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evangeline blackwood

The corridors sang songs of glory whenever the sound of bones snapping upon impact echoed throughout the halls. I gasped, my eyes widening as one body, covered in crimson red blood, falls to the ground.

Adonis stands tall as both Apollo and Morgan move to stand closely behind him. I recognise the body at that moment, once I saw the look of raw hatred dance dangerously in my friend's gaze.

Julian.

That's when I notice Ashanti, huddled in the corner in the corridor. Logan's arms are wrapped entirely around her but it doesn't stop her body from shaking.

Fear consumes my entire body as I meet Adonis' blank expression, I knew that look, I knew that familiar, void expression.

I'd seen it in my Mums once my brother died. I'd seen it in my own mirror nearly every single day for 4 years.

You didn't need to be a genius to notice how other people feel dead inside.

I knew the moment I saw that look in Adonis' eyes that no part of himself could feel the pain of his cut knuckles.

"C'mon, Evan." Ashanti and Logan are close to me now, having stood and came towards my frozen frame. "We need to go."

Nodding my head gently, I don't tense as Logan's tender hand holds my wrist and guides me with him. I don't register anything that's happening until we reach our destination.

Adonis hit JP. And so did Morgan judging by his knuckles.

My surroundings suddenly became familiar.

"Julian?" My heart sped up as the entire Football team surrounded me. Morgan and Logan had taken one of Julian's friends to the hospital with a suspected broken ankle. But Logan told me Julian wanted to see me. "What's going on?"

Year 10 wasn't even worth all the hype. We were a year away from leaving but it couldn't come soon enough.

Ashanti had already been kicked out of Geography for hitting some girl over the head with a textbook.

"You look tired." JP smiled at me, that breathtakingly, charming smile that never failed to take my breath away. He handed me a bottle of water, "Here."

"Thanks." I smile back timidly, my skin crawling as I can feel all their stares on me, taking large gulps of water. "What's going on?"

He smile widens before he pushes me up against the wall, pressing his lips against mine.

Normally, I would be all for it. But the boys were looking and I didn't like that.

"Juli-" I push him away. The rest of the boys left, muttering about how boring I was. "What was that? Wh-"

The door hasn't even shut properly when he hit me.

"Ev?" 'Shanti's voice tugs me out of my trance. I stare at her, my eyes not entirely focusing. My cheek aches with the memory and how he apologised for days after.

"Fuck, Evan. I'm so sorry." She apologises, realising just where we are. She goes to grab my hand, presumably so we could leave, but I flinch back.

"It's fine." I breathe out deeply, "I'm okay."

"Fuck 'em, Evan. Fuck all of them." Logan speaks up, his voice coming out callous.

I don't even think before rushing out of the locker room, not hesitating to go back to the altercation. Julian is stood up now and Morgan and Apollo are trying pathetically to hold Adonis back.

And that's when Julian notices me.

He smirks, the corner of his lips tugging up until his smile resembles something animalistic. And then he reaches to grab me.

"Back off, JP." Logan warns, pushing me back, but Julian ignores him, that stupid smirk still littering his face.

He does it again and Adonis, shrugging out of his brother's holds, pushes him away forcefully, "You don't touch her."

"Walk away, Parks." Morgan eyes him up and down, before fixating his stare upon Julian's friends. "This is done."

"You disgust me." My ex-boyfriend spits at me, looking me up and down as his lips curl.

His words send shivers down my spine and suddenly, I'm hit with all the bad memories of nights spent with me crying over toilet sinks and begging just to lose some weight so maybe he'd like me more.

It never worked, so I gave up being what he wanted me to be and focused on what made me happy.

I make me happy.

Instead of cowering or crying, like I would've done at 15, I straighten my back and look him dead in his eyes, narrowing mine in response. "Hit me. Go on then. If I disgust you that much, fucking do it. It ain't as if it'd be the first, would it?"

"Fuck it." I hear Adonis mumble before seeing him rush forward with his fist recoiled back. Morgan and Apollo almost aren't fast enough to stop him but (somehow) manage to drag him back.

He doesn't go easily though, his glare fixated upon Julian as he shouts, "You stay the fuck away from her."

"Hey." Rory is beside me then, running her hand up my arm. "Are you okay, babes?"

I nod abruptly before we follow the others to the social room.

Rory goes to sit with her brothers, Ashanti and Logan as Dee walks up to me.

"Eva-"

"I don't need you to defend me." I snap without thinking, before recoiling back and widening my eyes. "I'm sorry...I just..I don't want you to think that you need to. I've got this."

"I know." He smiles and I take it as a good sign. "But I'm going to be stood here while you rage war so if you need help, I'm always in. And, if you ain't there, I ain't going to let some little peasant disrespect you or Ashanti."

I inhale deeply through my nose, "What did he do to her?"

Adonis hesitates, "Morgan and I were at his locker and Ashanti was walking over to us. One of JP's friends made a comment about how easy she was, saying she was probably fucking both of us and she freaked out. She was screaming stuff at him, going to hit him and Julian grabbed her and then she just...like shut down. Just kept saying the word no constantly but didn't fight away from him."

My eyebrows furrow, "And then what?"

"Then Morgan flipped, rushed at him the moment he touched her. So did I. Logan got her out of the way and Morgan punched Julian. Then he just started shouting stuff and then I hit him and you showed up."

"He put hands on Ashanti?"

"He gripped her." Dee clarifies.

"He put hands on her." I take in the information, before turning to leave.

Adonis rushes after me, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to break his fucki-"

"Blackwood, Walker." The headmasters voice cuts me off, and we both stop. "Get to my office now, and I want Omar and Jackson too."

_____

The headteacher rubs his temples tiredly and then drops his hands and crosses his arms over his chest. He looks at all of us with his cropped dark hair and brown eyes.

"Do you want to explain to me why he," The headteacher says, jerking his finger to Julian. "Was on the floor with a busted nose?"

Adonis is seething, that's the best word I can use to describe it.

"Well?"

"He grabbed Ashanti." Morgan replies through clenched teeth. "Left bruises all up her arm."

I see 'Shanti look down and Adonis sends her a concerned look. Julian's sitting in his seat all smug and happy that, once again, he's getting away with it all.

"You had your last chance, I now have no other op-"

Fuck this.

"I punched him." I speak up, keeping my eyes on the man as I spoke.

"No, she did-"

I cut off Julian, "Shut the fuck up, you're just embarrassed that you got punched by a girl. You shouldn't have touched my best mate if you didn't expect to get cut, you stupid fucking slag."

"Ms. Blackwood, for once, please refrain from using that language in my school." He scolds, narrowing his eyes as if trying to find out whether I was lying or not. "People have said that both Morgan and Adonis attacked Mr Parks here."

Fucking snitches.

"That's bullshi-"

"Jackson and his fu-"

"I swear to fucking Jesus, if you interrupt me once more time I'm going to kick fuck out of your face." I snap, "I punched Julian, he went back for me and that's when Morgan and Adonis tried to pull him away from me. They didn't touch him aside from that but I understand why people would assume they did."

"I'm sure Mr Parks is aware of who punched him, and Mr Walker's knuckles are cut."

"He's a boxer, they kind of need to fight?" I deadpan, "Look, it happened. Just do what you need to do but keep them out of it."

His expressions morphs then to one that I can't quite decipher. He knows he's stuck in a corner, I just admitted to something that it's clear I didn't do but he can't blame Adonis and Morgan when the only proof he has it Julian's.

"Look, Julian's been hit enough in the past few years that I'm sure his memory is a bit jumbled. I just told you what happened so what are you waiting for?"

"It wasn't her-"

"Mr Parks, get out of my office." Mr whatever-he's called demands, pointing to the door. He waits for Julian to leave before speaking again, "No more fighting, Evangeline. I'm going to give you a warning, and it'll be your first and last."

"Understood."

He signs, "Look, you're a bright girl and I understand that your situation is still difficult but it is not worth throwing your future away."

"I don't need a lecture. I know how it is."

He gestures for us to leave.

But just before we leave, his voice stops us again.

"Adonis, Morgan...Please refrain from punching Parks in future, despite any provocation."

Confession: People really fucking annoy me.