School, Again

My heart sank as Troy, Marcus, Derick, along with four other guys, approached us, their faces twisted in smiles.

They strolled over, clearly enjoying the authority now in their hands.

He brushed his hand along the back of my shirt while the rest laughed.

"Reliving the fun of last night?" the voice of one of them asked, looking at me.

My body froze, panic tightening around my chest. I stood before Arzhel, speaking in a barely audible whisper.

“We should leave.”

Arzhel crossed his arms, refusing to give in.

“We are not going anywhere. Nobody owns this place.”

The air was electric with tension as Derick's eyes met mine.

The jeering intensified, with the boys encircling us like vultures. Troy crept up beside me, speaking to me in a sickly sweet voice.

"What is the matter, Freckle boy?

My throat was already starting to form a knot.

Arzhel, for his part, was not bothered at all, chewing the inside of his cheek with a grin. Man, you are going for the macho routine, aren't you? Original.

The two laughed but without amusement.

Marcus grinned and shoved Arzhel's shoulder.

"Yeah, what are you gonna do, Arzhel?" Troy interjected. "Go cry to the teacher?"

He mimicked wiping away non-existent tears, and the group burst out laughing.

Arzhel did not flinch, however. He tossed back his hair, standing tall.

“For crying out loud, this is so boring. You are, like, all trying so hard. Are you 12 or something?”

The boys glanced at one another, visibly irritated, but before things had a chance to escalate further, Derick spoke up.

He spoke softly, but with conviction, silencing the others.

"Yo ts enough'"

I exhaled the breath that I did not even realize I was holding along with the moving air.

The guys, one by one, took turns getting past us, spilling their last insults, poking at the back of Arzhel or shoving him aside with grins.

"Alright, yes, follow the boss," Arzhel snarled, rolling his eyes

And then, when the turn came to Derick, he did not respond either.

He came to a halt before me, looking at me for a moment.

There was something in his eyes-something I couldn't interpret.

It wasn't just teasing; something more profound. His eyes, and I could feel the pounding of my heart.

He strode past, leaving behind in the air the traces of him.

As he walked by Arzhel, Arzhel, ever the brat, could not resist a parting shot.

"Yes, you along with your minions. You should be so proud."

Derick stood for a moment, then kept on walking wordlessly, his back rigid, but the other boys laughed and jeered at Arzhel's comment, their voices fading in the distance as they disappeared behind the bleachers.

Arzhel folded his arms, smiling smugly, but I was still rattled, my skin crawling from the experience.

The hours passed, each blending naturally into the next.

My head started to pound in the middle of the third period, the headache increasing with every minute.

By lunchtime, it had turned into a pounding headache, and I could hardly concentrate on anything that the teacher said.

Even Arzhel's customary sarcastic remarks couldn't divert my attention.

As we walked along the hallway, I massaged my temples, attempting to soothe the pain.

"I'm going to have to go to the nurse, I think," I mentioned to Arzhel, who was distractedly scrolling through his phone.

He barely glanced up. "Headache?"

"Yeah," I said

“It is horrid.”

"Probably due to these boys some time back," he replied, tucking the telephone in his pocket.

They always cause people headaches.

He said the words in jest, but I could not even muster a smile.

"I'll return. I'm going to fetch something for it."

Arzhel brushed against me.

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead. I'll keep things under control or something."

I stopped at the next class, standing in the doorway to catch the teacher's attention.

"Uh, I'm not doing very well," I whispered.

"Do I…, Can I attend the nurse?"

The teacher looked up at their papers, giving me a head-to-toe stare before nodding.

“Go ahead, Cyrus. Inform me whether you need anything.”

I nodded in appreciation and proceeded down the hallway. I was walking slowly, the overhead fluorescent lights irritating my headache.

My skull felt like it was going to split wide open long before I even reached the nurse's office.

I pushed the door open and went in, the chill of the air hitting my face immediately.

The nurse glanced up from the desk and motioned for me to approach.

She asked him, "You okay, honey?" in a worried but gentle tone.

"It's just a headache," I grumbled, sitting down on one of the chairs.

I was wondering whether I could have some painkillers.

She stood up, going over to the cabinet to grab some.

You are right. Stay strong.

I rubbed my temples, trying to focus on something else beside the raging headache that had been pounding inside my head.

The nurse's office was quiet, but for thewhir of the ceiling fan above.

I welcomed the relief from the chaos outside.

I just wanted to catch my breath.

The door creaked loudly as it swung open, shattering the stillness.

I looked up instinctively-and froze.

Derick