Sempiternal

Innate

Cedonia drove into the school and slowed, letting the car trundle lazily along the gravel path before it reached the parking lot adjacent to the foyer.

The three of us clambered out of the car before moving with alacrity to the general office. Cedonia did not let her affection for Simeon slip though her sudden discomfort and unease did raise suspicion.

I gesticulated that I'd be heading over to homeroom to leave my stuff before going over to the Gym where first period would begin for me. I waved them away and let my eyes bore into their backs as they ambulated abreast towards the administrations' office. Cedonia seemed awkward and uncomfortable and Simeon behaved likewise; they were practically two peas in a pod.

I moved at a harried place towards the Gym, knowing that in just a few minutes time, the doors to the various homerooms would open, releasing a bevy of students, all clustered together like sardines, with a typical few 'inadvertently' stepping on your toes as they began the arduous passage towards the auditorium.

I liked hiding away in the Gym; it was practically deserted in the morning (or rather, before assembly) and it was where I could screen myself from the boisterous hordes of students littering the corridors and filling the hallways.

In this personal, temporary sanctum of mine, there weren't any skirmishes, no one was ridiculed and I could just look back in retrospect at my shortlived childhood and let the plethora of hurtful emotions congeal at the surface. I feared that the lack of self- introspection would lead me to become just another mindless, soulless victim of the plague and no way was I going to let it touch me in any way ever again.

It'd done enough damage. As I entered the Gym from the back, I heard sounds of a scuffle taking place inside. Being the inquisitive, nosy peeping tom I was, I slid through the door (leading to the Gym) which had been left ajar.

The lights inside were blinding and nauseating. I had to take a moment to recover my composure before I let my hand (which had been shielding my eyes) drop from its perch. My gaze fell upon a group of jocks chastising and berating their pick of the day. They were cursing and swearing, circling the boy as if circling their prey.

Meek youngsters like this fellow, who were easily intimidated, were headhunted by this notorious group of jocks. They were malicious, tetchy and bellicose, earning them the title of the 'Pugnacious three'- or maybe it was just me.

One of them stepped forth and pummeled the poor kid to the ground. Were they not sentient beings? Could they not see that the boy was in agony? And worst of all... how could they put me off my daily routine? I gritted my teeth in frustration but lily- livered, I made no move to stop them.

They were so much larger than me and their combative stance, the way they only handled things through brute force and the callous way they were bullying an innocent kid, made me think twice. Another jock pulled the boy to his feet, forcing him to tiptoe while he suffered from another verbal lashing. Iin a brusque manner, he was once again tossed to the ground, whimpering and with a tear- streaked face.

I had to draw the line there. This was outrageous. Even whilst knowing that I'd tried to stay behind the scenes before, I knew that it was time for me to shed that alter ego and lash out at the bullies. If I didn't intercede, no one else would. Steeling my nerves, I stepped out into the open.

"Let him go. Come on, he didn't do anything wrong," I pleaded; yes, my cry of rage came out sounding more like a pathetic plea.

It did nothing to mollify the three big guys.

"Let him go? Let him go?! He asked for it, telling on us and what not," one of the jocks hollered.

"I..I.." The boy began but his sentence was cut short by a jab to his chest. He collapsed to his knees, blood gushing from his nose.