Wrong Impression

20. Screwed your future

Tom slouched in the uncomfortable chair, his arms crossed over his chest. His knuckles throbbed and still had blood on them, but he made no move to clean or nurse his hand in any way. Because it was a reminder.

Not of something he shouldn't have done. He regretted nothing. More like proof that sometimes, the right thing was perceived as wrong by most. He didn't care. He'd always considered himself a part of a minority. Now was no different. He was going to suck it up and take the punishment like a champ.

But it wasn't the angry principal or the two policemen that had him worried. It was the tornado he knew was Jimmy. And in no time at all, the door opened and his brother stormed in, looking like an ancient God of revenge. Tom was definitely screwed.

"What the hell is going on?" he demanded looking from Tom to the authorities.

"We're sorry to pull you out of your classes, Mr. Greene," the principal started.

Tom and Jimmy both huffed. None of them recognized the last name because it wasn't theirs. It was a name given by the state for social purposes, held no real value. They could as well have named them Unwanted.

"Yes, okay, why is the police here?" Jimmy's probing eyes scanned Tom and stopped on his bloody knuckles. The scowl on his face was alarming. "What the hell did you do, you idiot?"

Tom flinched. "I punched Collins," he mumbled. Now that Jimmy was here, there was no point keeping quiet. He had nothing to hide.

His brother frowned. "Collins? Biology professor Collins? Why?"

"He touched Angie."

Jimmy's balled fists fell limp to his side and he tilted his head, no longer looking furious. He looked exactly how Tom felt. Helpless, resigned. Jimmy wasn't going to blame him, but he knew everyone else would.

"Excuse me?" the principal asked.

Tom took in a big breath. "Collins was sexually harassing my... A friend of mine. Brilliantly may I add. So I punched him in the face and told him to stay away from her."

The two policemen started scribbling furiously on their notepads while the headmaster stared like a fish out of water, eyes bulging, mouth stupidly opening and closing. It would've been funny if it wasn't tragic.

"Care to expand on that?" one of the officers said.

"I ran into Angie on the hallway. She was crumpled on the floor, crying. When I asked what was wrong, she showed me a biology test she'd gotten an F on. I know her. She's a straight A student and she's very good at biology. We worked on some projects together. She told me Collins modified her multiple choice answers because she wouldn't let him grope her." He hesitated a little and bit his lower lip. He hated having to say this, but it was important. "She also said he implied a blowjob would fix her situation."

Jimmy cursed so savagely, the principal stood from his chair. "Mr. Greene, please watch your language or you'll be facing suspension yourself."

Suspension... So they weren't outright expelling him?

"I can talk however I want and you can't do anything about it because I'm here as Tom's legal guardian, not your student," Jimmy snarled.

"If your friend was being harassed, why didn't she report professor Collins?" the other officer asked.

Tom faltered. "I don't know. You'll have to ask her that because I didn't get to."