silence speaks in volumes {karlnap}

chapter 6

TW: bullying

(Nick POV)

"Back off!" Dream snaps, shoving Tony away. It's been a week since Karl was attacked, meaning the assholes who did it are back at school. And they haven't learned. 

"Dude, I'm just having some fun! Look at the little nerd, he's gonna cry," Tony teases, pointing at Karl. He does in fact have tears in his eyes. I pull him farther behind me, where Bad hugs him. 

"Just because you're having fun doesn't mean anyone else is! Leave him alone!" George yells. 

"Nah, this is fun," a tall guy who's on football says, laughing. 

Dream sighs. "Jonny, really?" he asks in disbelief. "You too? Are all the sports teams ganging up on Karl?" 

"All except soccer, those pussies," Jonny says, laughing. That means basketball, football, baseball, and lacrosse are making fun of Karl. All. Damn. Day.

Unless he's joking. 

I hope he is.

"I think I'm in love with the soccer team right now," I joke, pressing a hand to my heart. 

"And poor nerdy mutes," Emma pipes up. I glare at her. She gulps and backs off. The cheerleaders too?

"What's wrong with Karl anyway? Just leave him alone! He hasn't done anything to you!" Skeppy shouts. 

"He's a lonely, nerdy mute kid. He's an easy target. He doesn't talk, so he won't tell," Keith says, stepping to the front of the jocks. Football may be the most popular sport in other schools, but here, the reigning sport is basketball. Meaning Keith and I are the kings of the school as the two best players on the varsity team. 

I'd give up my crown for Karl. 

I am giving up my crown for Karl. 

I blocked the entire team -- all the jocks actually -- on every platform and stopped sitting, talking, doing anything with them. I don't know why they pick on him, and I'm sure that no one will get them to stop. Karl matters more than some stupid sport crown anyway. 

Especially when he's the boy I've started to fall for. 

(Karl POV)

Bad's grip tightens around my shoulders as Dream, George, Skeppy, and Nick keep yelling at the jocks. They've all been extra protective of me since they found me in the bathroom. 

"What will you give us if we leave the nerd alone?"

I glance up and wiggle out of Bad's grip. 

What?

I grab Nick's arm, looking at his team mates. Keith has his arms crossed and is glaring at him. When I appear, his gaze locks on me and hardens. I back up a bit more.

"I shouldn't have to give you anything just so you can stop bullying someone," Nick says.

"For the last goddamn time; it isn't bullying," Keith snaps. I pull out a slip of paper and slide my pencil from behind my ear. Using Nick's back as a surface, I write it is bullying on the paper and hand it to Keith before hiding behind Nick again.

His face slowly turns red the longer he stares at it. He crumples it up, shoves Nick out of the way, and stares down at me. Nick tries to stand in front of me again, but Keith keeps him out of the way. I step back in fear, but that makes me seem weak. 

I take a deep breath and stand straighter, staring him in the eye. Keith glowers, shoving the rumpled piece of paper into my chest. 

"You don't get to say if it's bullying or not, nerd," he growls. 

"Yes he does," Nick says, wrapping his arms around my shoulders from behind. "He's the one being bullied. If he feels like it's bullying, then it's bullying."

"That's now how it works, Nicky." 

"Don't call me that."

"Make me. Nicky." 

Nick tenses. I grip his hands, keeping him from doing anything. "You call me Nicky, I'll call you what your mom always used to call you," he warns. I surpress a smile, as I know the nickname myself. Keith's friends snicker. His face gets more red. 

"Don't. You. Dare," Keith says, his voice growing angrier with every word.

"Then stop calling me Nicky. That's not my name," Nick says calmly. "And leave Karl alone." 

He lets me go, but his hand still grips mine. He leads me down the hall, mumbling about quitting and hatred. 

I pull out another slip of paper and write what are you quitting? I hand it to him and his face softens.

"The basketball team," he whispers. My eyes widen and I shake my head wildly.

"You're quitting?" Dream asks. 

"You can't quit, Sapnap," George says. 

Sapnap?

"I can. And I am," Nick says, staring at the paper in his hand.

"Why?" Skeppy asks.

"Only until they leave Karl alone." He glances up and makes eye contact with me. My heart speeds up. "The last time I missed a game, we lost miserably. Maybe if I threaten to quit, they won't believe me. So when I do quit, we'll hopefully lose a few games before they agree."

"And if they don't?" George asks quietly. "Sap, humans are built to evolve, to grow, to change. In the time, you sit out of basketball, you're growing worse, and they're adapting to playing without you." 

Nick's eyes flutter shut a second later. "Fuck," he whispers.

"Language," Bad mutters.

"Well, what now? They aren't going to leave him alone."

"Skeppy, George, how many classes do you have with Karl?" Bad asks. 

"Uh, we have Math, Science, and History." George says. I nod.

"I also have English and Gym with him," Skeppy says, sounding half unsure. I nod again.

"That leaves his extra English class and his two art classes," Nick mutters. Does he have my schedule memorized or something?

"I highly doubt any of the jocks have those classes," Dream points out, yet he still glances at me for confirmation. None of them are in those classes, so I nod again. He nods too. "We can just meet him outside after class."

"Ooh, different days to meet him!" Bad suggests, lighting up. I don't like this. 

Nick must see this, because he says, "maybe we should just... I don't know. Whoever has a class closest to those classes can make sure he's okay." I sigh in relief, because his Math class is close to my second English course, and the main gym is closer to my primary Art class. 

Yay.

Word Count 1063

ah

also, I HAVE RETURNED FROM THE WILDERNESS. SO YOU GET KARLNAP. YW.