The Ugly Duckling

Chapter Three: The Bathroom

 Felix sits with his younger sister, Alice, at lunch the next day. Alice mainly sits there rambling about her current projects while Felix quietly listens. Alice is two years younger than Felix, but, unlike most younger siblings, she is not a brat. Alice is considered very intelligent for her age. As a freshman, she is already President of the Robotics Club. In addition, she interns with NASA during the summertime. It's not surprising to Felix's family when they receive the news. Alice wins all kinds of awards for her inventions every year. To some, she is a child prodigy. Why is she wasting her time attending high school? Alice says that she wants to experience high school life. This is one of the only reasons keeping her from working for NASA full-time. Felix should probably feel jealous, but, as someone who always lives in the shadows of his outstanding siblings, he can only feel proud of her and hope that she accomplishes enough for the both of them. Before he knows it, the lunch period is almost over. Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Felix tells his sister that he is going to run to the restroom real quick. A familiar group of boys, sitting nearby, overhears this and they snicker to themselves.

Felix, who is unaware, mindlessly enters the boys' restroom. Luckily for him, no one is there. Still feeling insecure from yesterday, Felix decides to use one of the bathroom stalls to do his business. As he stands there, he hears a group of rowdy individuals enter the restroom. Among them, two of the voices sound familiar. After a few minutes, the group shows no signs of leaving. Felix has a bad feeling, but if he doesn't leave soon, he will be late to his next class. He reluctantly exits the stall and heads towards the sink. In an effort to not be seen, Felix shrinks down his posture and hunches over the sink while he washes his hands. His actions prove pointless when he feels a firm hand on his shoulder. Luke's condescending voice fills his ears. Before Felix can make a remark, Luke answers his own inquiry with a slur. Felix flinches at his words and shakes Luke's hand off his shoulder. Luke snidely says something along of the lines of not being able to handle the strength of a real man. Felix boils with anger at this insult. He is just as real of a man as any of these bastards. "I am a man." The words escape his mouth before he can stop himself. Luke's eyes widen in mock disbelief. With a sneer, Luke dares him to prove to them that he is, in fact, a man. With a shake of his head, Felix makes his way towards the door. He doesn't have time to deal with these assholes. One of them blocks his path. Felix turns around to demand that they let him through, but two of the guys grab him by the arms. Then, he hears one of the most terrifying sentences leave Luke's mouth. With a malicious grin, Luke starts to tug at Felix's pants. This can't be happening. Felix starts to struggle with as much strength as he can muster. In his frenzy, he manages to break free by driving his heel into the shin of goon 1 and slamming his elbow into the stomach of goon 2. Without thinking, he charges headfirst towards the guy guarding the door. The collision takes its victim by surprise and Felix rips the door open without hesitation. Not even bothering to explain, he sprints over to his sister and grabs his stuff before running out of the cafeteria. He can hear his sister yelling after him in confusion, but he doesn't care, and he keeps running until he reaches the roof.

Technically, the school doesn't allow anyone up there. This works in Felix's favor though, since no one will come looking for him here. He drops his books and sits down out of breath. Sitting there by himself, Felix allows his mind to dwell on the previous occurrence. He shudders at the thought and suddenly finds himself bursting into tears. After calming down, Felix looks at his watch and realizes that class is already in session. Not wanting to have another run in with Luke and his gang, Felix leaves the school grounds.