I returned to my seat and stayed here through our first fifteen-minute break. The boys got lunch and brought me back some cafeteria sandwiches, but I particularly wasn't hungry. I vaguely thanked them before the bell rang for everybody to return to our seats. I rested my cheek on my balled fist, too caught up in thought to pay Mr. Sex-God Hardy too much attention. That was until he cleared his throat and stood in front of me.

Looking up at eye level, I was met with his jean crotch stationed not too far across from me. I let my gaze roam upwards, resisting the urge to sigh. That feeling went away quickly when I saw his arms folded, looking down at me expectantly. Oops.

Once he knew he had my attention, he cleared his throat and returned to the front.

"Alright, now that eyes are all on me," he said, looking directly at me, "Let me continue this announcement by casting a vote to have our Aquarium trip pushed forward to this Thursday."

Everybody broke out in whispers. Ben and I faced each other, shrugging, and I looked back to see Goose do the same. We'd all signed and paid for this trip months ago, and I think most of us forgot about it.

"There's talk of it being shut early for maintenance. If it happens, then it's due to happen around our planned date three weeks from now. So, we can either risk cancellation and go ahead as scheduled, or we can take a day off and go this Thursday. I'll give you a few minutes to discuss it amongst yourselves."

As Mr. Hardy returned to his teachers' desk, everybody chirped with excitement. Jude turned straight to Liam, clutching his arm with both hands as he chatted animatedly. Liam looked like he was in heaven, smiling, laughing, and nodding along. They had such innocent but profound chemistry that I could no longer question it.

I turned back to look at Aubrey who sat with his chin resting in hand, staring out the window. The sun shone on him, lighting his eyes to a luminescent grey. I'd never seen anything so beautiful, making me go weak. Maybe I just misunderstood something, and he'd talk to me soon. He did promise to teach me how to sign, after all. Not only that, but I still had a goal of getting him through the final term of English with a passing grade. That meant that I could push for these poetry dates to continue.

With that idea in mind, I felt a little better.

Ben was leaning back in his chair, chatting with Goose behind me. I barely registered their conversation before noticing Mr. Hardy return to the front.

"Alright, alright. Quiet now, I've given you long enough," he said, eyes skimming across the class. Even just that mundane gesture was unbelievably sexy. "A show of hands for pushing forward to this Thursday."

I looked back at just about every person's hand in the air, throwing mine up as well. I wasn't particularly bothered so I just voted with the rest of the majority. Aubrey's hand stayed down though, so I quickly lowered mine.

Mr. Hardy nodded as he counted, registering the number of hands.

"Alright," he continued, "And those for risking scheduled date?"

Glancing back, only about three hands shot up. None of them were Aubrey's. He continued staring out the window, not in the least bit interested in this discussion. What could be going through his beautiful mind right now?

"Alright, Thursday it is," Mr. Hardy said, bringing my attention back to the front.

We finished biology class and were onto English. As expected, the mere mention of the word poetry resulted in a loud scooching of a chair sliding on the floor. We all turned back to find Aubrey standing up, slinging his bag over his shoulder, and making for the door. With he stared at the ground, his hair fell over his face, making it hard for me to see his expression. My hunch told me it was on purpose which didn't sit well with me.

My jaw clenched; fists tightening into balls.

"Excuse me, sir," I said, pushing my chair back and standing up. "I need the bathroom."

"Sure thing," Mr. Hardy said with a nod, turning to the whiteboard as I made for the door. Ikeisha's eyes set on me, soft and kind. I smiled at her as I left, only mildly surprised when she smiled back.

"Alright, alright," Mr. Hardy continued, "Let's get on with class-"

His voice disappeared as I closed the classroom door behind me. I looked left and right down the hall, wondering where Aubrey might've gone. The toilets, maybe? The field? The nurse's office? Deciding it might be worth checking all of them in order of proximity, I went for the closest toilets first. There were muffled, but audibly loud voices coming from inside.

Coming through the door, I found Donovan and a few friends leaning against the far wall smoking cigarettes. Absolute derelicts if I'd ever seen them.

Sorry, Aubrey, for my longstanding wrong opinion of you.

Donovan lowered his cigarette and glared as I entered. The walls felt like they tightened as I realized he probably still had it out for after my goading last time. Fragile masculinity was a dangerous timebomb sometimes. If Aubrey was in here, he probably wasn't coming out in a hurry. As I glanced across the line of doors for occupied ones, Donovan dropped his cigarette and grounded it beneath his shoe.

Only one was occupied.

"Looky here," he said, marching towards me. "It's the disabled-loving faggot come back for his overdue ass-kickin'."

His friends snickered, quiet compared to last time since they were in hiding. I rolled my eyes at his careless insult.

"If memory serves me... I was all but flirting with you last time," I said, recalling our previous incident. He stood close. I hated the smell of his garbage breath puffing through my nostrils. The smell was so hot and rancid that it settled and lingered on my tongue, making me want to gargle some cyanide to rid myself of the aftertaste.

If I gagged the way I wanted to, I'd be pummeled for sure. "But call yourself what you want, though. You're still valid," I quickly added.

His lip curled into a snarl, towering over me, eyes boring into mine threateningly. "You're a funny little prick, aren't ya?"

"About the same as what you've got between your legs," I retorted, bounding toward the exit. My shirt pulled, sending me stumbling back.

Two of his friends pinned my arms down with their feet, flicking ash onto my white uniform shirt. My shirt collar had ridden up as he dragged me back, and I watched with horror as an ember burned through it, inches from my face. I scowled, glaring back up at him.

"You're really gonna do this, then?" I asked through gritted teeth. "Can you bloody well afford to?"

"You really wanna test me, huh, Rascal?" He placed his foot on my stomach, slowly but surely applying pressure until I was ready to vomit. I choked on coughs, fighting back the nausea of having my organs all but crushed beneath his weight. I wanted to grab it and throw him off me, but his friends still had me pinned.

I grunted and threw my leg up to catch the back of his knee, making him buckle over. His other knee collapsed on my stomach, making me gasp for air. His friends released my arms, allowing me to grapple the horse on top of me. He practically whinnied as I sent him toppling forward towards the door.

His groupies wasted no time hauling me to my feet.

I stood panting, unable to catch my breath as they shoved and jerked me around, tossing me between them. A hand touched my backside more than once. And when I faced the same early Justin Timberlake, noodle-haired perpetrator, I felt his finger subtly stroke my peck before shoving me again.

While I felt disgusted, there wasn't any time to assess his motive as Donovan climbed on his feet. "You think my friends'll let ya get away with this shit? Huh?" Donavan asked, nodding to his friends surrounding me.

Someone came behind me, pinning his arms beneath mine and locking them so I couldn't fight back. Their body pressed so hard against me that I knew exactly where my backside was. Seeing as I couldn't see noodle-head, I could only assume it was him again. It felt so disgusting, so dirty.

I'd be sure to knock his blocks off when I got out of his grasp.

But before I had a chance to try anything, the first punch landed on my cheek with a jarring thunk, making my brain rattle. It surprised me when it didn't hurt, but the next punch caught my jaw, feeling it instantly. My legs gave out beneath me, making me keel over in the pair of arms. Now it just reminded me of doggy. For the first time, I felt repulsed by the idea.

"Stop it!" someone yelled but everybody, including me, disregarded it completely.

There were more punches, but I could hardly perceive them. Each hit hurt but merged with the next, rendering me numb save for an accumulating pressure in my skull. A cubicle opened and out came Aubrey Keats. I watched him yank one of my attackers back, sending him tumbling into the wall. He wasted no time swinging around and reaching for the other.

"I told you to stop it!" Aubrey screamed.

"Aubrey, no! Get back in the stall," I yelled, struggling to break free and intervene before he became horse fodder.

Cocking his head toward him, Donovan's face contorted into fury and disgust, making me just about fear for Aubrey's life. His fists curled at his sides, looming over Aubrey and getting right into his face. "You think it's a good idea to show yourself here, you crippled shit? Huh?"

"Aubrey, run!" I screamed, still thrashing about in the pervert's arms.

In the split of a second, Donavan's fist made contact with Aubrey's cheek, quickly followed with a side hook that caught his ear, knocking him back so that he fell headfirst on the ground.

The world stopped. Everybody fell silent. The arms beneath me relaxed, but I couldn't move. The entire world pounded inside my ears, crushing my chest, holding every breath of mine captive while I waited for Aubrey to move. To flinch. To stir. He didn't, and reality came crashing down.

"No... No. No, no. No. Aubrey!" I yanked myself loose, scrambling out from the guys grasp and fell to Aubrey's side, pulling his head onto my lap. I saw a tiny bit of blood seep from his ear when the doors shot open.

"Aubrey? What's going on, dude?" Trey asked, entering inside and stopping at the foot of the door. "I just got your te-"

He paused, assessing the situation. Eyes roaming to the two guys on the floor, the pervert now leaning against the sink bench, Donovan who stood panting and red. Then finally, finally settling on Aubrey who lay unconscious on my lap.

His face twisted with anger. "What in the f-"

"Get a teacher," I said, pulling his hair back from his face. Trey opened the door and screamed out for help. Aubrey finally groaned, maybe roused by Trey's voice.

"Head... hurts," Aubrey whispered, wincing as he spoke.

"You'll be fine," I said, reaching into my pocket for my cellphone before dialing the emergency service number. Punched on his left side, his hearing aid was at least safe. The phone rang and I held it to my ear.

"Are you... okay?" he asked, blank eyes staring up at me. Staring past me. Did he see me? I couldn't be sure. The phone continued ringing.

"I'm the last person you should worry about," I grumbled. "I'm calling an ambulance so just stay put, don't try get up."

He did the opposite. "I'm fine," he said, trying to move.

"Stay there," I snapped, bringing my attention to the phone as a service provider answered. I chatted with her, but the more I spoke, the more my mouth started to swell. People came pouring in, Mr. Hardy was one of them, with the school nurse and counselor at his side. My mouth started to clam, and upon noticing this, Mr. Hardy took over and finished the call on my behalf.

While every word increasing in difficulty, I fought the final boss level and spoke anyway. "Am'ulance's a stone's throw away, so they won't we long. You're pro'lly concussed... so just lay down and 'e good."

A small smirk escaped his pinkish lips, looking bemusedly amused. How could he possibly have the energy to smile right now? After that near-fatal right hook to his ear... Anger boiled inside me, bubbling and rising like magma, ready to break the surface.

My head snapped toward Donovan who was well and truly trying to dig himself out of this situation. I watched him throwing his hands in the air in defense as the counselor bombarded him with questions.

"I don't know!" he neighed. "I just lost it, okay? I didn't mean it."

Mr. Hardy came to me and handed back my phone. "Charlie, you need to be seen to as well," Mr. Hardy said. "Trey, take over for me."

The second Aubrey moved off my lap, the volcano inside me spewed out molten rocks, directed only at Donovan. I sprang off the ground and charged to him, grappling his shirt and shoving him against a cubicle door.

"You son o' a vitch!" I screamed, realizing how bad my face was now. The unoccupied toilet door burst open, causing us to tumble through. Donovan landed on the seat and tried to collect himself, but I didn't give him a chance. I swung at his face, again and again. "Do you r'eel like a 'an? Ih anything ha'ens to Au'rey then you're done 'hor, you hear?"

"Charlie, that's enough!" Mr. Hardy yelled, physically intervening so I had no choice but to let go. I gritted my teeth, not even remotely satisfied with the blows. "Ambulance is here, so go get yourself checked as well. We'll deal with this properly, so just cut it out now, yeah?"

He led me out of the cubicle. Paramedics performed basic checks on Aubrey, asking him questions. After assessing his bleeding ear, they opted to take him on a stretcher. I backed out and took his side. I was okay with going to the hospital since that's where he was going. This happened because he wanted to help me.

He came out of hiding to save me.

Donovan tumbled outta the cubicle, rubbing his jaw, looking at me like a stunned mullet. I shoved his chest with both my hands and sent him tumbling back inside.

"Charlie!" Mr. Hardy bellowed. I couldn't bring myself to feel bad. I looked down at Aubrey being secured on the stretcher. He looked up at me wordlessly, cheek red and swelling. But he still appeared to be smiling.

They started pushing him out. I took the briefest moment to study the guy who'd landed against the basins, the perv who I could feel take advantage of me more than once. The perverted early Justin Timberlake, wearing black glasses on top of his head. Medium-built, like me, but burlier. Someone who fits the stereotype for a friend of Donavan Horse-Face Hughes.

A paramedic approached me, asking questions as she guided me along behind the stretcher. The pervert watched me with hawk-eyes, causing me to shudder until I passed him, breaking eye contact. Who was he? What year was he from? I didn't remember him. I glanced back as Donovan was led away by the school counselor.

"Charlie!" Ikeisha called out.

Aubrey had just been boosted inside the ambulance when Ikeisha came running over. Her hand shot up to my cheek with a gasp, touching it gently, as if afraid she'd hurt me. "Oh my god," she whispered. "What the hell happened? The boys won't answer my-"

She caught a glimpse of Aubrey inside the vehicle behind me, eyes widening. "Jesus, what the hell?"

"He'll 'e hine," I managed to say.

"My God," she said, bursting into tears. "I'm calling my parents and we're coming straight to the hospital. Take good care of him for me till we get there, okay?"

I watched her race back in the building before climbing inside the vehicle. The paramedic closed the doors, and I noticed Aubrey's eyes on me. His focus had returned, recognizing me without any trouble. Since he looked okay, I relaxed a little. A little smile played on the curve of his lips, just like it had done before.

"We sure got into some shit," he said with a smirk. Was he enjoying this?

The cute little sadistic masochist.