Eight Boys and a Walker girl

10 | Macho talk

10 | Macho talk

Julian. They're fighting Julian.

Three of the biggest, toughest boys in the year- against Julian.

Oh shit.

I turn to Jace, and he turns to me. Then he grabs my hand and we begin to run across the playground, towards the commotion. It's then when I realise we aren't the only ones who have noticed the riff. A reasonably large crowd has gathered on the sidelines of the basketball court to watch, as if it's a show put on for their entertainment. One girl has even opened up a bag of maltesers and is sharing them out with her friends like it's a cinema.

But with maltesers instead of popcorn. Obviously.

So not really like a cinema.

But I digress.

As me and Jace approach the fight, I begin to wonder- why on earth are they even fighting? Julian joined the school yesterday. He's been here all of a day and a half. How has he managed to get on the bad side of the school's resident bad boys already?

I guess if anyone could, it's Julian.

"Julian!" I cry out, as I skid to a halt by the sidelines of the court, "Julian!"

He doesn't even hear me. As I watch with bated breath, he squares up to the boys, looking them boldly in the eye, eve though they're all taller, stronger and tougher than him. Stupid boy. Being all macho won't work this time, you idiot! Just run!

The tallest of the boys, Zach, takes a threatening step towards him, fists up, ready for another round of blows. But Julian, to my surprise, flicks his eyes to the sidelines towards where I can suddenly see Caleb and Tyger, and then lets his fists fall. My eyes widen- what on earth is going on? Is Julian just going to let himself be clobbered?

"I don't get what your problem is," he rolls his eyes, "What have I even done, Hair Gel?"

I snigger at the nickname for Zach, then quickly cover my mouth before anyone can hear.

"You know what you've done," Zach snarls, "Listen, McCartney. You don't go talking with my girlfriend. You don't go smiling at my girlfriend. You don't go flirting with my girlfriend. You hear that, McCartney?"

My eyebrows shoot up at this. Julian has been flirting with Zach's girlfriend? This is news, and news that makes my haunches rise at that. I tell myself to calm down- now isn't the time to get angry- but seriously? Zach's girlfriend? What kind of idiot is he? Does he want to get himself beat up?"

"I never touched your skanky girlfriend," Julian hisses, "I wouldn't touch that barbie with a stick. It's not my fault she came onto me. Maybe you're just not a great boyfriend, Smith."

"What did you call Hermione?" Zach glares down at Julian who just smirks back.

"I called her a skank," he sneers, "Because she is. You have a hearing problem?"

Zach's eyes darken dangerously. "You don't talk about my girlfriend like that ever again, unless you want a broken ass, McCartney."

"Maybe she just wanted someone new and exciting for once," Julian doesn't back down, the smirk on his face, "I heard she's getting bored of you, her little toy. She likes the leather jacket and the tattoos, maybe, but she's moving on, Smith."

Without warning, Zach grabs Julian by the scruff of his collar and lifts him up into the air as if he weighs nothing at all. I expect Julian to squirm and struggle, but he just looks as if he couldn't care less that he's dangling from the school bad boy's grip and could go plummeting down to his death at any second.