Fettered

Oliver's Mistake

They met each other at the front doors to school that Monday and Lucas immediately held Persephone's hand. He walked her to her locker, keeping their fingers laced the whole way. Damn, did it feel good to strut past the rumor mill and swagger through prying, judgmental eyes; like taking back his senior year.

When they got to their destination, she turned to face him. "I'll see you at lunch."
"Yep, I'll meet y'all right here."

She kissed his lips right in front of everyone — Goddamn did he love that. As he walked to his own locker, he couldn't help but sashay through the halls like he owned the place. His smile couldn't be wiped away as he put his lunch and Physics book in their proper places. When he closed the door to head for class, someone grabbed his shoulder and threw him up against the lockers, a loud clang echoing through the halls. Lucas clenched his fists, coming face-to-face with a sneering Oliver.

"Think you're hot shit now that ya got th' girl, don'cha?"

Lucas had to consciously unclench his balled hands. He wasn't going to blow everything now, all the shit he worked hard for, over someone as stupid as Oliver. He tried to simply walk away but Oliver slammed his palm into the lockers, arm out in Lucas's path.

Oliver spat, "Gettin' her before you might not 'a worked out fer me but I'll sure be there to comfort her when ya go back ta juvie."

A crowd started to form around them. Vultures.

"Get outta my damn face," Lucas demanded.
"Hope juvie's just as cramped and smelly as your attic, Baker."
"It's been ten fuckin' years, let it go."
"Why? Ya weren't gonna let me go, were ya? Crazy fuck."
"I'm not crazy."

Oliver launched the first punch right into Lucas's arm when he shot it up to block his face. His backpack straps were grabbed and Oliver threw him to the other side of the hall. Lucas abandoned his pack and punched Oliver in the side of the head, disorienting him for just long enough that Lucas tried to get the hell out of there, but Oliver's friend pushed him back into the middle of the ring.

Oliver grabbed his shoulder and whirled him around to face him again, a fast punch barely seen in his left eye. For a brief second, Lucas's vision went white and he saw stars, but he shook it off with a flurry of punches, whaling on his stupid face with both hands. The crowd screeched and jeered — some shouted "kick his ass, Oliver!", and he heard a few scream, "send him back to juvie!", but another voice stuck out to him.

"Outta the way, assholes!"

That was Persephone's voice, and one of their teachers seemed close behind, calling for the students to disperse.

"Shit," Oliver muttered.

Persephone pushed through the crowd with the teacher right behind. She immediately shoved herself between Oliver and Lucas, forcing Oliver aside.

"How did I know?" Persephone demanded. "Of course you'd be the one involved, you son-of-a—"
"Miss Black, I'll take it from here, thank you."

Persephone held onto Lucas's arm the whole way to the nurse's office, where he and Oliver were placed in separate rooms and evaluated before what would be a stressful visit to the principal's office. Lucas clutched Persephone's hand while the nurse shined lights in his eyes and checked his blood pressure. She gave him an ice pack from the mini-fridge in the corner to put over his blackened eye. When the nurse left the room, shutting the door behind her, Lucas released his tension in a deep, gruff sigh.

"Goddammit, Pers, I didn' mean fer this t' happen..."
"I know, Oliver's a real—"
"No, not the fight. I'm glad I could give that douchebag a good punch. But I violated my parole. They're gonna send me back to juvie for this, maybe prison, then you'll be stuck here alone with all these assholes, I won' be able ta help ya get an A on that project, n' we—"
"Lucas, slow down." She draped her arms around his shoulders. "I'm not gonna let any of that happen."
He sighed again, head dropping harder into the ice pack. "It won' be so easy."

Mrs. Tompkin walked in, observing him and Persephone for a moment.

"This isn't good, Mr. Baker..." Mrs. Tompkin said. "I couldn't get most of the eyewitnesses to admit who started the fight and the few that did claimed it was you."
Persephone grit her teeth. "That's bullshit!"
"Language, please, Miss Black. Those who told me Mr. Baker started the fight are also close to Mr. Jones, so I don't take them as credible sources. I've given my two cents to Principal Williams already, the rest is up to you, Mr. Baker."
"I want to talk to the principal," said Persephone, her leg bouncing irritably.
"I'm afraid that you were not an eyewitness. Your statements would hardly hold up, Miss Black."
Persephone shot up from her seat. "My statements don't matter, but I know whose do."

She stormed out of the room without another word. Mrs. Tompkin took a deep breath.

"Good luck to you." She nodded, then also left the room, leaving Lucas to his thoughts.

What was Persephone doing? He was curious to know her plan, but that wasn't the only thing on his mind. Did he mean that much to her? Or... did her project mean that much to her? No, don't be stupid. She had to be doing it for him, she could easily do the project on her own if they gave her an extension (given the circumstances, Mrs. Tompkin would probably allow it). But she was throwing herself under the bus, for him. What did he even have to offer? He still didn't know what he was going to do for the rest of his life, and she'd go on to do surgery and earn way more money than he could ever hope to make. She wouldn't need him. And what if she found some actually attractive college guys to take his place? His lanky ass couldn't compete. No, stop being stupid. It was just the stress getting to him, and the silence.

Mrs. Tompkin came in shortly after (thank God, he could stop thinking so much) and made him follow her to the principal's office. It was a familiar enough space. He recognized the same plaques and awards hung vainly up on the wall behind the smooth, laminate desk, which wrapped against the right-hand wall. A flat-screen computer sat atop it, showing what Lucas knew to be his personal record.

Principal Williams motioned for Lucas to have a seat. He felt forced to sit there and watch as the man looked through the computer at a gruelingly slow pace. Lucas distracted himself by looking over the knickknacks: cutesy stuff that everyone knew the principal's young daughter had made for him (because he always showed them off), pictures of his family, his bright golden nameplate which proudly read 'MR. DOMINIC WILLIAMS', and various office supplies.

"Not good, Mr. Baker, not good at all."
No, really? "I know, sir."
"Sir? Don't try to butter me up now, Mr. Baker. Yer walkin' a thin line as it is." Mr. Williams spun on his chair to finally face Lucas. He fixed his glasses and said, "So Mrs. Tompkin tells me that you've been doin' well on yer project?"
Lucas squinted as he looked at his principal. "Uh... Yeah, I guess."
"And Miss Black was vouchin' fer you today. A straight-A student on yer side is good. But it's perhaps not enough, not fer yer parole."
"You didn' call my mom n' dad, did ya?"
"Not yet. I was waiting to get Mr. Jones's side of the story. I'd like to hear yers now."
"Oliver's the one who started it. I was just mindin' my own business at my locker when he shoved me n' wouldn' let me leave. I only hit him after he hit me."

Principal Williams typed as Lucas spoke. Lucas saw that the principal had recorded everything he'd said.

The door to the office opened and he heard the secretary calling, "Miss, you can't go in there! Miss!". Lucas turned to see Persephone, shutting the door behind her, phone clenched in her hand.

Principal Williams laced his fingers and sat back in his chair. "Miss Black, somehow I'm not surprised to see you here."
Persephone walked straight up to the desk, a balled hand on her hip. "Mr. Williams, I have a testimony here that I think might interest you."

She put her phone down on the table and opened up a file that began playing. Everyone gathered around it and Lucas listened carefully.

A door shut, and then a voice came through — Oliver's, to be exact.

"What in the hell do you want?"
Then footsteps echoed before Persephone spoke. "Just coming in for a visit. Wow, not looking quite as rough as Lucas, huh?"
There was some pride in Oliver's voice. "Baker hits like a girl."
Persephone snickered. "Yeah, and he's about as moody as one, too. Can you believe he told me to fuck off? After I was just trying to help. I swear, I'm so sick of his shit."
Oliver laughed heartily. "Took ya long enough!"
"Yeah. And, honestly, you were much better in that fight." Footfalls sounded through, then the rubbing of fabric. "You're very muscular, Oliver. I'm impressed."
"Damn, girl, if I'd known kickin' Baker's ass was all it took to get ya, I'd 'a done it sooner."
Persephone giggled. "I love a guy who's not afraid of a little confrontation."
"Then it's a good thing you're givin' up on Crazy. He's such a puss."
"You're so bad. So you did start the fight?"
"Please, he's so worried 'bout his stupid parole that I had to. But enough 'bout that,—" more rustling fabric, "—how 'bout us?"

She paused the recording and picked up her phone. Silence rang through the room. Almost everything that had been said in the recording hit Lucas hard. But she was just putting on an act, right? Trying to squeeze information out of Oliver in the best way she knew how, as a girl to a boy... A woman to a man. She did pause it at an awfully convenient time.

"That is quite the testimony," said the principal. "Send a copy of that recording to me, Miss Black."
"Already on it," Persephone said, tapping away on her phone.
"Well, Mr. Baker, in light of the new evidence, I will not expel you, but you are suspended for three days." He opened a drawer, pulled out a suspension letter, and began writing. "And I'll be sure to show this to yer parole officer. He may be lenient, given the circumstances, but you need to be on yer best behavior."


With permission from Principal Williams, Persephone left school with Lucas and they walked back to her house. He sat beside her in her backyard on the lush, slightly overgrown grass. Lucas couldn't get that tape off his mind. He was dying to know the rest of the story, dying to know what happened right after she'd paused.

"What was on the rest of that tape, anyway?"
"Nothing important."
He eyed her suspiciously, body tensing. "Why are ya hidin' it from me?"
She shook her head. "I'm not hiding anything from you, Lucas."
"Then show me. Show me y'all weren't gettin' handsy with Oliver."
Her face held utter disbelief, mouth somewhat open and brow knitted, a grimace underneath it all. "Wait. Is that what you think? You think I'd do that to you?"
"Ya sure ended that recordin' awful fast."
"I didn't want you to get angry."
He was so done with her non-answers that he couldn't help but raise his voice. "Just play the fuckin' thing!"

She whipped out her phone, tapped the screen a few times, and the recording played from where it had left off.

"As if," Persephone's recorded voice said. There was more fabric scratching in the recording.
"Hey, what the hell?"
"I got all I need from you. I'm outta here, jackass. Oh, and, by the way, Lucas really fucked you up."

Then there was a struggle, a thud, and Persephone grunted.

"Get off!" she shouted.
Oliver's teeth were audibly grit. "You slut — what're ya tryin' ta pull?"

Persephone strained against Oliver, demanding for him to let her go and back off. The rustling fabric grew louder, as if the scuffle was escalating. Something banged rapidly on the door, then the handle jiggled.

"Fuck," Oliver cursed.
The door opened and one of the nurses came in, asking to know what was going on.

The recording ended.

Lucas found himself shaking. Even more so when Persephone said,

"I was expecting him to attack me, though. No biggie."

He let Crazy Lucas slip into his mind, imagining himself hurting Oliver, strangling him. He could've fucking killed him right then and there if Oliver had been around. Lucas wanted to end him for daring to put his hands on Persephone. He clenched his fists against the damp grass, pulling the blades and dirt up with his fingers. Persephone seemed to pick up on his distress, fast.

"Lucas." She threw her arms around him, inadvertently letting him see finger-shaped bruises that had formed on her biceps, skyrocketing his boiling rage. Her hand ran along his hair. "Calm down, okay? I'm fine and you're basically off the hook now."
"But that asshole—"
"Is going to get what's coming to him. Williams will hear the whole thing... But I do wanna know..." She pulled away from him, looking directly into his eyes. "Why don't you trust me?"

Lucas rubbed his temple, trying to breathe, calm down, and push violent thoughts about Oliver out of his mind. More important now was making things right with the only person who stood up for him.

"I didn' mean to make ya feel that way. I just don' wanna lose you, n' the way you were talkin'..."
Her hand touched his face, thumb gently caressing his bruise. "You know that meat-head doesn't do shit for me. I like you, Lucas, as if today hasn't been enough proof."
He held her, still shaking a bit, but the closeness with Persephone helped to ease his anger. "I'm sorry, Pers. I'm lucky ya had my back today. Thank you."


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