Just Friends?

Chapter 5: Looking Out For Each Other

"I love recess," said Amaya as she, Connor and Greg sat on one of the benches near the sandbox.

"So do I," agreed Connor. He leaned back against the chair. "It's all just fun right now; no learning, no stress-"

Suddenly they heard someone yelping in pain. "Ow!"

Greg, who was sitting on the ground, immediately jumped to his feet. "That sounds like Ivan! I hope nothing bad happened."

Amaya looked around before pointing towards the lunch tables. "Look, there he is!"

Ivan was on the ground, his crutches a few feet away from him. Standing in front of him was Cameron, who had his arms on his hips.

"Just pick yourself up, Ivan!" he taunted. "You got legs, right?"

"I... I... I can't walk," Ivan stuttered. "You already know that."

"Weak," scoffed Cameron. "You've got legs but you can't use them. What a shame."

"Leave him alone, Cameron!" cried Amaya as she and Connor ran over to them. "That's no way to treat Ivan."

"Yeah!" added Connor. "He may not be able to walk, but that doesn't mean you can bully him."

"No one tells me what to do." Cameron pushes Amaya over and she falls to the ground, letting out a small yelp.

That was when Connor's insides finally snapped. That was the last straw. He clenched his fists and raised them upwards, as though preparing to fight. "No one pushes my friends!"

"Ooh, you're sticking up for your girlfriend," Cameron taunted him. "What a nice surprise." He raised up his fist and was about to give Connor a very hard punch when someone else grabbed his arm. "Boys! What is all the fuss?"

It was Teacher, with Greg by his side. Connor, Amaya, Ivan and Cameron looked towards him. "Connor wanted to pick a fight with me!" said Cameron, releasing his arm from Teacher's grasp and pointed at Connor.

Connor felt as though his face was on fire. "Me? YOU were the one who pushed down Ivan and Amaya. You made fun of Ivan too!"

"Enough!" Teacher let out a sigh. "Greg has told me everything. Cameron, you will go to the principal's office right now. We're going to call your parents and tell them what you did."

Cameron growled in frustration and stomped off into the building.

Teacher put an arm on Connor's shoulder. "Listen, I'm proud of you for sticking up for your friends, but fighting isn't always the solution. Next time this happens, just come to me for help, okay?"

Connor stared at his feet. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry."

"Thank you for calling me over to help, Greg," said Teacher as he patted the blonde kid on the back with a smile. "Things could've gotten way worse had I not stepped in." He walked back into the building.

"Are you two okay?" asked Greg as he grabbed Ivan's crutches and helped him to his feet.

"Yeah, thanks to you guys," smiled Ivan. "Cameron's kind of a meanie."

"I wish Cameron didn't have to push you down, too," Connor told Amaya as he helped her up.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Amaya reassured him. "We've faced lots of stuff when it comes to fighting crime. Believe me, being pushed over by Cameron isn't nearly as big a deal as villains trying to hurt us."

"You're tougher than I thought," said Connor, folding his arms.

Amaya smirked and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, I should be. I'm part of the PJ Masks Power Heroes, and we're meant to be as tough as nails."