Fire Escapes

Chapter Seven

The sound of hundreds of different voices buzzed in my ears. Everyone going somewhere and talking about something, so many thoughts in every busy person's head, and then... then there was me.
After a long summer, this was my first day back at school and honestly I just wanted to move somewhere far, far away. Yes, seeing my friends was a relief and honestly it felt good to go back to normal after the whole moving chaos and the whole oh-great-I'm-living-near-family-again chaos. Two more years of med school and by the time I was twenty six I would graduate and start searching for an internship at some big hospital, but until then I had to study hard.
I heard a loud groan and jumped slightly when someone plopped down onto my bench.
I glanced over at whoever it was, only to recognize Cheryl, a girl with wild curly hair who also happened to be my med school companion and partner in crime.
"Professors are jerks."
I looked down at my peanut butter and jelly sandwich, preparing to bite into it.
"Care to explain?" I asked.
"Mr. Jones." She replied, without adding a single syllable.
"Ah." Mr. Jones was indeed a jerk and nobody liked him anyway. He often humiliated students if they so much as made one small error by laughing in their face and he also pretty much just graded the papers depending on whichever grade was floating through his brain in that moment, ignoring the effort one had put into it and also had a thing for Cheryl.
"He's a careless lil' shit." I said rather casually before biting into my sandwich. Cheryl nodded and frowned.
After I had properly swallowed the mouthful of pure magic, I turned to face her.
"Wanna come study for the anatomy test at my place?"
"Nah, your twin is annoying."
"He has his own place."
Cheryl laughed.
"Yes, but we both know he hangs at yours anyways. Plus he's annoying."
I nodded silently, ignoring the fact that that was the second time she had pointed out how annoying he was.
"Fair enough."
We sat there a few more minutes in complete silence, staring at random people in the park. The trees were still fairly green but as autumn slowly came closer the tips of the leaves were starting to dry up and slowly turn yellow, but the park was always full of people. There was a group of people having a picnic just a few feet away from us. I could also see some kids running around, and I could hear them giggling and shouting as they chased each other, and by a tree were some older kids all huddled up together. As I watched them carefully, I noticed a familiar head full of blonde hair. I squinted and leaned forwards a bit as if to see better.
"Iz? You okay?"
I ignored Cheryl, to busy watching the person who I soon recognized as Clair. At first I thought she had just come to the park with her friends, that is until I saw one of the boys shove her harshly. She stumbled back and into the tree. As soon as he shoved her again she slumped against the tree and slid onto the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees. I felt my heart beat faster and I shot up and walked towards them. I could hear Cheryl's footsteps behind me but I ignored her calling my name. The only sound I could hear were the voices of whoever was shoving Clair, shouting and insulting her.
Suddenly I remembered my younger sister. We must have been around the ages of nine and twelve. She had been so proud of the fact that I was older than the boys who were being mean to she and her friends. I could remember her dragging me over there, expecting me to tell them off but I had disappointed her. I hadn't been able to say anything, I wasn't sure of what I was supposed to do. But this time I was, I wasn't twelve, I was twenty four, for goodness' sake!
"Clair?" Clair spun around and my eyes met her large blue eyes, the tears threatening to slip out of them. I was just a few feet away from them now, but the four boys were all watching me. There were also two girls who were hiding behind the boys. The boy who had shoved her was still standing tall while the others were just beginning to back away slowly.
"Who are you?" Asked the dark haired kid who wouldn't back off.
He furrowed his brows and grimaced, not showing even a bit of fear.
"What the hell is your problem?" I snapped, ignoring his previous question.
Now did I see him take one step backwards, but apart from that small movement, he seemed to not want to budge. His friends were now scrambling away. I lifted my arm, and before I could stop myself... I had flung my soft peanut butter and jelly sandwich into his face. When it hit him he flinched and squinted a couple of times before turning to me with a horrified expression.
"What the-"
He didn't even let himself finish, he just spun around and ran.
I stood there proudly, my hands on my hips and my head high, that is until I remembered the reason for which I had just flung a sandwich at a minor. I looked down at Clair who was still huddled up into a little ball, but she was staring up at me not in awe, but more in shock. Cheryl was giving me the same wide-eyed look of horror slash admiration.
"Are you okay, Clair?" Was all I could ask.