Spider-man: Alone in New York

~ Chapter 25 ~

"No, I don't think so." Flash turned to Ned and grinned at him. "Hey, what's your name again? Fred? Red? Or just plain idiot? Oh no, no. I've got it. Chunky monkey! Or do you like fattie better?" He did not just go there. I looked back and saw Ned's face that showed shame and hurt at being picked on for his weight. My jaw hardened as I turned back to Flash. Sure, he bullied me all the time, but now that he bullied Ned, he crossed a line. How dare he?

I let go of my anger, snapping at him. "Do you hate yourself that much that you need to project your feelings of hate towards yourself on others? Leave us alone before something happens that you will regret."

Flash fake-pouted beside them, "You wound me, Parker. I thought you loved our sessions throughout the school day." My mind ruffled through every time he punched, kicked, or cursed at me and how I never fought back, always taking the hits. 

"Well, obviously you thought wrong." I bit out the words I had always kept in. "I'm not surprised though, as it is you after all doing the thinking."

His mouth fell open as he gaped at me, at a lack of words. His brain probably couldn't comprehend that I just lashed out at him rather than staying quiet and letting him do whatever he wanted to. I had enough. I was not going to let us be bullied anymore. It's time I stood up for us.

His eyes narrowed as he growled, "What did you just say?"

I tilted my head in mock confusion. "Oh, I'm sorry. Let me dumb it down for you. I called you stupid."

"You're going to pay for that!" Flash yelled before he swung a punch aimed at my face. I pushed Ned backward, so he wouldn't get caught up in the fight, and grabbed Flash's fist mid-air, pulled him forward, and finished off with kneeing him, causing him to drop to the floor in loud groans.

One of his friends, the one who was chewing gum, came at me next. I didn't think he had ever been in a fist-fight before because I didn't even have to duck out of the way as his punch completely missed me. I kicked his stomach, throwing him into the lockers with a loud bang. I winced, realizing that the noise may draw attention. 

And it indeed did. Not a second later, a teacher strode out of her room behind me, head swiveling to try to spot the source of the sound. As soon as she saw Flash, the rest of his crew, and me in the hall, she yelled, "Hey! What are you boys doing?!"

I held up my hands but the kid with long-hair had other plans. My focus was on the teacher who was behind us, and although my spidey sense demanded that I move out of the way, I knew that a normal kid would not be able to evade whatever was flying towards me, a fist, a leg, or an object, without being aware that it's happening since I was facing the opposite direction. 

With a grimace, I let it hit me, pitching me forward. My knees hit the floor hard, but I wasn't hurt.

"Hey! Stop it!" The teacher sprinted to us and behind her was the school resource officer.

Shit.

~ ~ ~ 

Ned and I were sitting on one side of the principal's office, while Flash and his friends were sitting on the other. After the principal delivered the news that I would get detention for a week while Flash, his friends, and Ned would go free (because Ned was a bystander and the others were 'victims'), the principal had left a moment ago to talk to our guardians. At least I wasn't being suspended. 

While looking at Flash's tear-streaked face, I started feeling regret for lashing out. I shouldn't have done that. It was wrong of me to do so, not when I had an unfair advantage.

Why did I even do that? In the past, I had taken their hits without much complaint, but all of a sudden, I was fighting back. Why? Why did I do that?