kill your mind: joshler

thirty eight : they're trying to eat me, blood running down their chin

“joshua dun and kevin lacoste, to my office” said the voice of the principal through the intercom in the hallway.

josh's shoulder tensed and he sighed, gripping onto the hands of his bag tighter before he made his way over to the principal's office, head low. he was going to be expelled, he just knew it and then tyler, max and maddison were going to be disappointed in him. the first time he came to school with died hair, he was surprised he wasn't suspended then.

nearing the principals office, he saw kevin was already there and the boy shoved josh hardly with his shoulders before making his way in. he had a bandage on his nose and josh couldn't help but smile.

“come on in, boys. take a seat” principal rodney said, without even looking up from the files he was arranging.

after a few minutes of silence, he finally settled down and spoke.

“now boys, i'm sure you know why you're here?” josh didn't say anything, just looked down at his lap while kevin nodded.

“violence on school grounds is highly prohibited and punishable by expulsion” principal rodney was addressing the two as if he were speaking to children and in a sense, he was because they were teens and he was in his mid fifties, they were probably children to him.

just get it over with, josh thought bitterly, trying to fight back tears as an image of a disappointed tyler filled his head. tyler was seventeen and had already applied for college. josh was eighteen and about to be expelled. what would tyler think of him.

“so mr laecoste, here's your letter of expulsion” principal rodney slipped a paper over to kevin who raised his eye brows, as if asking, where's josh's?

and josh was curious too because the principal seemed to have only one slip.

“we got a report from the nurse about how you and your group of friends have been treating mr dun and to say i'm disappointed is an understatement. we don't need bullies and marble city high, mr lacoste. all your other friends will be expelled as well and your families are going to be paying for the damages” principal rodney said with a straight face, josh couldn't believe what he was hearing.

“p-pay for the damages?” kevin stuttered and gulped.

“yes, you're each going to be fined six thousand dollars to pay to josh, respectively - that is, unless you prefer we press charges and throw you lot in jail” principal rodney quirked a brow.

“n-no, sir. we'll pay” kevin said nervously.

“good, now i expect to see your parents in my office tomorrow morning, you're dismissed” and with a flick of a hand, kevin was dashing through the door.

josh's jaw was hanging open in shock. he couldn't believe what just happened. of course the money wasn't going to compensate all the years of humiliation he'd suffered, but it was something. he had four bullies which meant twenty four thousand dollars and that was a lot of money.

principal rodney smiled, “you can go back to class now, mr dun”

josh snapped out of it and picked his bag off the floor hastily, “thank you, sir” he said and was about to step out of the door.

“josh” principal rodney said, smiling sadly, “i'm sorry”

but sorry wasn't enough for all the pain he'd gone through at the hand of the bullies ever since he moved in. however, josh said nothing and just smiled sadly at the man.

“it's okay” he said.

of course, though, he lied.