A Price Worth Paying

"Speak to Megan Taylor, ask her to spread a rumour. She'll know why. She's a victim of his too. And he'll react. He'll have to. He'll want to fight to protect his reputation."

Monday and Tuesday, I observed. Despite my size, I was still capable of wandering about un-noticed. Never been with the 'cool' kids. Never been with the 'jocks', not a term we used Down Under, but one everyone recognised. Wasn't a 'nerd'. I was just there. Had a good friend or two in most social circles. But I could still walk around and be in the background, little more than a glance before they forgot about me. Perfect, in many respects. I walked to school with Becca on Wednesday, holding her hand the entire time. At the gates, she stiffened slightly, though thankfully a few of her friends arrived. They seemed to know what was happening. I found Megan nearby. She knew what I wanted. Leaning down, I whispered into her ear what to spread. When I met her eyes, I knew... I just knew... "You too?" I asked softly. She nodded immediately. "Ever told anyone?"

"Who'd believe me? He's the rising footy star. I'm just a nobody." she whispered, "What are you going to do?"

"Destroy his life while doing the same to mine. But it will be worth it." I hugged her gently. "And you are far from a nobody. You are all somebody. Daughter. Sister. Girlfriend. Loved one."

"I know of two others at just this school. But I've heard more rumours about other girls." She leaned back and met my eyes. "He'll meet you. I promise you that."

A school day was eight classes in total. Two in the morning, two after a break, two after a smaller break, two after lunch, then home. I didn't attend class after lunch, walking towards the field where I would meet him. As soon as the bell for the end of day rang, I watched as the school emptied. No surprise nearly everyone headed in my direction. My sister, Megan, and two other girls I recognised, Sally and Katie, walked together, eventually gathering behind me. I recognised plenty of the others around me. Nearly all of them knew, after what happened to my father, not to fuck with me. But I was never violent at school.

Until now.

Then Lance Thompson, rising star in the junior leagues, halfback for the local football club, appeared through the crowd. He sneered at me. "I heard you've started a rumour about me, Michael," he said.

I didn't reply, simply unbuttoning my shirt. I never went shirtless at school. Once I took it off, everyone would have got a good look at me. I heard cries of shock and surprise. Yes, I was defined. Muscles up and down my arms, down my chest, down my back. Six years of strength and conditioning. But it was the scars that would have shocked everyone. I never wore a shirt-sleeved shirt, even in the height of summer. I heard a choked sob from behind me, aware it was Becca. She'd rarely seen them herself, the price I'd paid to keep her safe. I pointed at my chest. "My father tried to stab me. Twice. Deep wound here. Bled a lot. He tried to kill me. He failed." I pointed at another scar. "Belt buckle." I turned and showed my back. "Lots of belt buckles." I made sure he didn't attack while I slowly spun around. "The only people here who would have experienced anywhere near the pain I've endured through my life are the four girls behind me. I know who you are, Lance Thompson. I know what you are."

"And what are you going to do about it?"

"You were the one dumb enough to come here, Lance. My sister asked me to deal with you. And whatever my little sister wants..."

"Didn't hear her complaining on Saturday night."

Wrong thing to say. An admission of guilt. He was cocky. Arrogant. Thought he could get away with it. And wasn't ready for my attack. Could have gone for his head. But that was for later. First strike was into his kidneys. Hit a man there and he'd generally fold. Hit him both sides and that's when he knew I wasn't fooling around. And I knew how to fight. I toyed with him, almost embarrassing him with slaps to his face. "Come on, Lance. Thought you'd be able to fight. Big tough guy like you. Or is it only girls you like to slap around?"

He thought he could wrestle me. Bad idea. I was stronger and broader than he was. The footy coach had asked me more than once to play. I didn't want to spend my time around a bunch of meatheads. I easily got him into a position I knew well. "No, no, no," he cried, feeling the pressure build.

Pop. Snap. Crack. He cried out again as his left arm hung loosely as his side. Elbow snapped. Wrist at a funny angle. Shoulder dislocated. "I've been doing this for six years, Lance. Every day for six years, I've been learning to fight. I dealt with my father. He abused my family, he abused me for years. But I dealt with him. And now, for what you did to my sister, I'll deal with you."

I was impressed he was still standing. His next few swings were feeble, considering he only had his right arm to use. More than one of his friends begged him to stop. I put a fist into his nose, rocking him as blood flowed. Taking him to the ground was easy, putting pressure on his left knee. Snap. Crack. He roared with pain. Crawling up over him, I grabbed him by the collar. "Please stop," he begged.

"Did my sister beg you to stop on Saturday night, you piece of shit?" I asked before I cracked him across the cheek. Grabbed him by the collar again. "Did all the others beg you to stop while you raped them as well?" I roared before I hit him again. And again. And again. I hit him until I knew my knuckles had probably broken as they hit hard bone. Barely hurt. Barely felt a thing, in all honesty. I only stopped when I looked down to see the bloody mess before me. Glancing around, there was absolute silence, most shifting glances between me and the four girls, hearing what I'd asked. Slight rustling of wind. Smell of freshly cut grass. I glanced at my knuckles to see the blood. Looking down at my chest, there was a little on me there too.

Standing up, the last thing I did was stamp on his groin. More than once, to be honest. "With any luck, you'll never get it up again after that," I muttered. Turning back to my sister, she was holding my shirt. And she was smiling at me. I hugged her tightly, doing the same to Sally, Megan and Katie, wishing them well for the future. Teachers appeared through the crowd, looking from Lance on the ground towards me. The headmaster appeared a few seconds later. "My office, Mister Fraser."

I snorted. "What are you going to do? Expel me? I'm going to prison for what I just did, sir." I took my sister by the hand. "We're going home, sir. I'd suggest you get an ambulance for Mister Thompson there. Tell the police to collect me at home." I walked forward, the crowd parting. One of the teachers made to stop me, grabbing my shoulder. I glanced at him. "Sure you want to do that, sir? I really wouldn't right now."

He slowly removed his hand. "Mikey... What have you done?"

"I failed to protect my sister when she needed me. I wasn't there. I'll have to live with that as much as she will have to live with what happened to her. I can't even comprehend what she's having to deal with... I did the next best thing I could. And if my little sister asks me to do something, I'll do it in a heartbeat."

"I love you, Mikey," she whispered.

"I love you right back," I said before I continued walking forward, my little sister by my side.

We'd been home an hour when there was a knock at the door. Asking Becca to call Mum, I answered the door to find five uniformed coppers waiting for me. I didn't even bother asking what they were there for, turning around, hands behind my back. I felt the snap of handcuffs as my sister appeared. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me, smack on the lips. She'd never done that before. I felt myself blush. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Anything for you, Becca. Anything at all."

*****

The Court Case

If the police thought I'd confess to what I did, they were in for a surprise. I barely said a word. My sister and I had discussed everything for the two days before I'd taken him down. I knew what was going to happen once I'd dealt with Lance, but she wanted to destroy him even further. I'd destroyed his body, now it was time to completely destroy his reputation. She'd spoken with the others and they agreed. My sister was the only one to have gone to hospital, report it to the police, but stated she 'wasn't sure who did it' due to it being 'too dark'.

Complete lie, of course. She wanted her big brother to sort it out for her. She knew, even with the evidence, a conviction wasn't always possible. A lot of 'he said, she said.' I wasn't confident enough to ask if anyone witnessed what happened to her, but I was left thinking Lance wasn't the only one in the room. She said Lance was the only one to do it though. That didn't make any others innocent. They'd watched on and approved. I'd have gone after all of them, if I knew who they were.

I wasn't rude to the police but I didn't co-operate. I simply said I wanted a lawyer and my day in court. They did ask if I was guilty, I said no. They had all the evidence, showed me pictures of what state I left Lance in. Witness statements. The fact they had taken his blood from my hands. Thankfully, this was in the time before smartphones, where everyone carries around a mobile camera and video. It was simply down to witnesses. To my surprise, they were finding very few admitting to being present. Even kids I'd never really been friends with had my back.

What surprised me further was when I required legal representation. Megan Taylor's father was a barrister and offered to represent me pro bono. That's when I had to sit down with him and come clean about the idea. He grinned and assured me he'd spoken to his daughter, my sister and my mother. They knew what I was doing. He didn't like losing a case, but he knew I'd done it not only for my sister, but for his daughter, and any other daughter who was the victim of Lance Thompson.

Pre-trial proceedings were simple enough, even someone like me could follow it. Then it was selecting whether trial by judge or trial by jury. Aware of everything that happened, my lawyer suggested I go trial by jury. I'd be portrayed as a violent thug, but once I had character references from witnesses, I might just end up winning their understanding in the end.

I chose a trial by jury.

I was charged with two counts. The first was attempted murder. I categorically denied trying to kill him because, if I'd intended on killing him, I'd have fucking done it. I pled not guilty. The second was assault occasioning grievous bodily harm. They had me bang to rights on that, but I still said not guilty. I wanted my day in court. I was going to make it all about him, not me.

To my surprise, considering the charges, I was granted bail. It was quite the sum that I knew Mum simply couldn't afford, not even with the help of the family. Within a week, thanks to donations coming from near and far, I was released from my cell and told conditions of bail had been set and I was allowed to go home. Walking out of prison, I was greeted by my family and quite a few friends. I'd barely seen them except for fleeting moments in court. I was required to remain at home and wear an electronic tag, but that didn't bother me.

My trial would start in two weeks.

It was weird returning home with all that looming in the horizon. Mum pestered me the entire time I was at home, which I actually didn't mind. Becca simply didn't want to go to school, but she did go, returning every day with plenty of questions from friends and acquaintances. I was told nothing about Lance, of course. Didn't really want to know, nor did I care.

I did enjoy a proper shower the first night I got home, and a comfortable bed. I was lying back, enjoying the silence, when there as a light knock at the door. Walking to the door, I opened it to find my twin sister standing there in some short shorts and singlet, holding a teddy bear. She didn't even have to ask, guiding her inside before I got into bed, my sister cuddling into me, her teddy bear in between us. I kissed her forehead and she closed her eyes. "Can I sleep with you until you go to prison?" she asked softly.

"Of course."

"I love you, Mikey."

"Back at you, kiddo. Did everything for you. And what I'm about to do is for all of you. I'll be guilty but we're going to tear him down even further."

Every night before my trial commencing, she'd come to snuggle with her big brother. Nothing untoward at all happened. She was my little sister. I cared for her, loved her more than any other woman in my life except perhaps my mother, but never saw her in an intimate way.

I did lose my virginity in those two weeks. As I said, I had friends everywhere but it was only after what happened that I realised how many people liked and respected me. I thought everyone had feared me after everything that happened with my father, and I assumed I would have scared everyone even further after what happened to Lance. Though nothing had happened to him yet, regarding being arrested or charged, nearly everyone had respected his talents on the field but thought he was a piece of shit human being.

The fact I lost my virginity to his beautiful ex-girlfriend was... I'm still not sure what to think. She turned up, sobbing, wracked with guilt about what he'd done to my sister and the other girls. She'd heard the distant rumours but had hoped that's all they were. "No smoke without fire," she muttered as we sipped at a can of Coke each.

"Not your fault. Who would believe their boyfriend was like that?"

"Ex-boyfriend. He's a piece of shit, but he's got people doing his dirty work."

"That's why I did what I did."

"Is anyone home?"

"Mum's at work. Becca is at school."

"Are you a virgin, Mikey?" I looked away and blushed. When she took my hand, I met her eyes. "Nothing to be ashamed of, Mikey. Do they hurt?" she asked, running a hand down my right arm. He'd left scars everywhere.

"No. They're just reminders." I took a sip from the can. "I have to ask, Rachel. Why are you here?"

She stood up and lowered her sundress, revealing her naked body. "Mikey, do you have any idea how many girls at that school flat out loved you after what you did for your family? I mean standing up to your father, both times?" I looked away again, blushing. "You know, you're rather handsome, tall, broad, a fucking hero to nearly everyone for what you did to Lance, but you're quite cute and adorable at the same time. You should have more than one girlfriend, in all honesty."

She led me to my bedroom and took my breath away the next couple of hours. Never seen a naked woman in the flesh before. I spent a lot of time just running my fingers over her soft skin. Enjoyed eating pussy for the first time. Made her orgasm, which certainly had both of us smiling. Sliding my cock inside her was something else entirely. I didn't last long, she didn't mind, and we managed a second time before she needed to go, whispering she'd like a return visit before I was sentenced. Everyone knew I'd be found guilty.

My sister figured out rather quickly what happened, making fun of me, though when I told her who I was with, she grew quiet. "She feels so guilty, Mikey," she whispered, "We've tried talking to her." She kissed my cheek. "We told her to come here and talk to you about everything."

"Did you suggest we have sex too?"

"No. I think that was for her and for you. Was it good?"

"She's beautiful, a real sweetheart. It was surprisingly tender. She said he was..." I trailed off and cleared my throat. "Let's not mention him."

Rachel must have spoken highly of me, as my best female friend, Jennifer, turned up within a couple of days. And she was blunt about why she was there. "Mikey, I've wanted to fuck you for years, but you had too much of your own shit to deal with, and then you're just so damned shy at the same time, you probably missed most of my signals. I'm not missing my chance now."

She led me to my bedroom, pushed me back onto my bed, and leapt on me. We had a fun afternoon together. She had a great set of tits, a smooth pussy, a perfect body, and I learned even more about pleasing a woman with my best friend. And I can categorically say that we made love. Feeling her fingers digging into my back as I thrust into her was something I'd never forget, nor the way she screamed my name as she orgasmed.

I was surprised, considering I was going to be portrayed as a violent criminal, but she called her father to pick her up after a few hours at my place. He came to the door and shook my hand. "If it was my daughter, Mikey... Trust me, though you left that bastard in quite the state, most of us understand to a point."

"Thank you, sir."

"Good luck at your trial. Jennifer will be there when she can."

"Most of the school wants to be there to support him, Dad."

The last night before my trial was set to begin, Becca was snuggled into me as always, teddy bear between us. She was simply gazing up at me, all the love she had for me in her blue eyes. She had brunette shoulder length hair, a cute little nose, a lovely pair of lips and just a very pretty face. I don't know about the rest of her body as I simply didn't check her out. I'd spent my life protecting her, not ogling her.

"Mikey, can I confess something?"

"Of course."

"I want..." She took a deep breath and looked down. "I want you to be my first," she said every so quietly, I wasn't sure I heard her, "But you're going away and..." She looked back up. "I'll wait for you."

"Becca, I'm your..."

"I don't care. I love you, Mikey. Why do you think I tell you all the time? Because that's how much I do love you. I know you won't want to at the moment, with everything that's happened and happening, but when you're out, however far away that is, I'll be waiting. My virginity is yours, Mikey. I want you to have it."

"Despite the fact I'm your twin brother?"

"Because you are my twin brother. The man who loves me more than anyone else I can think of."

"Guess I'll have time to think about it in prison."

"Hopefully not too long."

The first day at trial was the prosecution setting out their arguments. They focused more on the assault rather than attempted murder. As I said, they had me bang to rights. I'd beaten the ever living shit out of him. I'm sure the prosecution was left wondering why the hell I'd wanted to go to trial. Lance was in the courtroom with them. He never glanced in my direction. Not once.

The defence then made their case. It was all about my character, hinting at what I'd endured during my life, the fact I'd been exposed to violence from a young age but wasn't a violent man, I only reacted to situations due to reasons. He said nothing about me being involved in the assault though stated I denied trying to murder the plaintiff.

The prosecution then made their case. Got to be honest, it was a slam dunk as they did convince his closest friends to give a blow by blow account of what I did to him. They never called Lance forward though. Probably a good idea as my lawyer would have chewed him up and spat him out. There was other evidence the police gathered that tied me to the crime, and it was obvious that the prosecution was also focusing on the assault rather than attempted murder. Think the only reason they'd charged me with that was simply due to the damage I'd done.

Then came the witnesses for the defence. First up into the stand was my mother as a character witness. She hinted at what I'd endured as a child then young man from my father. Prosecution lawyer obviously leapt on that, suggesting I'd seen violence therefore copied the example.

Mum smiled. "Mikey doesn't have a violent bone in his body. Talk to any of his friends. Wouldn't harm a fly. The only time I've ever seen my son resort to violence was to protect his family. My son takes that seriously, a sense of duty. He almost died to protect us when he was only fourteen years old. I couldn't be any prouder of my son."