Dangerous: A Marcel Styles Fan Fiction

9: Stand Up

9: Stand Up

   Georgia Rose had texted me this morning and told me she was vomiting buckets. This gave me one day of gossip-free peace. An ear bud dug into my left ear, blaring in the unheard single by One Direction they five boys had allowed me to have ahead of time. The perks of being friends with the world’s biggest boy band were incredibly sweet!

   “H-hey,” the stuttered greeting broke through my barrier of music. I slipped the headphone out of my ear and turned my head to see Marcel Styles approaching me on my left, still decked out in the typical sweater vest and nerd glasses. Why he thought it a good idea to talk to me in public I didn’t know.

   “Hi,” I greeted quickly. Uncertainty about this exchange in broad daylight surrounded by people who believed I was popular and supported the abuse the bullies dished out to losers brewed in my stomach.

   “I w-was thinking we could g-get together – to actually w-work on your math th-this time,” he spoke, “I m-mean algebra’s only g-going to get harder.”

   “Um, sure,” I said, “Sounds good.” I swore there was no hint of emotion of any kind in my voice. My tone was bland.

   “C-cool,” Marcel purred, “When –”

   “Marcel!”

   My head turned away from the nerd at my side and looked down the hall. The crowd within the passage had grown completely silent as Cory, Lionel and Kevin approached. My heart picked up and beside me I heard Marcel choke down a gulp. I already knew whatever the trio had planned for my tutor today, it wouldn’t end well.

   “Are you hitting on my girl?!” Kevin demanded as he grew closer, stopping in front of us and arousing murmurs from our peers.

   “I w-wasn’t hitting on h-her,” Marcel stuttered.

   “And I’m not your girl,” I defended for myself. I hadn’t even wanted to date Kevin Heartwood. Good looks or not, his personality was horrible.

   “Shut up, V,” Kevin snapped, saying words that made rage brew inside me and my jaw hang open likely wider than it had yesterday. “I have some business to handle with Marcel.”

   “T-that is no w-way to treat a g-girl,” Marcel objected. His stuttered words made my already rapid heart just increase it’s pounding until I could hear it in my ears. The crowds inner debates just picked up and grew louder. We all knew Marcel should not have said anything, even to defend me.

   “Shut up, nerd!” Kevin spat right in Marcel’s angered face. His arms came up and shoved Marcel back. The nerd stumbled, but didn’t fall and the crowd began chanting but one word, “Fight!”

   “C’mon, loser,” Kevin egged on over the rhythmic chants, taking slow strides toward Marcel, “Hit me!”

   I could tell Marcel’s typical calmness, which showed each time he’d took the abuse in the past week, was fading, but I didn’t expect what happened next.

   “No!” The nerd screamed at the top of his lungs. The growl of rage in his tone silenced the crowd and shocked me so bad I could swear my heart stopped beating.

   Even Kevin, the insane brute stopped in his tracks, eyes growing wide. I could almost see the skin tone of his face growing a little paler from the surprise of Marcel’s outburst. It didn’t end there, however.

   The nerd stood his ground, panting heavily and obviously trying to bring himself down to his usual calmness. But it didn’t work. I didn’t even believe he knew what he was saying as his mouth opened again.

   “I’m f-fucking tired of this!” he growled, still laced with the nerdy stutter. “If you want to f-fight me, meet me h-here, in the g-gym at seven so I c-can kick your ass!”

   Kevin laughed in disbelief and called it on, making my throat tighten. Tonight, one of them would definitely be checking into the hospital…and it wouldn’t be Kevin….