The Unlikely Daddy

• 26 •

"Hey, buddy" Logan smiled at Alfie as he sat down next to him in the lunch hall.

Logan hoped that Alfie had had a good morning and that he wasn't too put out that he couldn't hang out with him during break time.

"Hi" Alfie said happily back, glad to finally be back in the comfort of Logan's presence.

Alfie and Logan sat talking for a while, catching up on what they had missed from each other's days so far. They were both laughing together when Blake came striding towards their table.

Blake was the boy who had called Alfie a freak a few weeks ago, and the same boy who had purposefully made him fall over in PE recently too.

'Uh oh' Alfie thought to himself.

"You jerk" Blake shouted as he came up closely to Alfie.

"Back off, Blake" Logan intervened.

Alfie had no idea what he had done to make Blake so mad, but he didn't like it at all.

"I've been banned from going on the spring school trip because of you" Blake ignored Logan.

"How's that Alfie's fault?" Logan stepped between Alfie and Blake in an attempt to protect Alfie.

"Apparently it's my fault that your stupid head got hit by the football and you got hurt" Blake continued to shout.

"It was your fault" Logan responded for Alfie.

Logan was trying not to rise to Blake's temper, but as he continued to shout Logan found himself losing his composure.

"Shut the fuck up, Logan. I'm talking to him, not you" Blake snapped, trying to shove Logan out of the way.

Logan was a strong kid, so Blake obviously couldn't move him.

"How about you shut the fuck up, Blake" Logan began to release his frustration.

There was now a growing audience around the scene in the lunch hall and Alfie was growing more and more uncomfortable.

"Mr Dylan is already thinking of kicking me off the football team too, so I've got nothing left to lose. Maybe this time I'll just hurt you on purpose, then you'll learn the difference" Blake had a sinister grin on his face as he spoke.

"Leave him alone" Logan kept trying to stop the situation from escalating.

"Get out of my way. Somebody needs to teach him a lesson" Blake snarled.

"Not a chance" Logan stood his ground.

"Move, or I'll tell everybody here about what happened in the locker room of our last football game" Blake looked deeply into Logan's eyes.

Logan looked at Alfie, wanting so badly to keep him safe from Blake, but he couldn't have such a deep secret revealed to the whole school. His entire reputation would be destroyed. Besides, what would Blake actually do to Alfie in the middle of the lunch hall where everybody was watching him?

Logan let out a sigh, then reluctantly moved out of Blake's way, offering Alfie up as a means to protect his own integrity.

Alfie's eyes widened as he watched Logan step aside, leaving him open and vulnerable to Blake and whatever he planned to do next.

"I thought so" Blake mocked as he pushed passed Logan so he was face to face with Alfie.

"Never cross me again" Blake growled at Alfie, grabbing him by the hair and forcing him to stand up.

Blake then threw two powerful punches into Alfie's tummy. The first one winding him, and the second knocking him off his feet and back down into his seat.