Sidemen One Shots (boyxboy)

The Differences Between Us [Wroetofreezy]

Cal sees his football teammates bullying a smaller boy in his year, Cal vows to protect Harry after he sustains a head injury as a result of the bullying.

Word Count: 1600 Words

~✖~

Cal walked out of the locker room, stretching his aching muscles after football training had finished. Outside, the air was starting to get cooler, and he shivered a little.

He saw a couple of his teammates, and he waved to them. They were mostly in the year above him, and he really wanted to get on their good side. Sadly, no one noticed him as he approached, because they were too preoccupied with the small, huddled figure in the middle of their circle. Cal slowed his pace, watching the older boys carefully.

"Go on fag, cry for us! Cry like the little freak you are!" One, Nick Minter - the older brother of Cal's classmate Simon - was shouting at the boy in the middle, laughing as he lay on the floor. 

Cal caught a glimpse of the team's victim. He was small, definitely about Cal's age, or younger, with wide dark eyes that were, surprisingly, devoid of tears. He was glaring at Nick like the older student couldn't beat him to a pulp. The boy may have been small, but he had balls.

"The only thing that makes me want to cry is your ugly face and your lame insults," he retorted, his eyes devoid of tears. 

"What did you say, homo?" Nick had a nasty temper, and boy was about to learn that the hard way. Still, it didn't stop him from verbally abusing him

"You seem awfully interested in whether I'm gay or not. I think you're trying to hide a secret of your own," he shot back.

Nick's eyes flared, and his fist struck out to collide with the boy's face. Cal flinched. Violence made him uncomfortable, but he said nothing. It was the best way to survive at this school. The other boys laughed and jeered. The boy fell to the ground, but tears would not fall.

Without warning, Nick grabbed the boy, pinning his arms behind his back. "Si!" He barked, and his younger brother appeared, looking unsure of what to do. "Grab his feet!"

The Minter brother hauled the boy into the air easily, despite the struggle the smaller boy was giving. Nick led Simon over the big dumpster on the edge of the parking lot, and gave a wicked grin. "On three. One...two...THREE!"

They chucked the smaller boy into the bin, laughing even as his head collided nastily with the edge. The football players cheered, welcoming this new form of torture with open arms. Cal felt ill.

"That'll teach the fag. Did you see him checking out my dick? Fucking homo..." Nick exclaimed, leading his gang away. 

The rest of the team dispersed, though Simon Minter lingered by the dumpster a millisecond longer than he should have, before running off. Cal bit his lip and approached the bin, leaning over the edge.

"You okay?"

No reply. He looked closer, and the boy's eyes were closed, like he was asleep. Maybe it was a defense mechanism, like when possums played dead.

"I won't hurt you. Do you need help getting out?"

The boy didn't move. Cal reached over and poked him in the shoulder. No response. Cal frowned, then looked at the side of the bin, where the boy had hit his head.

It was tinted red with splotches of blood.

"Shit!" Cal cried. Without a second thought, he crawled into bin and started examining the boy. There was a deep cut on the back of his head, and his face was starting to bruise from the punch. "Help! Help!"