march 28th, 2016 cont.
*possible trigger warning, idk*
when damian and i walk up to the school, i notice a circle of people around the front entrance. i look toward my brother as he looks at me, and we stop walking. we both take our headphones out and just stare at each other in confusion and slight concern. reaching for my phone in my pocket i take it out to check the time. the clock says 7:18, and i have 3 undread texts from chloe. putting my phone back in my pocket, i take a deep breath and look back at my brother. chloe is gonna have to wait. "what do we do?" i ask him, as he looks down at his feet. clearly he is scared but doesn't want to express it. where we come from, school shootings are known, whether it be STEM or Columbine. we always have that fear creeping in the back of our heads. "i think we should go up, but be cautious. i want you to walk behind me since you're smaller than me, alright?" i just nod my head and start walking toward the steps. damian walks in front of me, quickening his pace. clearly he wasn't kidding about him not wanting me to be in the front. as we start heading toward the door, we get closer to the people in the circle. i hear profanities and what seems to be slapping sounds, and people cheering.
"tell him what the fuck is up, man! show that pussy who is boss!"
"come on, little bitch! what are you gonna do, go home and cry to your mom?!"
"get the fag, aaron! punch him 'til he can't see"'
all of the sudden i get scared. i stop walking and stand next to people in the circle. what i see is probably the most intense thing i have seen in a school setting. there is a black boy with dreads having his face punched in by a huge white guy, who i am assuming is "aaron". there is blood all over the pavement, and the black boy's eye is starting to swell up already. i look at the people surrounding the fight, wondering why no one is doing anything or getting help. there are girls recording, guys jumping around and screaming, and other people crying or just staring in complete shock. the white guy hits the other boy again, and again, and again. i felt myself about to scream when i felt a hand on my shoulder. "sis, let's go." damian grabs my arm and rips me toward the door. i pull back hard enough so damian would let go. "dude, this guy is getting beat to death. we have to do something." damian just stares at me in disgust. "that's not our fight. we got to go. dad will get mad if we don't go to class." i feel defeated, and sad for the boy. once school gets figured out i'm going to find him and try to be his friend. i look back toward the fight, but only can see the circle of bodies surrounding it.
as damian and i enter the doors, we see staff members running toward the commotion outside. a strong feeling of relief runs through my body, knowing that the boy will be saved and that fuckass will get what's coming to him. we walk toward the doors that say "front office", and enter. looking around, the pale brown walls are empty except for anti-vaping posters by the front desk. toward the right, a small table with two chairs sit in a corner with a fake plant to make it less plain. there are no windows, but bright bright ceiling lights that make it look like the booking office in a jail. damian is walking toward the petite older woman with glasses, bright red lipstick and heavy eyeliner. on her desk, it says her name is ms. monroe. fitting.
"hello, my sister and i are new here. we were wondering if we could be checked in with our mentors?"
the lady looks up and smiles, showing her straight row of bright-white teeth. her *dead* blonde hair glistens in the light as she looks up, eyeing damian and i. "yes, of course! you must be the lee siblings. let me get your paperwork and your schedules and i'll have your mentors called down immediately." she gets up and disappears in the office behind her area. i look up at the clock to see what time it is, realizing it's 7:28. damian starts scratching his head nervously, and i decide to pull out my phone and text chloe back. now it's not just three missed texts, but 9.
