Running From Darkness

A Normal Life

James picked himself up off of the cold stone floor and rubbed at the bruises on his arm. Every part of him hurt.
''They always finish the job, I'll give them that.'' He muttered under his breath. 'They' were the group of bullies who had ruined his life ever since he had started at this school. They were everything he wasn't. Cool, popular, strong, good at sport.....he envied them. He was just the small kid who they could beat up, knowing that he wouldn't 'grass them up'. Just as he was about to pick up his books, his three sole friends rounded the corner with worried expressions on their faces. Sam was fairly tall with a shock of straw-blond hair that always seemed to hang in front of his eyes even when he blew it away. He managed to pull off the scruffy/cool look without the teachers telling him off. Nathan looked very similar, he and Sam could have almost been brothers. But if you looked closely, you would see that Nathan had a more angular nose than Sam and his eyes were slightly bigger. His blond hair was styled into an emo-like flick, but anyone who called it that got decked. Heck, James had said it once and then decided it was in his best interests to not tease him about it again. Joseph was a complete opposite to these two. His chin-length brown hair was very similar to James' own, expect slightly longer and thinner. He was small, just slightly smaller than James and both of them were smaller than Sam and Nathan. Joseph had a kind face, which was already developing smile lines around his striking sky blue eyes.
'Are you okay James?' Sam asked whilst Nathan helped him up and Joseph picked up his scattered books.
' Yeah, I'm fine guys.' He said, shrugging off Nathan's hand, 'Thanks for helping me out.'
'No problem. We're always here for you!' said Joseph, slapping James on the back. At that moment, the bell went. The boys looked at each other and James cursed under his breath. Then they all sprinted off to their next class.