"Good morning!"
Mom set her coffee mug down. "Somebody's in a good mood today." She smiled and gestured to the bowl of cereal. "Eat up, kiddo."
I thanked her and highfived my dad. Sniffing, I sat on the counter, much to my mother's dismay. Before I could devour my breakfast, though, I sneezed and grabbed a tissue, frowning.
"Are you feeling okay, sweetie?" Mom asked, pressing the back of her hand against my forehead. She frowned. "Hm, you have a slight fever. It looks like you've caught a cold."
I groaned and found myself sneezing again.
"Do you want to take the day off?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest, an inquisitive look on her face. This was a definite surprise to me. Mom was very serious when it came to her only child's education. She was also very serious about maintaining a healthy life. She has never really asked me if I wanted to skip school; until now, that is.
I thought about it for a moment, but decided against it.
"Nah, I feel okay," I said, hopping off the counter. "Besides, it's Friday. Anyway, it might just be allergies. It'll go away."
Mom looked unconvinced but shrugged. "Okay, then. Have fun at school."
I smiled, grabbed my bag, and sneezed again. I rushed out of the house, my breakfast long forgotten. I wiped at my nose, completely annoyed. I didn't think I was allergic to anything. How did I manage to catch a cold? The weather wasn't exactly the warmest, I thought. I shrugged away my thoughts and found myself nearing school. Surprisingly, when I walked through the gates, I spotted a huddle of students, all pressed up in a circle. Some were trying to push their way through. A lot of commotion was going on and I wondered why. Alarmingly, I heard a lot of screams and incoherent sentences being shouted and when I got closer, I was able to decipher what people were yelling about.
"Fight!" was being repeatedly chanted. The majority of the crowd looked amused and excited.
"What's going on?" I asked the nearest student, but she ignored me. I had two options: 1) Go to class or 2) Check out what the commotion was all about. Unfortunately, my curiosity got the best of me and I began pushing my way through sweaty students. Their screaming is going to damage my hearing, I bitterly thought.
When I got to the front of the circle, I was horrified. I did hear the students chanting 'fight', but I didn't think it was that serious. Swallowing hard, I watched in horror as the scene in front of me unfolded. Dylan was on top of Dallas, repeatedly taking swings at him. My chest tightened. Dylan looked furious and it was evident as he continued to throw horrible punches at Dallas. Blood trailed down Dylan's neck from his lip. I wasn't able to see clearly with all of what was going on. I could see Dallas was fighting as hard as Dylan was.
Dallas managed to escape but did not waste any time. He grabbed Dylan by the collar of his shirt and took a swing at him in the stomach. Dylan groaned and I flinched. Dallas averted his punches to Dylan's face and I began to feel dizzy. All I heard were the chants and cheers of my peers and I felt disgusted.
Dylan was able to dodge Dallas' incoming fist and began beating at his face. Bile rose in my throat. They looked weary and completely tired but neither wanted to give up. Dylan retracted for a bit and I noticed his legs just wanted to drop. Dallas wiped the blood off his face and lunged towards him and I realized that this wouldn't ever end if someone didn't stop it. Where were the teachers? The principle? Why were the students cheering for more? They were going to kill each other. It seemed as if that was their motive. I felt afraid, angry, and sick.
One of Dallas' friends seemed to think the same and with a worried expression, he approached them and grabbed Dallas by the shoulders, trying to drag him away, but Dallas wouldn't budge. Dylan wouldn't, either. He was already on top of Dallas and all they were doing was throwing punches at one another. They wanted to stop but they also wanted to continue. Exhaling deeply, I followed Dallas' friend's steps and grabbed Dylan's shoulder.
"S-stop!" I yelled. The chants and cheers continued. I was appalled. "Please stop!"
I felt Dylan's shoulders tense up and he craned his neck, his eyes widening when they caught mine. He stilled and his tired eyes roamed my face. However, Dallas was able to hinder Dylan speechless when he grabbed his collar and collided their foreheads together. Dylan hissed and harshly retreated back and suddenly, I found myself tumbling backwards from the strong force. I tried to regain my balance but my feet tangled up and I fell face-first to the ground and I immediately let out a whimper when I felt pain overtake my face.
"Crap!" was the last thing I heard from Dylan before black spots dotted my vision and I fell unconscious.
