In My Eyes

Chapter Twelve

Ben

"What? That's completely unfair!" I argue with the assistant principal.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing that proves her innocent. We have to uphold her suspension," Mr. Isaac firmly replies.

"But what proof do you have against her?" I retort.

"Ashley was bleeding, and she said..."

I cut him off. "It was fake blood. The only evidence you have is Ashley's words against Bianca's, and that's not fair. You're just pushing her down because you don't want to deal with the fact that she's been bullied and none of you administrators have done anything about it."

"Mr. Walsh, do not use that tone with me. Report to detention after school today. You can't yell at me like this," he glares.

I leave his office, fuming with rage. This is bullshit! They can't just do that, punishing an innocent person. Bianca didn't do anything wrong.

As I walk down the hallway, I run into Bianca's dad.

"Hi, Ben," he greets me, seeming a little downtrodden as well.

"Hi Mr. Jacobs. I just talked to the assistant principal and he said he was going to uphold her suspension. Then he gave me a detention," I tell him, blood still boiling. He furrows his eyebrows.

"Well I'm going to give him a piece of my mind. I'm not going down without a fight," he replies. My anger subsides a little, knowing someone's actually on my side.

I head to my last period class, but then I remember I have to see Ashley's face. All the bullshit keeps ramming against my brain, but I keep walking. I have to keep walking. I have to. I have to keep walking. I have...

"Ben's such a faggot, guys. He probably has a vagina under all that 'manly exterior', since he's such a pussy," a figure of a girl screams at me. I gain my vision and see her, that tall blonde beauty. That tall blonde menace. Alexis.

"Lexi, please," I mutter, trying to hold off my tears that were following mere moments before my girlfriend and some other people started to crowd around me.

"Dude, you can't stop crying. Get over yourself, you little bitch," one of my teammates yells at me, punching me in the shoulder. I wince in pain since his 'playful tap' actually felt like a stab wound.

"But, my dad..." I finally burst out.

Lexi grabs my head and forcibly slams it against the fence behind me. I stare back at her, the back of my head aching and my vision blurring.

"No one. Gives. A shit," she spits, walking away with the rest of the teammates of mine that she dragged over to harass me.

No one gives a shit. No one gives a shit. No one gives a shit.

Everyone hates you, fag.

I hope you die, too.

Choke.

Drown.

You pathetic piece of garbage.

You deserve to die.

You...

Tears start welling up in my eyes and I force myself into a nearby locker bay. I can't let anyone see me like this. I have to get out of here. I don't want to see Ashley. She's abusive and manipulative just like Lexi. I don't want detention. Dear god, let me go.

I quickly speed around the corner, going the opposite direction from my English classroom. I head to the unguarded back door that leads to the courtyard, and as soon as I know for sure that I'm in the clear, I sprint for my car. And as soon as I can get my key in the ignition, I drive away. I don't fucking care if it's truancy. This hellhole is eating me alive, just as much as the other one was.

***

"Ben, what are you doing here?" Bianca asks me as I stand in her door frame. She seems quite panicked.

"Shh, don't worry, it's fine," I tell her, stepping into her house, empty of all people besides her.

"Dude, school doesn't end for another hour. What did you do?" she asks me as I close the door behind me.

"I skipped last period. And detention."

"You got detention? How?" she asks, freaking out even more.

"I don't wanna talk about that right now. The point is, I'm here now, out of that place."

She sighs. "I don't condone skipping school, but I guess you can be here for now."

I smile. "I won't let you down, madame," I joke. She rolls her eyes at me.

As soon as Bianca and I start chilling out together, all the events of the past 24 hours fade away. No more harassment, no more suspension, no more Ashley, no more bad memories. Just Bianca Elizabeth Jacobs. My beautiful, kind girlfriend.

Just the way it should be.