Seek {Superhero AU} - Ending 1

11: Brutal Out Here

I nod quickly, keeping my eyes on the hallway in the hopes that I'll be able to see Ethan and Luke when they pass this room.

Mr. Brunner raises an eyebrow at my tense, hunched posture. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine," I say without moving my eyes from the door.

Today is going to be a long day, and I am ready for it to be over.

--

Lunch is after my English class, and I'm fully prepared to skip it entirely just so that I don't have to see Luke and Ethan in the cafeteria. I'm hoping I have a granola bar or something in my backpack to eat while I find a place to hide for the next thirty minutes. There are some benches outside the school; maybe I'll go out there and hope the benches are empty.

People are even more aggressive in the halls on the way to lunch than they are any other part of the day; they're trying to get to the food lines first. I mean, of course there are some people who walk normally, but there are also some people who walk at least two times faster on the way to lunch—and there are always a few who are literally willing to push people aside if it means they get to the cafeteria first. Personally, I've never understood this. Do they love school cafeteria food that much?

I try to stay on the sidelines, fighting the crowd as I get farther and farther away from the cafeteria. Finally, there are only a few stragglers to dodge, and then I'm at the heavy set of double doors leading to the green lawn in front of our school. I practically fall through the doors, feeling distinctly like I've just escaped something, and take a deep breath as the sun falls onto my face.

Inhale, exhale. Luke and Ethan won't think to look for me out here. I'm safe.

The picnic tables are empty today. That's a relief, too. I don't really enjoy other people seeing me eat alone. I know objectively, they probably couldn't care less; I mean, it doesn't really affect them at all if some other kid eats alone. But it's uncomfortable, and I avoid it if I can.

I sift through my backpack, hoping to find a snack somewhere in its depths. I mostly just see a collection of mechanical pencils and erasers. I frown. Well, it looks like I won't be getting lunch today, but at least I'm not getting pummeled, either.

That is, until I hear the arrogant laughing behind me. "He really thought he could avoid us all day, huh?" comes Ethan's voice.

"Mr. Brunner isn't here anymore," Luke taunts. "How much damage do you think we can do before he passes out?"

I'm rigid. They're behind me, which means they've just come through the double doors. There's another entrance to the school, but it's all the way on the other side—and if I try to run that way, they might go the other way around the school and meet me there.

Luke's hand manifests on the back of my neck, and my lungs freeze with fear. My mind is short-circuiting—thinking of running to the other doors to get back into the school, even though I know it's useless, I won't be able to get to those doors before these two do. Luke's grip on my neck tightens, and my mind stops working entirely—he's going to kill me. Right here, right now.

He pulls me out of my seat, and my heart is thumping in my throat. My stomach roils; I might vomit. Ethan is guarding the door inside.

I open my mouth to try to talk, but I can't get anything out—not when Luke's hand is still on my throat. My whole body feels like it's been filled with ice, and I shudder. I am going to die.

"I guess we might as well test his limits," Ethan says from the door, and he looks kind of bored.

"Right," Luke says, and he uses his hand on my neck to throw me at the ground. I'm expecting it, so I manage to stay on my feet, but I'm unbalanced. I go stumbling backwards, trying to stay on my feet for as long as possible. Their boots will be heavier than their fists—I can't end up on the ground.