Love Bite

Chapter five

''My nose!'' she whined, holding her broken nose.

''What the fuck did you do to her?' someone spat out at me.

''How could you? She's a girl!'' another person said.

 ''What has happened?'' another voice asked and we all turned. It was a principal. He had probably heard their screaming. He gasped when he saw Lindsay crying on the floor. ''Oh, dear God! What has happened?!''

Everyone began talking loudly at the same time, so he had to silence them. He told one boy to explain to him what has happened.

''Andy punched Lindsay in the face! And broke her nose!''

''Lindsay was only passing by him and she only looked at him!'' Tina added. After she said that, everyone turned their heads towards me. I slowly got on my feet. I had to hold the lockers so I wouldn't fall again.

''That's a lie!'' I cried and she took a step backwards, pretending to be terrified. Guys stepped in front of her, as thought to defend her and began shouting at me.

''Enough!'' the principal yelled. They stopped shouting. ''Tina, please, take poor Lindsay to the school nurse. And tell her to call Lindsay's parents. Andy, to my office. Now!''

Once in his office, I told him – while my voice was shaking from anger – what  truly has happened. First he rudely interrupted me by ordering me to pull my hands from my pockets. And while I was talking, he was looking at me over his round glasses with an expression on his face that said he wasn't believing me. When I was done, there was a pause.

''And that's why you broke her nose?' he growled finally. ''Because she complemented your soccer playing?''

''That wasn't a compliment; she was being sarcastic'', I mumbled. ''And it was not the first time. They have been bullying me for moths!''

His face remained strict, no compassion or anything. ''Did any of them hit you?''

''No...''

''Then, you have no right to hit them, either!'' he growled, leaning closer to me, so that he sprayed my face with his spit. Gross.

I stared at him angrily, hoping he would die, before I murmured: ''Words can hurt more than hits.''

He snorted, as though that wasn't true. ''Then why didn't you come to talk to me or your teacher?''

''That wouldn't have solved nothing'', I said, my eyes on the floor because I couldn't stand him looking at me like that.

''Listen to me, boy'', he said, being too dumb to remember my name. ''What you did was inexcusable! I don't care what they said to you! I will not tolerate violence in my school...''

Yet, you tolerate bullying, you old bald fart, I thought indignantly.

''...I will inform your parents and call them for a conversation. You will definitely be suspended, and not just for a couple of days. Also, when you come back from your suspension, you will go to talk to our school counselor about your anger. If anything like this happens again, I can guarantee that you'll punishment will be more severe. Was I clear?''

I wanted to answer back that he was not, but the knock on the door stopped me from doing so.

''Come in.''

The door opened and a girl stepped into office. I was surprised to see it was Kara. What is she doing here?

''Oh, Kara'', the principal said with a smile, his strictly tone gone. ''What's the matter?''

''I need to speak to you.''

''Well, now I'm talking to him, but we'll soon be finished, so you can wait outside for a little while.''

''That's just what I wanted to talk about'', she said.

''Oh'', the principal fixed his glasses, ''sit then and say what you have to say.''

Kara sat down in a chair next to me and began talking: ''I weren't there when that happened, I just heard what others told me about it, but I don't believe that Andy punched Lindsay just for nothing. In fact, I believe that Lindsay caused it herself; she had said many things about him and none of which were positive.''

She stopped. I tried to process what she had just said. The principal was looking at her with a  strange expression on his face, I couldn't tell what was he thinking. Then he said:

''So, Kara, you think Lindsay deserved to be punched?''

''Absolutely'', Kara replied firmly. Without any sarcasm.

''Well, I find it hard to believe that such a sweet and good like Lindsay would provoke someone'', he stated. ''Even if she did say something offensive to him, I does not justify his actions.''

 Kara crossed her legs and arms. ''Why, because he was defending himself?''

When the principal spoke again, his voice had that strict tone again. ''He broke a girl's nose!''

''Why do you emphasize the word ''girl''?'' Kara asked him. ''The fact that she's a girl doesn't automatically make her weaker than him. And it certainly doesn't give her right to provoke him and get away with it.''

He principal looked appalled, as though she had said something very rude and dirty. I was hiding my grin with my hand. Kara, however, gave him a kind smile, which seemed to make him angry.

''This conversation is over'', he said strictly. ''Go back to your classes, kids.''

Both me and Kara left his office without saying the goodbye to him. I wanted to thank her for standing up for me, but when I opened my mouth, no words came out. So we split in silence.