Weeks had gone by since Parker left. But honestly, I don't know what would had happened to me if I didn't have the guys there for me. To be their usual selves, making me laugh and smile, rather than let the break-up get the best of me. 

“Put it down, I said put it down. I’m warning you, don’t do it. Don’t-“

Declan bobbed his head just in time for the food to miss him and hit the kid behind him. The kid yelped then turned to glare at whoever threw that food at him, but he was only met by Declan’s glare and lost. Jordan only burst out laughing. He was about to scoop up more of the food when Bennett grabbed the plastic spork or foon, whichever you prefer, from across the table and away from Jordon.

“Stop playing with your food,” Bennett scolded him.

“Why not?” Jordan whined. “I mean, it’s not even food anyway.” He emphasize it by taking Declan’s spork and scooping up some of the food to only drop it back on the plate with a plop.

“But why did you have to chuck it at me?”

Jordan shrugged innocently. “I don’t know, target practice?”

Before Declan could take his spork back and return fire I cut in.

“He does have a point though,” I said. “I don’t know what it is, or even what it used to be. It’s pretty disgusting.”

“Aw, don’t be so messed up,” Jordan told me. “It’s only Declan.”

Declan looked at us. “Do me a favor and just hold me back, because I swear I’ll-”

“Guys, don’t start a fight here.” Bennett said as he took a sip of his carton of milk. “Fight somewhere with less… witnesses.”

I didn’t bother holding back a chuckle for the whole thing. “Why do you guys always fight?”

Jordan grinned. “’Cause not only is it easy to, but its fun too.”

“And the thought of my fist connecting his face,” Declan sighed and cracked his knuckles.

I looked at Bennett. “Now for the real answer.”

“But it is the real answer,” Declan and Jordan argued.

“I meant the more reasonable one,” I replied back.

Bennett sighed. “It’s a guy thing. People usually show their friendship by being nice, being friendly. But with guys, we would make fun or tease the person, but in a friendly way.”

“But it’s like bullying, right?”

They all blinked and just stared at me in confusion.

“I mean, I know you guys don’t mean to. But the teasing, the threats, the jokes, it still counts as bullying, right?”

“She’s right.”

“To people, there’s a fine line between teasing and bullying,” Bennett started to say. “But what really matters is does it hurt their feelings? If they don’t take it seriously, then it’s alright, but if it really hurts them, then it’s not.”

We looked at Jordan and Declan who shook their heads.

“It doesn’t hurt, I swear,” Jordan assured us. “I find it funny, especially the good jokes.”

“Me too,” Declan said. “I know it’s all jokes with Jordan, I mean, his whole face is a joke.”

Jordan laughed. “Oh that’s a lot coming from you.”

“What do you mean by that?” Declan demanded.

The both of them began to argue back and forth.

Bennett smiled and looked at me. “When you first met them together, did you think they were friends?”

“Yeah.”

“And they were fighting like they were right now, right?”

“Yeah,” I said again, “they were.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense. How can they fight, but you would know they were friends?”

“They hang out a lot, even though they fight. If they hated each other, they wouldn’t. And when they joke with each other, their words just seem to brush off them like flies to them, they don’t mind it.”

“Well there’s your answer,” Bennett said, pushing his food tray back, I guess not really wanting it. “Between the both of us, they’ve been through a lot worse, their fights are nothing to them. So don’t worry about it.” Then he turned to the guys. “You know, it’s because of your fighting that it got Naomi to worry in the first place.”

They stopped in mid-argument, and then they looked at each other.

“We’re sorry,” they muttered to each other.

“Now hug.”

They looked at Bennett in disbelief.

“Are you serious?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Do it,” Bennett said before he looked at me and wore a mischievous smile which he must have stolen from Jordan.

 Declan and Jordan looked at each for a long time. Then they stood up and slowly they held out their arms, leaning across the table. Just when they were practically inches close Bennett let out a snort making the both of them freeze in place.

“I didn’t think they’d actually do it,” he said with a slight cough. “But then again, for you, they could jump off a cliff.”

They instantly shot away from each other and glared at Bennett.

“You sadist!”

“I thought you were my friend!”

Bennett frowned. “Should we repeat that whole conversation we had just now?”

Declan sat back down. “But honestly Jordan, you smell,” he said, making a face. “Even the flies buzzing around you dropped dead.”

Curious, I leaned close to him and took a cautious sniff. Then I jumped back in surprise. “Yeah, he’s right.”

Jordan lifted his arm, about to take a whiff. “It’s not that ba-” he recoiled. “Damn, how do I smell like that?” We all looked at him in disbelief. “I-I mean, give me a break, I just came back from P.E.”

“You could’ve taken a shower,” Bennett told him, who was noticeably farther away from the group in the table, making Declan and I do the same.

“I didn’t know I smelled that bad, well until now. But probably because the power of Axe masked it.”

“Just take a shower,” I told him. “I didn’t know it was possible, but you singlehandedly, well smell-edly, made the food more disgusting that it already was.”

“What did you think was not possible?” Declan asked. “Do you mean Jordan’s smell doing it or the food being grosser?”

“Both.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll take a shower,” Jordan groaned, standing up. “Happy?”

“Yes,” we all said in unison.

“You taking a shower will be one less thing not polluting the air and hurting the ozone layer,” Bennett told him.

“Wait, looks who’s coming,” I said quietly.

Declan snorted. “Who? People in gas suits coming for Jordan?”

“No worse,” I said. “Raymond.”

“Do you think that if I hug him, my stench can knock him out?” Jordan whispered to us.

“You can give it a try,” I offered. “But I think his evil aura will knock you out faster, it may even be fatal.”

“That’s the last way I want to go, death by Raymond.”

“Well there’s always death by your stench,” Declan pointed out.

“You’ve got a point there.”

Raymond finally arrived to our table, which was in a secluded corner of the cafeteria people usually steered clear of.

“Well if it isn’t my favorite people in the world," he greeted us.

He wore the usual knowing smirk, and I could bet what he was going to gloat about. He plopped down on the seat next to Bennett.

Bennett let out a sigh. “Stand up. I punched you once, I’ll punch you again.”

“I doubt that,” Raymond said, but he did what Bennett said and stood up from his seat. “You wouldn’t want to repeat what happened the last time you punched me, right?”

Declan moved his arm but Bennett stopped him just in time, giving him a look.

“What are you doing here?” Jordan demanded.

“Can’t I see-“

“No.”

“Not even a-“

“No.”

“You see me practically every day,” I said. “Why do you want to see me now?”

“I thought you were supposed to be smart, Nerds,” he said with a grin. “I just want to see how you’re doing after your big break-up with Parker.”

I gritted my teeth at that, but didn’t want to give him the pleasure of seeing anything else. I’ve always found it weird that Raymond hasn’t been appearing after a while as Parker and I dated. Probably he got bored of us and left us alone, maybe even knowing that it would end sooner or later. I’ve been expecting him to come to me and say, “I told you so” once we broke up, but I thought he’d come when I was alone, not with a death wish while I’m with the guys. But now that I think of it, since he mentioned the last time Bennett punched him, he must’ve wanted the incident to happen all over again. I looked at the guys, hoping they figured it out and not fall for his trap.

“Well you’ve seen me,” I said hotly. “So now you can go.”

“Aw, you don’t have to act strong in front of me. I know you’re probably dying inside, wanting to blow up into a puddle of tears and eat chocolate to your heart’s content. That break-up must’ve torn you apart when Parker just broke you heart. But I can't believe you disgusted him so much that he left the-“

“Okay that’s enough!” Bennett said, hitting the table and abruptly standing up to meet face-to-face with Raymond. He was caught off for a second, but stood his ground and dared to stare at Bennett in the eye. Everyone, the guys, the whole cafeteria, stared at him. It was something to see Bennett lose his cool and raise his voice louder than I thought possible compared to his quiet voice.

Now this time, Declan was the one holding Bennett back.

“Don’t fall for it man,” Declan warned him quietly. “You’re just giving him what he wants.”

At least they know about the trap. I wouldn’t want to yell out, “It’s a trap!” while wearing an Admiral Ackbar costume to state the obvious.

“Fall for what?” Raymond asked innocently. “Don’t you want to feel your fist connecting to my face, leaving a red mark, no, a big bruise on it once more?”

I can’t believe the egotistical, vain Raymond is willing to get a bruise on his face just so one of the guys might get in trouble.

“It’s a trap!” Jordan said, exactly like Admiral Ackbar, I’m not kidding. “It’s tempting, but still a trap!”

“I know it is,” Bennett hissed at them.

“And I know what he wants,” I said, standing up. “C’mon Raymond, let’s go.”

“It’s about time,” he groaned in exasperation.

Jordan grabbed my wrist. “Whoa, where do you think you’re going?”

“It’ll be quick, I promise.”

“Yes,” Raymond assured them. “She’ll come back to you guys safe and sound,” emphasizing those words.

“It’s a trap,” Jordan told me.

“I know Admiral Ackbar,” I replied. “Just let me go.” I looked at him, hoping he would get it. He hesitated then nodded, now letting go of my wrist.

With that, the guys watched as Raymond and I left the cafeteria, together.

I leaned against the lockers. “Now what do you really want Raymond?”

He crossed his arms. “I didn’t expect anything less from you. You can see right through me.”

“Like crystal. Also I could also see this machine in place of where you heart is supposed to be.”

Raymond didn’t say reply to that, which hurts since I was pretty proud of that comeback.

“So tell me Naomi,” he said, changing the subject. “Was it worth it? Was it worth dating Parker in the first place?”

“I don’t have to answer that.”

“What if I make you?”

“I refuse to say anything else. I want my lawyer.”

“Fine then,” he said with a sigh. “But wasn’t it just terrible how Parker just played you like that?”

Stop it, I wanted to tell him. I don’t want to hear this. Not now, not ever.

 “And better yet, how you were so gullible as to fall for it? The both of you just wasting your precious time and wasting that petty use of a heart of yours for him, all for a stupid dare.”

“A dare you probably made.”

He snorted. “Please. I wouldn’t stoop so low as to have my friend, well, former friend suffer through you. No offense.”

“It’s taken. And the same thing for me.”

“Speaking of friends,” Raymond mused. “What about yours?”

“What about them?” I asked icily.

“Which of the lucky three will be your rebound?”

I nearly choked at those words. “Excuse me?”

“Well after a bad break-up that lost love has to go somewhere. Why not give it to those pathetic excuses of friends you have?”

“I would never- Shut up!”

“You’re already hanging out with them, probably leading them on or them leading you on. Just end their misery and choose one with ships like I don’t know… Bennomi, Jordomi and even Decomi.”

“Okay first of all, really? Those ship names? And second of all, you’re sick,” I growled at him.

“It’s only a simple thought,” he told me. “And why are you so against that? Do you really think of them as just friends? I mean, why else would three guys willing hang out with someone like you? I just don't want to see you get hurt again. And it’s not my fault that they are all three perverts who would gang up on one-“

He could talk about me, he could talk about Parker, but he cannot talk about my friends like that. So I did what anyone would do.

I punched him.

After all of these years of putting up with Raymond and his taunts, his words, his jokes, and overall his bullying. I finally did what I’ve been dreaming of doing. But I never gathered up the courage, knowing what will come back to me ten-fold if I ever did that. And I never thought of a good reason to do it anyway, why punch him now after so many years of bullying. But now I finally had a reason, to stand up and defend my friends as they had done to me.

And it felt good.

“Y-you hit me,” he said in disbelief, his hand covering his nose.

“Yeah, I know,” I told him, clutching my own hand that stung at the knuckles

“You just… hit me,” he said again with the same disbelief, having a drop or two of blood splatter on the floor.

“Yup, right on the schnoz,” I commented, already seeing the bruises that are starting to form on my hand.

He glared at me. “I’m-“

“-not going to tell anyone,” I finished for him.

His eyes narrowed at me. “And why do you think that?” He demanded.

“You won’t tell anyone that I, Nerdy Naomi, got the courage to punch you right in the face. And you wouldn’t want to parade around the school with everyone knowing where you got the broken nose- is it a broken nose?”

Raymond touched it and winced. “Yeah, it is.”

“-your pride won’t let that happen,” I continued. “And even if you do turn me in, what’s the use of that? If it were the guys, then I’ll have no one to be there for me. But if I’m gone, what’s the point when I’m not there and the guys are?”

He backed away from me, one hand still clutching his nose while the other pointing at me. “You’ll be sorry.”

“I am sorry,” I said honestly, before smirking. “Sorry for never doing that sooner.”

With one last glare, he quickly went away, probably to the boy’s restroom. I looked down at my hand, its knuckles all busted up, and even if I move it a little bit it hurts. Then the sound of clapping made me look up and turn around.

Jordan pretended to wipe a tear. “I’m so proud.” He looked at the other guys. “Look at our little Naomi, she’s all grown up,” he choked, then looking away to try to compose himself.

“We saw the whole thing,” Bennett said with a smile wearing relief, probably happy that nothing else happened. “I only wish we videotaped the whole thing too.”

“We should go catch up to him,” Declan told them. “He might do something we might not like. Just clean up the mess, so to speak.”

Bennett nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. Jordan, you’re with me. Declan, go put some ice on Naomi’s bruise.”

“Alright,” Declan said.

Jordan sniffled. “Our little angel, getting her first ice pack for her first bruised hand.”

Bennett had to stop Jordan cooing over me after a while, and then they went after Raymond. Declan then led me to the nurse’s office. The office was empty, given Mrs. Matthews usually left it alone when she went to get lunch. Declan lifted me up on the counter and went to grab an ice pack in the cupboard where I told them they were. He came back, already shaking the ice pack for it to turn colder and set it on my knuckles.

I sucked in some air through my teeth at contact.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, not pressing the ice pack as hard on my hand.

“It’s alright,” I replied back, looking down at the ice pack.

He let out a small chuckle.

I looked up at him. “What’s so funny?”

Declan shook his head. “Nothing. I’m just remembering the look on Raymond’s face when you punched him.”

I sighed, remembering the image like the TV was stuck on that one picture. “Yeah, isn’t he just a little ray of sunshine?”

The both of us laughed at that.

“I’m going to need to teach you how to punch better though,” he told maybe to himself or to me. “At least a way so you won’t hurt yourself so much.”

“I’ll be waiting for that promise.”

We were quiet for a long time. The only thing that filled the silence was the slight slush of the ice in the ice pack every time my hand or his hand moved. He seemed to refuse to let go of my hand, still holding it while the other still held the ice pack. Then he broke off the silence.

“You know what?”

I blinked. “What?”

“I want to show you something. I think it’s about time, and besides, you deserve it.”

“Deserve what?”

He smiled that rare Declan smile. “That is a very good question.”

Finally. Just finally.

When I came up that part of the chapter, I kept on fist pumping the air for coming up with the idea. You do not know how long I’ve waiting for her to finally punch Raymond. Finally! Sorry Rayomi fans, I just had to, it had to be done. Also, just to add a note, Bennett threatening to punch Raymond was a short foreshadowing of Naomi about to punch him. And a bit for any Decomi fans out there, that ship is still alive too y'know.

I don't know why I added that "Jordan and Declan bullying" part in the chapter. I just wanted to add another chapter in bullying I guess. Have you guys thought or felt that you've been bullied by your own friends? Is it really just jokes, or real bullying? Just a thought to put into your minds. Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to dianatula, who works in Wattpad. She's super nice and just awesome, she read my book and has been talking to me like new things on Wattpad and my opinions. Diana, you're awesome, and I wanted to dedicated a pretty big chapter of the story when Naomi finally stands up for herself to Raymond, hope you enjoy minding that one punch. Also, she had just told me that my book will be put in the featured list for new readers starting Dec 16, whoo hoo! 

I gotta go now.

RubixCube89201