor and thought about how hard I worked to pay for something beneficial to myself.