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School Grounds

School day lasted hours. Amy and Joe have just finished all of their classes. With that done, they're both ready to meet up with Danny, wanting to see if he was fine.

Both walking into the hallway slowly. "How was your day today?" She asks. "You know, the usual."

"Of course."

"You know me so well." As they both laugh over that fact.

"Let's not keep Danny waiting." Joe agrees. Their bus is going to arrive in 10 minutes. They would not want to miss the ride. Now out of the school hallway...

"Hey guys." Tom again. He was behind them once again. Probably was able to spot them before they left the school. Thinking they were going home.

"Where are you guys going?" Tom asks. Amy and Joe look at each other before Amy responds.

"Oh umm we're just going to the shopping centre."

"That sounds cool. I'm going back home straight away. Don't want to get my mom worried." Amy and Joe nod. Joe looks at Tom's neck. Some kind of wound. The flesh looks really recent, as the wound still a bit opened.

"What's the thing on your neck?" Tom becomes confused over what he asked him. Amy caught on what Joe noticed at Tom.

"There's some kind of... cut on your neck." Tom touches his neck immediately. The wound bothers Tom a bit. Moving his finger away from it, finding it a bit uncomfortable.

"Oh that. I was riding a bike, during the evening, but I fell off... and hurt myself. Hence the cut." Despite the lack of trust they have on him, all they could do was believe that fact. All that could matter.

"Okay. Well, hope it doesn't happen again hehe." Tom agrees. Amy and Joe tries to walk away. Really wanting to meet up with Danny again.

"Is Danny coming with you?" Again, with Danny. It's something they don't want to think about but feels more of an obsession to him the way he keeps talking about him. Or the amount of questions he kept asking them.

"Umm no Tom. Amy just said, Danny is not feeling well. And he wouldn't want to pass on his illness to us. That would ruin the fun. So umm, he's staying at home." Tom looks at them, with a slight disbelief. Not believing what they have just said.

"Oh please, a sick person could still be able to go out with friends. He wouldn't want to miss out what you awesome guys are doing right?" The bus has arrived. Wanting to catch it before he leaves. Not wanting to be late.

"Anyways, our ride is here. And we don't want to miss the bus. Otherwise we're going to be waiting for it for awhile." Glaring at Amy. She agrees with him back.

They don't say goodbye to Tom. Tom, with his lips shut tight and breathing really hard. Runs to them. "Woah woah woah, hey don't leave yet. I still want to talk to you guys." Changing his tone, changing the subject. Starting to make Amy and Joe become more uncomfortable with him even further.

"Tom, if we miss our bus, we're not going to make it to the city centre. So please let us be. That's all we want from you." Trying to leave again.

Tom doesn't buy this. He grabs Amy's arm. Tight and hard. Squeezing it. Causing discomfort and pain to Amy. He's becoming aggressive to her.

Joe grabs Tom's hand, before pushing him away. "Don't touch her like this again Tom." "What are you talking about, I'm trying to be nice here."

"But it doesn't sound like you're being nice here. I advise you leave us alone and let us be." Tom becomes insulted by what Joe called him.

"Or else what? Come on say it, I'm right here." Said Tom. Angrily. He tries to remain calm and nice in front of them. But that attitude has faded. No longer.

"You heard me." Tom looks around. Nodding his head. Before...

Making a punch onto Joe. Amy, shocked, with both of her hands, covering her mouth. Doesn't put Joe to the ground. Joe punches Tom with a right hook in the left side of Tom's eye. Causing some damage to it. Causing a discomfort, blurred vision for Tom. Joe doesn't stop. His mind is hell bent on making sure Tom gets what he wanted. Joe holds Tom, punching him before throwing him to the ground. Tom on the ground, kicks Joe in the groan.

Moaning from the pain, Tom's right leg, connecting to Joe's left leg. Causing him to fall on the ground. Now on top of him. Tom, his hands, fingers all clenched, hitting Joe's face. Once, twice, many more times. Leading Joe to suffer cuts on his face, cuts letting his blood out. Profusely, violently. Tom, without a single thought in his head, doesn't stop. Till Joe kicks Tom in the stomach. Causing him to lose balance and fall. His nose, hitting the floor. With cracking nose coming out of it. Tom stands up. Struggling to breath because of it. As his nose bleeds continuously. Hurt and tired but with his focus back on Tom, he runs to him, giving him a strong punch from his left hand. Putting Tom to the ground.

His face, bloodied from the punch, laying on the ground along with his body with Joe rising from the top. Staring at Tom who could only lay on the floor. Till the teachers of the school arrive. Too late to stop the fight between the two young boys. Amy looks at Joe, worried and scared for him. All she could look at was his bloodied face. Joe could only stare at Tom, who could only lay down on the floor.

"Fighting on the school grounds. What were you thinking?" Joe is in the headteacher's office after getting his injuries treated. The doctors in the school may not be considered professionals and don't have the necessary commitment to deal with wounds or situations like these but the way they handled Joe's injury, really helped. Joe is the only one inside the school office. One student at a time.

"I know, I shouldn't have done that. But I was so filled with anger, because of this guy. What he tried to do with my friend Amy, what he even tried to do with Danny yesterday. It's so wrong that... that I just had to let it all out. And even if so, I'm sorry if I done that. I shouldn't have." The headteacher, looking at him with a strict face but his breathing starting to calm down.

The headteacher sympathises with him but he would not tolerate fighting in school grounds. The students involved in the fight and other students watching it could get hurt. That's something he doesn't want to go through with. But as soon as Joe reveals why he had to do it, he begins to understand. Something no other headteacher would try to do. "I get it Joe. What he tried to do with your friends is really bad. But even if so, you didn't had to do that, you could have just reported it to me or other school staff. We're always here to help but fighting can't always solve your problems."

"I get it. And I won't let that happen again." The headteacher smiles.

"I know you won't. But it happened in the school grounds. I could have suspended you for one week. But I'll give a one week detention instead." Joe becomes surprised about it.

"Because if someone like Tom would do the same thing to my wife, I would have gone down a path I cannot control. So this is why I'll give you a chance. Now get out of here." All Joe could do was nod and leave the office.

Walking outside the school, he sees Amy. Amy next to an uber driver she called to drop them to Danny's house. Thinking they kept Danny waiting for a bit too long.

"You okay Joe." Said in a worried expression as she touches his shoulder.

Joe looks at her. Smiling and happy she waited for him. "I'm good." They both smile at each other.

"Let's go to Danny's house now because I feel like we've been trapped in this school for far too long now."

"Yeah definitely." They go inside the uber car. Closing the car door before driving off. Away from the school.

Unaware hidden far away from them, a figure, watching, remaining unseen from them. Breathing fast. With anger as his fingers, clenched together and his clenched hand... shaking. Slow till it turned violent and uncontrollable.