CHAPTER SEVENTEEN » FURY
"Is that all you got?"

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"What the hell are you doing?" I burst out, coming to a stop as my eyes landed on Liam, fresh blood dribbling from his nose and his eye already bruised and swelling. I wasn't entirely surprised to find Nolan and Gabe stood in front of him, staring down at him with clenched jaws and hard looks. "Let me through," I ordered with a snap, beginning to barge past a few of the lacrosse boys, narrowing my eyes as they tried to block my way. "I said let me through!"

"Keep her back," Gabe instructed lowly, sparing a brief glance towards us before turning his attention back to Liam.

I felt a rough hand curl around my arm, yanking me back as I tried to push my way forwards again. I shoved my elbows back, and the boy yelped, his grip loosening on me. Whilst some of the other spectators were turning to look at the commotion between us, I managed to shove my way through the bodies, reaching the front of the crowd.

"Are you just going to let us do this to you?" Nolan asked harshly, watching Liam with a look of impatience. He sat silently, his body rigid as he kept his back pressed against the wall.

All of a sudden, Gabe launched forwards, landing a hard punch on Liam's nose, the force knocking him down to the floor. Nolan stormed forwards and grabbed his face, roughly pulling him up from the ground. Some of the lacrosse boys came to my side again, practically swarming around me.

"You know you can take us," Nolan said darkly. "All you have to do is change."

Liam's heartbeat hammered, inches away from spiralling out of control. I cast a frantic glance at Mason, who was still struggling to break away from the people who had a hold him.

Desperately, I tried to push through again, but by now there were too many people crowding around me. My eyes swooped around wildly as I willed them to land on something that could help me out, until my gaze fell on Liam's. "The sun," I whispered quickly, holding my stare as I tried to tap into Liam's hearing. "The moon." I strained my ears over the sounds of my own heart pounding, finally listening to his pulse again, hearing a slight change in pace. He could hear me. "The truth."

Moments later, Liam began to quietly mutter the mantra to himself, his heart beginning to steady with every word he spoke. It was working.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Nolan suddenly demanded, still gripping Liam's face tightly.

Gabe stepped forwards, lightly shoving Nolan out of the way. "Who cares." Without a further word, he threw another punch at Liam, letting him crumble to the ground again with a pained groan.

"Stop!" I lunged forwards, slamming straight into a boy called Justin, before somebody else grabbed my arms, tugging me back so insistently that I thought my arms might tear off if they pulled any harder.

After attempting to put up a struggle, I began to slow to a stop, feeling as if I had no strength to move as I watched Gabe tug Liam by the material of his shirt before roughly flinging him down to the floor. Nolan brought his foot down hard, his shoes slamming against Liam's ribs.

Gasps flew out around the crowd, as Liam let out a struggled groan, his fists clenching together fiercely. He remained on his hands and knees, blood and spit tangling together as he began to breathe heavily. "You're fighting it!" Nolan snapped. Liam continued to grunt, his heart beating so fast I thought it was going to burst out of his chest. "But you can't hold back forever!"

"Do something!" Mason's desperate exclamation brought me out of my stunned silence, and I turned to my left as our science teacher, Ms Finch, broke through the crowd.

She took one long look at the scene in front of her, before taking a fearful step back, beginning to disappear again. "Sometimes it's– it's best to let them work things out on their own."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

I snapped my attention back to the front as Gabe grabbed a handful of Liam's hair, yanking his head up so that everybody could take a look at him.

Liam's desperate blue eyes swooped over the crowd as he let out heavy groans of pain, his frantic gaze finally landing on me. I let out a shaky breath, biting down on my bottom lip as a cry began to build in my throat.

Within seconds, Gabe had lifted his knee up, forcefully hitting Liam underneath the chin, sending him falling to a broken heap on the ground again.

A scorching rage began to surge within me, lacing through my veins, and, all of a sudden, I didn't want to feel so helpless anymore. I'd been stood there for so damn long trying to figure out a plan, that all I'd managed to achieve was letting Liam get hurt over and over again.

Gabe's trainers began to hover over Liam again, as he seemed to be preparing to slam it down onto his face. From the other end of the crowd, Mason began to cry out again, his voice wracked with emotions as he tried to fight away from the people holding him back. "Stop it!"

For the briefest instance, a heavy silence began to fall around us as Mason's cry lingered in the air. I closed my eyes for a moment, breathing in deeply as the words echoed around my skull.

"Oh, fuck this."

I hurled myself forwards, digging my elbows into anybody who tried to pull me back as I barged my way to the front, catching Nolan's eye as a panicked expression washed over him.

"Keep her away!"

I ignored Nolan's shout, storming over to Gabe and slamming my hands against his chest, the force knocking him off balance. He stumbled to the floor, sliding along until his back his the wall. Another one of the lacrosse boys stepped towards me, attempting to grab me again, and, in a moment of frustration, I flung my fist behind me, accidentally hitting the boy in the process. He let out a yell of surprise, his hand flying to his bloodied nose as he stumbled back into his friends, all of them finally stepping away.

"You should keep your girl under control, Liam," Gabe seethed, his eyes narrowing into a glare as I clenched my jaw, moving towards him. A deep rage continued to burn within me, every single word acting like gasoline, fuelling a fire. "Especially if she's like you too."

"Son of a bitch–" I had lunged myself forwards, only to be tugged back by none other than Nolan. I pulled back, my fist clenched so hard that my knuckles had turned white, and hit Nolan in the face, the sudden blow causing him to stumble back in a daze.

"Think you can save the day?" I snapped my head back round, moving myself so that I was face to face with Gabe, who only inched himself closer, his chest pushed out proudly. "You think you're a hero?" He cocked his head to the side, motioning towards Liam. "Or are you a monster like him?"

I swallowed thickly, raising my chin up to face him properly as I attempted to find it within my furious self to keep under control. But my anger and hatred had already started to get the better of me, and I began to close the space between us, my eyes locked on his. "Wanna find out?"

A cruel sneer formed on his face, as he leaned forward, his eyes boring into mine. "I think we should."

"No!" Liam burst out, his voice sounding strangled from the blood catching in the back of his throat. I jolted, a little startled, but kept my focus on Gabe instead of turning behind me. "Don't," he continued to choke out. "You don't have to hurt her."

Gabe paused, a smirk curling on the left side of his lips. "Look at that," he taunted, his eyes blazing with an arrogance that suggested he was truly savouring the moment. "Maybe we'll finally get a reaction from him if we hurt you."

I gritted my teeth together, continuing to keep my eyes locked on his as my primal instincts began to take over. I flashed my eyes green for the briefest instance so that only he could see. "I'd like to see you fucking try."

I wasn't sure who threw the first punch, but suddenly my fist was slamming into his face, knocking him back as a chorus of ooh's erupted in the crowd, mixing with the sounds of all three of my friend's shouting in protest.

I took a glance down at my slightly bloodied knuckles, barely looking up in time before Gabe swung his fist at me. I ducked quickly, rising up again to plant another punch under his chin, knocking his head back. I took a moment to catch my breath as Gabe clutched his nose, a small amount of blood pooling from the impact.

There was no way he was giving up until one of us turned.

Nolan, shortly followed by Gabe, began to storm towards me, his eyes narrowed in determination. He dived forwards first as I held up my hands defensively, slamming my palms against him. He fell to the floor, his eyes widening for the briefest instance.

Gabe let out an angry yell, lifting his knee and jamming it into my stomach. The sudden jarring pain took my breath away for a moment, as my knees began to buckle. 

"Stop it!" Venus screamed out as I watched her lunge forwards from the crowd, only to be dragged back again.

Unable to steady myself, I dropped to my knees on the floor. Gabe acted quickly, too quickly for me, seeming to throw his whole body weight behind his fist, hitting my jaw with so much force that I felt the taste of blood instantly begin to pool in my mouth.

"Please!" Mason's pleading voice rang in my ears as I felt the burning impact of another punch. "Please! Stop!"

Seeming triumphant, Gabe knelt down in front of me, a malicious grin on his face as he watched me for a few moments. My airways felt constricted all of a sudden and I started to cough, the back of my throat feeling painfully raw. "You finding this difficult, Bex?"

I shook my head, letting out a half hearted laugh as I began to wipe the blood away from my lips with the back of my hand. "Is that all you got?"

Without a moments hesitation Gabe brought his shoe down, slamming it straight down into my side. My insides twisted in pain, my whole body writhing with agony.

"Get off her!" Liam shouted, his voice seeming to deepen with fury. "Don't touch her!"

Gabe let out a taunting laugh, and as I achingly pulled myself back onto my knees again, I decided that this kid truly was sick in the head. "I wonder how he'll feel about this–"

I didn't give him the chance to do whatever he was planning. Instead, as he leant down, I grasped his head with my hands, bringing my knee up to his nose, forcefully jolting his head back.

There was a sudden loud thud from the other side of the room, as screams and shouts began to erupt from the crowd. In a moment of confusion, I glanced past Gabe, my eyes landing on Nolan and a few other boys as they began to repeatedly kick Liam's side.

I squeezed my stinging eyes shut momentarily, every struggled sound from Liam shattering my heart. As I opened them again, Gabe was already pulling himself up and heading to Nolan's side. And as much as I tried to move too, I couldn't find it within me to gather the strength to stand.

"No!" Mason cried out fearfully, tears brimming in his eyes, as he attempted to move forwards again. "Stop!"

Small amounts of blood began to fly from Liam's lips as he began to choke, gasping for air in a panic. I gritted my teeth together, unable to take any more of them torturing Liam. Desperately, I began to pull myself up, my whole body aching heavily as I reached a bloodied hand onto the nearest desk for support.

Gabe reached down, taking a fistful of Liam's shirt in his hands. "Don't!" I called out, my voice loudly travelling over the noise of the crowd. I caught sight of Liam, whose face was so coated in blood that all I could see were his desperate eyes. "Stop it! Please!"

Gabe pulled his elbow back, preparing to land another punch until a voice came booming from the door.

"What the hell is going on?!" Coach Finstock bellowed, practically shoving students out the way as he rushed to the scene. "Back off!" He grabbed the back of Gabe's shirt, yanking him away from Liam before turning to Nolan, tugging him over as well. "Hey! Get to the principals office! Now!"

I stumbled forwards, almost losing my footing as the desk I was clinging to moved, screeching along the floor. Coach drew his attention to me for a moment, his face seeming to fall briefly before he glanced at Liam. "What the hell is this?" His voice softened slightly, before he turned back to the crowd of people. "Get out!" He screamed, his voice almost shaking with anger. "All of you! I can't stand to look at your faces!"

The crowd slowly began to disperse, only leaving Mason and Vee, who were stood watching in a stunned silence. Liam let out a groan, attempting to pull himself up, and I found myself rushing over, dropping to my knees beside him.

Our eyes met for a moment, my heart falling at the sight of the pained look he held. I stared at him wide eyed, unable to find the words to say.

With a struggle, he started to try and pull himself up again, gritting his teeth together as if he was trying to mask his pain. "Bec."

I swallowed thickly, giving Liam a tentative smile as warm tears began to glaze over my eyes, soon falling fast onto my shirt. He tried to move again, squeezing his own watery eyes shut in agony. I placed a hand on the side of his face – for one, to keep him where he was so he'd stop struggling, but also to watch as my veins blackened, a searing, agonising feeling coursing through them as I began to take Liam's pain.

I lowered my hand swiftly as Coach began to move beside us, placing a hand on my shoulder without saying a word. Venus also came to my side, taking my hand carefully to help lift me up. I grimaced slightly, the two of us moving away to let Mason, Corey and Coach pull Liam up.

Liam grunted in pain as the three of them helped him to his feet, all keeping hold of him in case he fell. Coach, noticing that we all seemed to have it covered, gave me a gentle nod, a look of concern passing his face as he headed to the door. He paused before he left, his eyes softening as they met mine again, leaving me slightly surprised; sympathy was never something I thought I'd see from Coach Finstock.

"I can't believe you did that," I heard Mason say, causing me to direct my attention back to the three boys.

"Like Clark Kent, right?" Liam replied quietly, his voice sounding strained.

"Yeah," Mason nodded, allowing Liam to quietly stumble into his arms. "Clark Kent." The two of them embraced each other in a half hug, as I caught eyes with Corey, giving him a weak smile to assure that I was okay.

Liam and Mason pulled away after a few moments, their eyes both falling on me simultaneously. "Hey, Wonder Woman," Mason said with a smile, and I let out a light laugh, moving towards them both.

"Hey, there," I greeted, a small smile tugging at my lips as Mason gently moved from Liam's side, bringing me into a hug.

"You were amazing," he told me softly, moving back after gently squeezing my forearm.

"I try my best," I replied, my eyes falling on Liam, who was being steadied by Corey. "Hey."

"Are you okay?" He spoke in an almost whisper, his breaths still shallow.

"That depends," I replied shakily, feeling emotion building within me. "Are you?"

Liam nodded slowly, his eyes still on me until his head fell defeatedly. I moved forwards without properly thinking, wrapping my arms around him as tightly as I could without hurting him. Liam's body stiffened for a moment, as if he was surprised by my gesture, but eventually he relaxed, his arms slowly moving around me.

The two of us were only brought apart by a cough, and I turned to see Coach Finstock stood by the door, likely returning from escorting Nolan and Gabe to the principals office. "You kids okay?"

I shared a fleeting look with Liam, the two of us nodding slowly in response. "We're okay."

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A/N

forgot to post this yesterday so here I am with a slightly drunk update in the early hours of my birthday because why the fuck not

hope u enjoyyyyyed