The Circus

Chapter 13

Clint PoV

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I walked around the compound, Josh Acres had been acting a little off and Flash Thompson had been being rude. Flash Thompson. He'd been jerk lately. I knew he was hurting. He was like a cactus. Prickly and rude on the outside, soft and insecure on the inside. I'd seen it happen before. I watched it happen, up close. I'd been the one it affected most. I needed to help him.

I found Flash near Peter's obstacle course. He was leaning against a pole, and I walked up behind him. Neither of us spoke for several minutes. I could tell he knew I was there.

"Am I in trouble?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"No," I said, continuing to stare straight ahead, "You should be. What you've been doing lately, it's not okay. But, there's always two sides to a story. So, what's wrong?"

"Why would something be wrong?" He inquired; we locked eyes, and I noticed his crossed arms. He was taking a defensive position.

"I just know."

Flash had always been different than the other kids. He focused an unhealthy amount of time thinking about his parents. They had money, good lives, and no good reason to abandon him, but they did. They left him.

"So, you gonna tell me?" I asked.

He didn't answer. We stood quietly. A thought circled 'round my head. I hesitated. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about that. But, it was the only way to get through to him.

"You know who you remind me of?"

"Who?" He snorted.

"My brother. You're a lot like him. He got into a ton 'o fights when we were kids. One time, a kid, I can't remember his name, he insulted be. Then, he pushed me. I came crying to Barney; he wasn't impressed. He beat the kid up. And when we Dad would come home, Barney took the hits for me," I placed a hand on Flash's shoulder and looked him in the eye, "Barney was always there for me, and I'm always gonna be here for you."

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"Stay here." He said. I nodded, hardly daring to breathe.
He ran back up the stairs, and I heard yelling. I closed my eyes and hugged my knees.

Stop, please, stop. Don't hurt him.

I knew Barney wouldn't back down, it wasn't in his nature, but he was gonna get hurt.

I couldn't stand the not knowing if he was okay anymore, and I ran up the stairs after me brother.

Pa was towering over him, ready to hit him. Barney didn't flinch, he hardly moved. He just held eye contact. Pa extended his arm, and I launched myself towards him.

It was just a dream. It was just a dream. But, it wasn't. It was real. It was what had happened. My muscles were sore, and I couldn't bring myself get up, so I just sat there until it was morning.

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Word Count: 493

This chapter took a while to write. I was originally planning to add a little more but decided to cut it short. Hope you enjoyed. Don't forget to vote!

-Ambertail Out-