The Bonding Chronicles Ch. 05

The two friends headed in separate directions as they laughed. Andrew rushed through the halls heading towards the Art Department to drop off his prototype. As he rounded the corner to the last stretch of hallway, he almost ran head long into the large jock who knocked him to the ground yesterday. The jock slapped the small box out of Andrew's hands, spiking it into the floor. The box hit the ground hard, with a dull thud. The sounds of metal and loose wires clicking and clanking against each other followed the box as it bounced haphazardly away from the boys.

As Andrew looked at the crumpled container on the floor a large open palm struck him in the center of his chest. He was launched back against the lockers as the breath was knocked from his lungs. His shoulder detonated in renewed pain as the sound of his impact rang across the hall. Many of the students stopped and looked towards the source of the loud noise. Andrew's face contorted as he struggled for breath. Blinking away tears, he could see many students looking at him with pity. A few seemed to enjoy what they were watching.

"Woops. Didn't see you there dumbass." the jock said perfunctory as him and his friends continued walking by laughing.

Andrew made a silent apology to Sara and his parents. He was hoping that he would have more time before he started this part of his plan, but he knew that he couldn't wait. Even though he realized how much this would hurt the people he loved, he resolved himself to move forward. Concern for himself was a distant thought as he managed to gather his breath.

"Watch where you're going, neanderthal."

His voice was little more than a whisper, but the shock on the nearby students couldn't be missed as the jock turned his steely gaze on Andrew.

"What, nerd? I don't think I heard you?"

The jock took a step back as Andrew looked at him with an intensity he had never seen from one of his victims.

"That's all right, let me try and use smaller words that your tiny stone man brain can comprehend. Be more careful where you walk you thundering cuntbag."

Andrew collapsed to the floor in pain as the jocks fist slammed into his abdomen. He saw the punch coming, but had no way to move or deflect the blow. His brain froze as he watched the fist disappear before his body doubled over in pain. His eyes watered and his throat convulsed as he struggled for air.

The jock stood over him fuming while his friend pulled on his arm yelling, "Come on, Will. Let's go man." As Will continued watching Andrew his friend tried again. "Come on, he's not worth it, man."

Andrew became aware of a flicker of pure unchecked rage that seemed to be hovering around that well of warmth in the back of his mind. The rage grew in intensity and soon he could feel the powerful and protective shape of it. He didn't understand how, but he recognized that this small object within him was Sara, and Andrew knew she was approaching fast. He screamed in his head with desperation, "STOOOP!" and the fluttering inner object halted. Anger, frustration and confusion radiated from it in intense and powerful waves.

Exhaling in contempt, Will said, "Go ahead bitch, tell Sara 'bout this, just let her try and save you."

Andrew was still seeing double, and wasn't sure he could speak through his tensing neck muscles. Despite his body begging him to shut up he spoke in a ragged voice, "I bet ... you would love ... to hit a woman."

Looking up Andrew could see the rage in Will's face, and he hated the fact that he understood Will so well. He knew that if he wanted this to stop forever he had to push Will over the edge. With a measured breath he added the last bit of fuel to Will's fire.

"Just like your father!"

The words rolled off of Andrew's tongue with genuine sympathy. Despite what was happening, Andrew couldn't help but sympathize with the cliched reasons for Will's behavior.

Will kicked Andrew in his side hard enough to lift him off the ground and knock him against the lockers. The loud sound of rattling steel doors echoed through the hall before Andrew again collapsed to the floor, clutching his side.

Through the blinding pain of his body, Andrew could feel the intense and white hot fury rolling off of Sara's fluttering sprite within him. His head filled with the thunderous roar of some supernatural apex predator as he sensed Sara's blood thirsty pleads for release. Andrew used every ounce of strength he had to enforce his command. That was the only thing that stayed Sara's deadly hand.

Will grabbed Andrew by his collar and lifted him with ease from the floor before slamming him against the locker. "You don't know me bitch."

Andrew dropped to the floor in a cold sweat as the bully released him and stormed off. Will's friends chased after him as the rest of the students stared in shocked disbelief at what just happened. Andrew's body went into shock as a few students rushed to try and help him. Sensing that Sara was no longer focused on ripping Will's head off, and was now radiating overwhelming fear and concern he released his command.

The students backed away from Andrew as Sara stormed in, glowering around the hallway with protective determination.

Sitting beside him she took his head into her lap and caressed his cheek while she pleaded, "Come on, Andrew. Come on... My dumb, stubborn little nerd. Come on." She felt conflicted, knowing that she could have helped him but also knowing that he refused to let her. He blinked tears from his eyes as he looked up and saw the endless depths of concern on her face.

"We really need to stop meeting like this." he said in a playful tone, wincing as he tried to laugh.

Sara's eyes teared up as relief washed over her, driving away all other emotions. She choked as she laughed, and he winced while she pulled him in for a painful hug. She held him for a couple of seconds, happy to see that he was awake and playful.

"Hey, baby. While this is ... super great and all, could I get up?"

Sara laughed as she pulled Andrew's face away from her breasts and stood. A couple of students helped, and soon they got Andrew to his unsteady feet. Holding his side and leaning against a locker, his face twisted in pain. He looked at Sara and asked, "Could you grab that please?"

She followed his gaze and picked up the small deformed box, listening to pieces shift and clatter within. With the help of a student Andrew came away from the locker and took the box from her. She caressed his cheek in concern as he said, "You need to get back to class. I don't want you mixed up in any of this."

Andrew could tell that she was about to protest, so he finished, "Sara, this is my problem, not yours. Now please, go to class."

The forlorned and concerned expression on her face was unmistakable as she said, "OK, I... I... Just be safe." She turned and started her sullen walk back to class.

"I love you too." Andrew said to Sara's retreating form. She looked back and he was pleased to see some of the happy carefree woman that he adored smiling back at him. He knew that this was going to be hard, but seeing Sara's hurt and helpless emotions devastated him more than the kick to his side did.

Wincing in pain, Andrew tried to shoulder his pack as he looked at the surprised faces around him. The hallway was silent as students watched in open awe at the brutality of his attack, and the raw love of this young couple. They were all confused at how Andrew seemed to be reacting to it, and surprised by how intensely Sara seemed to care for him.

Glancing at the person helping him, Andrew realized he had no idea who his benefactor was. He said with sincere gratitude, "Thanks."

The teen replied in disbelief, "Shit, man. No problem..."

Andrew cringed against a sudden and unexpected stab of pain before asking, "Would you mind helping me to the nurse's office? I think I might have pulled something with all those flips and amazing kung fu moves."

Many students gave a nervous laugh, while a couple more teens came over and helped escort this crazy little man to the nurse's office.

"Yeah, no problem."

Andrew looked around the hall as one of the students took his bag and art project while the other two helped him walk on shaky legs. The hall was full of shocked faces that watched him depart. While Andrew saw many emotions, he was happy to see that schadenfreude was not among them.

***** Purple And Red *****

"Well, let us take a gander at this." Mrs. Murphy said with a pleasant smile as she helped pull Andrew's shirt over his head.

He winced as the nurse poked and prodded at his tender left side. Seeing himself in the mirror Andrew understood the old saying, 'You look like hammered shit.' His hair was matted with sweat, he had a large purple and green bruise on his right shoulder and he could already see dark red bruises forming on his abdomen and left ribcage.

"Aye, you sure took a mighty good walloping. Who did this again?"

She applied gentle pressure to a rib, eliciting a sharp breath from Andrew before he responded, "I didn't, Ma'am."

The nurse stepped away and looked him in the eyes. "Don't be a muppet, lad. Go on, give us a name."

Raising an eyebrow at the short, frustrated and plump lady Andrew shrugged as if to say, "Nope, can't remember." She tsked as she shook her head and began examining his shoulder.

"Damn stubborn fool, this is a few days old." She again looked him in the eyes with a pleading expression. Andrew found her sincere care and desire to help him quite touching, but he knew that he was dealing with prison rules and he had to settle this on his own. Sensing she was not going to get an answer, Mrs. Murphy again shook her head and stormed into the back room, grumbling to herself.

An hour later Andrew was laying back in a comfortable cot with ice packs on his side and shoulder. He had given up trying to leave after Mrs. Murphy threatened to knock him out for being so stupid. Andrew was reading from his English book, dreading the arrival of his parents, when the door to the nurse's office opened.

Bruce thundered into the center of the room driven by extreme anger. Looking at Andrew he could see the purplish red bruises littering Andrew's torso and he blurted, "That motherfucker went too far this time."

As the muscular football player reached for the door, Andrew said, "Bruce, wait!"

Turning, Bruce looked at Andrew, rage still radiated from the powerful young black man. Andrew was surprised at Bruce's reaction. He knew that it had little to do with him. He knew the anger was driven by the morals of the athletic man who was glowering at him in frustration.

"What's up, Bruce? Why are you here?"

Bruce cast an appraising look at Andrew. "Sara bolted from second period just before it started. When she got back she was angry, and seemed worried." He thought for a moment before continuing, "Then you never showed... And... Shit, man, I figured if something happened to you, there was no way she'd be in class."

He paced the room as he tried to calm himself, "Fuck, man. I just let it go, but then I was hanging with the boys between classes and all Ant could talk about was how Will put the beat down on some mouthy little shit."

Bruce's attempt to calm himself failed as his pacing became more agitated. "I pressed him and he told me what Will did. I told Will to back off the smaller kids a while back after he knocked this freshman out, but I guess he thinks he can just ignore me."

The large teen punched his right hand into his left palm with a loud and powerful thud. His eyes squinted and he looked at the door.

"Let it go, Bruce. I pushed Will into taking it this far, and I can't have you or anyone else fight this for me." Seeing the disbelief on Bruce's face, Andrew explained everything that happened yesterday and today. Andrew described how he drove Will over the edge and how whatever happened next needed to come from Will.

Bruce studied Andrew's face for a long minute before saying, "Fuck you are one ballsy little dude. All right, I will back off this, but if he takes it too far-"

Andrew interrupted him, "Then Sara will end him. Everyone knows that. Will is the only one stupid enough not to fear her."

Shaking his head in frustration, Bruce asked, "Then why don't you let her?"

"Because I need people to respect me if I want to have a life here. I see how everyone looks at Sara, at how much everyone respects her. You all think I am some pet she decided to bring to school one day. Go ahead, tell me I'm wrong?"

Bruce cast a nervous glance towards the floor before responding, "Sara has always been amazing. Everyone loves or respects her, you're right. You..." he looked at Andrew as he struggled to express himself. "We don't understand you. We sure as hell don't know why she chose you."

A warm smile spread across Andrew's face. "Thanks for being honest with me." Looking at the ceiling he considered this statement that confirmed what he already suspected. "That is the problem, and that's why I have deal with Will. People need to see that I am worthy of Sara before I can start to find any kind of acceptance here."

"Andrew, you know Will ain't gonna stop right? That is the angriest dude I've ever known."

Andrew smiled, "One way or another, this will stop. Either he will let it go, or somehow I will stop him."

Even Andrew was surprised by the confidence in his voice. Bruce shook his head as he re-evaluated him.

Andrew watched the young athlete. After a few seconds he sighed and said, "Bruce? I don't know if there is any way I can repay you for what you did on Monday, but if there ever is, name it and it's yours."

Bruce laughed and tried to dismiss Andrew's offer, but Andrew's insistence and sincerity caused him to accept. "Alright, if I ever need something from a midget, I'll be sure to come to you first."

The two boys laughed, Bruce began relaxing as his adrenaline started to settle.

"Well, I should bounce. Don't wanna cause no issues with Sara and Zack's treaty." With that the large football player disappeared into the hall.

Mrs. Murphy walked out of her office and took the ice packs from Andrew before studying the large bruise on his ribs with care.

"You didn't hear any of that, did you Mrs. Murphy?"

She smiled in poorly concealed irritation. "No, if ye got an eye for getting a beatin' every day then I ain't gonna stop you." They both understand the implicit risk she was assuming by ignoring what she heard.

"Thank you, Ma'am."

"Get yer shirt on lad, your parents are waiting in the office. Ye got some mighty fine bruised ribs, just keep 'em iced and ya should be fine."

***** Repercussions *****

Andrew took a deep breath as he looked through the window into the office. He could see his parents standing in the Principal's office, across the reception area. He winced as pain stabbed into his side while he pushed the door open. Entering the well lit common office space, most of the office staff looked at Andrew with pensive expressions of concern and sympathy.

Just outside of the Principal's office Will was seated on a bench. His head was down and he looked morose yet somehow comfortable. Andrew figured Will had been here several times before. A sadistic grin twisted onto Will's face as he saw Andrew enter the reception area. His happy eyes feasted on the remains of Andrew as he entered the room. Andrew clutched his ribs with his right arm while precariously holding a small broken box under his left. The jangling sounds of the boxes contents gave music to Andrew's careful steps as he walked across the room.

"Hey, Will. What are you doing here?"

Andrew asked loud enough for everyone to hear, in what he hoped was a natural sounding voice. Everyone in the room, Will included, looked at Andrew in complete confusion. The Principal's slender face appeared around the edge of Andrew's parents. A look of unbelieving suspicion written across every detail of her glare.

"Fuck if I know, man." Will said with confusion as he started piecing together what Andrew was doing.

"Well, don't let the man keep you down." Andrew nodded as he walked into the Principal's office. He kicked the door stop out of the way as he entered. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the common office area watching as the door closed behind him.

"Hey Mom, hey Dad!" he said, feigning a casual attitude. His mother wrapped him in a light hug, eliciting a sharp inhale from Andrew as she gave his ribs a slight squeeze.

"Ohhh, Andrew..." His mother said in concern as she pulled back appraising him. She held his sides in her protective grip. He reflected on how many times he had heard that phrase in the last few days, and how versatile it seemed to be.

"I'm fine, mom. It looks worse than it is." His eyes betrayed the lie behind that statement as he pulled away. He stood in front of an open seat across from Principal Lawson's desk.

"Mind if I sit?" he asked to try and reinforce the idea that everything was normal.

Principal Lawson was a tall and slender woman, wearing an attractive but professional button up blouse. Her dark brown eyes studied Andrew as she re-arranged her mid-length curly brown hair into a loose bun at the back of her head. She nodded, causing Andrew to drop his bag and set the box on his lap as he took the seat with a slow and careful pace.

"Andrew, I want you to understand that you can tell us anything in here. This is a safe space."

With a warm smile Andrew looked between all of the faces in the room. His parents looked concerned and protective. Their knowledge of what happened yesterday further fueling their worries. Principal Lawson on the other hand was a mystery to Andrew. Her face, while warm and protective, seemed somehow practiced. It lacked the expressions that Andrew expected to see, causing her to seem artificial and distant.

"Thank you, Principal Lawson."

The three adults waited for Andrew to continue speaking for a few seconds before Principal Lawson asked, "Do you know why Will attacked you, Andrew?"

"Will? Why would Will attack me?" Andrew stated in convincing if artificial surprise.

With just a hint of frustration in her voice, she responded, "Come on, Andrew. We know it was Will."

Andrew again looked around the room with seemingly genuine surprise. "Well, I don't know where you got that information from but you should question your sources, because Will? Really?"

Leaning back in her office chair the Principal took a deep breath as Andrew's father spoke up, "Son, I know you think you can handle this but it's gone too far. We are going to take care of this now."

The Principal and Andrew's mother nodded at Dave's pronouncement, while Andrew continued to smile around the room. Finding this game boring Andrew looked at the clock and realized that it was getting pretty close to lunchtime. He looked around the room and decided that he wasn't interested in playing coy any longer, and chose to just lay everything out in the open.

Wincing against a slight stab of pain, Andrew crossed his legs and addressed the room.

"You don't know what happened, and I am telling you it was not Will. Now you each have options from here." Looking at his father he said, "You can threaten Will, or perhaps his father." Turning his gaze to the Principal he said, "You can do whatever Principally thing you want to do to him..."

Andrew looked around the room to make sure they were all still listening to him. "But in the end, you are risking punishing the wrong person. Even if it was him your actions will guarantee that this will just happen again, and will probably be far worse next time. Whether you trust that I am making the right decision or not I honestly don't care. I am not asking for your permission."

Dave and Michelle were shocked by Andrew's statement. They struggled to reconcile the young man that sat hobbled in the chair beside them, with the shy and timid person that they brought with them to Washington. They wanted more than anything to protect their son, and hated that there was nothing they could do.