Peace Through Pain

protection

"I thought you were smarter than this." He says sporting a disappointed look. He nods to one of the people holding me, and my sweater is pulled over my head. Brendon takes of my shoes, and pulls off my pants. Thank God I'm not going commando today. He nods to someone and I'm suddenly being pulled towards the front of the school.

I feel the cold metal of the flagpole pushed up against my back. Then I feel something wrapping around my wrists, and panic starts to set in, if it hadn't before.

It's been about half an hour and the half of the school that doesn't take the bus is crowded around me. I hear one voice sticking out above all the rest.

"Hey! What's going on here?" I find out that the owner of that voice is a six foot, blue haired girl. She breaks through the crowd, takes one look at me and then looks behind me at the lacrosse team. Brendon tries to stop her but then, she reaches in her pocket and pulls out a pocket knife. The girl flips it out, gives them a warning look and points it at the lacrosse team.

"Brendon, I expected this from you but, Jackson, I'm disappointed, along with the rest of you, especially you, Greenberg." She takes her pocket knife and used it to cut whatever was around my wrists. She slips off her long sweater and hands it to me. (Good thing she was wearing a tank top underneath.)

"What do you think you're doing?" Brendon challenges.

"First of all, I'm at least a half foot taller than you so I have the advantage, like, dude, grow, and second, I have a knife. . . ?" I pull the sweater over my head and the hide myself behind her.

"Brendon," She points at him with her knife. "this boy is under my protection." She gestures to me. "You fuck with him, you fuck with me. You fuck with me you're fucked." She's waving the knife everywhere now and it's making me nervous. Finally she puts her knife away and pulls me closer.

"Let's get you home." She says in a sweeter tone. We turn around and the girl is quickly turned again. Shes glaring at Brendon's hand on her shoulder and looks like shes about to explode.

"Take your hand of me, or I swear to God-"

She is cut off by Brendon's aggravating voice, "You're going to do what?" She then proceeded to wined up her arm and punch him in the face.

Before I can see the aftermath she blocks my line of sight and pulls me away back towards the school. I get the chance to look over my shoulder, and when I do, I see Brendon on the ground cradling his nose, blood dripping from between his fingers. I think she might have broken it!

I feel my heart skip a beat as I am filled with a sense of pride and joy. I don't care that I had to be saved. I'm just happy they my 'guardian angel' beat up my bully.

'Guardian angel' might have been a bit over exaggerated, but that's how it felt.

"What's your name?" I say stoping and turning in front of my locker.

"Elle, what's yours?" She stretches out her hand as an invitation to shake it.

"Liam," I say, and hold out my hand in a fist, going for the cool approach (fist bump). Instead she just wraps her hand around mine and gives me and intense stare.

We stay there for at least twenty seconds before she lets go and falls on the floor laughing.

"You -pant- should've -pant- seen the look -pant- on your face!" I start to giggle a bit, at the fact that she looks like she's about to pee herself.

"Calm down. We don't what you pissing your pants now do we?" She lets out a few more unsteady breaths and stands up, brushing herself off.

"Get what you need from your locker, it should be safe enough to go back for your backpack and your cloths," she says, steadying her breath and leaning against the row of lockers. I unlock my locker and grab the books sitting on the shelf at the top of my locker.

"Let's go," she said and turns back to the doors we entered. I jog to catch up with her so I'm about a half a foot behind her. We walk like this until we get to the field, and I walk so I'm closer to her. We get to my backpack and I sling it over my shoulder. I don't see my cloths though so that ass must have taken them. I walk around to the side of the shed where I was undressed to prove my suspicions right find my pants intact but my sweater ripped to shreds. At least my pants are okay.

"Come on, I liked that sweater," I say poking at the tattered remains of the sweater. Eventually I stop being dramatic and stuff the bunch of fabric into my backpack. I slip on my pants and we walk towards her car.

Her car was white and looked used up, like the kind of car that you would think was half off at the dealership just 'cause it was so old. Inside it smelt so thickly of air freshener, you could tell she was trying to mask something, but not what, (the air fresheners were working.)

The ride to my house was short, we didn't talk except for the occasional one word direction. Once we got to my house, I waved goodby and she was off. I walk inside and realize I forgot my shoes, good thing they were just my tennis shoes. I walk into my room, drop my backpack, slip off my jeans and cuddle into the warm embrace of my blankets. I fall asleep like that, not bothering to turn on the fan like I usually do.

I fell asleep in her sweater. I didn't have the nightmare for the first time in months.