The Bravest Clown

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Eden Hall is a nightmare. Varsity has made me one of their main targets. Usually they stick to verbal abuse. They're not very bright, so most of it is just them calling me a slut or something. However, there has been a few occasions where I've been caught in physical crossfire - like when they checked Luis into some lockers. They knocked him into me, meaning we both hit the lockers. I've only told a few people on the team because I don't want to make things worse.

Finally, the school day is over. Most of my classes are with other Ducks. For some reason, I'm the only one taking art. Its weird being without them, but it makes seeing them at the end of the day better. Walking past the many students in the sun, I finally spot a familiar face.

"Charlie!" I call him over.

"Hey, Y/N. How was art?"

"Same shit, different day." I shrug.

"I hear ya. You missed a pretty interactive presentation by Dwayne and Goldberg."

"Sounds like quite the show."

"They definitely did better than the rest of us. A first for Goldie." We giggle.

With a brief silence, we continue walking. Out of the blue, I question Charlie on something that happened earlier.

"Hey, have you seen Averman? I was gonna talk to him before art class but he just disappeared."

"I haven't seen him since lunch." He shakes his head before looking at his watch. "I'd help you look for him, but I'm meeting up with Linda."

"It's alright. Have fun." I say as he starts walking away. "Not too much fun! We don't need more Lindas walking around!" I shout as he gets further away.

"Oh, shut up!" He yells back.

Walking down the path, I chuckle at his response. During my hunt for Averman, I pass Fulton and Julie - neither have seen him. They hurry away and leave me to search alone. I don't mind because it's sunny and warm, so I'm enjoying the fresh air. Minding my own business, I almost forget why I'm wandering around the campus. That is until I hear:

"Just leave her alone, Rick!"

Is that Averman? Looking around, I don't see him - or Rick.

"Is the jester in love?" I hear Rick tease as I finally see them.

What the hell is he doing trying to take on the whole team by himself? This might just be the dumbest thing he's done. I stay hidden as I try to figure out what is happening - I don't want things to get out of hand.

"So, what if I am?" They laugh at him. "Hey, I may just be some clown or some joke to you, but I swear I will seriously mess you up if you're mean to Y/N! If I hear you've said or done something to her again - there will be trouble!"

"Don't you have a circus to run?" Rick scoffs and rolls his eyes, causing each Varsity jock to laugh.

I'm taken back by this display from Averman. Something about it just feels odd. No joking, pure protectiveness. He stood up to the entire team just to defend me.

I watch on as Coach Wilson calls them for practice. They all walk away cackling as Averman stands in place filled with anger. I want to run over to him but I have to babysit and I'm already late.

Cut to lunch the next day

As everyone filters out of the classroom, they all head in the same direction to get lunch. However, I take a different turn.

"Y/N, where are you going?" Fulton asks making all the Ducks stop and look.

"Yeah, the dining hall is this way." Goldberg points.

"I know, I'll be there in a minute." I tell them before we part ways.

Instead of going with them, I take a detour - stopping off at my dorm room. I quickly drop some stuff off before grabbing a small light purple box. With the box in hand, I make my way to the dining hall. Turning the corner, I notice they're all deep in conversation. So, I take this opportunity to sneak up on Averman. To his surprise, I quickly kiss his cheek and put the box on the table as I sit in the seat next to him.

"Ah!" He jumps. "What's got into you? What's in the box?"

"Just shut up and open it." Averman laughs nervously as he opens the box.

"Sharks vs Avalanche tickets?" His voice gets higher as his confusion intensifies - causing the rest of the team to look at us.

"Yep, it's next week, so you better figure out who you're taking." I smile - the others looking with desperation in their eyes.

"Awesome. Why me though?" He questions.

"I decided to give you my tickets because you're the bravest clown I know." I shoot him a knowing look as the others remain confused and go back to their conversations.

"What?" His face turns red.

"You're not some joke, Averman. Thank you for standing up for me even when you thought I wouldn't hear."

As lunch continues, Averman and Goldberg share their food with me (Les made him since he had so much) so I don't have to deal with Varsity. We all talk about the upcoming game and how we aim to win. When everyone goes to clear their trays as lunch comes to an end, Averman slides the box of tickets over to me and says:

"Here, you don't need to give me the tickets."

"No, but I want to." I slide the box back to him. "You're not changing my mind."

"Fine, but you're coming with me."

"Deal." We laugh and shake hands before going to class. Can't wait for the game.

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