Formidable

October 1

"Shut up!" Dylan threw his clenched fists with all his strength on Hugo's face. "Don't you dare say that again! You're a fucking asshole and you know it!" He yelled as loud as he could.

Teenagers had gathered around them in a huge circle. Hugo was on his back, straddled by Dylan who kept hitting him. Cries of encouragements and laughter were heard; the teens reveled in the scene.

Soon the overseers arrived and came between the two teens. They were still fighting. Parker grabbed Dylan's arm before it reached its target. "Mr. Andeo! Stop it immediately! It's not correct behavior!" The teens began to disperse and Dylan realized what he had just done. He had no regrets about it, but he did not want to get dismissed after little more than a month here. This high school was his last chance.

Dylan stood up; looking down at Hugo whose face was red and swollen by the beatings. When Hugo got up he tried to hit Dylan, but missed him as Parker placed a hand on his chest to stop him.

"You're not gonna get away like that!" His voice full of bitterness. "You're gonna regret it soon!"

Dylan laughed and, this time, Parker was not fast enough to stop the beating. Hugo's fist landed on Dylan's nose and blood began to fall on his chin. Mrs. Flauger had seen the scene from the staff room, but did not react until Dylan got hurt. She stormed out and walked to him as fast as she could.

She grabbed Dylan by the arm and told Parker she would take care of him and to carry the other teen to the infirmary. Once they were in a classroom alone, she gave him a tissue to stop the bleeding.

"What was that about?" The concern was evident in her voice.

"Nothing, he was just being an asshole."

She glared at him and he snorted.

"Sorry, he behaved badly." He wiped the blood which remained on his face. "He offended a girl. He was spreading rumors about her, and I couldn't let him get away with that. A man must respect women; otherwise he's not a man, at least not in my eyes."

"Why didn't you inform an adult? Or even me? I could have helped her. Who is she by the way?"

He looked at her and shook his head. "I can't tell you, I told her I wouldn't..."

She sat on the desk in front of him. "You can trust me; your secret is safe with me." He couldn't say 'No' to this woman, even if he wanted to.

"It's Lucia, Lucia Medonar; she was Hugo's girlfriend." Mrs. Flauger nodded, letting him know she knew who he was talking about. "Some days ago, I heard those rumors and when I saw her crying this morning I understood it was hurting her really bad. I tried to talk to her and she explained to me what happened and why he was acting like a jerk toward her." He waited to see if she was going to reprimand him for swearing but she didn't.

"He wanted to go further in the relationship and she didn't. He called her names I won't repeat in front of you but it wasn't nice, trust me. So, during the break, I came to talk to Hugo about his behavior and things got out of control. He started to insult her again, making his group of friends laugh and I just, I just lost control. I hit him and then, well you saw that part I think?"

She gave him another tissue as the bleeding started again. "Indeed, it's very brave of you to stand up for Lucia, but there're other ways to do it. Don't you think?" She didn't wait for a response. "I'll talk to the director about the reasons that led you to fight. Don't worry I won't say her name, I promise. But you don't need to get dismissed because you wanted to protect someone, okay?"

He mumbled a "yes" and stood up, pulling off his sweat which was stained with blood. In the process his shirt rose up and she saw his chest. Her heart skipped a beat at the vision, and then she noticed the tattoo on his torso. Seeing her frown, he understood she had seen it.

"Wasn't expecting that, were you?" She blushed and turned around so her back was facing him. "I did it for my fifteenth birthday. It seemed a good idea at the time... I did a lot of things years ago; most of them are debatable..."

She glanced quickly at him.

"Wanna see it better?" He didn't realize what his question implied before he said it. "I mean, you don't have to, it's just..."

In her mind, Mrs. Flauger measured the consequences if she said yes. No fraternizing with a student. The rules flashed in her mind, she knew she should not but she wanted to.

"Maybe."

That was a safe answer; it was his turn to make a move now. She felt like a child who was going to do something forbidden, adrenalin rushing all over her body. She evaluated the situation, it was lunch break and nobody came in here except during classes. They wouldn't be disturbed and it was just a tattoo, on her student's chest... This was wrong on so many levels.

"Ma'am?"

His voice as a whisper startled her a little. She turned and saw him unhooking the buttons of his shirt. His hands moved slowly, painfully slowly. Their eyes locked during the process; Mrs. Flauger blushed and it did not go unnoticed by Dylan. He opened his shirt so the tattoo was more visible. She came closer, her eyes still locked with his. When they were just an inch apart, breathing the same air, she lowered her gaze to look more carefully at the tattoo.

She raised her hand to touch it, tracing the contours, making goose bumps appear on the way. When he put his hand on hers, she let out a sigh without realizing it. The warmth of his hand sent a shiver down her spine. He moved her hand on the tattoo, tracing each letter slowly.

When they finished, he cupped her face and leaned into her, their lips almost touching. She could feel his hot breath on her lips.

"Ma'am?"

This time he said it loud enough it brought her back to reality. She had been daydreaming of kissing her student. She blushed really hard and rubbed her forehead, trying to erase the thoughts on her mind.

"You did it because you wanted to. It means something to you; and it's a part of who you were, who you still are. A tattoo is like a memory inked in the skin of the owner. I find it beautiful; it's full of meanings and feelings..."

"You're right; I still think this tattoo represents me really well." He placed his hand on his chest just above his heart. "I will never regret the things I did in the past; they led me to where I am today."

She stayed silent for a while, looking at him. "May I ask you something?"

He nodded. "What does it mean? Your tattoo, you did it for a specific reason, or...?"

He threw the bloody tissues in the trash near the door.

"When I was fifteen, a lot of things happened: bad and good, mostly bad but that's life, isn't it? I had a bad opinion of myself, I still have sometimes. I was reading quotes from a book and this one "Love is a force more formidable than any other. It is invisible - it cannot be seen or measured, yet it is powerful enough to transform you in a moment, and offer you more joy than any material possession could." struck me. I decided that this word,  'Formidable' perfectly represented what I thought of love and myself. That's why I did it just above my heart, as a reminder of the risk and power love can drag along."

Mrs. Flauger was impressed by the maturity that emanated from him, but saddened by the fact that such a young man had a vision of love and life as dark as this. She was speechless in front of him. She understood his life had been harder than most of the other people she knew; and seeing him still standing gave her a twinge.

The bell rang and Dylan bowed to her, indicating that his next class would soon begin.

***