CHAPTER SEVEN:
||HE'S A FIXER...OR NOT!||

•••

ADRIAN MCCLERON

"It's him uh?"
The words soaked in displeasure ran out of my mouth the moment I spotted him. I stopped to lean against a locker, and studied him a bit: his brows all furrowed were hovering over his eyes beaming in alertness; fingers folding a fist, ready to pound; and his semi frail body already turning pink, was stuck in the middle of three boys far larger than he was.

I immediately deciphered what was happening.

"I doubt he'd intended to offend him, but I guess that's what happens when you're a do-gooder in glasses."
He wasn't in glasses, but I do like to imagine what he'd be like in one: those forest green eyes mostly shaded by a translucent frame, like a forest encased in thin layers ice and frost. The stereotypical nerd. How poetic!
A sinister chuckle glazed my throat as I continued watching him frightened. I stifled the laugh, and moved in, clad in silver armor and excalibur: his to-be hero! The thought of "his hero" almost had me knees laughing -not at him, at me. So ironic of me!

I saw him flinch to a blow flying for his face, which struck his nose, causing it to bleed.

Watching him defenseless stirred me unusually. It was like a quick jab of anger and hate, heavy as it easily disintegrated. Normally I would simply walk by, and ignore the whole bully scene: why get mixed up in someone else's crap? This time it was different.

"I don't know him. Why should I care?" I tried to turn a blind eye and walk past, but the option of returning to the gym, or using another exit at the back, would be more of a hassle. I growled in exhaustion.

I made a fist on my right and arched to the side of my waist, as I reluctantly approached for a confrontation. I heard a slight whimper drop off his lips, and as it did, was another stirring cutting through my chest, instantly tightening my fist and quickening my steps.

"Cowards!" I bellowed at them, and freed my moulded fingers.

They turned to me.

"People like you make me sick..." I said. "You all sicken me to the core." My teeth gritted in rage, yet I continued speaking. "I would so love to break your bones, but it'll be even better to watch you suffer in other ways."

They heard me say, and loosened their grips on his neck, and grounded their attention on me: their new victim.

"But..." I continued. "I'm in a good mood now, so, you have three seconds to scram before the securities arrive. Your choice!"

"You may be a hot shot McCleron, but three against one is an uneven number, even for you!"
One of the boys spoke out, as he tugged on my neck, and the others agreed with a smirk glued to their faces.

I sighed, and palmed my face. I inhaled deeply, and with the exhalation were a much bigger threat lashing from my voice, screaming.

"Oooverrrr Heeere!!! Bullyyy!"
I shouted at the top of my voice, and immediately were whistles lurching at my ears from different directions, so were steps hurriedly pounding the ground.

They heard it too.

"This isn't over nerd!" One of them said, while trying to hurry away from the scene.

Watching them run, made me relieved. I turned to him, running my eyes over his body, "stupid lace knotting: that'd turn to Gordon's soon. Botany... Applied mathematics... Nerd textbooks! What else was messed up by those punks? Nothing!" and I didn't find anything out of place, other than a slight rumple over this neck of his t-shirts.

Uh?

It took a moment for me to realised that I was lost in carefully analysing his appearance. "why would I care if he's hurt or not?" Gladly, he didn't notice what I was doing.

"Ad-Adrain -" His voice quaked as it sprawled out, forcing my eyes to trail for his. "Thank y-"

"Save it!" I cut in.

"I didn't know you were this kind."
He said again.

This kind?! I felt the thread of my sanity snap, and that same unusual feeling ran with rage down my back -it was unnecessary, but I couldn't reject nor understand the reason I was angry at him for saying that. But, Who the fuck does he think he is, to feel like he knows me well enough?! He's just some lonely nerd, who thinks he knows shit about me!

What'll be next, care packages and band-aids?

I snarled.
"Just because we spent a night drunk together, doesn't mean you know anything about me."

The gaze from his eyes held saddened weight, like he was watching me out of remorse or pity!

"I may know you more than you think I do."
His eyes were still passionately yet dimly twinkling.

My mind imploded in rage. For some reason, my body equally began to quiver, and those gaze digging into my flesh, were what I seemed frightened of the most: it was bold...confident...and sad. It made me weak. It planted a craving...something to fill the void I never knew existed. And that made me scared...this boy made me scared!

Why. What is this? "He's dangerous to us" My mind kept wailing, and it told me to stay away from him. "They're all the same!" It said again. "He needs to go! Now!" My head began to pound from the battle within my mind.

"Fuck off stalker..."
I barked.

"I -I..."

My eyes burning in fury, a fist set to land a clean hit, and my heart pumping crazily,
"Just stay away from me dude!"
I blurted.

"Well, I cannot do that, at least not yet..."
He responded, then turned around and walked away.

Wha-what was that he just said?

My eyes this time were fixed on his back, curious.

I spun around, and walked to the door.

My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out of my back pocket to meet "Yve bitch" dancing on my screen. My brows immediately drew in, and a V was drawn across my temple.

I slid my finger to the green, and the call was on and I held it up to my left ear.

"Bitch!"
I spoke angrily.

"How was the game, I heard it was a blast?" She chuckled.

"Fuck you Yve!" I scowled. "I so hate you!"

"You heading home now?" She asked.

"I don't know yet. I gotta pick up some stuff somewhere, get to work. Also, I've got to study for chem test next week -"

"We!" She sliced in. "We gotta study. Two, you ain't got to head down to work yet, your shifts this month has been by 7pm. Three, you ain't got no more excuse to bail on a little F.U.N!"

"Fuck off Yve!" I paused as I got to the door, and turned back, but there was no sign of him following behind. "I got to deal with some errands, so save your disguised fun for another year or so."
My eyes still narrowed worrisomely behind me, I braced through the door with my shoulder.

"Buzzkill!"
Yve's voice snapped me back to reality.

"Uh?"
I unintendedly yet disdainly asked, while moving through the almost empty parking space.

"Nothing! Your shift ends my 7AM, you can come over and we'd --"
She attempted another avenue to convience me.

"Can't Yve. It's weekend, and my shift is extended beyond 7AM. I need to make more cash, inorder to clear Carla's debts with Mr H."

"Carla? Your mother?"
That was sure to get her curious, and I letting the cat slip meant that I'd have to provide further details.

"Yes!" I kept it simple.

"Hasn't she been gone like three-four years now?"

"Five actually!" I said.

"No word, no calls, no hey-wanna-check-up-on-you text. She's...she's...urghhh!" She growled. "And why do you get to bear the penalty of her sins?"

"Mr H. He insists. And also, there's rent too."

"How much it all costs?"

"Like... three grands." I lied. The amont was around fifteen thousand dollars, but Mr H was willing to let go on ten. But telling Yve that, would only get her more worked up.

"You know I can lend you that and even more Aidy -"

She tried it again, her swoop-in-for-the-save stunt, and though I always appreciated it, I was not willing to let her go so far for me.

"No!" I strongly rejected. "I don't need your bougieness reeking all over my goddamn sanity. I know you use it as avenue to blackmail me later."
I scoffed, making her laugh.
"But seriously, thank you. I can manage on my own."

"I was gonna blackmail you into giving basketball a shot again."

I could feel her smirk over the phone, as she said those words.
"Was that your plan all along?"
She chuckled to my question, causing me to sigh with a grumble rumbling through my throat.
"Don't force it, ain't gonna happen!"

"You never know!" What followed after her words were doses of sinister laughs.

"uhmm... I gotta go now Yve!"
I said, while standing next and ready to mount my bike.

"Wait!" Her voice commanded, forcing me to pause from hitting the end call option.
"Devon."

"What about him?" I asked.

"He's a nice dude, don't make him feel like crap too. You know I kinda like him... And I think I may be falling in love Adrian!"

"You may! He's literally the only thing you've got going through your mind anyways. Besides, things might've been different if I even gave two fucks about the dude." I peeled the phone from my ears, and held it against my mouth. "Gotta go Yve!" I ended the call right as she was about speaking.

My phone buzzed, and a message appeared.

Yve! My mind spiralled in contempt as I slowed down, to draw out the phone.

My eyes narrowed as I ran my eyes over the lines of words.
"I'm coming overrrr! Hope you're ready for a real round of sweet humping, I know last time nothing actually happened between us? -Madelyn."

I sighed, and picked up my paddling pace.

Last time? You've got to be joking! Was that the night I was dead-drunk?

I stopped paddling, to reply better. Angrily, I began to form my text,
"Could you just die?"
I took another look at the screen, and the urge to reach into the phone, pop up at the other end, and strangle her, weighs about me. Relieving a sigh, I hit the delete key, and clear the text.

Right before sticking the phone right into my pocket, her message ran in again.
"I know you'd be lonely at work... We could do it in the back, during one of your five minutes break."

What the eff!

Responding was pointless, so I stuff the pocket into my hip pocket.
"Is there anyone more annoying?"
I say softly.
"Even Aaron is -" The words are lidded as I came to a realisation. "Hmmm... Why I'm I so hard on him, I'm sure he means well and no harm, right?"

I began to pounder upon his actions lately, from the drinks we shared, to me saving him from sudden death.
"Why did I care enough to not want to see him... hurt?"

He's a fixer. Could that be the reason?

I've had my share of hypocrites telling me that their ways are better than mine, so that they can try to fashion me into the version two-point-zero of them. Pfft!

He never said anything like that... And how corny can a nerd get?

"I could try for nicer next time... I'd like to see how far it can go!"

Like hell I'm gonna strangle that bitch Madelyn, if I find her even ten feet closer to me!