What Happens in High School

Chapter Nine

The World is Ugly, But You're Beautiful to Me

Bob’s POV *Trigger Warning*

Ray and I dropped off Max at home after school on Monday. I was walking out to go find them when I saw Jack cornering her behind the library. I heard him saying how he wanted her but it was obvious that he didn’t want her in the way she deserved to be treated. It made me so angry, I would have kicked the shit out of him right then and there if Max wasn’t around.

I stepped up behind him and put my hand on his shoulder to turn him around. I saw the pathetic look of fear in his eyes as he saw me and how he quickly tried to cover it up. He thought he was some tough hot-shot just because he was on the football team, and even the other players weren’t these big of dicks. He let go of Max and I got to see how scared she really was which made me even madder. I did my best to control my anger as not to beat the crap out of him in front of Max. I meant every word when I said that if he came near Max again he’d be sorry and pay for it.

Jack was smart to step off, but an idiot for what he said before he left. I don’t even want to repeat the awful words he said to Max. How could he even say those things to any girl let alone her? She was the smartest, prettiest, and most respectable girl I’d ever met and all it took Jack was two minutes to destroy her self-confidence. I really wished she was doing okay and she didn’t let it get to her too much. She must have understood how wrong he was.

There was one thing though. He said that Max should go back to the razors. I didn’t want to think that what he meant was true. I didn’t want to believe that Max hurt herself, she was too good for that. She didn’t deserve to have a reason to even consider something like that. It upset me thinking that what he said might have been true but for now I refused to believe it. After all, Jack was an ass and was probably making things up.

When we found Ray she hugged him and cried, letting him know what had happened. I was a little surprised that when she let go of Ray she came over and grabbed onto me. She thanked me for telling off Jack but she didn’t need to. I wanted her to know how special and beautiful she was, but with Ray standing there, I had to turn it more in the direction of a pep-talk rather than a proclamation of love. I meant every bit of it and I just hoped she believed me.

…

Max didn’t come into school the next day, and with good reason. Ray told me that he’d told Max’s mom everything that happened with Jack. He’d been suspended and wouldn’t be in school for three weeks. Still Max just wanted the day off. I didn’t blame her, why would she want to come in to school?

I thought about her all day. We didn’t really talk a great deal in class considering we weren’t supposed to be talking in the first place, but her absence was still noticeable. It was worse during lunch. “Where’s Maxie?” Frank questioned as he walked over and noticed her nonattendance.

Ray answered, “She’s just not feeling great today, and so she stayed home.”

I could tell he didn’t want to give away the whole story, something Max wouldn’t have liked if he did. It had become evident that Max was the type of person who liked to deliver news on her own if it pertained to her. Frank just nodded with a slightly worried look on his face. He probably just thought that she was sick or something.

The other guys reacted in similar ways asking, “Where’s Max?” and either Ray or I saying that she just wasn’t up to coming to school today. I respected Max’s decision to take a personal day, it’s not like she missed school often, and so one day wouldn’t hurt. I was a good idea for her to take some time to herself, especially after what Jack had said to her. The rest of the day dragged out longer than usual, after all I didn’t have Max there to talk to.