Bennett
I’m not afraid of bullies. I won’t go so far as to say that my high school experience was euphoric, and that I didn’t run into my fair share of bullies, but I had friends who always righted the situation. I wish they’d tried to stamp out bullying entirely instead of just protecting me.
They didn’t. It wasn’t their battle. It wasn’t their responsibility.
That’s what they often reminded me of. They had their studies, their extracurriculars, and their athletics to concentrate on.
Hunting down the bullies of the school just wasn’t somewhere they wanted to extend their effort and energy.
Part of me understood. They did make it clear to anyone who harassed or tried to bully me that those people were fucking stupid, lame, and only showing their own fragile masculinity and weak sexuality.
You only bully those who you’re jealous of or who you see pieces of yourself in that frighten you.
I can’t say their confrontations on my behalf were loudly heard or instigated a big change in any of the assholes.
At least, not when we were teens. But other people heard them.
Others on their team started taking up the same stance.
Sometimes they’d step in when someone was being bullied, and I’d hear them repeating my friends’ words.
Once I was out in the world, I met far more bullying than I did in high school. I no longer had the protection of my big, athletic, popular friends. It was just me.
So I did what any sensible person might. I began taking self-defense classes. However, I didn’t stop at self-defense. My goal was never to disorient or distract my attacker to allow for my escape.
My secondary training was to disable my attacker. Make sure they can’t get back up to chase me or attack me further. I know how to use whatever is at my disposal as a weapon. I know how to use my body and theirs as a weapon.
So when these four overconfident men who are used to people running from them turn on me with pocketknives, I don’t run. My heart doesn’t even race. I’d be willing to bet they’ve never actually used one of those things.
A pocketknife is tiny. It means you need to get close to your target. If you’re coming up behind and ambushing, that’s one thing. It’s weak and pathetic, of course, but most bullies are.
“He kind of looks like Conner, doesn’t he?” one of them sneers.
I don’t know who they are by name. I’m not sure I’ve even been told their names besides that night at dinner when they approached our table. No… I don’t think I was then, either. Hmm. How rude. They didn’t even introduce themselves! No one taught them any manners.
“Is that the kid you killed?” I ask.
Immediately, all four of them become tense.
“We didn’t kill him.”
“He hung himself.”
“Because you bullied him so badly and constantly told him to kill himself,” I guess.
I’m not surprised when none of them contradict me. They don’t agree, of course. They just don’t deny it.
“Let me guess. You were raised in a home where love was conditional. Your parents weaponized vulnerability, right? They considered ignorance a virtue. Am I close?”
“Don’t fucking talk about my family!”
“Did I hit too close to home?” I stuff my hands into my pockets. “You’re not used to being called out, are you? You don’t like it when you’re challenged. You’ve made hate your entire personality, and hate when someone won’t overlook it.”
“Don’t let him get to you. He’s here all alone. With nothing.” He gives me what he must consider a threatening smile. In reality, I feel sorry for him.
“You have nothing,” I say sadly. “Your life is that pathetic, isn’t it? Do your wives even like you?”
Ohhhh, I hit far too close to home for the guy with orange skin. Does he know he’s orange? Has someone been kind enough to tell him? Even in the darkness of the trees, with very little starlight peeking in, I can see his orange hue. It’s… disconcerting. He reminds me of a carrot.
He comes at me, but hesitates when I don’t back down. I don’t move. I stare at him in challenge.
“You think I’m going to let you talk to me that way?” he hisses.
“You can’t bully me.” I shrug. “Bullying only works on people who are vulnerable and afraid. I’m neither of those things.”
He brandishes his knife like he’s a kid ready to hit the table with the butt of it.
I sigh. The thought that I should adjust it in his hold so it’s correct and effective crosses my mind.
Right until he’s in my face. Since he’s gotten so close, I bring my knee up with as much force as my relaxed stance can muster and make contact with his balls.
The man gasps, eyes blowing wide. The knife falls to the ground as he covers his junk and slowly slinks to the forest floor.
That’s when the other three come at me at the same time. I dodge easily enough since it’s clear that none of them are used to physical confrontations. They’re truly used to verbally bullying people. They’ve relied on whatever prestige comes with their name to force others to back down.
One of them slashes their knife at me, and it rips into the top of my arm. It stings, and I hiss as I turn and punch him in the throat. He stumbles backward, and that’s when the forest around us comes to life with snarls and growls.
I hadn’t realized Lee had disappeared into the trees until he suddenly reappears in front of the man who cut me and lunges at him with a threatening snarl. The man on the ground stumbles to his feet, still covering his junk, and tries to get away.
Two more of Rhodes’ pack box him in.
That leaves me two more who are backing away. One has a knife. The other does not. I think the one that does is the one we met on the sidewalk, who used his wife as a shield when the pack walked by. He’s practically shaking in his shoes.
As if there’s some cue, both men turn and run. I’m pretty sure they’re running deeper into the trees. I follow. Because why not?
They run and stumble and run again. Always looking over their shoulders at me. Are they seeing me? Or are they seeing the dogs?
“I see you make your way through the trees and say hello. Little did you know. That I was immune and you were throwing pebbles, and I just laughed because they couldn’t break a window, and I said.
Deep forest take us somewhere we can be alone.
Stars be waiting, all there’s left to do is run.
You’ll be the corpse, and I’ll be the reaper. It’s a karma story, fucker.”
Hmm. Not up to my usual vibes. It’ll do. I continue to sing under my breath, trying to twist the lyrics darkly. I have to jog after these assholes, though, because they’re getting a little too far away. Are they going somewhere specific?
They stop abruptly. The one with the knife bends over and heaves. I don’t think he’s run a day in his life. Poor guy.
“There are two of us and one of him, man. No rabid animals. Just us,” the other says. “Let’s do to him what we planned to do to Rhodes before he brought that fucking dog to school.”
Cold tension grips the base of my spine, knowing they were going to focus on Rhodes after they killed their previous target. I’m rarely angry. It feels wild and unhinged in my chest as it bursts like a barrel of gasoline just ignited.
There’s something in my hand. I’m not sure where it came from, but it’s there. I swing with rage fueling the force behind it. The guy is not quick enough to get out of my way, and I hit him upside the head. He crashes to the ground with a loud thud.
The guy bending over to catch his breath stands, holding his knife out again. I shake my head because, seriously. It’s like they’ve never even watched crime shows. That’s not going to do anything but send the knife sailing away into the trees when I hit his wrist. Which I do.
He cries out and stumbles backward. I catch a whiff of alcohol in the air as his breath is knocked out of him.
That’s when we’re surrounded by wolves. The guy whose wrist I hit gets to his feet, and one of the dogs rams into him. He soars backward a few feet and slams into a tree, where he falls in a lump.
“No remnants,” I hear Rhodes say.
I turn to face him, and he’s almost glowing. Ethereal. Like a stunning being sent down from the stars.
He stops in front of me and grips both sides of my face. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, of course,” I answer.
“You’re bleeding.”
I look at my arm, and he’s not wrong. It’s covered in blood. Now that I’m looking at it, the laceration stings, and I flinch. “I’m pretty sure it’s not deep.”
Rhodes frowns at me. “What were you doing out here?”
“Two of your babies were missing, so I went to find them. Just so you know, I’m not very good at tracking, so they found me instead. Lee came to keep me company.”
“Lee saw you get cut,” he says.
I nod. “Yep, I think so.”
Rhodes sighs. His fingers are soft against my cheek. “I’m glad you’re okay. We were worried. The pack was wild when they told me you left for the woods.”
Grinning, I turn my attention to the pack, who, admittedly, aren’t doing anything. Both men are still frumpled on the forest floor. “Are they dead?”
Rhodes doesn’t go near them. He barely looks at the bodies. His attention is on his pack. Five of his pack. There are still two missing.
“Yes,” Rhodes answers. “They’re a little irritated that they didn’t get in on the fun.”
“Oh. I’m so sorry, sweetest babies,” I say and drop to my knees. Five big faces get in mine, but Rhodes pulls Lee back by the scruff of his neck.
“No. You’re covered in blood. We have some cleanup to do before we can head back to the dorm. And a body to dispose of,” Rhodes says.
Lee huffs.
“There are still two puppies missing,” I say. Concern grips my heart. “Are they okay?”
Rhodes’ smile is soft. “They’re fine. I sent them out to recon earlier. If I thought you’d go looking for them, I’d have told you.”
“Oh. So all this was… unnecessary.” I glance at the dead men.
“No. Not at all. This was the exact outcome that would have ended the weekend.”
“You were going to kill them?” I ask, startled.
“I couldn’t protect Chris when I was a kid, and they weren’t punished at all. They were never held accountable. I don’t believe they deserve to live when they took a life.”
“You kill bad people,” I say, and hear the awe in my voice.
Rhodes grins. “Yeah, Bennett. I do.”
“I’d hug you so damn tight right now, but then I’d get you covered in blood. I guess I’m going to fuck you mindless when we get back to the room instead.”
His smile climbs. “Reward for killing high school bullies? That’s a dangerous precedent to set.”
I remember what they said about Rhodes being their next target. I don’t know if they were just blowing shit out of their ass to get me riled up. I don’t even care.
“Yes,” I answer and look around. “Show me how to clean up this mess. Also…” I look at the pretty puppies. Lee is covered in blood. “I think I have the premise for my second dark hockey story.”
Rhodes laughs. The dogs howl as if they’re laughing too. There are two answering howls in the distance, and my heart settles. Our other two puppies are fine.
Thank goodness!