The Right to Change

Chapter Thirteen

            The next day, I walk into the cafeteria of the school, my mom still in my mind. I sit down at the closest table to the door, my back facing towards the rest of the people. I try to avoid anyone, including Nicole and Joseph.

            Gabe sits at the table behind me, and I can tell because he laughs so hard, I’m not sure how the people in here can tolerate him. What he’s laughing at, I don’t even know, and I don’t even wish to care.

            He reaches over, tapping me on the shoulder. I ignore him, trying not to start any trouble, like the other day. Suddenly, I hear him yell at me across the tables, in an annoying taunting voice, “Hey Ralph where is that group of hippie freaks that you’re always with?” I ball up my fist, knowing that there is going to be some trouble soon!

            I turn around calmly. Enough is already on my mind, with my mom in the hospital and now he’s doing this to me. “You know, there must be something better for you to do than to insult us!” He shakes his head.

            “Maybe if you would have stuck with us, then yeah. But now you’ve gone and found yourself some other friends who will accept you.”

                        “Let’s get one thing straight,” I say, “I didn’t leave you, I found a place that will take me in and help me, so…” I pause. “So yeah, I left you, but you have to admit that was a good reason.” I say.

            He’s obviously angry, and I can tell because he jumps to me, grabbing me by the collar, holding me close to him, where we’re only four inches away from each other. His eyebrows point down, showing anger in his face. His face starts to turn a blushing red from the anger.

            I twist around, ruining the grip that he has on my shirt, and as soon as I lose him, his free hands force their way on me, pushing me over. I fall down and land on the table that I was sitting at.

            I stand up as he tries to push me over once more, but I block both of his hands by throwing them off to the side. With both of his hands out of the way, I am able to kick him, knocking him over.

            A teacher runs over to us, trying to stop us. Before he gets here, however, Gabe gets up, spinning me around, putting me in a choke lock from the back. With his arm around my neck, I start to lose oxygen, and I can’t breathe. I must be turning purple, or blue, or something from lack of air.

            I can’t hear anything else, but the only thing that I can hear is Gabe yelling as loud as he can, “I’m going to kill you!” I try to get out, but it’s no use, because I’m too weak. I know this one pressure point, I think it is, under the chin, but I am too weak to even get my hand up.

            As I start to feel even woozier, I feel Gabe being separated from me. I can’t see anything, but I figure that it is one of the teachers, or one of the students that realize what he’s doing.

            As they pull Gabe out of the cafeteria, I can still hear him yelling, “I’m telling you, you better watch your back, because I’m going to kill you! You’re going to be dead! You hear me? DEAD!”
                        Those are the last words as I get too weak and just collapse on the floor.

            I wake up a few hours later, according to the clock on the nightstand beside my bed, it’s three forty-five. I don’t know how I got in my bed, but I’m sure that the school called my parents to come get me. Although, it’s just Steve! Mom is still in the hospital.

            I stand up, grabbing my shoes beside me, walking down stairs.

                        I walk out to my car, heading on my way to mom.