It. Was. Chaos. 

The whole corridor was in an uproar, people were even running about the place screaming. Some people got their phones out and started recording, other were speechless. While this was happening, it would have a good time to think of a way out but I couldn't move. I was just as surprised as everyone else when it happened. I had always been the quiet 'stay out of trouble'  type, but trouble somehow found it difficult to stay out of me these past few days.  

I'm not going to lie, he had it coming to him, after what he did to Victoria I had half a mind to kick him another five times over. And technically what he did was sexual harassment and me, being the gentleman I was, was only trying to prevent such a thing. 

Well that, and I was just annoyed that he used Victoria to get back at me, but hey, a least I had an alibi. Yeah, he was hurt and probably wouldn't be able to sit right for a week or two, but who cares about safety and well-being when your sworn enemy is out cold.

On the downside (there always has to be one) I had quite seriously hurt another student, even if that student was an asshole that stole Victoria's kiss, playboy and full of himself that didn't change the fact that 'violence against any of our student or staff is unacceptable and can punishable by a 1 hour detention or 3 day suspension depending on how violent the act' as the school policy went. 

As seconds turned to minutes more people seemed to be appearing and I had a feeling that this incident wouldn't just be easily forgotten. At the time, I was still frozen in place recovering from what I had done, and I probably would have stayed that way if I didn't suddenly feel the whole place shake. I thought it was an earthquake and I was half convinced I was about to have one of those hallucinations again until I heard that all too familiar sound.

"Josh!" Victoria shouted, "Snap out of it!"

I soon came out of my trance when I heard a loud shout down my right ear and felt two hand vigorously shaking me by my shoulders.

"Josh!" Victoria shouted again except louder this time. 

"Victoria?" I began  "...Victoria! Oh, crap are you OK, that didn't actually happen did it?" I said, which I admit was a really dumb question to ask.

She turned her head away from me and remained silent, and I felt my heart sink to my stomach.

"No...It happened, he did... Then you...And then all this." she trailed off as she pointed to Micheal, who was still bent over on the ground with David and Joseph beside him. 

Then suddenly I hugged her, I wasn't sure why but I just felt the urge to do so, "I'm sorry this is all my fault, you weren't supposed to be mixed up in all this...That scumbag, I'll kill him!" I felt my blood boil again as I recalled what had happened, I wanted to pound his face into the nearest wall, I wanted to dig a pit and bury him alive. I wanted him hurt, and badly.

"No! Josh, calm down. I'm OK I really am, I was just a little embarrassing is all..." 

"I'm sorry Victoria but I've had enough! This is what they always do, use me, have a laugh at my expense as if it's nothing, and you expect me to sit here and just take it, hell no!" I shouted, "I didn't mind when it was just me, I didn't care, but now they've dragged you into it."

"Wait, Josh please," Victoria pleaded as she grabbed my arm. "You're already in enough trouble as it is, look, I'm begging you here don't make it worse than it has to be. You got him back already didn't you? I'm just as angry as you are but believe me doing this won't solve anything."  

I hesitated, slowly as I swerved around and looked at Victoria's face. She looked tired, like she was fed with this whole thing, and I didn't blame her. I had already done enough damage and the last thing I needed was to make her worry. I guess what I said before really was true, I couldn't say no to that face of hers even if I wanted. 

"Fine." I replied, "I'll leave him for now, but the second he comes even one metre near you again he's getting a kick to the face and I won't hold back," I replied still kind of annoyed. 

She exhaled in relief but before she could say anything I butted in, "But why? Tell me why? Why did you stick up for me? Do you know what's gonna happen after this, any chance of you getting friends, becoming popular has just gone out the window! Victoria, you're not like me, people actually like you and you had a good chance at a great social life. So why throw that away to stick up for this sorry idiot?"

I was me, I'd now dragged her into my lonely world, of bullies, dirty looks and whispers. It was all my fault. I should have forced her away from there when I had the chance, instead like always I'd messed everything up, why couldn't I just do anything right, why did I always bring trouble for the people in my life. I was responsible, I'd let it happen.

"Josh, you must be the king of the idiots." she remarked and I was a bit taken back, "I did it because we're friends, and that's what friends do. What? You wanted me to just stand there and look pretty while I let you deal with them all on your own?" she raised her eyebrows in a serious yet joking manner. "Just accept the fact that I'm part of your world now and you can't do anything to change that, I don't give a damn about all that popularity. If I have to become stuck up, judgemental and be horrible to you for no reason to become popular then screw being popular."

I was practically speechless, one from all the curse words Victoria used in that one breath and because no one had ever said that to me before. I didn't know what to say, insults had become so natural that I guess my brain didn't know how to respond to something positive.

She sighed and raised her finger to my lips so that they were almost touching. "Shhh, it's OK, you don't need to say anything I understand." she smiled, her teeth seeming to glow, it was so bright and so warm I couldn't help but return the grin. "Thanks, Josh," she continued after a while "it's sweet that you want to stick up for me but please don't do anything rash. I'm going to admit, I was kinda scared I had never...I had never kissed anyone before and I was annoyed that I'd let my guard down enough for him to do that. I'm glad you kicked him but don't ever do it again OK?" she spoke softly, "I have never seen that side of you before, it scared me even more than the kiss did. So just, don't ever get that angry again, OK?" she replied.

I felt all that anger and hatred I had just melt away after that speech. I didn't know I made her worry like that, it made me feel just a twinge of guilt. 

"OK," I replied I put on the best sympathetic smile I could give. "But I still regret, I'm sorry, if I had just made you leave when I had the chance then..." I sighed and rubbed my face in my hands.

"Silly, what are you apologizing for?" she smiled back at me. "You were just trying to protect me and I appreciate it. You warned me not to go but I refused to listen, thinking I could help, but in the end I just made even more trouble for you, if anything I should be the one apologizing." she laughed nervously. "But we can talk about that later, right now we should figure out what we're going to do about all this." She gestured to the whole horrible scene. 

Just as I was about to open my mouth to say I had no clue, the noise began to die down. I turned my head as a teacher was pushing his way through the crowd of people.

"What's all the fuss about! What's happened!?" he shouted.

"That boy, he just kicked Micheal!" Some person had shouted above the remaining noise of the crowd as he pointed at me. 

The teacher turned to face me and gave me a deadly stare, 

"So, you're the cause of all this?"

"Oh god, I'm fucked aren't I?" I thought because this wasn't just any teacher. It was Mr. Thornhill, the headteacher. 

I gulped as I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Mr. Thornhill was known for being the most strict, merciless teacher before he became the head, and even more so after. No one wanted to be stuck in his office for all the wrong reasons, especially if they were anything like me, where good grades were non-existent. He could stares daggers in you if you got on his bad side which was something not to be taken lightly. 

He was pretty short for a headteacher, only a little taller than me, and had your average brown eyes. His face was quite small, he had thin pinkish lips and he was pretty lean. He had black hair which actually used to be red, (he had to dye it supposedly because the school couldn't accept a teacher with such a bold hair colour) which was probably where his temper came from. Mr. Thornhill had little patients and a quick temper to boot, you had to be careful what you said to him in order for all hell to not break loose.  

He didn't have a nickname because people just called him whatever they wanted, but if I had to give him one I'd probably choose something like waterspout because, well I'm pretty sure you can guess.

"Speak boy! You have a mouth so use it. Answer me!" Mr. Thornhill shouted.

Almost instantaneously I felt little droplets of spit spray all over my face and I fought the desperate urge to back away from the walking, talking water fountain.

"Well, yes and no sir." I answered as normally as I could. 

"It's either one or the other you can't be both, did you or did you not cause this? It's a yes or no question I am sure you are capable of that!" he spat, I could already tell that I probably wasn't on his 'favorite pupil' list.  

"Well, yes sir, but..."  I didn't get a chance to finish before I was blasted with, 

"You! Your name!" Mr. Thornhill shouted.

"Josh sir!" I replied instantly.

"OK then Josh." The words rolled off his tongue as if I were an annoying insect he wanted to swat away, "Could you care to explain to me what you seem to have done, other than hurt another student?" 

"Sir I didn't really mean to kick him that hard, and besides the guy had it coming to him." I said.

"Oh really?" He raised a suspicious eyebrow at me "What exactly did he do to have deserved such a blow to the gut. The boy's practically out cold!" 

"Sir he was harassing Victoria, he forced a kiss on her and-" But I was cut off yet again because Mr. Thornhill had raised his hand signalling that he had heard enough. 

"Look I think this isn't the best place to talk, we will continue this little chat somewhere private," he replied in a more calm and patient tone, his anger seemed to have subsided for now. "But," he continued "Let's say he did exactly what you said, it's not your job to get involved you tell a teacher, you hear me?" 

I felt like giving him a kick to the gut then. The one thing that I hated about teachers, whenever something like that happened all they ever say is "go tell a teacher." Yeah, and then what? They tell the person off, give them a detention, suspend them, and then the person goes and does it again! Only even stronger once they know you ratted them out. Tell the teacher my back foot.

"But sir," Victoria piped up. "Josh was just trying to help me." 

He sighed "...You two my office now, also that boy," he pointed at Micheal, "what's his name?" 

"Micheal sir," I replied.

"Someone get the school nurse to help him, after that he needs to get to my office as well. As for the rest of you, got back to your classes. This matter is being dealt with by an adult so all of you go to where you have to be. Now!" He shouted at the crowd. 

It didn't take long for the noise to die down and soon people were walking left and right trying to get to classes, most trying to avoid eye contact with Mr. Thornhill. I admit, I don't blame, them his looks could kill.

 'How long? A day? No less than that, probably even by lunch time' I thought, wondering how long it would take for the whole school to be aware that the almighty prince Micheal Weathers had fallen to the hand of the loner Josh Carter. 

Eventually, the hall became empty again, Micheal had been picked up by the school nurse. We had watched him get dragged away while David and Joseph followed the nurses, but not before David gave me the obvious "You are so gonna regret that." look as they walked off. Soon, the hall was so quiet and empty it was almost like it never happened. Almost. I was snapped back into reality yet again when I heard Mr. Thornhill's voice.

"You two. Follow me," he called.

Gulping, both Victoria and I exchanged nervous glances as we followed him down the hall.  

***

............Keep reading for the next chapter

Chapter 11- Reunited?