Tw: vaping (it's a school, what else would there be)

PoV: Archer/Badtimes

The next week passes without friends or enemies. Elex and his group leave me alone, though the whispers of my classmates don't. None of them question why I missed my entire first day except half of period 1. No one cares about me.

'Hey... do you have a pen I can borrow?' I ask Tuesday morning, something I'm getting used to, thanks to Elex. The guy next to me, with blond curly hair, glances over, shaking their head. I thank him anyway, failing to decipher the page of compounds in front of me instead.(I swear they also exist in English lessons). 

Then, like some miracle, a pen appears next to me with a taped message on it. I take it, wary, and all too aware of who sits behind me.

Elex.

Sorry about last monday

I was a d***

Wanna hang out this break?

-EX

F*** no.

But last time I didn't do what he wanted I was left alone and starving in a bin all day. 

But he's the worst person I've ever met.

But he gave me a pen.

But he lied on the first day too.

The thoughts don't leave me the rest of class. I'm out the classroom quick, but Elex is just as fast, calling my name.

'Archer.'

'Go away,' I reply. Whatever happens it'll end badly. I know it will.

'Alright then, Bin-boy. Are you joining or are you going to go hungry today as well?'

'What?' I turn. The corridor has cleared quickly leaving me, still nervous, and him, leaning against the lockers. Alone. The others aren't here.

'I see you every lunch. You've got no stuff to eat.'

'Because you stole it.'

'Xor stole it. Not me. Join us. It'll stop people staring, and you'll get some food.'

I don't reply for a moment, still uncertain about how friendly he's being now. 

'What's the catch?' That takes him aback.

'The catch?'

'What do you get? Because I've been around a lot of bullies like you and they don't just act nice for nothing.'

'Fine. Everyone in the group's homework, Monday morning, completed for us. Without fail. And if you abandon us, even once, you'll be in trouble. Are you happy with that?'

'So you've started being honest.'

'You get lunch, protection, and friendship.'

'I'll join you. Today. And if you're acting s***, I'm out. And- and I'll tell my big brother what you did and he'll beat you up.'

'Fine.' Elex approaches, holding out his hand. 'One day free trial of being our friend.'

I shake it.

And I don't regret it. 

For the next few weeks I hang out with my new friends, helping them with homework (as much as I can) sharing their lunch (once Xor even snuck in McDonalds for us). I hang out with them every break, every lunch, without fail, until one day when we're hanging out next to the pond at the edge of school. 

'Want some?' Elex offers me his vape. I shake my head. With a shrug, he continues breaking school rules. Apparently, he's the Principal's son and no other school within 100 miles wants him back.

'Oh f*** me...' Hels sighs, watching his own vape he'd been playing with fall beyond the fence, next to the pond. 'Can someone reach that?'

'Don't you dare try and smoke that again. It's gone. Tough luck.'

'Archer, can you get it? Please?'

'Actually, yeah. Archer?' Elex agrees.

They all turn to me. 

'Why me?'

'Because we all help out in this group.' Elex steps closer. I step back.

'Fine. Yeah. I'll get it back.'

I duck under the fence, and immediately slip down the side and end up in the pond, drenched from the waist down, grabbing the vape, standing and-

'WHAT are you doing?'

I freeze.

A teacher stands glowering at me as I stand in the pond, dripping water.

'I- was- getting something.' I stammer back, hoping the others will lie for me, as they did for Elex. They don't.

'What were you getting?'

I hold up the vape.

'Detention.' It's snatched from my hands. 'Every break and lunch until the end of the week. And think yourself lucky it isn't more.'

I can't stop the shame of detention, or the hunger of missing lunch. I still don't tell Scar I don't have my own lunch. He'd only be worried for me. And then worried would turn to patronising. He'd get defensive. He'd put himself in danger.

Monday morning comes soon enough, and I join Elex and the others in our main hangout spot behind the English block where the cameras are broken and no one sees us trading homework and vapes. 

'Xor, here's your history work... And yours, Hels. True, here's your maths and English and...'

I'm winded, shoved against the bricks by Elex. I try to escape, try to speak, struggling.

'You abandoned us.' He pins me there, expression deadly.

'What? I- I had detention.'

'You'd rather go to detention than hang out with us?'

'It's compulsory! I- I have to do detention!'

'We don't. And you don't either.' Elex lets me go. I gasp for breath, sinking towards the ground.

He punches me. 

Square in the face, sending me reeling, hitting the ground. Elex's shadow covers me.

'You have 2 options, Bin-boy.'

'P... please...' 

'You can run away. Tell the teachers. Leave our group. And we make sure you never have any friends at this school ever. Or you stay with us. Protected from staring. Able to eat lunch.' He drags me to my feet again, face next to mine as he speaks. 'Ok?'

'Yes.' That  are tears in my eyes I'm desperately trying to hide. 'Yes. I'm sorry.'

'Good.' He lets me go. I think their fear campaign is over before he signals to Xor. Grinning, he approaches. 

'For every lunch you didn't appreciate enough at the time, you miss one this week. For every person you abandoned, they get to punch, or kick, or hit you in some way once for as many breaks and lunches as you abandoned us for.' Xor punches me, right in the guts and I double over in pain. 'Is that fair?'

'Of course not,' I spit, not thinking. 'What- what kind of friends bullies their fellow friends?'

'You're right. It isn't fair.'

Xor punches me again.

This time I fall backwards, onto the ground. Now my face and shoulder hurt to, and I'm left gulping back sobs.

'2 hits each break or lunch. Though we can do more if THAT'S not fair either.'

I nod.

'Good.' A pause. I try to stand. Elex speaks before I can. 'True, your turn.'

Poor Archer :(((

Not now.

Later

:)