Running With Scissors

Chapter Four

Jim shrugged, still smiling. "I lied." Joe opened his mouth to snap back, but the guy standing on his left elbowed him, hard, and he shut up. I didn't recognize the other two, knowing them only as football team jerkwads, and little more. "Let's just get this over with, alright?" The guy sounded weary, like he didn't want to be here in the first place. You and me both, steroid-boy.

The second the words left his mouth, things began to accelerate, and fast. I noticed Percy taking her phone out of her pocket-Why was she taking it out in the first place?-But my attention was arrested mostly by the sight of two massive guys dragging Gavin slowly but steadily towards the suspiciously stained toilet. He was struggling like mad again, but everytime he came close to slipping free, they'd sock him in the side or head again. This was terrible-More violent than any other I'd ever seen or even done before.

"For fuck's sake, stop it!" All the commotion stopped, and slowly, everyone turned to look at me. Stupid as always, it took me a moment or two to realize that they were looking at me because I was the one to have spoken. Great.

"Percy. She-she was poking me." I looked at her. She looked confused. 

"But I-oh. Yeah, sorry." She quickly went back to texting or whatever the hell she was doing.

A moment later, before anyone could so much as blink, Tobey came running into the bathroom. He was extremely out of breath, panting like a dog, his tongue hanging out of his mouth and everything. Woof woof. "Greetings, motherfuckers. Percy, I got your text. I can't-" He took another deep breath, "Can't believe you made me run."

The two boys dropped him onto the floor. He cluched his sides as soon as he was let free. I sighed and decided to go over to help him up, considering I was the only one who knew him. I didn't like him, but I knew him.

"I brought backup, too."

As if on cue, the door slammed open once more, revealing the angry, red-faced form of the hall monitor. I didn't recognize him, nor know his name, but he was imposing enough. Hm, maybe that's why he was picked. They're getting better at this, the staff. They're starting to pick people who can actually take care of things. No way.

"Tobey, for god's sake, there's nowhere to hide in a boy's bath-Oh. Oh. What the hell is going on here?" I watched as his gaze moved from gasping Tobey, to triumphant Percy, to the sheepish faces of the goons, the angry face of Joe, and then, of course, my face. "Angel Douglass. Why am I not surprised."

I lifted an eyebrow. "Sorry, do I know you?" 

"I know you." 

"Oh, that makes me feel better." 

"It doesn't matter." 

"I think it does-"

"Boys, boys!" Percy interrupted with a flourish, placing her hands on her hips.

Clearing his throat, Mister Monitor-Dude straightened, looking around the room at all the faces, his eyes landing on Gavin's bruised and battered face, before landing back on my blank one. "Did you beat him up this time?"

"No." My reply was instantaneous. His upper lip curled, and he sneered, "Yeah, and that's what you said about the Gagnon kid last year. We have cameras, idiot, so I'll ask you again-Did you do it?" I grit my teeth. "For fuck's sake, if I did it, I would've told you!" He reached over, grabbing me roughly by the shoulder, dragging me back towards the door. "Yeah, sure, let's go check the cameras and see if you're lying, you piece of trash-"

"Stop." The voice is small and raspy, but able to be heard, nonetheless. The guy turned, eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?" It was Gavin. He brushed himself off, though it did nothing for the trails of blood dribbling from his nose to collect in the collar of his shirt. "I said," he stated dramatically, "to stop. He's not the one who banged me up."

The guy rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't protect him, for pete's sake-" Gavin cut him off, waving his hand at the two guys who had been holding him, then at Joe. "It was those two, and that guy. Angel and Percy-" How the hell did he know her name? "-were just in the wrong place at the wrong time." It wasn't until that statement was made that the monitor noticed that not everyone in the room was a male.

"And just what were you doing here? You don't exactly have male genitals." Percy raised her chin defiantly, and all I could think was, please, no sass. "I was walking by with Angel to get to class when we heard sounds of the fight coming from the restroom. I came in with him to try and stop it." Joe looks like he wants to argue, but one look from Percy, and he's shut his trap once again. Good boy.

"Alright, you're all coming to the office. Every last one. I can't deal with this all, the principal can decide who's at fault. They don't pay me enough for this." Then, after a brief pause, he added, "Well, they don't pay me at all."

Forty minutes later, the entire thing's been dealt with, and I'm seated outside the office, along with Percy, Tobey and Gavin. Gavin had been patched up by the nurse, and held a packet of tissues in case his nose started bleeding again, though it hadn't for at least ten minutes. He looked pretty banged up, but okay. At least he didn't have any broken bones, that could've gotten messy.

Not that I cared, of course.

The whole thing went in my favor, as well as Tobey's and Percy's-Joe and his groupies got suspended, though for how long, I wasn't sure. Percy and I were labelled as just bystanders, people trying to help, and though we would be carefully watched for the next few days, we got off pretty much scot free. Tobey was, apparently, a 'lifesaver.' Naturally.

However, as was school policy, Percy, Gavin and I were being shipped home early. Tobey was to stay at school, since he apparently wasn't 'directly involved,' something he was pissed about. We, meaning Percy and I, just enjoyed rubbing it in his face.

Percy, Gavin and I headed to our lockers to gather up our stuff. We were quiet for awhile, no one spoke until we were outside, waiting for our rides to pick us up, which was also part of the policy. Gavin was the one to break it, leaning over to mutter through the bandages covering his scratched face, "Thanks." I shrugged my shoulders. "It was nothing." He quirked his lips. "Nah, I think it was something."

I rolled my eyes. "You would." Silence fell for a few moments, invoked in part by the arrival of Percy's mother, who dragged her off almost immediately. This time, it was me who broke it. "So, why'd you do it? Why did you stand up for me like that? The reason for my being there in the first place was to see your head shoved down a toilet."

Gavin shrugged, watching as a beat-up blue truck pulled up slowly in front of us. "Because some people are worth defending." He disappeared into the truck, and it pulled away, leaving me with my jaw scraping the pavement. I wasn't able to recover until the vehicle he'd left in pulled out, leaving me alone.

"But...But I'm not even your friend."

~'~'~

That wonderful piece of artwork was made by @DarknessPreveils

Song of the chapter-Blue, by Nightcore {a nightcore of Feeling So Blue, by Michael Mind Project}