Bar Red's Redemption ✔

c h a p t e r. 40

"The world is not the most pleasant place. Eventually, your parents leave you and nobody is going to go out of their way to protect you unconditionally. You need to learn to stand up for yourself and what you believe and sometimes, pardon my language, kick some ass."
—Queen Elizabeth II

chapter 40

It was the first time since the breakup that Bar had been back at school.

The world wouldn't wait for him to get his shit together and if his grades dropped back down to Es then his dad would blow a fuse.

Clementine was there but Bar was avoiding her.

It was too hard-- looking at her made him want to cry.

So he stayed in his classes long enough to get the work and then bolted, not staying long enough to make the heartbreak worse.

That plan of avoidance, however, no longer worked the second Bar walked down the hallways and saw the fucker named Wilson Creed roughly push Clementine into a row of lockers.

The little goddess fell against the cold metal with a cry of pain and her minty eyes met Bar's darker ones.

Then, in the next second and not caring about his peers watching him, Bar grabbed Creed by the back of his neck before throwing him into the opposite set of lockers, pinning him there with one strong, inked up and scarred hand.

Bar was angry and sad.

And Creed just pissed the wrong person off.

Bar, snarling loud enough for all the gawking students in the hall to hear, said, "You think just because I'm not hers anymore that fuckheads like you can hurt her?"

It can gone around the school-- rumors about why the couple broke up after everyone noticed that the town's beast no longer had a cute girl by his side most days.

And people took that rumor as an excuse to sneer and throw insults at Bar.

And, apparently, to bully Clementine again.

"No, man, n-no." Creed's wide, scared eyes met Bar's as he shook his head. "I thought you wouldn't care--"

He'll always care.

Why is that so hard for people to understand?

Bar slams the guy into the lockers again before letting him fall to the ground, easily cutting the bully off.

And Creed was just that-- a bully.

Clementine's bully.

Bar didn't feel even the slightest bit of guilt, throwing the guy around the way he had been.

Creed groans and stares up at the brute in horror-- evidently just remembering how strong Bar actually is.

"You're fucking wrong-- if I see any goddamn person hurt any of the Astorias I will kick your fucking ass, got that?" He looks around the hall, glaring at everyone watching what was happening.

When no one responded, Bar growled out, "Do you understand not to mess with her?"

When the frightened students all squeaked out yes, and he saw Obsidian make his way to his twin, Bar bent down and hauled the bully up, saying, "Let's go pay a visit to the principal."

***

"Dude, what happened to you?" Law asks as soon as Bar stepped out of the office, him and Gus having waited outside. "Why'd you fight Creed?"