In Another World (Kathryl One-Shots)

A World In Which Fights Ensue

Small towns in Georgia did not give a shit about what happened during lunch. This was the one hour a day the teachers were able to go do whatever the fuck they wanted to and dammit if they were gonna spend it babysitting. A lot of kids spent it outside, sitting at picnic tables, idly gossiping. Kathryn had claimed her territory atop a nearby closed dumpster. It was a perfect spot. The dumpster was reserved for paper only, so there was no smell. It was pressed against the building, so there was shade. People long ago had stopped trying to talk to her, so all that was left to do was read her new book.

But today Kathryn was slightly more interested in what was happening around her. All day people were whispering about the new kid. She hadn't caught a name nor seen this new kid, but she was intrigued. Such a shitty town didn't get new people often. Her eyes darted from page to courtyard, but all she saw were the same faces she had known since kindergarten.

She stuck her thumb in between the pages and let her book fall closed as her classmates' voices raised. They ran to the open grassy area of the yard. Because of her elevation, she could see what was happening despite the forming crowd.

Holy shit.

One of the popular boys fell backwards onto his ass as a boy with sandy brown hair knocked him on the underside of his jaw. Kathryn blinked. Nothing this interesting ever happened here. The boy currently on his ass, Jason, tried to trip the other boy, but was easily evaded. Kathryn snorted. Poor jock meathead had never been in a fight before.

Why when boys fight does it look so horrible...?

When Jason was back on his feet, he did land one punch on the new kid, who quickly retaliated, dodging a blow as he tackled Jason back to the ground. Now Kathryn arched an eyebrow.

...yet feel so right?

She shook her head and reopened her book.

I shouldn't watch this crap, that's not who I am.

A foreign voice came over all the others. "Get up, pretty boy! A little dust won't ruin your jacket."

Kathryn looked back up to see Jason with his mouth slightly agape, red running from his left nostril. He scrambled to his feet and shrugged off his letterman jacket. He handed it to someone before trying for another punch. The new kid side-stepped out of the way.

But with this kid, damn. Hey, Mister No Name Kid, so who might you be?

No one in school got in Jason's way. His dad was a cop. He played on the mediocre football team. Yet, somehow, this new kid picked him out on his first day. Impressive. He was maybe even someone that could get along with Kathryn.

Could you be seen with me and still act proud?

Kathryn's nose wrinkled. She didn't need a friend. The door next to Kathryn's dumpster flew open and the vice principal waddled out.

"Johnson," his voice boomed. "What is going on?"

Kathryn lazily looked over to the man. His cheeks were touched red with anger and perhaps exasperation as his office was rather far from that door. "How should I know?"

"Thought you and that perch would've been helpful this one time," he grumbled, going after the boys.

"Sorry to disappoint, Caplan," Kathryn called after him.

She looked back at the last moments of the fight. Jason's head snapped violently to the left, red splatter coating one of the girls in Kathryn's class. Jason backed away from the boy as Vice Principal Caplan got to the scene.

Well, whoa. You can punch real good.

Caplan said something she couldn't hear, but she saw his finger point back towards where she was sitting. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as the new kid started to make his way towards her.