The Girl in the Striped Bikini

Chapter Nine

This chapter is dedicated to lverlaine because of the awesome cover she made for this story! Thank you for it! The old cover (which I still adore) is displayed on chapter one as a jacket! :)

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Chapter Nine

Cale Morrison

“You son of a bitch!” I roared, rearing my fist back. Seconds later, the sickening crunch of Brody’s nose breaking sounded. Disappointed by the unsatisfying punch, I tackled him to the ground.

 “Cale!” a voice yells. “Stop! It’s not worth it!”

Ignoring the voice from behind me, I continue to punch Brody in the face. “Have you lost your damn mind!?” Brody yells in between blows.

Before I know what’s happening, I found myself on my back with Brody’s hand balled up and hovering by his head, ready to fight back. But just as he’s about to swing, a hand grips him by the wrist and yanks him off of me.

“ENOUGH!” booms Principal Higgins.

Pulling myself up off the ground, I see he has both of Brody’s arms locked in place. “Now. What are you two fighting about?”

“That asshole is crazy!” yells Brody, trying to yank away the principals hold.

“That’s enough outta you, Mr. Price!” The principal orders, jerking Brody back in place. “Will someone please calmly explain to me what happened here?”

The crowd that had formed around us remained silent. Sighing, I cleared my throat, preparing myself to speak.

“It was my fault,” I announced flatly. “I snapped.”

“What?” growled my friend, Jacob Rivers, from behind me. “Your fault?” he repeated in disbelief. “After what Brody did to Parker… he had it coming.”

The audience around us erupted into a shouting match. Some agreeing with Jake, some not.

“It was an accident!” Brody hissed through his teeth, and again trying to break free.

“Accident, my ass!” someone yelled.

“QUIET!” Principal Higgins bellowed. The sound immediately ceased, all eyes snapping to him. “Will everyone, except Cale and Brody, please return to where they belong? Now.”

Without a moments hesitation, everyone took off. Leaving only Brody, Principal Higgins, and I.

“So,” he began, “I can see all of this has to do with Parker’s passing?”

At that moment, I made eye contact with Brody. His eyes were full of hatred. You would think after the accident you would see a shred of guilt there. But there was nothing. Just cold, hard eyes.

We both nodded, our staring match continuing on.

“In all honesty, boys…” Principal Higgins said, sounding drained. “I have know idea how to handle this. I can’t suspend you all. The last day of school is in two days… And the issue is far to sensitive to deal with.”

“How about this… I’m gonna let this slide. But if you all step out of line before the last day, you can forget about walking at graduation. Do I make myself clear?”