Decisions

1

   Six days since the accident

Skin connected to skin as blood splattered the hallway. Pain rippled through my left cheek as anger boiled up inside of my heart. A drop of blood dribbled down my fresh cut and onto my bottom lip. My tongue slipped through my parted lips, a metallic salty taste met my tastebuds. My green eyes darkened as they slowly trailed up to Keith Anderson. He was standing there in front of me, my blood dripping from his knuckles. I dropped my hand from my forehead to my side and balled my hands into tight fists.

A crowd had gathered around the two of us, gaping and video taping, not trying to do anything. Once again, I was disappointed in the human race. It was quarter till two, which meant I had three minutes until the bell rings. When the bell rang, Keith would have to be separated from me. I could avoid this fight entirely if I just waited calmly. But I knew I couldn't just stand there and wait, I was going to snap. I bent down to grab my back pack but froze when Keith started to taunt me.

"Come on pussy! Do something! Fight back." Keith screamed at me, his veins popping out all over. When I didn't fight back, he said something that broke me. "You're dad would be disappointed in you. I'm surprised he didn't kill himself before-.."

He was suddenly cut off by my balled up fist conecting to his lower jaw. A snap echoed throughout the hallway and the crowd around us gasped. My breath came out in huffs of anger and vengeance. I knew I had broken his jaw, but I couldn't stop there. Keith deserved ten times the punishment of what I could give him. The crowd of high schoolers took a step back when I jumped on top of Keith, pinning him to the floor as I threw punch after punch.

Soon the principal came, then the counselor and after they couldn't pry me off of him, the cops came. Keith got what he deserved, and I sure didn't come off easy. I made his face unrecognizable. At the end of the day, I was sitting outside the principal's office in handcuffs, Keith's blood on my hands, listening to his screams as they tried to stop his blood flow. I didn't feel any guilt whatsoever.

•••

"What were you thinking Jordan?" my brother said to me with a raised voice, "You just got suspended for twenty eight days!!"

Michael paced in front of me, clutching the suspension papers in his hand tightly as I played with the handcuffs that was cutting into my wrists barely. We were together outside the principal's office, and my brother was giving me another long speech again. "Why would you do something like this?" Michael sighed softly when I didn't answer, seeming to simmer down. "Is it because of dad?"

"Don't blame dad for this, none of this was his fault." I snapped to him, my brow furrowed together as I raised my gaze to him. "Keith insulted dad and I punched him back. It was my fault, I kept the fight going." I told him with a scowl.

Michael stopped in front of me, his eyes filled with mixed emotions. He glanced down at my bloodied and bruised knuckles. Finally, he let out a deep sigh before grabbing the gauze wrap from the chair next to me. I refused the nurse's aid to bandage my hands so she just gave me a roll of gauze wrap. My brother kneeled down in front of me and held out his hand to me.

My eyes nervously flicked from Michael to my hands. I didn't want his help, I was fine, but I knew if I kept staring at my hands I would start to cry and I didn't want to cry in front of my brother. Finally, I reached out toward him and rested my right hand in his rough callused hands. My brother started to wrap my knuckles, mine and Keith's blood sank into the soft dry fabric. I tried not to flinch as he wrapped my hands but when he tightened the wrap around my hand, I flinched back and gritted my teeth together tight. My eyes burnt with tears, begging to come out. I didn't know if the pain was from my bruises of the memories.