I'm Going Nowhere Fast (Peterick)

16. Broken Generation

(Pete's P.O.V)

Even if we don't we still have each other. I allowed Patrick's comforting words to run through my mind as I walked down the hallway towards my locker. A group of girls from my English class stared at me in disgust. I glanced down to make sure that my fly was zipped up but deep down I knew that wasn't the case. Jake was already using his injury to make people think that we were assholes. I made it to my locker to find Alex standing at his, his back pressed against the wall of lockers.

"Morning Alex," I greeted him.

Alex nodded in my direction. "Morning."

I glanced towards Alex as my locker swung open. I could see that he was chewing his lip nervously and that his caramel hair was messier than usual. I grabbed my books for my first couple of classes out then I slammed the locker shut. Alex jumped at the sound of my locker closing and he turned to face me. That's when I saw that something was wrong.

"What's wrong Alex?" I asked.

"I think Cassadee was right," Alex replied. "People are shooting me looks of disgust, like I'm the one who personally broke Jake's nose." Alex kicked the ground with the tip of his Converse. "I kinda wish I was the one do it because I would have hurt him more."

I sighed. "I know but this will all blow over soon. Jake can't turn everyone against us."

Could he?

I knew that he was highly influential but there were other kids in this school like us. As I glanced around the hallways my eyes landed on a girl that was shy and quiet. I think her name was Ashley. I only knew of her because Jenna and Hayley sat with her in their Chemistry class. Jenna said she was a quiet kid that had a pretty decent music taste.

"Ashley!" I called.

Ashley glanced up at me in shock. She clutched her books tighter to her chest as I gestured for her to come over and join Alex and me. Ashley kept her gaze on her beat up Vans as she stepped closer to us.

"You're Pete right?" Ashley asked.

I nodded and gestured to Alex. "And this is Alex. We're friends of Jenna and Hayley and I just wanted to ask you something."

Ashley managed to tear her gaze away from her shoes. "What is it?"

"If Jake Abberton spun some lame story about Jenna and Hayley would you believe it?" I asked.

"Like the stories he's telling everyone now?" Ashley asked.

I nodded. "Yeah like that."

Ashley tucked a strand of purple hair behind her ear. "Of course not. I think other kids like me wouldn't either. Jake's bullied us enough and so has Alicia."

For a moment I was confused as to who Alicia was then I remembered that was the name of Jake's bitch girlfriend.

"What have they bullied you about?" Alex asked.

Ashley glanced around the hallway before glancing back at us. "Promise you won't make fun of me."

"Why would we do that?" Alex asked.

"You don't have to worry about us bullying you," I promised.

Ashley pulled the top of her My Chemical Romance t-shirt down to reveal a scar running up the centre of her chest. She quickly let go of the shirt and blushed slightly.

"What happened?" Alex asked in shock.

"I have Marfan's Syndrome," Ashley explained. "Alicia and Jake saw me in a bikini in summer and started calling me Scar because of it." Tears welled in Ashley's eyes. "It's not my fault I have it! My dad had it and so did my grandmother."

"Isn't there another guy around here with Marfan's Syndrome?" Alex asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah Austin Carlile. I had Biology with him last year. His a really nice person."

Alex's eyes lit up with excitement. "We've got to talk to Austin. He's slightly more popular than us, like Zack is, maybe he could help us!"

I looked at Ashley to see that she was staring at us nervously.

"Do you want to come with us?" I asked. "I think it'd do you good to talk to someone who has the same condition as you."

Ashley nodded hesitantly. "Sure."

****

When the lunch break came Andy, Zack, Alex, Jack, Ashley and I walked towards Austin's table so that we could talk to him. I could feel the rest of the group's eyes on our backs, watching us to make sure that everything was going to run as planned. The conversation ceased when we approached the table.

Alan Ashby, a timid guy with red hair and a penchant for cats, glanced at us. Aaron Pauley, a guy with short brown hair and an amazing singing voice that I had heard in music, was the next to look up. Austin turned in his seat and smiled.

"Zack, how are you?" Austin greeted Zack then he glanced at me. "It's nice to see that you ditched Jake Pete. What are you guys doing over here?"

The rest of Austin's friends glanced our way. Phil Manansala and Valentino Arteaga - Valentino was better known as Tino. I explained to Austin about what Jake was doing to us and how Ashley had confirmed the story.

"Let me guess, you want to see if I'd listen to Jake?" Austin asked.

I glanced at Austin and his friends. "Well yeah, all of you guys actually."

"The answer is obviously no," Austin said.

"Why would we believe him?" Aaron demanded. "He's caused us enough trouble."

I noticed his gaze drift in Alan's direction which caused Alan to shift uncomfortably in his seat. He ran a hand through is red hair before speaking.

"Aaron has a point," Alan murmured.

"You guys realize you have to take knock him off of his throne, right?" Austin asked.

"We've tried that," Andy said. "All it did was get Pete and Patrick suspended."

"That's because you're not being sneaky enough," Phil stated as he rubbed his hands together.

Austin grinned at his friends before turning in his seat and looking towards where Jake sat with all his friends and with Alicia and her army of skanks.

"You're approaching them up front," Austin stated. "You need to spread some rumours of your own. Wind them up and watch them go, all that type of stuff."

Ashley smiled. "He has a good point."

I glanced towards Jake's table to see that he was laughing cockily and that Alicia was sitting on his lap in a way that should be illegal. I watched as Alicia pushed her hair behind her ears then whispered something into Jake's ear. I turned my attention back to Austin to see that he was smiling smugly.

"And how are we going to do that?" Jack asked.

Austin's grinned widened. "Easy, we're going to help you."

"You wouldn't believe how long we've been waiting to put our plan into action," Tino said. "It's quite a beauty."

"What is your plan?" Alex asked.

"First off we're going to tear the King's Queen away from him," Austin said. "Jake is nothing without his army of skanks by his side. If all the girls turn their backs on him then he's only got his friends. Next, we plan to turn his friends against him and lastly we plan to embarrass him enough to leave school."

"And how to you propose we do all of that?" Andy asked in an annoyed tone.

"Gather your friends," Austin said to me and Zack. "Then we'll go into full detail."