"Donut!" I yelled at my books as they dropped to the ground. Amy looked at me wide eyed, but she didn't have to run around my gosh-darned property every time like I did. Granted it was getting easier with every fuck-up. See, that's my problem. I can't even stop swearing in my head.

"Are you okay Lukas?" She was grinning at me and I nearly shoved her in my ire. Best not to tempt fate in the form of one large, scary bodyguard. I glared at her instead.

"Fine. I'm bloody fine." I felt my shadow loom and ducked my head, grabbed Amy's elbow and scrammed out of there.

"What is wrong with you lately. You quitting everything fun? Not that I mind. I get into far less trouble being around you now." She giggled at me as I swung her down the hall.

"Sasha is a brute. He hates me and is ruining all my fun. Did you know he makes me run around the property if I swear now?" I ranted to her. I didn't mean it as much as I should and I could tell Ames was getting a right kick out of it all.

"I thought it was just around the house?" She was laughing outright now.

"It was. Apparently I wasn't trying hard enough to stop. Now I have to go on his run with him in the morning." I replied testily. She sighed and I looked at her askance.

"Oh I'd run behind that every morning if I could." She gushed. I rolled my eyes.

"No you wouldn't. You are way too lazy. Besides, you can't watch his arse if you are gasping and passing out from trying to keep up." I chirped back. She stopped me just outside the door to class.

"Oh? Is this from experience? Now I'm intrigued." She looked at me speculatively. I shook my head at her.

"Now's not the time, Ames. Get inside." I avoided her and walked into the classroom to take my seat. Sure enough, the bell rang only moments later to signal last call. I was getting used to hearing that now. The teacher walked in and I heard Ames whisper behind me.

"Don't think this conversation is over." I felt a chill run down my back. I knew it wasn't. Ames was one of the best at reading me, so I knew I was screwed. I could feel her eyes on me all through class and bolted as soon as the bell rang for the next. I wasn't going to be able to avoid her for long though.

Only until lunch break. Then I knew I was cornered. Sasha would keep me from leaving the premises. Ames would find me in all my usual haunts over lunch. Anywhere else wasn't safe from the guys who would love a chance to get me on my own.

"Library?" I heard her pipe up behind me at my locker. I sighed as though the world was about to end and nodded to the ceiling. She grabbed my arm this time and led me down the hall to the bright room filled with books and computers. Our favourite spot was taken, so we picked a small out-of-the-way corner instead.

"Do we have to do this?" I whined. She leveled an 'are you kidding' look my way and I laughed.

"Yes. Now. Spill." She pursed her lips and waited. What do you say to that? I wasn't going to tell her my life story or anything. That was just silly.

"What do you want to know?" I hedged. She smacked me.

"Everything of course. When did you know? Have you told anyone else? Have you told him?" She made this strange keening sound in her throat and I was seriously afraid for her sanity. Either that or she had swallowed a leaky balloon.

"I am not telling you everything. Let's just say it is a recent discovery and I have not told anyone else yet so keep your mouth shut. It isn't exactly something you go around spouting off. If you weren't my best friend I wouldn't have told you either." I brushed a fake piece of lint from my shoulder and looked over to see her surprised face.

"I'm your best friend?" She was blushing a little and I looked at her exasperated.

"Of course you are. Took you long enough to get it. Besides, who else puts up with my skittles all the time like you do." I replied as though she was dumb. She smacked me but was grinning like she won the lottery.

"You have to stop with the weird swear words. I'm getting hungry." She moaned. I rolled my eyes.

"Then let's get some food. Come on." I pulled her up after I finished talking and we left the library for the cafeteria. Half way there we ran into three boys coming out of the toilets and exchanged a worried glance.

"Well well well." The tallest said with a malicious grin.

"What have we here? If it isn't Richie Rich and his little girl toy." The one on the far left, Eric, continued.

"Don't even think about it Don. Let us through." Ames put up a good front, but I knew better and braced for the coming fight.

"Too late sugar. Besides, we owe this one for last time and word in the halls is he is on a tight leash these days." The smallest squinted at me with a delighted grin.

"That true? You a pussy-whipped bitch for that bodyguard of yours?" Eric shoved Ames out of the way so he could tower over me.

"Yeah, you want to be a good little faggot for your man?" The ringleader Phil stepped in and grabbed my shirt. I didn't wait for the first hit though and brought around my arm to crack him in the face and break his hold on my clothes.

"Lukas look out!" Amy shouted from my left and I ducked away from that direction just in time to miss Don's flying arm. Eric got me with a knee to the thigh and I winced, but shoved him away from me hard enough to knock Phil over. Best to try and keep them at a bit of a distance or keep one of them between myself the rest.

"Get help Ames." I said without looking at her. Don made to follow her as she ran off down the hallway but I grabbed onto his collar and he spun around to elbow me in the gut. I was never so glad my best friend wasn't one of those chicks that prances around in high heels as she was already around the corner and out of harms way.

"Get him Donny!" I heard Phil shout just before I landed heavily on the ground myself after a hard shove. Don stood over me satisfied and Eric moved in with a kick towards my head. I blocked it with my arms, grabbing his loose trouser leg and pulling hard to make him stumble.

Don kicked my legs but I was kicking back at him so it would hurt him just as much. Phil was just about to lay a right on me, his hand holding a good grip on my shirt when I heard Sasha's shout from the end of the hall.

"Oooh, you're gonna get it now." I laughed at the worried look on his face, which was probably a mistake on my part. He took that as reason enough to follow through anyways and I had a crack on my jaw from his fist just as Sasha got there. I shook my head from the pain and held my jaw tenderly.

If he could have been breathing fire at that moment, he would have been. He grabbed Phil by the scruff of his neck and I swore the kid's feet dangled a bit from the floor. Don went to flee, but a vice-principal was on his way towards us with Ames a step behind him and a dark look on his face.

"Mr. Carrigan and Mr. Young. Big surprise seeing you here. No, don't go anywhere. Mr. Petrykin, I will take things from here so you can put Mr. Hawthorne down now." He was eyeing up the three of them like he was almost pleased for an excuse to punish them. Sasha tried to help me up from the floor but I flinched when I tried to stand on my leg.

"I will take Lukas to the Health room." He told the man with a concerned look in my direction. I was still mulling over the fact that I now knew Sasha's last name. I rolled it around in my mind. How would you spell that? Peet... ri... kin? Pete...rye...ken? Huh. It sounded fucking sexy.

"Sorry Sir. Wrong place at the wrong time. Couldn't walk away from this one. Especially after they insulted you." I muttered as he carefully walked me to the Health room. My adrenaline was wearing off and with it came a butt-load of pain. My leg hurt. My face hurt. My gut was throbbing. Hopefully I got them just as bad.

"Relax Lukas. Let's get your injuries checked and make sure nothing is broken." He kicked open the door to the room and the nurse came over to help him get me onto one of the beds with a groan. He was abrupt, telling her I was in a fight. She frowned and asked me where I was hit.

"Ah, punch to the gut, some kicks to my legs and a good hit to my chin." I told her as I panted in agony. There was something very wrong with my right leg. She lifted my shirt to check my stomach, just a little bruising there. She poked at my jaw a little and said it probably wasn't broken.

Then she poked at my legs. Left one was just a little bruised. Right one had me hissing and spitting like an angry cat. Sasha looked a little alarmed at that. I managed not to use a single swearword, but confused the hell out of the nurse with my 'fake' swearwords.

"He'll need to get an x-ray just to be sure. I will call ahead for him if you want to have him taken over. Maybe keep him off it just in case." She was talking to Sasha as I tried to compose myself on the bed after the examination. He nodded and turned to me with a faint grin.

"This might hurt a little, Lukas." He warned me before scooping me up into his arms bridal style. I gasped, but it wasn't from pain. My heart thudded a mile a minute as he carried me down the hall and out the door to the car. Matthew looked on in sympathy as I was placed inside.

They spoke outside for a moment and then... I was on my way to the hospital.

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