Dreaming [completed]

Chapter One

The children's screams were the only satisfying thing that got me to appreciate school. Aside from the drunken parties and teacher gossip, school was simply a place for me to cry and rip up my homework.

This was especially true for most of my friends. Most were beat up, like Charlie. He was being beat up behind the school everyday for his height difference and voice. It wasn't fair for a little guy like him to come home with bruises or cuts, but I was never strong enough to stand up for him until junior year of high school.
The leaves were orange and red, falling to the ground to be stepped on by eager children. The trees were shedding their liveliness to match the school spirit. Clothes got darker and thicker. The only thing that didn't change was this poor boy.

"What?! Can't fight back?" The upperclassmen screamed at the freshman.

I looked up from my smartphone to look at the small boy getting punched in the gut. I felt no emotions seeing the kid get beat up, but I could relate. I was also beat up, but more during my elementary years when my hair was a subtle brown and I wore guyliner. I knew better than to fully express myself then.

Kimber grabbed my phone and motioned for me to go help Charlie. I nodded in tacit agreement and put on my leather gloves. I ran my covered finger through my dyed black hair and approached the edge of the school.
The school was older than my parents. The bricks were covered in dirt and mold, and the doors often got stuck into place. The school was shaped almost perfectly into a square, so the back of the school was completely out of sight.

The boys were pushed Charlie back and forth like a game. The monkey in the middle was being pushed to the point of falling and crying. His jeans were torn at the knees to the point where the skin was bleeding through his pants and giving them a deep maroon color. His brown hair was ruffled and his cheeks were red from the cold.

I pushed aside another junior, who happened to be in my English class and hugged Charlie close to my body. He squirmed against my embrace and refused my grip until he saw my face. "Stop beating him up..." I murmured against the dirty hair of the smaller boy.
With surprise, the older boys glared at me. They knew it was rare that I stood up for anyone. My hands gripped Charlie's shoulders as I dragged him along. He was clearly grateful, but I paid no attention to him.

The upperclassmen did exactly what I did to Charlie, but to me. They grabbed my torso from all over and pulled me back with a harder force than I thought possible. Before I could even process what had happened, I was laying on the cold ground. My hands were to my sides instead of gripping Charlie, but he had escaped to the comfort of my other three friends. Now I was alone in his spot, and I regretted saving him more than I regretted most things. Even though I was usually laid back, I then felt like kindness had permeated through me, and I wasn't appreciating it enough.

The oldest of the group, a tall jock with light hair, grabbed my black button down by the collar and lifted me up. I remembered these things from my childhood as well.

"What're you gonna do? Hm? Beat me up?" I asked bravely, but my stomach was threatening to throw up the chips and candy I ate for lunch.
The boys all looked at each other and shrugged. They weren't affected by the challenge I had posed and decided to use the easy way out. Before I knew it, I was being pushed from every angle and punched straight to the nose. I was knocked back heavily, but kept my ground. My feet were planted firmly, and I showed no sign of pain.

My nose must've bleeding because I could smell it. It trickled down to my lips where I licked it clean off my skin.

I snickered and held my chin up. My hair went from being lightly gelled upwards to flopping over my eyes, but my silver eyes glared up to the men around me. "That it?" I had spoken too soon, for I was punched again in the gut before I could continue.

I grunted and laughed to myself a bit. I remember being beat up as a fifth grader. I never fought back with my fists or words because I thought I was above them, but then I realized I really was below them.

The boys stopped for a while to let me recover, and I caught my breath as well. "Good?" One asked before smacking me across the face with all of his force. He did not hesitate to follow the slap with another on the other side.

I could feel the cold air against my ears. My nose felt frozen along with my lips, which numbed the pain I felt on my face. The leaves danced at my sides, attempting to shield me from my impending agony. The grass was yellow below my feet and reflected the kids around me. Unmoving and dead.

The yelling of seniors into my ear was fuzzy and muffled. I was so focused on protecting myself (and Charlie) that I didn't even feel anything. Perhaps I could forget the pain, but then I'd be dreaming.

Finally, after I had enough of the punching and slapping, I lifted my right fist and launched it into the oldest one's stomach. He doubled over in pain, which gave me an opportunity to knee him in the face. Then, he was done with. He fell over gracefully with a thud.

While the other guys were busy helping the man up, I looked over at Kimber and Charlie. She was cleaning Charlie's wounds and holding him close. Even though she wasn't very reliable in most situations, she was still a good person. The boys noticed my distraction and knocked me over. A dog pile accumulated on top of me as I was squashed by 200 pound athletes who were pissed.

The air was flattened out of my lungs and, before I knew it, I was suffocating beneath the group of the bullies.

I thought about my friends and family. I had only a small amount of both, but they were usually kind to me. I never appreciated them enough but I suppose the feelings are mutual.
Finally, I felt them pull me up again. I rolled my eyes. I couldn't help but think that it was getting repetitive at that point. I predicted all of their moves. Being lifted up into the air, being pushed around and punched, and being dropped onto the ground. I had prepared for it and released myself from their grip before I could be dropped. I landed nicely on my feet, but I was caught off guard when another buff senior punched me on the cheek. I could already tell a bruise was popping up from the moment I realized what had happened.
I fell with no sign of return. My face was partially covered in blood and my stomach was nicely bruised. Even though I couldn't see through my black button down or black skinny jeans, I knew my parents would be very upset if they saw me like this. I was supposed to be the strong one.
*
The bullies left the scene but also left behind the oldest senior who I had knocked over. We both got up at the same time, and we both looked horrible. My face was covered in dried blood while his was mouth was cut and covered in fresh blood. I was just about to help him up when I heard his outburst: "You little ass!"
My eyes widened and I scrambled to recover, but I was too slow. He grabbed my ankle and pulled be back, causing my chin to hit the ground hard, and my teeth chattered together. I kicked back to hit the guy, but I simply flailed. My futile attempt to hit back angered my opponent and he pulled me closer. I continued squirming until I was close enough to kick him. When I landed the hit, I waited for my leg to be released and then I ran away. I could see Charlie in the near distance with Kimber by his side.

Victory felt so close. The wind blew through my locks. I could feel him so closely, but I stumbled. My body ached, screaming at me to stop. I could feel the brakes in my body be slammed until I was on the ground in pain. No one came to help, so I watched Kimber smile and clean Charlie's wounds