Travis

"The hell you lookin' at, BOY!"

I winced as Joshua's voice rang in my ears. His four brothers stood beside him, two younger brothers from Kindergarten and two older brothers, one in 5th and one in 8th.

I looked at myself, and for some reason I'm only six. I'm so scared I don't know what else to do other than gawk at them, my hands still outstretched as if I were still holding a lunch tray while others snickered and made snide remarks I was too young to comprehend.

Being fresh out of Kindergarten and new to this school, I didn't know anybody or understand anything. Just that he was yelling at me, and that I was hungry.

"Yes boy, I just took yo shit," he sneered.

I felt my face turn a bright red.

He turned around. "You mad bro?"

I didn't respond.

He slowly began walking towards me. Why was he coming closer? I didn't say anything.

"Fight about it."

I stuttered. "I-."

Joshua shoved me and I hit the ground, hard.

"Fuck you talm 'bout..."

The group left and the people around me continued without the slightest glance. I sat there on the floor for a minute, and the tears welling blurred my vision. I blinked, then noticed a boy not much bigger than me approaching; he had quick steps and an atmosphere of incorruptible innocence.

His thick build made him look stronger than he seemed to behave, and from a distance he had caramel skin, and thick eyebrows.

He gave me a hand and helped me stand up. "Are you okay?"

I looked at his face. His cheeks were chubby, and his big, golden hazel eyes were round and worried, like he was the type of person to cry all the time.

"Don't let them make you feel bad. They make a lot of people feel bad, especially me..." he held out half a sandwich. "You want it?"

I accepted the sandwich and took a bite. He suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me along as he jogged to a barren table in the corner of the room.

He smiled a big grin, "Thanks for coming with me."

I looked at him silently, unsure exactly of how to respond.

"I'm Thomas," he says. "We can be friends!"

Colors merged and morphed before my eyes. The scene around me changed and I find myself cowering alongside Thomas, who suddenly seemed much more familiar.

He's been my only friend for the past year now...

Suddenly, we were in the corner of a dark, eerie storage room as a riot stormed the halls past the heavy metal doors.

Screams filled the room as they had for the past half-hour or so while children younger and not much older than me scatter, running from the boys that stand arrogantly around the dimly lit space.

They are all armed with bats, chains, and plenty of other things, whaling away at us and ignoring the pleading screams with the intent to beat the hell out of whoever they felt deserved it.

Above the panic, a girl wailed in pain as she stumbled from behind a wall of sports equipment, a trail of blood running down her small thighs while I looked on in terror and confusion. She had to be no older than nine, yet the trials of life left her with everything but a childish innocence.

They shoved her into a corner and she curled up beside a small boy, her brother, while another boy at least three times her size and much older fastened his belt buckle.

"SHUT UP!" He barked. "All that damn cryin'..."

In the dim lighting of the exit sign above a locked metal door I could make out some faces: Joshua, his brothers, and a few other boys. They stood near and watched, laughing as he prodded her with his foot.

Another boy stepped forward.

"Lemme use her" He said, chuckling. "She seem like a thot, don't she?"

The group chuckled.

"Don't touch her!" The small boy said, his face streaked with dread and tears, "Why'd you hurt my sister?! Just leave her alone!"

The large boy swung his lead pole before the he could move, whacking the girl's brother across the skull with a blow powerful enough to knock him unconscious. My face quivered as he flopped on the ground near me, and when the boy who did it turned and snatched the girl's arm.

"C'mon!"

The girl bawled in grief and agony as he forced her arms behind her.

Thomas spoke. "W-Wait!"

He shot us a piercing grimace.

"Please don't hurt her... She's Scared." His voice started breaking as his eyes began to leak.

Thomas covered his face. "Why are you doing this?! J-Just... Cut it out..."

One of Joshua's brothers lifted him off his feet and held him like a shield while one of them slammed his fist into his stomach. Thomas gasped, struggling not to whimper as the big tears pooling at his eyes dropped onto the floor. Just then someone's hand whipped through the air and struck him across the face while more people laughed.

"Damn, Kaitlyn!"

A blonde, blue eyed girl grinned at the quaking of his face. She didn't laugh much, but seemed to feed off of the sheer humiliation.

My nose was starting to run, and I almost screamed when Joshua raced from the other side of the room and jumped, slamming his feet into Thomas' gut.

The impact sounded throughout the room and Thomas' tearful scream echoed. I'd clenched my eyes shut while a few other kept beating him. I heard a bang and peeked to see Thomas slide from the shattered wall above us, his body shaking with quiet sobs.

I buried my face into my knees as they eyed me and my body tensed with a miserable hopelessness as I felt one of them draw closer.

Then light from the halls shot through the doors, two girls following immediately after. One of them, dark skinned and pretty, swung a kettlebell and smashed the steel weight into the boy's face.

He limply dropped to the floor.

As another dove towards her she ducked under his arms and slammed the weight into his spine.

"Bitch!" the blonde girl hissed and clawed at her, but was quickly knocked back with a swift punch in the neck.

The other girl was tall with olive skin and wielded two brass knuckles. She weaved behind Joshua's brothers, her light chestnut hair whizzing by, and unleashed a torrent of crippling blows. They cursed and stormed the room in a rage as the two girls stood near each other, warding them off as the trapped kids fled through the now unguarded doors.

I was shielding Thomas, too scared to move when I noticed the tall girl towering over me. Everything about her looked strong despite her apparently only being two years older.

She was endowed with wide hips, plump lips, and strong arms. Her brows manicured, and brown-eyed glare intense. I didn't know if she was on any sports teams or did any exercise, but that body... That thing was developed well beyond her years.

"Tennisha, let's go! I wanna outta this damn room." She sniffed the air. "Smells like ass in here..."

Tennisha opened the doors. "Come on!"

She grabbed my arm as Thomas held on to me and I suddenly found myself charging through a sea of violent bodies so large I couldn't see inches in front of me.

People shoved and kicked us around as hair and the thick musk of perspiration filled the atmosphere while Thomas and I struggled to stay with the two. Just as suddenly as we left we were in the brawl, and I found myself trembling at the feet of mindlessly enraged cliques and vicious schoolgirls as I lost my grip on the girl's hand.

"H... Hey!" I shouted. I wanted to call for her, but I didn't know her name.

A few second later a hand grasped the back of my throat and dragged me across the floor. Before I knew it, my feet left the ground and I choked on the collar of my shirt, hanging at the mercy of a big guy I'm positive I've never seen before.

I tightly closed my eyes and prepared for a relentless thrashing only to hit the floor and gawk at the two girls who seemingly shot from the crowd to fight my attacker.

The tall girl shoved him to the floor. "Where the hell do you get off attacking little ass kids?!"

Tennisha wailed away at the invading crowd with a rusted crowbar, knocking away attackers one by one as her partner, her best friend, inflicted a storm of blisteringly fast punches and kicks that made me cringe.

The guy who grabbed me got up and flung a nasty hook at the tall girl's face.

"Kelly!" the other girl shouted.

"Need to stay in your place, bitch." As he drew near he began looking her up and down while Kelly wiped blood from her mouth. I don't know why but just then he flashed a small grin at her and kept staring. I couldn't read that emotion, but it felt creepy.

Kelly's nostrils flared and she threw a heavy punch and smashed her fist against his nose. She struck him across the temple and sent him tumbling into the water fountain with another blow.

"C'mon I ain't tryna be in this shit!" Tennisha shouted as she guarded Thomas.

"Sorry," The girl said. "I got way too into this!"

She grabbed my hand and pulled me along, "Sorry for the wait!" she said. "Name's Kelly!"

I held on and didn't let go.

Kelly...

~~~

My eyes shot open and I lurched from bed, echoes of that dream still dancing in my mind. By now you'd think I was used to it since I usually have dreams just like it, but for some reason the memory of those days never slip my mind.

I opened the white translucent curtains behind me and the sun's light bathed the milky skin on my arms. I always felt weird about my body, having hair this thick and black probably wasn't so bad, but hypertension never helped me when it came to the daily dose of anxiety.

It's not like silver grey eyes were so common either. Of course that, like anything else that would set a person apart, would make me a target, especially for that day. That was the day I'd begin the 4th grade.

I sat up and scanned the quiet room, savoring the silence and pace that would soon fade as time went on.

This year people were going to be nastier, stronger, and despite low standards, the teachers were going to be harder to please too. Thing is, Boarding Schools in the U.P.A. (United Provinces of America) are different. Our parents don't send us here, nobody is allowed to visit their parents unless they come for them and it doesn't cost to attend either.

Most of the people in here didn't have a choice; they're usually orphans, rescues, homeless, or something of the sort.

I also had to worry about the new disciplinarian. Since I was in the 4th grade I had been moved to Building Two of the campus, which handles 4th grade through the third year of middle school, and looking back the disciplinarian of that building seemed to be suffering from... Some sort of extreme personality disorder to say the least.

Her name was Ms. Carmichael. The hulky, short haired, grey-blonde retired police officer, must've been in her 50's at the time but she did everything but mellow with age. The tyranny with this woman was so strong, she lurked in the halls between periods and after school with a three foot long paddle looking for a kid to beat. Even teachers and people above her knew she had problems, not that they'd be dumb enough to say anything...

Crazy thing is, despite the fact that they let this psycho roam freely near children, it did very little to fix the behavior issue because there were so many kids in our school. There was nothing they could do to control the masses or that primitive anarchy of a student body. When it came to being a victim of bullying, harassment, or anything like that, you were on your own. It seemed nobody could or would try to help you, and nobody was a bigger target than Thomas.

Everybody there knew about Thomas because he wasn't like most kids, he had a really big heart. I have no idea how he managed to keep that part of himself alive, I mean he got beat up a lot, but he's one hell of a morale booster. Especially when you have to listen to his cheery J-POP music everyday when classes end.

Sometimes I scolded Thomas for not being brave enough to show everyone that that he doesn't take being treated like that, but I regretted it when he burst into tears and spent all night sulking about it.

Mainly, I blame Joshua and his brothers because they know how his emotions are, yet they picked on him the most out of anyone.

I really could never understand what they wanted with him.

Joshua was in the 4th grade with us and about the same height as me. He's sort of overweight, dark skinned and so obnoxious that seeing his face is literally enough to royally piss someone off.

Joshua's older brothers' names are Tequan, who was in the 7th grade at the time, and Jeremiah, who judging by the way he looked, should probably have been attending college. Then you have his younger twin brothers; D'shawn and Moreece, both seven, who pretty much follow Joshua and Tequan around and imitate whatever they do.

Watching the cycle makes me seriously question the future of humanity.

They aren't the only ones though, Bryce and his friends pick on Thomas too. They were a group of idiots in the 7th grade. They had fun screwing with Thomas but they seemed to enjoy provoking female aggression, Kelly being a prime target.

Despite being the main subject of Bryce's harassment, Kelly wasn't like Thomas at all, even back then. For one, she's been through a lot on her own for a very long time, so she doesn't break as easily as Thomas or I would. Second, she seems to have a decent understanding of guys, and fighting.

I remember what happened to Kaitlyn, a blonde, blue-eyed jail-baity succubus, and her clique when they decided to screw with Kelly by spilling steaming chili all over her during lunch.

Oh, if only they knew what was coming...

Last year...

"What the hell was that for!?" Kelly fumed.

"Move, trick." Kaitlyn said moving through the line, ignoring Kelly's response.

"Don't gimme that crap!"

"I suggest you stop talking to me, that's why your mom has nothing better to do than spread her legs and spawn freaks like you for a living."

The line erupted into laughter.

"I mean what the hell was she thinking?" She smugly continued, "Like how are we even supposed to know what you are?"

She walked towards Kelly, who pursed her lips as if trying to force back all the profanities she was dying to say. "You aren't white or black, but I do think I've found a way to classify you." She stepped closer.

"A natural born slut." She hissed.

Kelly's rage was so painfully obvious I could feel the intensity from where I was standing.

People swarmed Kaitlyn, clapping and giving her high-fives back-to-back, as if to praise her prideful hate speech.

She smiled as they cheered her on, basking in ignorant glory. Applause had died down and Kaitlyn pushed past Kelly, as if to spite her further.

With enough strength to fling her like a rag doll, Kelly sank her nails into the back of her neck and sent Kaitlyn's pale body and violently flailing limbs slamming into a vending machine, nearly knocking it over. She grabbed Kaitlyn by the face and flung her skull towards the ground.

Before Kaitlyn even landed Kelly swung her fist downward.

A loud bang echoed through the room and everyone's attention turned towards the lunch line as Kelly threw a series of hard hitting blows that powered through Kaitlyn's incompetent slapping before the rest of them decided to intervene.

Kapreisha ran towards the two and snatched Kelly's long hair, violently tugging as she continued to speed by.

Kelly lurched from the ground and yanked the girl's entire body towards her with sheer body strength. As she stumbled forward, Kelly pounded her knuckles into the girl's mouth, ignoring the blood on her fists and launching her knee into Kapreisha's face as she desperately swung at the air.

By now the crowd gathering had obscured my view, but from what I could gather another had attacked. When I managed to get a look, Kapreisha was laying on the floor and Kelly had grabbed Melissa's hair, and flung her around until the girl's legs flew from underneath her and kicked violently as she flipped and slid across the messy floor.

With a powerful thrust, Kelly slammed Melissa's face into the wall, ripping the hair from her scalp before she knew that her useless participation was over. She crawled away from the bloody altercation crying.

I looked to the side of me to find Thomas staring blankly at the fight, eyes wide open. I poked his shoulder and waved my hand in his face to see if he'd notice. I didn't get a reaction, but he did cringe as another smack sounded, so I covered his eyes.

Kaitlyn stood, her makeup running and face streaked with tears. She grabbed a cup of hot chili and raced towards Kelly, baring her teeth.

When Kaitlyn grabbed Kelly's shirt and prepared to fling her scalding weapon, Kelly weaved to the side and cocked her arm back before bashing Kaitlyn's face in. Her head flew back as Kelly continued to beat her into the ground and didn't stop until a lunch lady tore her off of Kaitlyn, forcing Kelly to rip out a handful of bloody hair in the process.

Present

Ms. Carmichael suspended her from classes for a while and there are rumors that she slapped Kelly around and pinned her to the floor during detention to so that she 'remembers her place'. I asked Kelly if they were true, but she'd pretend not to hear me. I decided not to press, but I do know for sure that she lost some privileges that year, and personally I don't blame Kelly for what she did.

Kelly may not burst into tears and start apologizing for no reason like Thomas but she gets really angry if you say things like that. I've seen her do a few guys the same way for messing with her, so in my opinion people really should know better.

People have told me that it was messed up to see that so young. I'd tell them these stories and they'd just scowl or begin to treat me like a lost puppy, but I had no choice but to press on, so I decided to get out of bed and see where the day was gonna take me.

Thomas and I were roommates, we got up at about 6:30 in the morning to clean up and get our uniforms on. Classes started at 8:00, but Thomas, Kelly, and I liked to eat breakfast together and chat before we took on the day.

I walked into the crowded lunch room and navigated through the swarm, making my way to a just barely empty table lit by the morning sun and fluorescent lighting.

"Hey Kelly, What's up?" I said as I sat down, putting my breakfast tray on the table.

"Nothin', just doing the usual." Kelly said. "Where's Thomas?"

I looked around "I thought he was right behind me..."

Thomas

It's the first day of school and I'm already tired. Travis left a few minutes ago... I said I'd be right there but I really needed about ten more minutes.

I thought I should go before I got marked late. I already have a record of falling asleep in class and not waking up, I really don't wanna start that again... Not right now, anyway.

I slipped on my new uniform, khakis and a white polo shirt. I know it sounds pretty boring, but I had saved up for a while and over the summer I got this diamond cashmere sweater.

Brown with black lining and cream diamonds... It was hella expensive, but I know how to manage. That's why it's a few sizes bigger than what I usually wear, just so it lasts.

As I put it on for the first time I felt the soft embrace of heat and comfort come over my body. I fell back on my bed and wrapped myself in the fabric, savoring every minute I'm not forced to sit in a classroom.

This was REALLY worth $120....

*BEEP!* *BEEP!* *BEEP!*

The alarm's buzzing shot through my ears and I shoot up from the covers. Suddenly I feel the urge to put that alarm through a damn window...

I looked back at my bed and wished that I could just curl up and not have to worry about anything, because as soon as I walk out that door...

... I don't wanna go...

But I know I have to.

I grabbed my bag and put it on my shoulders, spreading a shy grin as I make a peace sign in the mirror. I wished that maybe at the end of the day I wouldn't change too much.

Maybe I'll still be okay.

With a sigh, I go to the door.

I reached for the knob and a numbness slowly came over my hands. I stood there and stared blankly, then I felt a knot form in my stomach. I was overwhelmed by an inexplicable emotion and my instincts caused me to snatch my hand back.

I really don't wanna go...

As I clenched my hand I look down at it to see a large pink scar. My heart started to sink and my vision blurred.

~~~

*CLATTER!*

"Wha-"

I found myself in art class, an elective I took the year before. It seemed that my pencil box had been knocked over, which was really annoying because I was trying to draw a picture of Sailor Moon; she was an anime girl I sort of liked.

Joshua sat across from me smugly grinning. His eyes taking the form of mischievous slits filled with malicious intent that spoke volumes. He intended to hurt me that day, he wouldn't give up until he caused me some sort of pain, and he knew that I was well aware of that.

He snickered "Fetch!"

I got up and scrambled for the contents of my pencil box on my hands and knees, ignoring the chuckles around me. It was already really annoying because then everyone could see my drawing before I was done, which was usually a point where it was still pretty ugly.

"Like a dog..."

"Bitch ass..."

"Told y'all he would do it. He soft as hell..."

With a handful of pens and colored pencils I returned to my seat. As I tried to sit I suddenly fell past my chair as it lurched to the side and I hit the floor with a thud.

Before I knew what was happening the bottom of a shoe slammed into my face with a force that dazed me. In split seconds more heels pounded into my face.

My heart began racing.

I crawled away desperately when my mouth began filling with the taste of blood and my face got hot with the sting of pain.

If I even tried to fight him there'd just be a huge fuss and the drama wouldn't ever end.

If I said something I'd just make it worse.

All I wanted to do was try to hold a strong front, try to endure. Just until the end of the day.

Sometimes I look at others and wonder if they have feelings like mine. If they really know what it's like to be hurt, to be rejected, to feel hated. How do I know if others understand pain, or if they thrive on causing it?

...Don't they know how much it hurts?

I covered my face and tried hopelessly to slow down my breathing.

Please, just don't cry... You can't let them see you cry...

To be seen crying was a sign of weakness. A sign of vulnerability.

A sign of defeat.

A hand grabbed my arm sleeve and dragged me out of the corner and instantly I could feel a storm of heavy objects pound into my head as I twisted and turned through my raging class.

I cracked open my eyes and winced as crates and bins hurdled towards me. I feel the cuts, the scrapes, the stinging. I can feel the warmth of blood on my lips.

It's so familiar but I can't understand why it is. I can't understand what I did wrong.

Why did this feeling become so familiar to me?

I started wishing and hoping for someone to stop this. Kelly, Ms. Carmichael...

The dean... The principal... A fire alarm...

"ANYONE?!"

I didn't mean to say that out loud. They're laughing at me now. I'm such an idiot, I'm so stupid. How could I just crack like that?

W-Why are they laughing at me?!

The teacher...

I looked towards the door and saw the slim lady standing beside the window, she held her hand over her mouth as red rushed to her face, and I saw her smirk. Then she turned and ran off

She ran. I didn't wanna believe it. Maybe she was getting help, or just couldn't bear seeing me like this?

Right?

Tears began to well up.

I used my other arm to grab the leg of a table and pull it just over my head until I felt something sharp pierce my hand.

I lost my composure and a roar of pain spewed from the pit of my stomach as the scissors ripped through my flesh. I violently snatched my arm from the hold of their arms and tucked it under me, my teeth gritted.

Just then a foot slammed into my cheek and pressed my head into the floor, forcing tears to spill from the ducts of my eyes as I slowly stopped struggling. I could hardly breathe after the exhaustion I'd suffered and air only seemed to escape while I wailed on in agony.

I'd lost. Again.

From the corner of my eye I could notice Joshua glaring at me from above with a pair of bloody scissors in his hand and one of my pencils in the other. He tossed it across the room.

"...Fetch."

My face wet with tears, I put my head pounding head down to avoid the stinging eyes of everyone. I got on my knee and try to stand up. Then a lock struck the back of my head. I tightly closed my eyes as tears continue to spill, my mouth quivered

Joshua sneered. "Stay down, you're supposed to be a dog, stupid."

As I tried to crawl I lurched forward when a foot pounded into me from behind.

"Faster!"

"I-I'm trying..."

I put one hand in front of the other then suddenly hit the brink of screaming as the cut in my hand tore even wider.

I could feel Joshua's eyes on my neck. I knew he was smiling, he knew what he did, but I didn't dare turn around.

I just swallowed my pain and tried again.

One hand in front of the other...

One hand in front of the other...

One hand...

"AAAHH!"

I felt the cut split wide open and collapsed under myself, tears gushing as blood poured from the gash.

"Why'd you stop?!"

"I can't..."

Joshua pounded his foot into my back, "I know you can't do shit, I ain't tell you to stop though!"

I curled up and clench my teeth as he flings objects at me. Pencil boxes, textbooks, titanium sharpeners.

"MOVE IT DUMBASS!"

I pushed words out through my sobbing "I c-can't do it!"

He lifted the projector and hurled it down at me, shouting at the top of his lungs as it shattered into pieces.

"I SAID GO!"

I began bawling my words out as he continued to shout at me with a vocabulary of profanity that perplexes me to this day.

"YOU SLICED MY HAND OPEN!"

He stopped shouting and his face twisted.

"BOY!"

My head snapped to the right as he backfisted me across the face. With armed knuckles he pounded his steel lock into my gut, snatched my hand and pinning it behind my back. He started pressing his knee and weight sharply into my spine as I thrashed about while sobbing on the ground.

"RAISE YO VOICE AT ME AGAIN!"

He ripped open my clenched fist and kept spreading my shredded palm wider and wider.

I shrieked at the top of my lungs as the cut slowly tore down my hand.

"OKAY! WON'T! I GET IT!"

He raged "LIL' BITCH! DO IT AGAIN!"

I felt the gash tear from my hand into my wrist and almost went into shock as pain shot through my forearm.

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

Nobody did. They recorded, watched, and threw more stuff at me, but nobody helped.

Not one person.

My voice dragged "IT HUURTS!"

~~~

The memory of my ear shattering voice is interrupted by the sound of clattering lockers.

I blink my eyes and return to the present.

I still haven't left. I'm still staring at the door, and at my scar.

They aren't done with me.

I open the door a crack and my ears cringe in unbearable agony as the mixed shrieking of deep and shrill voices blared in from the outside.

People moved in swarms, flinging everything from empty, and full, bottles of god-knows-what to junk foods and globs of substances so putrid and disgusting you'd rather not question what they are.

Scribbles of gang related phrases and obscene graffiti would appear with each thick passing of bodies as people from young to not even supposed to be here threw up signs as an assertion of dominance, which inspired fear among many while others read it as a challenge that would in turn lead to endless retaliation and senseless, cruel acts of violence that left their memory in the form of scars, missing teeth, sometimes missing fingers.

Missing lives.

They would effortlessly trample one another and keep going as others pushed, shoved, and jabbed at each other to keep the endless sea of youthful aggression moving.

Every day yielded the same conditions, but there was something unique, something special about today which made everything especially hellish.

Fresh meat.

Whether you were new to this building, new to this school, or new to Twoson, you'd be tested here. If you're hard you'll get recruited by the guys, girls get "taken" depending on how fine they are. But if you're anything like me, keeping your mouth shut and not screwing with anyone period is the only chance you've got of making it outta here with at least some form of mental sanity intact.

I step out and close the door behind me, scanning the people as I begin venturing through the brightly lit corridor. I continue navigating the countless sea of rowdy, animated bodies in the most "natural" way possible as I pretended not to notice the bumps, shoves, kicks, and trips from everyone that notices me.

After wandering for a few minutes I remembered.

This is a new building...

And I missed the tour because...

... I was sleeping...

So I continued through the unfamiliar halls. Avoiding eye contact and moving as quietly and quickly as possible. I come around the corner towards the west wing and gaze around the corridor to see people clearing out.

New students... Teachers... Graffiti... Some dude grabbing Kaitlyn's...

Wait.

What the-

I disappeared behind the corner, took a breath, and looked back again.

Yep, it's still there.

Kaitlyn and Jeremiah stood by the dark storage room behind a staircase fixing themselves. She ran her hands along his shoulder "So I'll see you in free period?"

"Yeah baby." He scanned the area, "Just remember we on the down low, right?"

"Duh!" She furiously slapped his arm "God, don't be such a dumbass. Besides, if you wanna keep this up you'll have to hold your end.

You do know that right?"

Jeremiah felt his facial hair "I gotchu."

"Just don't go around running your big mouth and bragging to your 'Homies' about how it 'went down' like I know you do."

He kissed his teeth. "Okay! I got you! Damn..."

"Watch how you talk to me, got it?! And stop yelling, I don't need to smell that hot ass breath... At least you showered last night..."

He chuckled "Yeah..."

Kaitlyn grimaced "What the hell!" She pounded her foot into his balls.

He doubled over, barking profanities as if it would somehow cure the pain I chuckled from where I was standing.

"From now on keep yourself and your thing away from me unless I see you leaving a friggin' shower. Got it?" She sashayed off without giving him a chance to respond.

"And don't forget my damn pills!" She shouted as she came my way.

I turned and scampered down the hall as quietly as possible and hid behind a door.

Kaitlyn's bangin' this guy?!

It was strange to actually witness but not surprising. Kaitlyn's got a reputation for being fast like that. Nobody ever tells her though, it's the kinda thing we all just know but don't talk about.

That girl does whatever she needs to get what she wants...

I could hear her footsteps getting louder and louder. I tried to remain calm.

Stay cool big guy... Avoid eye contact, breathe, and-

*BAM!*

The door swung open and slammed into my face before I knew what hit me. Blood spilled from my nose as a group of about four or five girls poured from the entrance.

"Move it, you damn buffalo!" One of them spat.

They all wore the 8th grade uniform. Or at least their cleavage baring, skin-tight, miniskirt version of it...

I held my nose in a daze and dropped my bag to wipe the blood off of my face, and to rub the knot forming on my head.

Kapreisha spoke. "He okay?"

"He's fine. He cries like this all the time, this isn't new..." Melissa blurted.

I turned my head to the sound of Kaitlyn strutting down the halls in her sexed up 8th grade uniform, switching her hips as she turned heads with high banded stockings that came just up to her thighs and batting false eyelashes as she undid her top buttons to reveal a pink lace bra.

She should be a freshman, but I guess skipping glasses to finesse guys out of cash and contraband took it's toll.

She posed in front of the group, modeling her lewd outfit, "Sup bitches."

They waved with a flick of their wrists. "How's it going, girl?"

"Just being hot." Kaitlyn giggled, "Remember ladies, keep it cute or get cut."

"Yaaasss!" They replied in unison.

Kaitlyn tossed back her wavy blonde hair as she glared in my direction.

I pretended to not notice her and gathered my things, hoping that she'd ignore me.

She rolled her eyes "Eww... Who the hell are you supposed to be?"

Kapreisha furrowed her brows, twirling long thin braids "You don't recognize him?"

"Um. No!" Kaitlyn quipped "I don't keep up with these thangs..."

Melissa spoke "Isn't his name like Timmy Or something?" she said, staring into a glitzy phone.

"Thomas" I groaned "I just got a dorm here..."

Shontay raised her brow "Don't you get your face busted by somebody like every 5 minutes?"

I grumbled.

"Oh! You're that Thomas" Kaitlyn said. "You hang out with that weird pale vampire-lookin kid and the busty skank..."

"Aintchu fight her?" Shontay said.

Tasha popped her gum and spoke "I'm sorry honey but she swung that ass..."

"Shut up, Tasha!" Kaitlyn barked "How the hell did that freakish amazonian whore get so strong anyways..."

Melissa sneered "She's probably lesbo or something..."

Kaitlyn snickered "Nope. I bet she gets it from Casper and fatso right here!"

The group erupted into obnoxious laughter.

I sighed "Me and Travis are in the fourth grade..."

"Oh yeah, I forgot. You guys can't even find it yet..." She tossed her hair back and tapped her foot for a second "She's still a slut though..."

With zero patience for the most ridiculous girl I've ever met, my words slipped "You're one to talk..."

The girls gasped.

"Um. What?"

My heart raced and my brain scrambled as I went into a silent panic.

Why the hell'd you SAY that?!

We stared at each other for a few seconds.

"First of all, I highly suggest you shut your pissy mouth, you chunky ass bitch because you are not on my damn level. Second you wish I was-"

Her face froze with a look of shock and her eyes widened as I stood there returning her intense glare. I felt my heart thumping as the girls watched us.

Then I heard a bell.

"Lemme get my fine self outta here before this new girl up in my science class do too much. She always wanna snitch on somebody for being late... That's okay though, cuz' I'mma confront her today if she say somethin'..."

Melissa waved "Bye, Tasha."

As Tasha made her way down the hall and turned the corner Kaprisha turned up her nose, "Bye, Felicia..."

"Damn that girl weave is nasty..." Shontay mumbled "Anyway, we finna go."

They walked off and left me and Kaitlyn standing there. Both still gawking at each other. Mine was a gawk of fear and anticipation, her's was a gawk of hatred and shock.

I mumbled "I..."

She ripped me from where I was standing and shoved me into a dark empty classroom, slamming the door behind her as she sent me stumbling with a bum-rush.

As I turned around she quickly shoved a stapler in the side my mouth, locking my cheek between the spring loaded plates, and held the other corner of my mouth open with a box cutter.

I froze.

She stood there breathing heavily, her forehead beading with sweat and mascara already beginning to run.

"You sneaky. Little. Shit." She said "You're trying to ruin me aren't you? Expose my shit to your little snot nosed friend and that skank to make me look like a damn joke, right?"

"Uh-uh!" I frantically replied.

She hysterically giggled, leaning her head back as I teared up in anticipation.

Her voice came to an abrupt halt "Maybe I should just stop it now and rip your freaking mouth open."

Tears trailed from my eyes as I helplessly stood there pleading "Uh-uh! UH-UH!"

She chuckled some more and took a few seconds to enjoy my suffering. Slowly her feminine giggles morphed into sadistic cackling and my stomach turned.

Suddenly she let out an ear-splitting shriek, dropped the box cutter, and used both hands to force the stapler shut and rapidly pressed the small bits of metal into my flesh, slicing the insides of my mouth before I knew she had moved.

She wrestled and snatched me around by the mouth in a tearful rage as bloody saliva flew from my lips. I cried my throat raw before she snatched the stapler out and beat me over the head with it.

I fell on the ground and held myself, bawling my eyes out as she glared at me from above.

"UGH!"

She flung the stapler across the room, smashing a window as it made impact.

Her hair a mess and makeup ruined, she stormed out of the room and left me there, aching and alone while the crowds rushing in the halls slowly began to thin out.

As my head pounded from crying I slowly pulled my bag close and unzipped it. I pulled out a black hoodie. I had hope for today but it still didn't matter. I knew that something would go wrong.

Wishing don't help, even I knew that, so I prepared for reality.

I slipped it on and pulled the strings tight as I began my trudge towards the bathroom. When I got there I stood in the mirror, hesitating for a bit. I took a deep breath and started ripping the staples out one by one.

It hurts!

I wanted to say it, but nobody could hear me.

J-Just get it over with!

I ignored the torture I inflicted on myself, I ignored the pain, I ignored the blood. I just wanted it to end.

I ripped out whatever was in my mouth until I couldn't feel anything that wasn't supposed to be there. In the mirror I looked at what my mouth had become. A shredded bloody pulp.

...It doesn't hurt?

Sometimes I appreciate my body going into shock. That way I could only hurt so much until it didn't matter anymore. I saw it as a gift. Only problem was, I'd get dizzy and my knees would go weak every time.

My body had always responded to being hurt in ways I didn't understand. Eventually I just stopped caring.

My head started pounding harder and harder as I stood there. I felt my energy vanish and I began forcing myself to breathe. Out of nowhere I fell on my knees and burst into tears.

My head felt like it was about to bust.

I didn't know why I was crying. I thought I was okay. I had always been able to convince myself of that. Yet in that moment, I had every reason to believe I wasn't okay.

I had a response to every lie I had ever told myself.

Why does this keep happening to me?

Why does everyone want to see me hurt like this?

Why doesn't anybody care?

What did I do?!

"THIS IS BULLSHIT!"

I slammed my hand down on the sink and the entire thing plummeted, shattering into pieces on the floor.

I found myself staring, suddenly scared that someone may find out that it was me. I looked at my hand a bit, it felt really hot and started to hurt a little, but I was still a bit surprised. I really didn't mean to break it, and I really hoped Ms. Carmichael wouldn't find out...

Besides that I'd barely noticed the voice that had just echoed. It was mine, but I didn't realize it. I could barely feel my mind. I was empty and broken. Yet, I could feel my body wanting to move.

I stood in front if the mirror to see myself crying red tears. This had happened once or twice before, so I didn't feel scared or concerned.

I rinsed my face off with water and filled my mouth with Peroxide.

After a few minutes the bleeding stopped.

Travis

"Man, breakfast is about to be over. Where'd he go?" Kelly complained.

I looked over to see Thomas come our way.

Kelly shouted as he approached the table "You basically missed breakfast! What were you doing?"

As he sat down he began playing with his thumbs. "...Nothing..."

He really couldn't be more obviously depressed.

"C'mon don't lie to me. We know when something's wrong and I'm not taking trashy excuses like that." Kelly said. "Just spill it."

I peeled an orange. "Well, class F is straight down the hall and around the corner from class B, he can't even get to the homeroom without passing Joshua and his brothers. He probably ran into them on the way to breakfast." I mumbled.

Kelly groaned "They need to stop. They're always bothering people who don't even talk to them." She tore into a grilled cheese "Like seriously, what did anybody do to you?"

"They don't care about us, they just want people to stay afraid of them. It's about reputation. I just try not to take it personally." I said.

"They should be scared of Kelly more than anything... She did Kaitlyn even worse than those girls on the internet..." Thomas muttered.

"Yeah..." I said.

There was a pause.

I spoke, "So Kelly what class are you in?"

"Grade 7 class A." She said.

"Whoa, 7th grade?!" Thomas' eyes shot open, "They let you skip 6th? Is that even allowed?"

"And she made class A. I only made class A once in the 3rd grade."

The situation kinda reminded me of how embarrassed I was after boasting about how I would make class A for the 2nd grade two years ago... And then failed miserably when they read my name off for class D instead...

I knew I should have studied instead of staying up to finish that anime... To be fair it's only because Thomas pressured me, so I'd feel much better if he didn't wind up making the A class instead.

"You're a lot taller and stronger than the 6th graders though. I think you'd fit right in with everybody else." I said. "They'd probably forget you're 11 anyways, you -actually look like you could pass for a teenager."

Kelly cracked a partial smile "Well you didn't think I'd let you guys down this year now did you?" she bragged.

Thomas snickered, "Nope, just wanted to see if you'd pull one like Travis and end up in a bad class."

I could feel my cheeks turn a bright red, "Really?!" I blurted, "Why'd you have to bring that up?"

In seconds Thomas and Kelly went from snickering, to giggling, to almost falling out of their chairs cackling. I look away to keep myself from smiling, but then I look back at the jovial pair and am inevitably defeated by our bonds, giving in to laughter.

"Well the bell is probably going to ring soon, people are starting to leave and I don't want to be late for Mr. Robinson's class... He's crazy." Kelly said, catching her breath.

Thomas exhaled "That would probably be best."

"Okay see you at lunch!" Me and Thomas and I said, waving at Kelly as she ran towards homeroom.

After that we went to our classes. First we did history with Ms. Tierno who on that day was teaching us about conditions in the Sengoku period.

I didn't catch much of it and only took the noted when I knew it was something I'd forget. From what I could gather they were talking about resources and something about Baiyo getting invaded.

... How is any of this supposed to help me in life?

"During the war however, Baiyo was able to gain the advantage over Europa's soldiers. They accomplished this by taking captive many soldiers and forcing them to divulge their strategies through gruesome torture methods."

A strangely gleeful boy sitting behind me spoke up "What torture methods did they use?"

"They put their hostages through a variety of cringe-worthy torture methods. A few examples are as follows.

Bamboo torture. In this form of torture the victim was tied securely in place above a young bamboo shoot where the sharp, fast growing shoots would eventually penetrate the victim's body and emerge through the other side." She said in a disturbingly light and carefree voice.

See... Ms. Tierno has a problem with rambling on and on about graphic details whenever they exist in a lesson. It really wasn't a surprise. I mean we all see the movies she watches in the teacher lounge, she fills her mind with that type of crap 24/7...

"Another torture device was known as The Rack. Designed to dislocate every joint of the victim's body, it was believed to be the most painful form of medieval torture..."

My brain censored the rest of that description.

Thomas raised his hand "M-Ms. Tierno... This all sounds really messed up... Can we move on?"

"Seriously? You're not in the first grade anymore" Ms. Tierno groaned, rolling her eyes "*Sigh*... Fine I'll say one more and we'll move on. If you can't handle it then just step out.

The last method I'll tell you about is Crucifixion..."

Again, that part was a gap in my memory.

Thomas put his head down and covered his ears, Ms. Tierno let out a sigh "Oh lord... Fine, I'll collect the homework and we'll continue research for your essays. Go to the computer lab or whatever before one of you has a breakdown or throws up or something..."

After that was over and I helped Thomas get that image out of his head, we found out that there was a new Science teacher named Ms. Watterson.

Apparently our old one, Mr. Moore, decided to quit because between his wife having a new baby, paying mortgage, his car being towed due to unpaid parking tickets, and the extra stress he got from going back and forth with students, I'd say he was on the verge of having a heart attack.

As I entered the room I immediately noticed the odd set up. All of the desks were paired as they should be, except for one. The only desk not paired sat in the middle of the room as if there were a repulsive barrier preventing others from going anywhere near it. It sat there, lonely and unwanted.

Something else. His desk had been drawn on, vandalized with disturbing messages.

KILL YOURSELF!

I DARE YOU TO JUMP OFF THE ROOF!

WATCH OUT!

DIE! FROM: THE WHOLE SCHOOL!

Sadly, this isn't the only time this had happened. This time was better, at least this time it wasn't razed into his skin.

Thomas walked towards the desk, pausing for a second or so as people shouted jokes and heartless comments.

When Mrs. Watterson walked in she greeted the class with a warm smile and asked for our names.

"Hello, I will be your new science teacher from now on. Why don't we get to know each other a little before we start?"

Mrs. Watterson was a tall dark skinned woman with long braided hair and a clear smooth complexion. Gleeful with a knack for helping kids deal with stress and time management. Sometimes she'd even spend some time after classes to talk to different students who needed to get stuff off of their chest.

She was like a mother, teacher, and counselor all rolled into one.

Wow.

She shot a glance at Thomas, who continued to brood and walked over to my desk and sat down.

"It's Travis, right?"

"Yeah." I said.

She smiled and started talking again "I've heard about you from your other classmates. You and that other boy Thomas stand out a little from the class right?"

I nodded and scratched the back of my head. "Yeah, you could say that."

"I know you guys go through a lot here and I want you to understand that I'm aware of that, and if you ever need to talk to me I'm willing to stay and listen."

Just then I felt a new strange emotion. There was something in her voice that triggered it. What was it?

Sincerity? Maybe concern?... Kindness...?

I really don't know.

"Okay," I nodded.

"Everyone has the ability to unlock bright futures, and more often than not it won't happen if you go do what everybody else does."

I sigh mentally "Uh-huh..."

She furrowed her brow "...I sound cheesy don't I? I know you've probably heard that one a million times before..."

She continued "Sometimes life just works out in funny ways. I can't explain it, but I do know one thing."

"What?" I asked.

"It always gets better. Have you ever heard the phrase, the darkest is always before dawn?"

"Yeah..."

She saw right through me, quickly noticing my "yeah right" disposition. "I know your parents loved you and wanted you to become a beautiful young man and so far I'm not disappointed, I don't think they would be either."

I got a fuzzy feeling deep inside. "Thanks Mrs. Watterson." As I reached for my pencil it rolled off of the desk. Mrs. Watterson caught it and handed it to me.

"Thanks, you didn't have to do that though." I said.

"It's okay, I wanted to. Sometimes you should help people out just because."

"Because what?"

She giggled and playfully slapped my arm "Because it could make their day! And oh, I don't know, out of the goodness of your heart? Who knows, sometimes it might just come back to help you when there's nowhere else to go." She smiled at me.

"The universe balances everything out, huh?" I smiled back.

"Exactly."

It felt nice knowing that someone who worked at the boarding school actually cared enough to help us deal with everything we had to, even though she did seem pretty out of touch with how severe everything was.

I mean, you'd want to respect her for being patient but at the same time it gets on your nerves. I'll never forget the times where I had to sit helplessly as my work was stolen, copied, and ripped apart while she talked about "treating others how you'd want to be treated".

I'll never forget the times where I came back from 8th period to find my dorm room vandalized and broken into while she stood there preaching about "respecting boundaries".

The times where I went hungry for days because my food was repeatedly stolen, the times where I was almost crippled after being shoved down flights of stairs. I'll never forget the time her kindness almost killed someone.

Thomas and I went into the bathroom about two months after she got here. It was the last time I ever used a restroom outside our dorm.

I had just finished washing my hands and was fixing myself in the mirror.

I had woken up late and rushed out without showering, or brushing my teeth, or combing my hair, or... Putting on the right shoes?

Get it together...

I said to myself, combing through my coarse hair with my fingers.

I began to feel chills at the faint sound of footsteps and then jumped in shock at the sudden burst of noise. Like an enraged stampede, a swarm of 7th and 8th graders burst through the heavy doors and the room filled with obnoxious shouting and incomprehensible noise.

"What the-?"

Before I could think I had been tackled onto the ground, a heavy boot pressing my body into the dirty grey tiled floors. I turned my head and stared up at the person who had ambushed me.

"B-Bryce?"

He stood there towering over me at 5.'7". Lean, mean and scowling at me through a tangled web of brown hair. With a sadistic glare he hacked and spit at me. The disgusting saliva dripping from my hair onto my face as I shut my eyes tightly and cringed.

As I wriggled beneath him he grabbed a fist full of black hair and forced my head up to watch a teary eyed Thomas desperately try to escape, only to be wrestled to the ground by six members of the junior rugby team with more than enough force.

He let out a howl of pain as both arms were pinned behind his back. They looked around in a panic.

"Shut his ass up!"

Immediately two or three people's feet slammed into his jaw. Turning his cries into heart shattering sobs as they continued to violently beat him.

One of them pulled out a set of trimmers and immediately began shaving his head without the slightest warning, turning his neat well-kept look into a cluster of dirty cuts and bald patches.

In the rush of everything my heart began to thump, suddenly I felt myself getting light headed and dizzy. As I continued to struggle I can feel the warmth of blood flowing from my nose and my head starts pounding. Then I remember.

My blood pressure... I never took my pills.

I feel Bryce eyeing me. He probably sees too. My bloody nose, my weakening body. He loves to rub it in. Everybody does.

He smirked "You're so damn weak it's pathetic."

In a single fluid motion Bryce flung me into the corner. I want to run away so bad but I can't. My body is too weak, and what about Thomas?

"I'll give you somethin' to bleed about."

I felt a heavy boot plunge into my face and force more blood to gush out of my nose. My vision blurs and the pain begins throbbing.

"Stop!" Thomas cried in a breaking voice "You're gonna hurt him!"

Bryce ignored him and pounded his foot into my jaw again "That's the point fatass." he snarled.

"No! His blood pressure is so high you could kill him! And it doesn't take much to break his skin you're seriously gonna hurt him real bad!"

Thomas' plea was drowned out by the cheering.

"BEAT HIS ASS!"

"KNOCK THAT CRACKA OUT!"

"STOMP HIM! STOMP ON HIS FACE!"

Over the shouting I heard one distinct cry.

"STOP IT!"

I could clearly recognize that it was Thomas even though by now my hearing was even beginning to fail. In an instant I know what's happening.

I'm gonna faint again.

It's inevitable, but I try to put it off as long as I can. At this point my vision is so blurry I can barely see anything around me. I even manage to forget why my body hurts so much.

W-Why does it hurt so much again?... Oh yeah... Bryce. He's been kicking me for a while now...

"I SAID STOP IT!"

At that I feel one last blow to the head and my vision is enveloped by a cloud of darkness. The last thing I remember before I lost consciousness was hearing footsteps. Then I felt my heart nearly shoot out of my chest as I hear a gut wrenching scream accompanied by loud thumping.

Thomas...

Later

I woke up. The room was deathly silent and my cheek is already stained with the dirt and filth of Bryce's boot and the bathroom floor. I tear myself from the ground and immediately my nose is bombarded with soreness and the stench of dry blood.

I look around. Bryce and his friends are gone and for a moment, it's just me. Sitting in a filthy bathroom, bruised and battered. Alone.

Then I remember.

Thomas!

I scanned the room in a desperate search for him but he's not anywhere, so I sprung up and scampered across the room. even stopping to search the stalls. Nothing.

As I passed the large mirror I could see myself in my peripheral vision. My face and arms were all bruised to such a point of discoloration that you'd think I was rotting. I stand there and look for a moment and I begin to understand why I'm such an easy target.

I'm weak, I can't fight, I can barely get a hold of my own body.

I really am pathetic...

I drag my feet across the floor until I come across the last one.

Thomas. He is bent over the toilet, limp and motionless, and his head is submerged in red toilet water.

"THOMAS!"

I wrap my arms around him and use every ounce of strength I have to pull his body out. He falls flat on his back and I panic. His pupils are shrunk and his face is frozen with a look of shock and horror. I quickly put a finger to his cold neck, and feel a faint pulse.

Compression!

I desperately press down on his chest over and over again. Nothing happens.

Tears flow from my eyes as I try to force away tragic thoughts. Once again I push down on his chest and try to force the water out with my weight.

He still wouldn't respond. No matter how many times I tried he just wouldn't get up. With nothing but a pathetic shred of hope I lose my mental faculties and give myself up to confusion.

For a moment my brain is scattered and I can barely formulate words in my mind. My ability to use logic and reason disappears and the only thing I can do is act. Before I even know what I'm doing I leap over his body and force all 90lbs of my body mass to slam directly on his stomach.

My landing knocks the air and water out of his lungs and as if I wasn't even there Thomas springs to his feet with a large gasp, knocking my apparently weightless body over.

Just as suddenly as he rose Thomas immediately doubled over, coughing violently, his lungs heaving as bloody water spilled from his nostrils.

He crawled out of the small space and collapsed on the floor. I rush over and watch his chest for a moment. He was breathing. He was alive.

With a sigh of relief I sit there, catching my breath for just a moment. Then I walk towards the door and pull at the handle. It's locked.

"They took it..."

I turn around and look at Thomas who was shivering and had managed to prop himself up in a corner.

He sneezed and sniffled "...They locked us in here and took the key..."

I leaned against the wall and slid down until I was practically laying on the floor. Then we waited.

We waited for what felt like hours, watching as the light from the outside world in the window turned from blue, to orange, to a dark indigo and eventually the moon is the only thing that illuminates the sky.

The whole time neither of us moved or said a word, the only noise being Thomas' coughing and wheezing. I stayed slouched by the door, my head between my knees, and Thomas never left his corner.

Then the door opened and I looked.

Ms. Watterson is standing there with the key to the boy's bathroom, a few students are standing behind her, among them Kelly.

I stand to my feet and try my best to look okay.

Kelly didn't buy it for a second.

"What happened?!"

I mumbled "...Everything."

Kelly grabbed my shoulders and jolted me violently "Boy! Don't play with me! What the hell happened to you two?!"

"...The 7th and 8th graders attacked us..." I croaked "Bryce led the whole thing... He stomped me out and, well, I fainted and when I woke up..."

I pause for a moment and take a look.

Kelly is staring at me with the intensity of a warrior, her mind undoubtedly focused and sharp. I look away for a moment and feel my lips quiver, then my breathing intensifies.

Kelly's glare softens and she loosens her grip.

She spoke again in a softer tone, her voice still firm and filled with unwavering concern "What happened?"

"He was in a stall bent over a toilet and... his head was underwater."

"WHAT?!"

"I pulled him out and he was unconscious. I saved him and-."

Before I could finish Kelly's gaze shifted to the corner where Thomas sat, still shivering and unaffected by our sudden rescue or Kelly's shouting.

Kelly ran over to him, "THOMAS!"

He didn't respond at all. Instead he sat there, wrapped in his own arms staring blankly at the wall.

Kelly ripped him from the ground and pinned him against the wall "C'mon! Say something, dammit!"

Thomas parted his lips and spoke complete gibberish.

Ms. Watterson stood by the door looking on in shock. As I looked towards her she stepped back and ran away, leaving us to tend to Thomas.

Kelly punched the wall in frustration "I swear to GOD she's useless!" She looked at me "Travis! Nurse! NOW!"

I ran out of the bathroom nearly tripping over myself as I raced through the halls. I burst into the nurse's office and found Ms. Falconer. Immediately I began explaining the situation.

She sprung out of her chair and adjusted her glasses "Nearly drowned?! Lead me to them!"

With newfound assistance I ran back to the scene. Ms. Falconer froze at the entrance of the bathroom.

"No... It can't be."

She ran over to Thomas and put a hand on his cheek. His face was bluing and flushed of color, his eyes tired and red.

Ms. Falconer took off her brown jacket and placed it around him and tried to walk him to the door. Thomas took a step forward and nearly collapsed.

Kelly rushed towards the two and put his arm around her as they helped him stand. As we escorted him out of the bathroom a few had gathered. Watching as two pathetic victims, one of them nearly dead, left a traumatic scene.

As we passed a corner on our way to the nurse's office I looked over to spot Joshua and a few older guys leaning against the wall watching us. Kaitlyn stood among them, liberally applying lip gloss.

As they noticed us Joshua smirked.

Kaitlyn shot us a quick glare "What a bunch of skanks..." she mumbled, as we passed by.

I find myself cringing in annoyance by both of them but I ignore it and try to focus.

Soon we arrive. Ms. Falconer takes Thomas into the nurse's office, me and Kelly sit down, and we wait.

I look over and see that Kelly is exhausted. Light chestnut choppy bangs are plastered to her wet forehead, a few buttons on her uniform are missing, and her clothes are disheveled.

"What happened to you?" I ask.

She hesitated "It's a long story..."

"Really? You demand us to spill it but we can't be concerned?"

"It's personal, alright! I just..." She let out a sigh "Fine, I'll tell you. Just remember that the only reason I'm letting you know is because I trust you won't overreact... and that you're not a perv."

She put a finger to my face "Now listen, I didn't even tell Mrs. Watterson when everything first went down so don't you dare go talking about it."

"Kelly, other than you and Thomas I have no friends, I won't tell anyone."

"Okay... Earlier today I had just finished gym and when I got back to the locker room I found out that my bra was missing."

I furrowed my brows.

"Don't look at me like that! It's not even my fault!" She tossed her hair back "Anyway, I was too embarrassed to tell anybody so I didn't say anything, I thought that if I could just make it through the day I could get more "support" from my dorm."

I stopped her right there "Kelly, I know there isn't much you could do about the situation but you, me, Thomas, and everybody In this school is aware of your...."

I tried to find the right words without sounding weird or pervy. Thing is, Kelly has a very, "developed" figure and one of the many components that contribute to said figure are a big bouncy pair of...

Puffies.

"Don't even say it." she interrupted "That's exactly why I'm here."

She leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs "So after school when everybody clears out I start walking to my dorm. So I'm just walking through the halls when suddenly Tequan hugs me from behind!"

"Tequan?!"

"Yes, wannabe gangsta, dickhead Tequan. He started calling me "Baby" and crap so of course I was like "Get the hell away from me!" so then he's like "I got something for you" and starts giving me that weird "sexy" face.

Y'know when he tilts his head up and looks down at you just to make a kissy face or bite his bottom lip?"

"Don't remind me..." I mumbled.

"So then he whips out my friggin' bra and asks if he could put it on for me!"

God...

"So then he grabs my arm and tries to lift my shirt."

"Did he touch you?"

"Hell no! I decked his musty ass!"

"And how'd you manage that?"

She folded her arms and gave me a smug look "Easy. While he was grabbing for the goods I just elbowed him in the neck and once he started gagging it was just a matter of aiming for the sensitive areas"

Suddenly she seemed really cheeky. I felt slightly uncomfortable, but in the end I just went with it.

As she finished her story Ms. Falconer opens the doors and steps out.

Kelly and I spring from our chairs "Is he okay?" we spoke in unison.

"He's doing better than I thought but he's still in no shape for school."

"What do you mean?" Kelly asked.

Ms. Falconer adjusted her glasses "I mean that his brain needs time to recover from a serious lack of oxygen. He was underwater for a long time and from what I'm seeing he was beaten pretty badly because he's currently suffering from a concussion."

Ms. Falconer looked my way. "Had you not been there he could have died easily, this case still perplexes me though.

I've handled situations like this before where adults have died from having a small amount of water in their lungs yet he, a child, had his head completely submerged in water, is suffering from brain damage but is fully conscious and still has the strength to speak."

She dug in the pocket of her scrubs and handed me a small white piece of paper, "Regardless, I want you to give this note to Ms. Jackson immediately."

I gawked at the paper "What is it?"

"It's a note from me. Thomas won't be joining you in class for the next two weeks. Taking a break is imperative for his recovery and this note will keep him from going to summer school or serving detention for the next month."

As she finished speaking Thomas walked out of the room, the two of us immediately rushed to his side.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Thomas smiled lightly "I-I'm fine."

As he said that Ms. Watterson walked past the corridor gazing at us with sorrowful eyes. Kelly scowled in her direction and started pushing us forward.

"Let's go."

As we walked through the halls I couldn't help but notice Kelly's visible anger. Her clenched fists and pursed lips didn't hide a thing.

Moments later we made it back to the dorm. When we walked in I offered to pick up Thomas' clothes from the laundry room, but by the time I finished my sentence he was knocked out.

I laughed to myself.

Man he's a sound sleeper...

I figured I'd pick it up anyway. I had things to pick up from down there for myself anyway.

As I stepped out Kelly was just barely down the hall.

"Mad at Ms. Watterson?" I asked.

"Oh man, is it that obvious?" She snarled, her words riddled with sarcasm.

"I bet you didn't hear the news."

"What news?" I asked.

"She quit."

I froze for a second "What?"

"She's done with us, she's thrown in the towel, she walked her tall ass up to Ms. Jackson and asked for the pink slip."

"But she's been here for like two months, why would she do that?"

"Chick's got no guts," Kelly tossed her hair back. "She deals with a bunch of kids who don't know how to stay in a friggin' chair, fights happen every day, by the looks of her she's never been anywhere near a place like this..."

"Well this isn't the first time something like this happened. People get stressed-."

"Stress?" Kelly interrupted "You wanna talk about being stressed? Thomas almost died and the people who almost killed him are probably stoned somewhere, this is the eighth time this week someone's tried to screw me. Hell, YOU keep fainting. I can't even..."

She began pacing and tossed the loose hair out of her face "This is our lives. This is all it's ever been and it's all we'll ever see until we're grown and on our own, but she just gets to walk away because her baby daddy thinks she's too tense?"

She walked to the end of the hall and turned around.

"I'll tell you what, if she gets to go then we'll get rid of someone else too." She smirked "A real prick."

The Next Day

I cleared my throat "Excuse us, Ms. Jackson?"

Ms. Jackson replied loudly and somewhat annoyed by our presence.

"What do you want kid?"

"Well yesterday-"

"Hurry up!"

"We're here to give you a note." Kelly interrupted.

"Then say something! *cough* Why are you just standing there are you slow or something!? *wheeze*."

She snatched the note and quickly scanned it.

"So this is it? Some kid gets swirlied and suddenly it's some huge deal?" She quipped.

I retorted "Ms. Jackson, Thomas could have died. This school is freaking wild and you know it."

She rolled her eyes at us "Whatever..."

"There's something else we wanna talk to you about too-."

"Oh WAAAH!" Ms. Jackson slammed her hand on the desk.

"'I have a problem!' 'Those kids are making me feel bad about myself!' 'My head hurts!' Does it look like I give a-."

Kelly stepped in front of me, arms folded and her glare intense. "Ms. Jackson I think what Travis was trying to say is that we want to talk about Ms. Carmichael being so cruel to us students."

Ms. Jackson folded her hands and cracked a small grin. "Cruelty? It's called discipline little girl. It's her job for crying out loud. *cough**cough* GOD! *wheeze* is everyone in here a moron!?"

"Ms. Jackson, In the past week 7 students were beaten in one of the 6th grade classes alone and 2 students saw her taking someone's allowance out of their dorm and then threatening to beat them if they kept talking about it, then she stopped two black girls from going to lunch because they were 'burned' and said that they should be slaving in the kitchen. She's a pretty nasty person." Kelly quipped, screwing up her face.

"Actually, all 7 of those students were in violation of the rules set by the administration, and I doubt that with the salary she's making she'd have to steal any money from rats like you. Also, you really shouldn't lie to me little girl, it's the 21st century, racism is dead." She smiled a little and I could hear her voice crack after that last statement, she couldn't even look at us or keep a straight face after she said that.

"The only violations by those students were lingering in the hall and being outside their dorms past curfew.

Besides, everyone was a little tipsy from when she made them spin with books as a punishment for just looking tired in a class she was observing, not to mention that they were only tired from the on-and-off boot camp exercises she made them do in the gym until 1:30am, which was also a punishment for not finishing the homemade lunch she brought which made almost everyone sick, especially the foreign students. Wonder why..."

I rejoined the conversation.

"Ms. Jackson at least listen to us, we're not the only ones who know about this, we can bring others if you-"

"Why should I give a crap about what they have to say? You're a bunch of brats who complain about everything!" Ms. Jackson lowered her voice and spoke in a bitter tone.

"I'm tired of listening to you sorry dogs complain about how "hard" your lives are! I wish Ms. Carmichael was here to teach every one of you mongrels something about gratitude! Both of you get out, NOW!"

She sent us back to our dorms and grounded both of us for "discrediting a staff member" even though we were obviously telling the truth.

The day was a blur as always. You go from class to class like someone out of The Walking Dead, take a few detours to avoid the violent crowd, occasionally hide even if it gets you marked tardy or absent, and then retreat to your dorm for the day.

I laid in bed awake wondering about everything that happened that day. I couldn't really help it. Being forced to live with a bunch of people who hate me. That's all life was.

As I laid there pondering over it my heart sunk and I felt a weight crush my chest. The weight of anxiety and depression which I was all too familiar with had smothered me to the point where I could barely breathe.

I decided to step outside onto the balcony to get some fresh air and clear my mind by gazing off into the surrounding area.

In the suburbs Twoson has a clear dark blue sky filled with clear bright stars that dissolve into almost nothing as you look in downtown's direction. It reminded me that not everywhere was bad, it was just my luck as usual.

I turned my head and looked at the rest of the campus, three other huge buildings and the registration office, all housing children, most of them harboring hostile feelings and thoughts towards each other. The entire campus was practically a war zone, a scary thought if you dwell on it.

I couldn't forget what Mrs. Watterson said about how there was a bright future for everybody. I heard that a lot and even though it was nice to hear, it seemed like a huge load of crap. Especially considering the fact that she just quit out of nowhere when she felt like it...

WAY too optimistic to believe, too optimistic for my situation anyway. It reminded me of something Thomas might say, but even he isn't that naive.

I was nine, my only real friends were Thomas and Kelly, and we were at the hands of a bunch of abusive people hovering over an even more abusive disciplinarian whose job was to literally beat people down.

I knew she said that you probably wouldn't be able to get a better future by living life the way everyone else does.

...What's that supposed to mean?

The only way I could really think of living was to finish school, go to college and get a job just like everyone else and that future wasn't exactly bright to me.

Then again she could just be referring to behavioral issues...

Either way it's boring. What's so special and happy about living like a friggin' android?

Why can't people choose their own unique path in life?

The thought of going through life a different way was exciting but it really didn't seem like it could be helped. Besides, to live life normally I'd have to sit through this crap for another eight years...

At that moment Thomas turned over. I thought he was sleeping but I guess not.

"Travis, did we... Do something to deserve this? Is this like a punishment for being who we are?"

"What do you mean?"

"We just aren't what we need to be to survive here. I'm not hard, or "gangsta" enough for anybody to take me seriously when I beg them to leave me alone.

You don't fight everybody that crosses you," he paused, "and people just beat on you whenever they want.

We aren't gangbangers, or edgy, or the popular guys people want to respect. We're at the bottom of the friggin' barrel.

We're just... Us"

I put my head down "I don't... Maybe..."

It couldn't make that much of a difference whether we were there or not.

We weren't who people wanted to see, we didn't fit the standard at all. There was no place for us there. To them we might as well be...

At that time I didn't think we could change our lives if we wanted to. I didn't know what to think, I just went to sleep unsatisfied.

I wanted to change my life and I didn't want to do it alone, I wanted Thomas and Kelly's life to change for the better too. They were my friends and I cared about them. The only problem was that I didn't understand how.

Not yet anyway...

~~~

A/N: So the first chapter is up! God DAMN these kids need a holiday, I hope they figure something out soon...

Also, let me know if you enjoyed the story! If you're reading then don't just sit there, vote or drop a "Hi" to let me know you're there!

Chao!