Speak Loudly.

Chapter 3

Date: September 1, 1995
Joey: Age 9
Shane: Age 10
--------------------------------------------

{Shane's Pov}

Luke: I think she like-likes you!

Luke whispered to me, pointing at a girl named Meghan. Wow, first week of fifth grade and this already.

Shane: I don't really like her.

I told him, shrugging. I smiled at her, anyways.

Luke: Why not? I mean, she's kinda weird if you asked me.

I just nodded my head. It wasn't that she's weird, it's just. I don't know. I don't like her that way.

The last bell rang and it scrambled to pack up my things in my backpack and ran out to the courtyard to wait for Joey, like I did everyday, if he didn't beat me to it.

Joey's a good strange.

He's a weirdo, a true freak, I gotta say. He talks in a funny way, he watches a lot of shows where you have to read the tiny words on the bottom, he bruises easily and sweats a lot, and he likes me to hold him when we spend the night at his house.

Okay, I like the last part too.

???: Take that, you fag!

I heard Sam yell to a kid he was beating up, and everyone was surrounding the scene, chanting 'Fight! Fight! Fight!' Which wasn't needed, because more than likely it wasn't a fight, more of a 'Get beaten by a really scary sixth grader!'.

Poor kid.

I looked around and still no Joey.

Wait.

I looked to the crowd who was starting to form away, but Sam was still going at it.

From an opening where no one was standing, I could see clearly.

Joey.

I dropped my backpack and ran after him.

Sam: Go cry to your boyfriend!

Shane: Who do you think you are!?

I yelled, right when I ran and jumped on Sam's back.

Scary, Tall, Already-hit-puberty, Sixth grader, Sam's back.

Sam: Get the fuck off of me, Dawson!

Oh. He knew my name.

Shane: Stay away from Joey or I'll snap your fucking neck!

Oh. I cursed out loud.

I punched Sam in the head from behind him. He threw me off his back like a wild bull.

And he came charging.

He sat on top of me, and threw punch after punch.

I brought a knee up and hit him in the balls.

He gasped a little and became weak, and I punched him in the face.

Shane: Stay away from Joey!

I punched him in the face again, and his nose bled.

I broke it.

I stumbled off of him, had Joey get on my back, grabbed my backpack, and ran as fast as I could down the paved path through the woods that led almost directly to Joeys house, and past our fort.

Instead of going home, I dropped by the fort.

I brought Joey in and laid him under the tent.

He was hit up pretty badly, and was scraped up in places, but I don't think anything was broken. He had been crying on the whole way here.