Mute

New Kid

<Denis>
    "Hey, Denis, look!" Corl whispered as he held up a paper with a dragon drawn on it. I smiled, just as the teacher noticed.
    "Braden, Denis, detention during lunch."
    I sighed quietly when Corl mumbled something.
    "What was that, Braden?"
    "It's Corl!" He said to the teacher, much louder.
    "Oh, right. My apologies." The teacher told him, definitely not sincere. No one really likes Mrs. Trill, not even the other teachers.
    After class, I got up and began to walk to my next class, World History. I was pretty good at the class, so it wasn't much of a bother to me. 
    Alex came up to me in the hall and told me that Biff was bullying again. "God, he doesn't stop! Who is it this time?"
    "I don't know, I think it's someone new. I've never seen him before."
     "Ok, maybe after school we can try to talk to him again." I suggest the idea, but it's never worked in the past. He just ignores us.
Later, at lunch, Me, Corl, Alex, Sketch, and Flebsy sat at our usual table. Flebsy sometimes sat with us and sometimes didn't.
While we were all laughing, joking, and talking, I realized something. "Corl! We have detention!" I yelled, wide eyed. For just a second, he was confused. Then he got it.
Corl jumped up, grabbed my arm, and we ran to the detention room. As we arrived, Mrs. Trill looked really angry. It was scary when she has that look.
"Care to explain why you're late?" We knew she wasn't going to care no matter what we said, but we told her anyway.
"Sorry, we were caught up in having fun with our friends that we forgot." I tried to explain to her.
"Whatever. I'll excuse it this time. Let this be a warning." This was unusual for her, but I wasn't complaining.
After school, We all met up at the front gate, when Sketch started telling Corl and I what we missed at lunch.
Apparently, the new kid was sitting on a bench near our table alone, and Biff came and started bullying him again. Biff punched the new kid, and so Flebsy interfered. He tried to get Biff to stop, but Biff attacked him.
"Where's Flebsy now?" Corl questioned them when they were done telling the story.
"He left school early, he was hurt pretty bad." Alex answered the question. " Why were you guys in detention?"
"Corl showed me a drawing, and I smiled at it. Mrs. Trill thought we were talking."
"Geez, she's so strict. She should be more like Mrs Parker." Sketch shook his head.
"Definitely." Mrs Parker was the most laid back, chill teacher on campus. Everyone loved her. Well, except for the straight A students who ace every class and look forward to coming to school every day and doing work.
They don't count.
    Since all us live close to each other, we all walk home together. While we were talking, I saw a house with a big window open, and people inside. It caught my attention when a mother hit a kid to the ground. Then just walked away. The kid got up and looked out the window. We made eye contact. His eyes widened as big as mine and ran away somewhere else in his house.
    While I watched, I stopped walking.
    "Denis, what's wrong?"
   "Nothing." I'll probably tell them at school tomorrow.
<Denis>
The evening went by fast, all of us got home, did homework, ate, and went to bed. I didn't tell anyone in my family what I saw with the mother and kid, but I will eventually. I should find out who that kid is, maybe he goes to our school.
Our group met up in the morning and walked to school, and once we arrived, we went our separate ways. I was still thinking about the boy I saw. I pictured him in my head, and when I looked up, I saw him. He was just sitting at the bench reading. He was alone, which I thought was sad. Then, of course, Biff showed up. I didn't hear what he was saying to him, but I know it wasn't something good. The look in his eyes was heartbreaking. I walked over as quickly as I could.
"Biff! Biff, stop!" I yelled at Biff as I reached them. I didn't look at the kid, I was focusing on Biff. "You can't do this to people! You said you would stop." Tears pricked my eyes, but I blinked them away quickly. Biff used to always bully me. He would hurt me, and I couldn't let him do that to someone else. But I didn't let him see.
"Denis, get away, or I'll make you."
"I guess you'll have to make me." I said, confidently. The truth is, I've been taking a few self defense classes, so I could probably block whatever is coming.
"Denis, you don't want to do this with me right now."
"I'll do whatever I can for a..." I partially turned towards the kid behind me and put my hand on his shoulder. "A friend."
Biff looked between us and scoffed. Then he just stormed off.
I took my hand off his shoulder and sat down next to him. "I'm really sorry about Biff. He does that to everyone."
He looked at me in an understanding kind of way and slightly nodded his head.
"What's your name?"
For some reason, he looked around him for a second, then he grabbed a notepad and pen by his backpack on the bench. He scribbled something down and turned it towards me so I could see.
Sebastian.
"I'm gonna call you Seb. No, Sub!" I paused for a second. "Do you not talk?"
He shook his head and wrote something else on the notepad.
Not in a long time. Not even to my family. He looked down and I could see that water was forming in his eyes.
     "I saw you through your window yesterday... but don't worry, I'm going to tell someone so it can stop."
    Once he heard that, he shook his head. He wrote in his notepad again.
No, please don't. I can handle it. Only a year left til I'm eighteen.
    "You can't just let this happen. It's terrible."
Just then, the bell rang and I stood up. I looked down at him, and he shook his head. "Fine. I won't. For now." And with that, I walked away.