punk tactics | heartbreak high

seven. the sheriff

"Reggie!" Ant called out as he tried to pull the boy off of Spider but was pushed away by Reggie himself. Despite that, he tried again and succeeded. Reggie fought to get back on Spider but Ant held him up and pulled him a few feet away from Spider, who was being checked on by Dusty. "Stop!"

"Let me go! Let me fucking go!" Reggie shouted, wriggling and contorting his body in an attempt to break free from Ant's ironclad grasp, but to no avail. It was as if Ant had an invisible force field that completely neutralized Reggie's strength. A sense of hopelessness washed over Reggie, and he could feel hot tears welling up in his eyes, threatening to spill down his cheeks.

Ant spoke in a hushed tone, repeating the words "It's okay" like a soothing mantra in an attempt to ease Reggie's distress. He could see the tears welling up in Reggie's eyes, and with a gentle touch, he loosened his grip on him. Reggie eventually broke away from Ant's hold and turned to face him, surprised to see that Ant didn't seem to be afraid of any retaliation that might have arisen from their emotional exchange.

Woodsy's footsteps echoed as she hurried towards the commotion. "Reginald!" she called out, her voice echoing off the walls. Reggie's gaze shifted from Ant to the furious principal, realizing the severity of the situation. He quickly snatched his backpack and made his way toward Woodsy, knowing where this was already heading.

Reggie lay on one of the beds in the sick bay. The nurse was in the bathroom at the time he came in, so Reggie helped himself. He waited for his mother to finish talking to the principal about his punishment for beating up Spider. His eyes stared up at the ceiling but his mind was elsewhere.

A few knocks came on the door, causing his eyes to snap in the direction of the sound. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Ant at the door. The tall boy stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he stepped closer to where Reggie was located. "I just wanted to check on you," Ant informed. "Are you okay?"

"Besides some bruised knuckles, I feel fine," Reggie told the boy. He stretched his fingers to see if it still hurt. When he winced, Ant's hands immediately removed themselves from their status in his pockets.

The Vaughn boy walked over to one of the cabinets but Reggie couldn't see what he was grabbing. Then he walked toward the freezer, which was too far out of Reggie's peripheral vision. Footsteps were heard until they stopped close to the Wilson boy. The space on the bed next to him sunk as the talk boy sat down. Cautiously, Ant took the boy's injured hand with one hand and placed the bag of ice against the swollen spot with the other.

"Feel any better?" Ant inquired, a little bit of concern peeking through his words. Reggie had to let the warmth of his hand melt into the cold feeling of the ice. After a while, he nodded his head as he felt the discomforting feeling in his knuckles vanish. "Good. That's good."

The air hung heavy with an awkward silence as the two boys stood facing each other, unsure of what to say. The plastic sandwich bag, containing slowly melting ice, shifted within Reggie's grasp, causing the moisture to seep through the thin plastic and chill his fingers. The ice inside the bag shifted back and forth, as if trying to escape its temporary confinement, and Reggie couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as he waited for the tension between him and the other boy to dissipate.

"I'm sorry, Ant," Reggie spoke. His heart skipped another beat when his own words sank in. "I just got... upset over nothing."

"Was it really nothing though?" Ant questioned, avoiding making eye contact with the boy next to him. "I mean, Malakai is your friend and you were defending him, as a friend should."

"But I shouldn't have spoken to you like that," Reggie stated, shaking his head as he did. "I hate arguing. And I don't ever want to do it again."

"Aw, you missed me that much?" Ant teased while knocking their elbows together. Reggie let out a scoff before a grin crept onto his lips. "Just admit it."

"No," Reggie replied.

"Just admit it," Ant said, tickling the sides of Reggie's body. The Wilson boy couldn't help but laugh as he lay his back on the bed. Ant crawled on top of him and continued his tickling attack. "Mercy?"

Reggie cried out multiple yeses in between his laughter. Ant stopped but kept himself hovering over the Wilson boy. Their eyes locked before the Vaughn boy's dipped to Reggie's lips. "So... is that a second chance?"

"Who said your first chance was over?" Reggie retorted. Both of them smiled before pressing their lips against each other. Ant cautiously shifted their position so that Reggie sat on his lap. Giggles were heard in between kisses as it went on for about a minute. The sound of the door opening broke the two apart. The nurse, Woodsy, and Vanessa all had their arms crossed as they looked at the two boys.

"Reginald, let's go, now!" Vanessa said in a stern tone. Reggie quickly collected his things and began to follow his mom out of the room. But before he was fully out of the door, he sprinted back to Reggie and placed a small kiss on his lips.

"I'll see you in three days, love," he smiled before chasing after his mother before she noticed he wasn't behind her.