Norah took her sweet time walking back home. She had missed the sun and the warm weather, even if it meant she'd have to suffer hay fever. It was nice to leave earlier. With all the exams, mocks and applications done, school days were shorter and there were more breaks. The weight had lifted off her chest and the pressure to perform well in school was finally lifted. She was listening to new podcasts on the law on her iPhone. Constantly engaging with something new and interesting removed any thoughts of Rafe. Several times she thought about forgiving him and moving on whenever she saw his carefree grin or that wink, but her pride wouldn't let her. Besides, she knew they'd stop hanging out together one way or another. She'd done her job, and her conscience was clear.

She was so engrossed in the latest Harvard Law review that when Benny finally reached her with a slam on the shoulder; she let out a startled shriek.

"Benny!," she said breathlessly, taking out her earphones. Benny looked winded. "What happened? Did you run all the way here?" she asked, baffled by the urgency on his face. Benny never ran.

"Rafe— he got into a fight— at the nurse's office now— Jack taken to hospital—" as he wheezed out chunks of sentences, Norah visibly paled. She grabbed him by the shoulders.

"What? A fight? Is Rafe hurt? What happened?" She asked urgently.

Benny blew out a long sigh and took a deep breath again, fanning his face with his hand. His fringe stuck to his sweaty forehead. "Jack shoved me into the lockers and called me names. Rafe was walking by. I've never seen him so livid. He punched Jack really hard and a massive brawl broke out. I tried to stop them, but it was like throwing an ice cube into a burning building. Later Luke and the guys stepped in. It took about four of them to get Rafe off of Jack. He punched him about a dozen times. It was like Rafe was possessed. I get now why he was exiled here. The guy can be scary."

Norah's hands flew to her mouth, and she closed her eyes in disbelief. "Oh my god. That idiot," she muttered to herself. "It's my fault..."

"When Rafe was beating the snot out of Jack, at every punch he said 'this one is for Hazel, this one is for Benny and this is for Norah. If I ever hear you even speak her name again, you'll be eating from a straw for the rest of your shitty life'."

Never had Norah seen Benny so excited or inspired. And slightly hysterical. She herself was feeling numb and felt prickles on her skin from fear. She didn't want Rafe hurt.

"It was amazing, Norah. Though I'm glad you weren't there. It was scary. But it was so satisfying to see Jack get what he deserved. But I don't know what will happen to both of them now..." Benny was still trying to catch his breath, from both the running and the disbelief at what occurred just now.

"Is he badly hurt?" She asked.

"He's got a bruise on his eye and scratch across his cheek and neck as far as I could see. He's at the nurses. Jack on the other hand is being taken to the hospital."

"Benny, we have to go to the headmaster now," she said, begging to make her way back to school.

"Are you crazy? Do you have any idea how furious he is right now?"

"We have to tell him the truth about Jack so Rafe isn't expelled. I'm sorry, Benny, but you have to tell him what a homophobic bully he's been. I have to tell him what racist and misogynistic he truly is. I need to find Hazel and ask her to confirm how vile he's been to everyone. She was a victim too. We can't let Rafe get expelled for starting a fight. He can't lose everything because of Jack. We need to show the headmaster he was standing up. For us."

Benny looked hesitant but agreed with Norah. Hastily, they made their way back to school.

* * *

Rafe's left ear was ringing, and the side of his face hurt when he frowned. Jack packed a mean punch, but it was nothing compared to the work Rafe had done on him. He wondered if his father already knew of his trouble. Mr Crammer, their coach, just gave him a half an hour lecture on responsibility, and using words to settle conflicts. Rafe got called a neanderthal in process.

His phone rang, and to his relief, it was his brother.

"Ciao Emile," he said.

"Hey little bro. Couldn't last one more month without a fight huh you idiot?"

Rafe made a noise of frustration and briefly explained what happened. He was ashamed of admitting that he did nothing to stand up for Norah the first time around.

Emile listened. "Are you fucking serious?"

"Yeah man, the guy is a fucking stronzo."

"You want me to get our cousins and teach that Jackie boy a lesson?" Emile said. Rafe heard him get up from his office chair. If Jack picked a fight with Emile he'd probably be dead.

"Nah it's cool. I've done that," Rafe said with a proud grin. "You could however throw in a good word for dad so he doesn't disown me."

"I'll tell dad what happened."

"You're a good lawyer, win this case for me."

"I'll try."

"You believe me, don't you?" Rafe said, holding the phone tighter. "You know I've really tried," his voice was hoarse.

"I believe you. Rafe, you've always been good. I know you've tried."

After he hung up, he suddenly felt alone. He'd lost a friend, picked a fight with a teammate and just when he finally patched things up with his father, he'd ruined it all again. His father wouldn't understand, Bianca would have her wish to not see him ever again, and Norah would still not talk to him.

And he'd be completely and utterly alone, just like he always was.

* * *

Hazel, Benny and Norah walked out of the principal's office.

Benny shivered. "Well, that was terrifying. At one point I thought he would expel me after I told him I was gay."

"Don't be silly," Norah muttered. "I think we really got through to him. Thanks Hazel for coming with us."

She shrugged, void of any emotion. "I did it for Rafe. He shouldn't get expelled."

"I will see Rafe now. I think he's still at the nurse's," she told Benny.

"I hope he's okay. We'll visit him later then. Also, it'll be nice to have you talking to him again. He's been such a depressing bore since you two had a fight," Hazel said and walked off. Norah smiled. The ice in her heart thawed, and anxiety and worry took place instead. She needed to see him.

The nurse's office felt like it was located at the edge of the world. You had to pass through two main buildings and an entire football field just to get to the medical wing. Light on her feet, she knocked on the door and poked her head in. Rebecca, the school nurse, was nowhere in sight, so she approached the beds.

Rafe was sitting up on one of the beds. He was the only patient there. A bruise blooming on the side of his face. He noticed her come in and gave her a weak wave.

"Hey," he croaked.

"Oh my god, Rafe, you're bleeding," she said looking down at the gash on the side of his neck. She helped herself to some antiseptic wipes and sat down next him. He hissed as she dabbed the wound gently.

"I'm fine. You should see Jack. I wiped the floor with his face," he said with a smirk.

She lowered the tissue. "Rafe, when I was upset about you not sticking up for me, this was not what I meant. I never meant to-"

He took her hand and pulled her close, taking her face in his hands. "I know. I just did what I should've done a long time ago. No one will ever speak of you or to you like that again. He'll think twice before bullying anyone else."

Norah looked at the nasty bruise around his eyes. The white of his right eye had popped blood vessels. Tears gathered around her eyes. It hurt to see him like that. Benny was right. If she'd seen the actual fight, she'd probably die of anxiety.

She climbed onto his lap, and pulling him to her chest, hugged him tightly.

His hand went around her waist and pressed her body against his.

With her heart hammering in her chest from their proximity, she smiled, tracing a finger over his bruise. "You don't look so pretty anymore," she teased.

"It's a battle scar. I'm sexy now," he said wolfishly.

"I hope you don't get into trouble," she murmured, adjusting his loose tie. She noticed his shirt was completely torn.

"I'll be fine. The worst my dad can do is take away all my money again. I've lived without it for a year. I can live some more."

Norah didn't look convinced but decided Rafe can deal with his father later. All that mattered was that he was okay.

"Emile called too. He asked if I needed back-up. But I think Jack got the message," Rafe said smugly.

"You risked so much. Why are you so reckless?" she said, placing her head on his chest.

"You're worth it all. And Jack was really asking for it," he murmured, playing with strands of her hair. After a peaceful moment of silence, he asked. "Will you come to the dance with me if I'm not kicked out of school by then?"

"Mmm... I kind of said yes to Will already," she said and saw his hand freeze in her hair.

She let out a laugh. "I'm only joking. Of course I'll go with you."

Rafe let out a sigh of relief. "Don't joke like that. For a second I thought I would have to beat up two guys in one day."

"No more fighting for you," she admonished, pushing up her glasses.

He smirked and pulled her close. "Only if you kiss me," he said.

Norah didn't need to be told twice as she wrapped her hands around his neck and leaned in for a kiss.