Walking through the library doors, I notice that Mr. Ryce is supposedly on duty once again. I'm happy to see his name scrawled across the board because that means at least I won't be chipping away at chewing gum underneath furniture or painting over slurs in the bathrooms today, like the last supervisor made me do for the last few days. Naturally, my respect for janitors has only grown because of it.
For most of detention, I end up cashing out. Towards the end of detention, I wake up in shock to people yelling and crumpled wads of paper being thrown this way and that. I watch in horror as a boy whips a dictionary at another. It misses just by an inch. "What did Mackenzie say to you?! What did she say?!" He grits his teeth and looks at the other boy with cold eyes. Judging by his clothing, he looks to be none other than Daniel Whitman, which in other words, is bad news for the other guy.
"I don't know man, why don't you just stay out of our business, huh?!" He snarls back and violently socks the other in the nose. This is a horrible decision on his part. Daniel doesn't even flinch.
"She's my sister! It is my business!" He roars as he angrily wipes the dripping blood from his nose. I hold my breath as Daniel pushes the other boy whom I now recognize as Ryan Rogers, to the floor with tremendous force. Looking around the room, I see the tense bodies of the other students, none of us willing to move. Nobody wants to be Daniel Whitman's next victim.
My eyes widen as I watch Ryan burst into a coughing fit after taking a couple blows to the ribs. However much of a temper Ryan has he still is no match for Daniel. Ryan groans in agony and stumbles to his feet.
"Yeah, not your kid. Leave her alone!" He jabs a finger in the brother's thick chest, while holding his side with his other hand. I desperately search the halls in a state of panic. There was not a single staff member in sight. Of course there wasn't, Daniel slips out of trouble as fast as he gets in it.
With the fastest reflexes I have ever seen, Daniel grabs the finger pointed his way and snaps it. "No, you leave her alone! This is the last time I'm asking." A sequence of Ryan's yelps ring in my ear drums as every last of his fingers on his right hand break releasing unmistakable pops. A girl runs to the bathroom, no doubt because of an unsettled stomach.
"No," Ryan wheezes stubbornly.
"Did I hear a no?" Daniel growls intimidatingly and flips an entire table filled with magazines.
"You heard a no," Ryan confesses quietly.
"Better change your answer." Daniel twists Ryan's arm behind his back.
"No," he whispers helplessly, not wanting to surrender.
"I warned you, dude." He shrugs and seemingly effortlessly slams the boy into the wall. He wraps his meaty fingers around his neck. Terrible memories of my past overwhelm my brain.
Before I can help myself, I stand up from my chair. "Stop!"
"Aw, shut up," Daniel replies. I could cease my actions here and prevent the possibility of me getting injured or I could prevent the possibility of Ryan getting injured further.
I make a mad dash over to the boys and decidedly shout, "Stop!" If I cared even the slightest for my well-being I should of not said anything, but I couldn't stop myself. I couldn't possibly bring it upon myself to watch another person get strangled.
Daniel slowly looks over his shoulder to glare at me. "Did you not hear me?"
"I heard you loud and clear," I tell him in a snarky tone. I try my best not to let the tears that are threatening to spill down my face come cascading down.
"Scram, pansy." He rolls his eyes.
"I'm not a pansy. Leave things be." I say boldly, even though I'm shaking uncontrollably. Daniel ignores me and squeezes Ryan harder leaving him gasping for air. "Hey!" I scream and kick him just hard enough to get his attention. My breaths become uneven. I've never kicked someone other than my brother in my whole life.
Daniel releases his grip on Ryan and asks spitefully, "What is he your boyfriend?"
"No." I narrow my green eyes. "If he were my boyfriend he wouldn't be fighting you in the first place."
"Do you know this girl?" He asks Ryan who had himself pinned in the corner. Ryan just shakes his head.
"What's it to you, then?" Daniel turns back to me.
"What's it to you? You don't care about anyone but yourself. All you ever do is find reasons to fight people because it makes you feel better about yourself. But you know what? You're a worthless, low, conniving..." I pause to think of more insults..." ignorant, scum bag who thinks fighting people will give you a reputation of a champion. But you're dead wrong, it doesn't give you anything except proof that you can't control your emotions and that you're too scared of facing your own issues!" I point at Ryan, "And you're not much better!" I shriek and let my eyes fill with water.
A single tear trickles down my cheek, but I don't bother to wipe it away. The room fills with an eerie silence. Another tear follows the first. I'm starting to remind myself of my father with my words and I dislike him very much. The last thing I want to do is start acting like him. I maintain eye contact with Daniel for several moments before he marches his way over to me knocking a row of books out of a shelf in the process.
"Listen, pansy, you're really getting on my nerves, and you know what happens to people get on them?" He grabs my right wrist.
"I've got an idea." I squirm.
He disregards my comment. "They get hurt real bad, do you wanna get hurt?" He digs his fingernails into my skin.
I look at the floor. "If it means you'll stop fighting."
"Go," He commands.
"No!" I raise my voice in defiance.
He bends down to my height. "Alright, girlie I just had about enough of you. You're going to walk away and not say a word." He comes in closer, so that his face is only inches away from mine. A shiver runs down my spine. "Run."
"I'm not going to watch this happen," I murmur wondering when he's going to get to the point.
"Good, I'll make sure you won't have to," he whispers in my ear. I swallow hard as I watch him pull out a knife. My heart hammers hard in my chest. Just then, as if I were in the movies, a door slams open.
"Is there a problem, Daniel?" I instantly recognize the voice, as I have done before.
Daniel lowers his knife. "What are you doing here?"
"Daniel, is there a problem?" The boy from the autographed picture asks.
Daniel lifts his head, producing a confused expression. "You know her?"
Emotionless the boy speaks again sternly. "Yes, leave her be and get out of here." Why is he stopping him?
The boy shoves the knife back in his pocket. "Fine, next time don't push your luck." He glances over at Ryan and I. Daniel saunters out off the room and most everyone else flees to the other exit. I take a seat on the floor and cradle my head in my hands.
"Hey, thanks for helping me," Ryan says as he leaves the room.
I want to tell him that I didn't do it for him because I really didn't, but instead I say, "Stay out of fights, please."
"You don't have to tell me twice," he calls back and I just sink down feeling more pathetic than I have in awhile.
