50. Fight Back
FIGHT BACK
Andy and Wylan aren’t at the everyday spot at the back of the building.
They’re here. I saw Andy’s car in the parking lot before Sammy ripped me away from Conner.
I don’t know where they are, but I hope this is him heeding my promise to him.
After blocking him, he must have understood that I was done with him and that there were no building blocks to salvage our friendship.
Some things can never be repaired, and I know that now.
Conner and I sit against the building, listening to Dylan and Sammy talk about their weekend.
Then, she declares we all should go bowling soon.
Conner agrees, eager to take Dylan on. I see the competitive side come out, and then Dylan’s nervous laugh as he downplays what he tried to convince us of moments ago.
He’s not good at bowling. He has a high score because he uses the bumpers, which he neglects to tell Conner.
We head to art after recess. I stiffen when I notice Andy at the table. He glances at me momentarily, and his hand clenches around the pencil he holds. When I see his mouth open, I turn away, hoping it will be enough for him to let go of what he wants to say.
Thankfully, it is.
I sit at the back with Conner. When Mr Rogers calls our names, we head to the front and hand in our portraits. I’m worried about handing mine in. I’m not very good at realistic drawing, but I hope it’s good enough.
Mr Rogers gives nothing away when I place mine on his desk. There’s no flicker of acknowledgement, and it makes my stomach churn too much until sickly cramps crunch inside.
“He hates it,” I whisper to Conner when I sit down. “I saw the look in his eyes.”
“The same look he gave me?” Conner questions. “And I know my portrait is the best in the class.” He places his hand on my leg and squeezes. “Relax. Yours is amazing. I look very handsome.”
“You’re only saying that because I’m your girlfriend.”
“Nah. If I hate it, I’d say it. How else should you get better if everyone praises everything you do, even when it’s shit?”
“True.”
He leans in, those eyes intense, and his lips look incredibly plump. “I also said it to butter you up.”
“Conner,” I breathe.
“Oi!” Mr Rogers snaps his fingers. “How many times do I need to tell you to keep your dick in your pants, Conner?!”
We both jump away from each other.
“Sorry, Mr Rogers,” Conner calls, which earns him sniggers from everyone in the class… except Andy. He glowers at us, and his lip curls in disdain.
I bite my lip and turn away, feeling uncomfortable with his intense glare.
When the classes finish, and the bell for lunch rings, I leave mathematics with Samantha. She worries about her test results, as mathematics is her worst subject. I cheer her up, telling her she will do fine, and even share my answers, which I know are correct.
We round the block and head into the sea of students lined up at the cafeteria. We weave through the crowd when I trip. I fall forward, landing on the cement, grazing my arms and hands. The skin peels, and red blotches of blood and dirt swell inside the wounds.
“Fight! Fight! Fight!” people chant suddenly.
I turn around to Sammy. She grabs Sarah Jane’s hair, a livid expression on her face. She yanks the curls back until Sarah Jane lands on the asphalt.
“What the fuck was that for, Samantha?” Sarah Jane spits.
Sammy lowers her hand to me, and I murmur my thanks while standing.
Sarah Jane’s friend—the one who offered me the shower at the camp—helps Sarah to her feet. Her hair, which was in a silky, shiny braid, is a lumpy mess with hair ripped from the side.
“You know exactly why I did that, bitch!” Sammy shouts, pointing at Sarah Jane. “Don’t fuck with my friends, and bitches won’t get stitches.”
I glance around at so many phones, their red lights blinking as they record Sammy yelling at Sarah Jane.
Sarah Jane steps forward, but her friend halts her.
She is taller. I know she’s on the girls’ basketball team.
A fair few people in my grade proudly talk about her.
She will carry our basketball team to victory.
“Oh,” Sammy laughs, taking a step forward. “Are you Sarah Jane’s bodyguard or something?”
Sammy goes to launch at the girl when the crowd breaks away for a second. Dylan comes through, grabbing hold of Sammy. I love her energy, but this girl can step on her.
“You, Noya,” Sarah Jane calls, halting me in place. I want to follow Dylan and Sammy as he drags her away, but Sarah Jane calling my name halts me. “Do you always get your friends to fight your battles?”
“I never asked for a fight,” I answer. “You’re the one who started it.”
“You’re nothing but a fucking slut, Noya.”
“Hey!” Aaron moves through the crowd. “Fuck off, Sarah Jane.”
“Oh,” Sarah Jane scoffs. “Well, isn’t it the social fucking reject? Why don’t you go play with your toys like the little kid that you are!”
“Look, just because you’re hurt that Conner has moved on from your desperate, worthless, self-centred arse doesn’t mean you need to bully every person who fucking talks to him. And they aren’t toys. They’re collectibles!”
“Shut up, fucktard! Nobody even likes you!”
Aaron laughs like the villain in D & D. “Guess what, Sarah. Not everything revolves around school and how popular you are at school. Grades do, and I’ve seen yours. You’re going places. Not to ANU, but places.”
The crowd makes an ooh sound, but I desperately want to flee the situation.
Then I notice Troy and Finch. Finch waves his hand towards me, beckoning me to follow them.
The crowd disperses as I leave because the teachers on duty finally arrive.
Sarah Jane flees, but I see the embarrassed look in her eyes.
What Aaron said must have hit home for her.
“Hey, are you okay?” Troy asks.
“Yeah. I’m okay. Thanks, Aaron,” I say once he moves towards us. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“It’s nothing. She had it coming.”
“Where’s Conner?” I ask.
“He went to the office as soon as lunch break hit. Said something about the talent show. Since he didn’t arrive, I’m assuming he’s still there,” Finch answers. “We can go with you to find him if you like.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m going to see how Sammy is.” I clasp my hands together. “Thank you for your help again.”
“No problem, Guinevere.”
I breathe a laugh before racing off, finding Sammy fuming, pacing back and forth behind the school buildings. When Sammy notices me, she waves me over. She looks concerned as her brows knit in and upwards. “Hey, are you okay? Nothing happened after I left?”
“No. Aaron showed up and said something epic to Sarah Jane, and she got embarrassed and stormed away with her friend.”
“Shit! I wish I were there.” Sammy playfully pushes Dylan. “Why did you carry me off like that?”
“I’ve seen you fight. It’s fucking scary. You’re like a monkey.”
I giggle, and we talk about how cool it was when Sammy grabbed Sarah Jane by the hair and yanked her back like it was nothing.
Sammy jumps up and down, the adrenaline rush getting to her head. I can feel it too. I’ve never been in a crowd before, and even knowing I did little but stand there, the rush of seeing a bully get taken down a peg or two feels rewarding.
“Hey, what’s going on over here?” Conner rounds the corner, holding two ice blocks. He hands me the pink one. “Did you hear about the fight that happened?”
“Yeah!” Sammy barks a laugh, points to me, and then back to her. “It was us. I fucked Sarah Jane up.”
“What?” I jolt when Conner suddenly turns, scanning my face when they narrow in on my arms. I forgot about the scrape. “Jesus—fuck, Noya. We’re going to the office.”
“Yeah,” Sammy agrees. “Fuck, I didn’t know they were that bad.”
It is weird seeing them so concerned about something I think is minor. It doesn’t hurt that much, but that can also be because I’ve felt worse. A few scratches from falling over are nothing to me. But as much as I want to convince them it’s okay and there’s no need, I comply.
Conner demands to see a nurse immediately when we get to the office. The office lady’s eyes widen when she sees me with my raised forearms, revealing the gnarly scrapes across them. The nurse attends to me immediately, and Conner hovers in the room, glaring at the marks on my arms.
I wince when she places antibacterial wipes on the wound, getting rid of the dirt stuck in them. After she cleans it, she wraps bandages around it, and I feel like a mummy. A human mummy with my arms bandaged up.
“What happened?” the nurse asks as she pins the bandages together so they won’t unwind.
“Sarah Jane pushed Noya over,” Conner answers.
The nurse grimaces. “She’s a troublemaker. I’ll tell the principal. You stay right there, dear.”
I suck on the already melting ice block that tastes like a lollipop. Conner sits beside me on the bed and raises his arm over my shoulders. I close my eyes when he kisses my temple. I lean into him while eating the ice block, feeling more comfortable with him nearby.
“What does yours taste like?” he asks casually.
“Some lolly,” I answer. “Yours?”
“Bubblegum.” He moves it to my lips. “Did you want a taste?”
I blush while tasting the ice block. Then I raise my arm and tell him to taste mine. His face flushes, making me giggle.
“What’s so funny, Noya?”
“I like it when you blush,” I admit. “It makes me happy.”
“To see me embarrassed?”
“Hmm,” I agree.
The nurse returns and points at me. “Noya, right?”
I slump my shoulders and nod.
“Come with me. The principal wants to talk to you.”
“Can I come?” Conner asks.
“No. You can wait in the waiting room. The principal has only instructed me to bring Noya and Sarah Jane into her office.”
Sarah Jane?
I bite the inside of my lip and stiffly nod while shuffling off the bed.
Conner says he’ll wait for me in the waiting room even if the bell rings.
I follow the nurse down the hallway, peeking into rooms. The smell of coffee and toast comes from the room to the right, where teachers sit in the lounge, talking among themselves.
I’ve never been to the principal’s office before. I’m part of the middle crowd, where nothing happens to me. No one notices me, nor do I put myself out there for anyone to see. The only difference now is that Conner is my boyfriend, who is in the upper class, where everyone notices him.
The nurse opens the door, and Sarah Jane is already in the room. I sit down beside her and overlook the principal’s desk. The principal is a tall lady with dark skin and leering brown eyes. Her gelled hair is tied back, leaving a frizzy bun atop her head.
“Who wants to go first and explain to me what happened?” Principal Rahman demands.
Sarah Jane points to me and yells, “She tried to attack me—I guess she was jealous that I had Conner first—so I pushed her off me!”
I lower my gaze and sigh. Why did I already know that Sarah Jane would aim for the victim tactic? I’d have more respect for her if she owned up to tripping me.
“And then her friend attacks me out of nowhere! Like, I was just trying to defend myself.”
Principal Rahman blinks slowly, and I’m wary of what she’s trying to make of all this. “Noya, what do you have to say for yourself?”
“Um…” I clench and then unclench my fists.
“I w-was walking with my friend when Sarah Jane t-tripped me. Samantha attacked her afterwards, but her boyfriend took her away before Sarah Jane’s friend could fight Samantha.
Then Sarah J-Jane verbally called me a slut.
That’s when Aaron came in to defend me. Then the teachers came. ”
“What! Aaron yelled at me! He called me self-centred and all that other shit!” Sarah Jane points to herself, her eyes wild. “I’m the victim! Don’t believe her. She’s…”
“Noya’s never gotten into trouble,” Principal Rahman says in a drawl of a voice.
“You, Sarah Jane, have been called to the office six times this year. And I told you that if you make your way to my office again, you will be suspended, and I will strip you of your Year Twelve graduation.” Principal Rahman raises her hands towards Sarah Jane when she says, “And here you are.”
“It wasn’t my fault! Noya started it! She’s started all the arguments since she has been with Conner.”
“Conner is another excellent student who has never been in trouble. Sure, he skips school here and there, but his parents often call to explain the reasoning, and I’m fine with that because his grades are still remarkably high.”
I bite my lip when Sarah slumps in her seat, her eyes bulging. “Why won’t you believe me? This isn’t the first time she’s tried to attack me. She tried it in the girls’ toilets once before.”
“U-um…” I raise my hand and flinch when Principal Rahman flicks her gaze at me. “I-if I gave you more evidence of her h-harassing me, would you believe me?”
“I’m already leaning in your corner, but hard evidence, well, it’s something I can work with instead of he said, she said.”
I take a deep breath.
My hands tremble on the phone, and I scroll through recordings until I find the one I want to use. I don’t want to do this, but people like Sarah Jane are horrible and mean. I should have handed it to the principal earlier, but the thought of having leverage over Sarah Jane was good enough for me.
However, she will not stop and must own up to her crimes. Not just this, but for Conner’s mum as well. Stealing, taking explicit photos and sharing them around the school, bullying me—and others—is wrong, and she deserves punishment. I know that now.
This is deserved.
I place the phone on the table and push play.