16-Fight
Xepher sat at their usual table while students filed into the cafeteria to get their lunch. His foot tapped endlessly as he waited. Kenzy and Marco sat across from him, Kenzy leaning on his shoulder. They looked exhausted. Xepher's eyes scanned the room, falling on his girl as she stood in the line farthest from their table. She played with his necklace, running the pendant along her bottom lip, her eyes focused in front of her.
The sound of a bag hitting the table hard made Xepher turn away from the girl he'd gotten so attached to. He turned to find Jax and Raven sitting down. Raven didn't waste a moment. As soon as she sat down, she began talking.
"We know she's been threatened to not be around Xepher, but nothing saying about female friends. We may not be able to save her right now, but I thought, hey maybe we can get her away for a night." She began to dig into her backpack. "After dealing with that stupid Mr. Lang I saw it on the wall." She said, slamming a piece of paper onto the table. Everyone looked at it, Kenzy's eyes lighting up for the first time since Monday. She clapped as she squealed excitedly, but that excitement left as fast as it came.
"But, how are we going to get her out of the house? If he's as controlling as we've figured, then he won't let her go." She pouted, her head hanging down.
"Which is why I got her mother's number. Look." Raven held out the phone for everyone to read it.
Raven: Hello Mrs. Cane. I am Raven, one of Aria's closest friends. She came to my house for a girl's night last week and I wanted to see, if it were okay, to surprise her by taking her to the Winter Dance this Saturday with our friend Kenzy?
Mrs. Cane: Oh, hello Raven! That would be so good for her, I'll let her know!
Raven: Well, I was hoping to surprise her. I think she'd be too nervous if she thought about it too much. You know how she is.
Mrs. Cane: Oh, you are right, that would be a nice surprise indeed. Thank you for being so kind to my Aria.
Raven: Of course, Mrs. Cane, we adore her. Thank you.
Xepher leaned back, letting out a sigh of relief. She would be able to get away from him for the night, and he could see her again.
"Her mom even sent me money to buy her a dress and stuff along with her sizes. You know what that means Kenzy?" Kenzy squealed excitedly.
"Shopping!"
"Uhh, guys." Jax said, catching everyone's attention. He nodded towards a table in the far back of the cafeteria, directly in front of them, where Aria was now seated, a book in hand and another guy Xepher didn't recognize sitting beside her a little to close for comfort. He saw Aria tense and pull away slightly.
"What the hell?" Xepher muttered to himself as he watched the slimeball try to touch Aria's hair. Xepher's hands gripped into a tight fist, about to get up when he saw Jax already heading over to the table.
"Oh, crap." Marco whispered, getting up quickly and following Jax, Xepher not far behind him. The kids in the cafeteria became quiet, their eyes following the guys like it was a reality show. Xepher watched as Aria slapped the kids hand away and went to stand but he gripped her wrist tight. Aria winced and Xepher nearly saw red and all three of them picked up their pace.
Jax reached the kid first and grabbed him by his shirt, yanking the kid straight up from the seat and into the wall. Xepher recognized him now, looking closer. It was Jake Randall, he was a member of the football team. Xepher and Marco rounded the table, each taking guard beside Aria. He felt her small fingers grip his jacket and lean into him slightly. She was shaking. Xepher wanted to be the one to wring the kids neck, but he didn't have it in him to leave her side.
"What do you think you're doing Randall?" Jax said, staring the kid down. Jake was a linebacker, he wasn't exactly small, but Jax was a military raised boy and he was furious. Randall threw his hands up with a smirk.
"Sorry, is she your piece of meat for today Meyers?" Jax's nostrils flared and Xepher nearly abandoned his post beside Aria to beat the kid senseless. Jax pulled the kid back and slammed him into the wall again. He coughed as the wind was knocked out of him.
"What was that again?" He growled.
"What, you didn't hear? She's just an easy lay. The whole teams heard. Quiet little mouse; makes things so much ea-." The sound of Jax's fist hitting the kid's jaw cut off his sentence. Xepher felt satisfied as the kick fell to the ground, clutching his jaw.
"I suggest you let the team know that is anyone ever tries to touch her again all three of us will take turns to personally destroy your ability to play ever again." Jax said through grit teeth. Jake glared but still took off with his tail between his legs. Jax turned back to Aria.
"Are you okay?" He asked. Xepher looked down at her she nodded her head.
"I-I'm sorry." She rasped as she grabbed her bag and left the cafeteria before anyone could stop her. He felt cold where her hands had been holding onto him.
"What the hell was that?" They turned to see Raven and Kenzy standing there, students going back to their lunches. Kenzy's eyes were brimmed with tears, Raven's were filled with rage.
"Who the hell started that rumor?" Kenzy asked.
"Karen." Xepher tensed at the voice behind him as everyone looked over at him. Raven walked up to him and smashed her finger into his chest.
"And how do you know?" She asked.
"I heard her talking to her groupies. After she took down Cassidy." Luke said.
"And how are we supposed to trust what you say?" Marco asked.
"Because he has feelings for Aria now." Jax said, nearly making Xepher's jaw snap with how hard he was gritting his teeth, holding himself back from punching Luke in the face. Raven scoffed while Kenzy gasped.
"I know, I know, it's messed up, but that's what it is." Luke said, tucking his hands in his pockets, embarrassed.
"Look, that's not the point, and that's not the reason I came to you guys." Luke continued with worry etched into his face.
"What is it Luke?" Xepher snapped.
"I also heard Karen say she wants to put her in her place. She said she'd make her ugly, so you won't look at her again. Today." Xepher's stomach dropped. Karen was going to jump her?
Aria was excused from gym class due to her hand injury, and so she decided to head to the library. She'd finished the book she'd been reading at lunch and went searching for a new one. She spent the rest of that period roaming the library, looking through books and picking out a few that would keep her attention for the next few days. Before she knew it, the bell rang, and she was heading out of the library to make her way home. It was raining softly, causing the snow to because a muddy mush.
She turned the corner to the parking lot that lead to the street she usually walked down when she felt a hard shove in her back. Pain laced through her as new cut Daniel had put on her Monday night was pulled, and she barely caught herself from falling in the slushy mess of snow. Her bag fell with a splash and Aria looked up to see Karen standing there, wearing more comfortable clothes than she normally did. Aria wanted to laugh at the cliché Karen represented at that moment, her minions behind her like a teen drama.
Students that were walking to their cars or busses paused as they saw what was going on and started making their way to the sidelines, watching with curious eyes. Aria wasn't in the mood for the nonsense, so instead of giving her what she wanted, Aria reached down and reached for her backpack. She didn't get it though, as Karen charged her and shoved her hard, causing her to fall to the ground, her back screaming in protest.
"You're not getting out of this Silent. You've been nothing but a thorn in my side since you screwed everything up with Xepher." Aria tried to get up, but Karen's booted foot slammed into her stomach, knocking the air right out of her. She gasped, trying to breathe again as Karen reached down and held Aria's hair in a painful grip.
"What the hell are you doing?" Both Karen and Aria looked over to see Xepher trying to get through the group, though his efforts were in vain as a group of boys held him back. Karen laughed, though to Aria's ears it sounded more like a cackle.
"Nice try Xepher, but the football team didn't appreciate being threatened earlier today. You'll have to sit and watch as I make your little tattle tale as ugly as she should be."
"Are you crazy? You're not going to get away with this! Get off me damnit!" Aria's eyes widened as the same guy from lunch punched Xepher in the face. She stood, trying to get to him, but the punch to the back of her head had her face going into the muddy snow, the rain pouring coldly over her now soaked body.
Then it wouldn't stop. Pain erupted everywhere as Karen kicked and punched her like there was no tomorrow and she laughed. She laughed. She was beating Aria, who never did anything to hurt her, never hurt anybody, and she laughed. Just like Daniel did. Just like Luke had.
Why?
What did she do to deserve everything that was happening to her? Was this a punishment for something she doesn't remember doing? Why did she always have to hurt? Why? That one word flooded her mind with each blow, her cries echoing around the students who did nothing. Why wouldn't they help? Why did she have to suffer this pain? Why couldn't it stop?
You're the only one that can make it all stop. Time seemed to stop as the words floated through her mind. The only one. You're the only one. The. Only. One.
"You think your hot shit cause you caught us? Cause Luke and Xepher want you now? You're nothing! No-one! When I'm done with you, no one will ever want you again!" Karen was maniacal as she laughed and threw blow after blow at Aria.
"Aria!" Xepher's cries cut through the noise of the crowd and the rain, making her heart ache for him.
Aria was sick of it. Sick of being used as a punching bag for other's pleasure or amusement. She was tired of not being able to be happy. Tired of not speaking! She was tired of it all, so damn tired. The only one. Aria felt something then. It was white hot, burning through her, numbing the pain in her limbs from the beatings, the cutting, the aches, all the hurt. Her body shook as the urge to cry out become unbearable. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry out. She wanted to get back at all those that hurt her or wanted to take from her. She was furious. She was over it all.
She snapped.
Rain poured down as Raven and the group find the crowd. They have received Xepher's text that Aria wasn't in the gym class with him and worried them all after what Luke had said about what Karen was planning. As they came up to the crowd, they saw Xepher being pushed back by several player on the team, including Jake. Marco and Jax went forward, pushing off the players, making the fight even.
Raven and Kenzy ran around and ducked through the crowd, their smaller figures making it easier to maneuver through. As they pushed through the last row, they came to a sight Raven never thought she would see. Aria was on the ground, Karen beating her relentlessly. Kenzy gasped, her hands shooting up to her mouth as Aria took each blow. Raven heard Xepher cry out Aria's name then, and Raven saw when it reached her ears. Just as Raven started forward to get Karen off Aria, a sound echoed around them that caused Raven's arms to fill with goosebumps.
It was cry full of agony, sadness, and rage and it came from Aria.
In the blink of an eye, Aria was no longer on the ground, her small body flying at Karen's. Karen hit the ground hard. Aria didn't stop and both Raven and Kenzy were helpless, unable to do anything but watch. She brought her right fist up, the other gripping Karen's hair, as her fist came down one, two, three times. Karen bucked up, causing Aria's small frame to fall to the side and now Karen was on top again.
It didn't last long as Aria gripped Karen's jacket, bringing her head back, then forward, slamming it into Karen's. Karen cried out in pain as blood mixed with the rain and she fell onto her side. Aria leaned over her slamming her fist over and over again into Karen's face, her cries unleashed for everyone to hear.
Karen's friends tried to reach out, to stop Aria, but she was already standing, stepping away from Karen's groaning body. Raven saw the look Aria gave them that terrified them, causing them to back away. Aria tilted her head back then, the rain pouring, the crowd suddenly silent at the outcome of the fight. She turned her face to them then, her eyes nearly a mix of life and death, tears pouring with the blood and rain down her face.
Raven's breath stopped as Aria smiled sadly, before she turned, grabbed her backpack, and walked away. The students dispersed, leaving a path for Aria as she disappeared in the downpour.
"Aria!" Raven turned to find Xepher and the boys running towards them, having finally gotten through the crowd. She was already gone though.