Love, Emma

Chapter Four:

My ballet-flat clad feet smack against the tile as I full-out sprint down the empty corridor. Faded locker pass by in a blur as I run, my legs straining to move faster. My first class started ten minutes ago, and I'm desperately late. My alarm clock didn't go off this morning, meaning Beau and I were both late, and of course a tree fell in the middle of the road during the storm last night, and of course that old lady took five minutes to cross the street.

I turn down another hall, and ram face first into someone's side. The impact sends me sprawling backwards, my sore tailbone smacking against the cold floor. I look up, startled at the sight before me.

On his hands and knees against the lockers is a hooded male figure, breathing heavy, as if the intake and outtake of oxygen was difficult for him. The figure I'd run into is a tall, black haired boy from the football team. I can't remember his name, but I know he's a linebacker- and his stature shows it. With broad, wide shoulders and thick, muscled arms, he's steroids on two legs.

Behind him stood two, shorter, slimmer figures. They are still muscular- but nothing compared to the elephant I ran in to.

I may be naïve sometimes, but from the position of the boy on the ground, and the guilty look on the three boy's faces', I've caught them in the act of a fight. An uneven one at that.

Anger flushes through me at the state of the poor boy, wheezing for breath as he clutches his side, as if he'd had the wind knocked out of him. From the scene before me, I wouldn't be surprised if he had, multiple times.

In an instant I've crawled over to the boy's side, my hand on his shoulder in comfort. I can't be sure, since I can't see his face, but he sounds like he's crying.

"Go away. Leave us alone, now." I hiss dangerously, my eyes shooting daggers at the three boys.

They laugh, loudly, so hard tears are forming in their eyes.

"What are you? The pint-sized hall monitor? Coming to freaks rescue, how sweet of you." The tall one snorts, his big shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

I freeze up, my mind racing to form a comeback on the spot. I've never been good at this sort of thing- arguing with someone, trying to intentionally insult them, it's just not me. With my brothers or my friends its easy, but when it actually matters, I'm hopeless.

"Y-you, w-well...just, um..." my voice trails off as they roar with laughter, eyeing me in amusement.

"Oh, God this is golden. Is hall monitor over here your girlfriend, freak?"

I'm getting ready to fire back (to the best of my ability, at least) when one of the shorter guys throws a punch, swinging his fist hard into the boy's gut. He slides down against the lockers with a groan, his body tense to fight off the pain.

With a surge of bravery and rage, I swing my leg forward, kicking the jerk between the legs. He falls to his knees, groaning in pain as his buddies laugh.

Stepping towards him, I grip his ear between my thumb and fore-finger, twisting it and pulling harshly so that his whole head is pulled to the side.

"Listen here you jerk. I want you to walk down this hall, away from him and never come back, hear me? I see you around him again and you'll never have children." I hiss angrily, releasing his ear. When he's able to stand, he gets up and staggers down the hall, limping slightly in pain.

I turn to the other two, and I swear if I were a cartoon character I would have smoke coming out of my ears.

"Get, now." I hiss.