Bystander

Three

I hugged my books and walked with my head down toward the long line of school buses. The sound of people cheering caught my attention and I turned my head to a crowd of people.

It was Miranda and Alexander.

I gasped loudly. I rushed over to the crowd of people and saw Miranda on top of Alexander, punching him in the gut and chest. Alexander struggled to breathe.

My nose scrunched in disgust. My chest burned with hatred. And my fists balled with remorse.

I dropped my books and jumped into the mess of flailing limbs. It was a blur of colors before I fully knew what I had gotten myself into. Blue. Purple. Red. Crimson.

When I pulled myself back to reality, Miranda was curled into a ball and Alexander stood behind me in awe. I smiled and turned to Alex.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly.

He hesitated as If he didn't expect me to speak to him.

"Yes, thank you." His voice was scratchy and struggled to get last his swollen lips. Before I could move or do anything at all, he jumped on me and pulled me into a tight embrace.