Silver Bound Girl

Chapter 23

            Walking down stairs and down the second floor hall, Willow and Rune found themselves facing an almost solid wall of their fellow students. Through the gaps, Willow could see a clear space, making her shake her head. She was about to turn and walk away, when she caught sight of Rune’s bright eyes. He looked at her and grinned. “I smell a story.”

            She rolled her eyes, ready to tell him she didn’t care, when a familiar voice rose above the crowd’s susurrating. “I don’t want to fight.”

            Without another word, Willow shoved her way into the crush, feeling Rune’s hand close around her wrist before she disappeared. He was towed behind her as she forced a path in, ignoring the dirty looks and hissed complaints. Over those, she could hear another voice join the first.

            “That’s because you’re a pussy, hiding behind the rest of your freaky family.”

            Willow didn’t recognize the voice, but the words had her putting more effort into getting through the press. The reply had her freezing for a moment, then hurrying again. “Shut up.”

            “Why don’t you make me? Oh, that’s right, you don’t fight. Probably because you cry like a bitch as soon as anyone attacks you. That’s why you only hang out with your family. They’re the only people who can’t leave you.”

            Breaking through into the clear space at the crowd’s centre, Willow saw her cousin’s hands clench into fists, his jaw clenched. “Nathan!” she snapped.

            He jerked around to stare at her, his brown eyes darker than normal. He blinked a few times, breathing deeply as he visibly forced himself to relax. “Sorry, Willow,” he said, letting his hands go slack at his sides.

            Willow nodded as Rune came to stand beside her. “It’s fine.” Unspoken was the reminder that none of them could afford to lose their tempers, not in public.

            The other boy in the circle, who stood nearly half a foot shorter than her cousin though a fair bit wider, shook himself. “Who the hell is this? Did you call a girl for help?”

            Nathan tensed for a minute, then turned his back on his attacker. “Drop dead Walter.”

            “This bitch is who you expect to save you? Granted, she’s tall enough to pass for a man, but so are you.”

            Willow ignored him, placing a hand on Nathan’s shoulder and looking up at him. “You alright?”

            Her cousin nodded, his jaw clenching again. “I will be as soon as he shuts up,” he whispered.

            Walter took a step closer, sneering. “Is she one your loser cousins, or is she some slut that you’re fucking? How much, baby?”

            His taunts finally did their work, but not in the way he’d expected. Rune stepped up, glaring at Walter, one of the muscles in his cheek jumping. “I’ve long thought that people who are forced to rely on their physical strength are lacking in both imagination and intelligence, and you seem here to prove my point.”

            While Willow and Nathan could only stare, Rune continued his tirade. “You’re clearly nothing more than a bully, someone who’s built your whole life and reputation around being strong. If we took that away from you, what would you have? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You’re not interesting and you lack any kind of substance as a human being. It’s clear that your whole identity is centred on picking fights, and without doing that, you’d be forced to confront the emptiness of your own existence.”

            For a long moment, there was nothing but silence, as even the crowd was stunned by the angry words that had poured out of Rune. Then Walter’s face went crimson and he was moving forward. Willow was on the wrong side, too far to get to Rune in time. She still tried, turning and taking two steps in Rune’s direction. But as she watched, Walter punched Rune in the face.

            He went down with a cry as Walter shook out his hand. “Rune!” Willow shouted, lunging across the remaining distance and kneeling beside him. She touched his shoulder, helping him sit up. When Rune looked at her, she noticed the blood seeping from his cut lip and the way his mouth had already begun to swell.

            Mocking laughter preceded Walter’s words. “Well, Byron, seems you’re not the only bitch here.”

            Each word and each laugh felt like a shard of ice inside Willow, freezing her insides and leaving nothing but sharp edged emotion in its wake. Her fists clenched as she slowly stood, her veins awash with the icy burn of her anger. Her movement’s deliberate, she turned and slowly raised her head to stare into Walter’s eyes.

            He took a step back, his face paling. He wasn’t the only one. The whole crowd, like they were being pressed back by the force of Willow’s anger, also moved away. Her voice barely above a whisper, Willow said “You’re going to suffer.”

            Running footsteps and a shout announced the arrival of one of the teachers. For a second, everyone froze, then the crowd broke up, everyone hurrying away. Everyone except for the four of them. Rune and Nathan were staring at Willow, whose eyes were pinning Walter in place with the violence promised in them.

            She barely blinked until the teacher, Mr. Hobbs, laid a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him for a moment, then turned back to Rune, offering him a hand. He took it and Willow hauled him to his feet. “I’m sorry,” she said.

            He grinned then winced as his lip began to bleed more. “Don’t worry. I chose to say those things.”

            Mr. Hobbs grabbed Walter around the arm, then nodded at them. “All four of you are going to have to come talk to Mr. Marsden about this,” he said, before towing the still pale boy after him.

            Nathan winced. Willow and Rune exchanged a glance then shrugged. They were getting used to spending time in the principal’s office, which, as Willow thought about it, was probably not a good thing.