Outcast

Alex

"You've got an anger issue kid" Chloe says following me off the pitch and onto the bench "But I like that" 

"Fuck off, you don't know me" I shout back, she places her hand on my thigh "Chloe what-uh, what are you doing?" 

"Nothing? Just ignore me. Unless you feel it too?" 

The only thing I could feel was tension. 

"I need a piss" 

I stand up and walk into the gym to use the bathroom, Chloe follows me into the boys room. 

"You know this is the boys room right?" I say trying to hide myself from her

"Yeah, the figure on the door not wearing a dress kinda gives it a way" She says leaning against the wall trying to peek. 

"You gay Ethan?" 

"No. Just cause I don't have a girlfriend" 

"So you're single?" 

"Yeah? So what?" 

I finish up and go towards the sink to wash my hands, she stays leaning against the wall. 

"Nothing. You ever kissed a girl?" I shake my head, she walks towards me, spins me around and pulls my face into hers for a solid five seconds "There, now you have!" 

The tension I felt before has suddenly reappeared. 

"Most people aren't this forward, Chloe" I feel myself turning red. "What is it you want from me? A relationship? Sex? Cause I'm just not su-" 

She pushes me into the stall behind me and forces her tongue down my throat forcing me to stop talking. Her hands wanders my body and find their way to the nether region. 

"Chloe I-" 

"I don't want to force you, so if you could just make that decision on your own" She replies, cutting me off with a certain grasp. 

"We need to get back" 

I push her off me, re-buckle my jeans and walk out the door back to the courtyard where Mr. Platt was standing with his arms folded. The fire department had put out the fire and found the cause, someones lighter exploded next to a bunsen burner. Thankfully it could've been a lot worse. 

Chloe had found her way back to the line and tapped me on the shoulder 

"Ethan I'm sorry, I shouldn't have forced myself on you" 

I ignore her, fearing tension arising. We get the OK to go back into the school and straight into break-time. I had media studies next and honestly I was quite looking forward to it. 

"Hey, Ethan" Someone behind me in the queue whispers "Do you have any?" 

I spin round to see Tilly stood behind me with texting "Not today, I haven't got any money"

"Well maybe if you got some, you'd have money" 

Turning around, I walk out of the line to the back corridor that leads to the roof. The weather had calmed down thankfully and the cool breeze from the coast line filled the air. After a five minute panic of not being able to find my earphones, I find them in a different pocket and start to untangle them just as the bell goes, hopefully Mr Kingsley isn't in the mood for teaching and just lets me get away with wearing them. 

"Well well well" Alex says as I enter the room "Look what the cat dragged in" 

"Ethan, how are you?" Mr. Kingsley asks as I take my seat closest to the door "Or just ignore me that's fine." 

"Probably can't hear you sir, not cause he's deaf or anything. Just cause he's completely incapable of human decency" 

"You're such a wank Alex" I retaliate "Why don't you worry about yourself for once?" 

He scoffs at me and spins round in his seat, Mr. Kingsley puts up his index finger in my direction to inform me that "wank" was strike one. 

"Today, we're continuing looking at the structure of camera angles and what makes a good film so if you could all open your books and start writing down the content of the whiteboard" Mr. Kingsley informs the class opening up his laptop to do the register. 

I open my sketchbook and start scribbling down what the agenda was for the lesson. We need to be in pairs and Alex comes and sits next to me. 

"You know Ethan, I've wondered how you've not been arrested yet." He whispers 

"Why would I be arrested?" I ask carefully whilst not making eye contact 

"Just seems weird that everyone who's wound up dead has been someone you've had issues with" 

"You don't know what you're saying Alex" 

"Don't I? See the thing is that I would be lying if I said I didn't know your secrets. My dad's on the force and he's been telling me about it all. About Sam, Devin, Max" 

"What about them?" 

"How they all ended up dead, they've found a body on the sea. No one knows who it is, must've been down there a while though. The bodies all eaten by sea life." 

"Oh well, could be a jumper, aka your brother" 

"Don't fucking mention that" 

"Don't fucking say that I killed those kids" 

"You don't get to mention my brother, that's nothing compared to killing a bunch of kids"

"Whatever Alex. Just pray that it is so you finally get closure" 

"You're pushing on thin ice Ethan" 

"Your brother was pushing himself off that led-" 

SMACK 

Alex threw the first punch smack bang on the side of my temple, his ring ripping the skin on my eyebrow. I raise my fist to fight back but the increasing pain in my head stops me. 

"RIGHT, I'm going to have to ask you to leave Ethan" Mr Kingsley informs us 

"Me? Why me? He's the one who started it?" I whisper loudly 

"You're always the one to start it eh Ethan?" Alex pipes up walking away from me 

"Fuck yourself Alex" I scream back at him wiping my eyebrow 

"Leave my classroom. Now" Mr. Kingsley shouts as he springs up from his chair 

"But I didn't fucking do anything?!" 

I grab my bag and slam the door behind me, I didn't do anything so why was I being sent out? Alex punches me and I'm the one who gets sent out? Just 'cause he's a grade A student. 

"Hey Ethan. Woah okay look at me," Mr. Amherst whispers to me as he bends down to my level and holds both my arms so I can't go anywhere "Ethan, what happened? You can talk to me. Or Mr. Richmonds" 

I shake my head "I didn't do anything, he started it" 

"I believe you bud, but we need to talk - You don't get a cut like that from a misunderstanding" 

I'm coming for you Alex, the song's just about to end.