The Green(The Green - book 1)

Chapter 3

Tommy grabbed a carton of milk at the cafeteria and went to sit down, with his bag lunch. A burning sensation came out of nowhere and made his right hand jolt! Milk came flying out of the carton and splashed Randy, on the right side of his face. Randy got up and charged after Tommy. Tommy slid under the table and crawled between a girl's legs. Randy followed but was kicked by the girl, so he rolled and crawled out of an open seat. Tommy bolted towards the garbage can and knocked it over, to put space between them. He rushed out of the cafeteria and ran across the green and white halls, into the gym. The kids were playing dodgeball. Tommy dodged between the balls and the kids. Randy followed behind shortly, but was pelted by dodgeballs. The coach noticed Randy and blew his whistle. Everyone except Randy and Tommy halted. Tommy took the opportunity to pick up the dodgeballs and slow Randy down by throwing them. A security guard rushed in and got hold of Randy. Tommy tried to run, but the coach whipped a dodgeball at Tommy's back, causing him to stumble to the gym floor! Coach Thomas was a short man with receding brown hair. He had a square shaped face and broad shoulders. He was fairly built, which was suitable for his profession. "You're coming with me!" He shouted and rushed Tommy down to the principal's office. The kids laughed and cheered, as he took him away.

The security guard and Coach Thomas put them both on separate sides of the office, after they signed in. If they gave a falsified name, the consequences only got worse. Randy sat across the office and gave Tommy death glares.

Tommy turned and looked at the ground. If my hand didn't shock me, this would never have happened! Why did my hand do that?! Why are my ribs feeling so sore? The coach didn't hit me THAT hard...

Principal McVee came out. She was a short, chubby woman with long, gray hair. "Alright now, I'm gonna see both you boys individually. Mister Tailor, you first!" She said, a slight southern accent in her voice. Randy sighed and slowly walked into her office. Tommy waited anxiously. He knew he started it, but it was an accident! Randy just happened to be there! Randy came out a few seconds later and walked out, not saying a word, followed by Principal McVee. "Your turn, Mr. Foley." She said, as Tommy slowly stood up. He nervously walked towards her office. "Come on, boy! We don't have all day!" The principal snapped. Tommy picked up speed, walked into her office and sat down in a chair by her desk. "Now... Let's start with your story of what happened at lunch!" She said, as she folded her hands on her desk and waited patiently. "It was an accident! I was grabbing my milk, I opened the container and walked back to my seat. On the way back, my hand shocked me and I lost control! I don't know what happened!" "Hmm.." McVee quirked an eyebrow. "You opened your milk before you sat down?" She asked. "I always do! It was an accident! I swear!" Tommy's voice started to quiver, as if he was going to cry. "Alright now, settle down... I'm letting you two off with a warning! Let this also be a lesson, open your carton after you sit down, from now on. Do we have an understanding?" She asked in a stern tone. Tommy looked down again. "Yes ma'am..."

Tommy waited until the bus driver yelled for him to get on. Then he ran up the steps and looked for a seat. He was dragged into a seat, to his left. Randy put Tommy into a tight headlock. "Hey buddy! I think you and I have gotten pretty close today!" Randy said, as he jerked Tommy's neck. "I think we should hang out for a while!" Tommy thought of yelling for help, but was worried it would only make things worse! Maybe I can make a run for it, when we get to our stop! He thought. Tommy stared out the window, his mind raced more and more, as each stop passed. When they were about 4 stops away, Randy called to his friends. "Viktor! Luis!" They poked their heads out, a couple seats behind Randy and Tommy. "When we get to our stop, I'll get out first! You guys make sure Tommy stays in between you two!" They nodded and sat back down. Their stop came, Randy pushed Tommy into the seat and got out. Luis walked behind Randy, Viktor pulled Tommy out and pushed him into the aisle. Tommy dragged his feet, trying to think of a plan. Viktor kept nudging him forward. Randy waited on the sidewalk. Luis descended the stairs and turned around. Here we go... Tommy said to himself. He thought he'd tried to run down the stairs, as quick as he could. Randy and Luis laughed as they tackled him, Viktor and Gurpreet soon followed. The bus driver drove off, without giving the situation another thought. Boys will be boys! Randy pinned Tommy to the ground, as the other 3 stood up. Randy pulled Tommy to his feet and then threw his fist into Tommy's gut. Tommy coughed, as he fell on all fours. Then Randy backed up and charged at Tommy, delivering a running kick to his gut. Tommy reeled onto his back and clutched his stomach. His glasses fell beside him. "That's what you get for the cafeteria! This is what you get for the principal's office!" Randy shouted and delivered another kick to Tommy's side. Tommy groaned in pain and coughed. He wanted to make a run for it, but he was too weak. "This is for my dog!" He delivered another kick to his side. "When I tell you to do my homework, you do it!" He yelled as the kicks continued. "Who looks stupid now!?" He shouted. Randy's friends laughed and shook their heads. Where was that dog, when Tommy needed him? How would he escape this? Every kick felt like a knife. To most kids, it would hurt, but Tommy had a condition that made the pain 10 times worse, in his mind. His condition was called "Sensory Processing Disorder" a.k.a. SPD. It deals with the senses, poor motor skills with oversensitivity to pain and sound. Sometimes someone with SPD can even be unaffected by these senses. Tommy fell more into the oversensitive side.

Tears streamed down his face, as he laid there in agony, wishing someone would come to his rescue. "Okay! Now, you guys get him! Everyone is a part of this!" Randy shouted. Viktor looked at Luis. Luis shrugged and kicked Tommy in his right side. Viktor looked at Randy, who nodded at him. He let out a swift kick to Tommy's right side and waited for Gurpreet. Gurpreet walked to Randy's side and kicked Tommy on his left side. "Okay! Now everybody! Get him!" They all started kicking Tommy more and more, until the pain was so unbearable, he started to pass out!

Tommy fell unconscious. Something inside of him triggered. Right before Randy delivered a kick with his right foot, Tommy grabbed it and swept his left out from under him! Gurpreet tried to tackle him, but Tommy rolled forward and sprinted to his feet. He picked up his glasses and started running, as fast as he could. The four of them chased behind. He ran to the back door of his garage. He unlocked the door, ran inside, slammed the door behind him and locked it. When he got inside, he realized he left his backpack on the bus. At that moment, that didn't matter. He was just happy to be alive! He plopped down in the kitchen, grabbed his ribs in pain and then looked at his hands. I don't get it! I passed out, the next thing I remember, I was running! It felt like I wasn't even in control! How did I do that?!