Prepsworth Academy

Chapter 14 - "They've pushed him over the edge."

Dylan

Sometimes, in my darkest moments I lost control, forgot who I was and who I loved. Forgot everything but hate and rage. Maybe that's what Jake felt like when he lost control. Or maybe he knew exactly who he was and what he was doing and rejoiced in it. Maybe that was the moment he found himself instead of losing himself. Maybe the feral grin he wore with such joy and the look in his eyes, a promise of hurt and pain was who he was. Maybe the hunted had become the hunter, the prey became the predator and the fear and hurt had honed itself into a blade of fury and hatred. When Jake let out that bitter laugh after he's smashed Lukas' nose Elle gripped my arm and whispered,

"They've pushed him over the edge." The tinge of fear in that soft yet fearless voice was what drove me to hold Jake back from attacking Lukas again. Even then Jake thrashed and struggled with such strength that I felt my grip slipping before Lily, who had heard the commotion and sprinted in ran forward to help hold Jake back.

It was almost an hour later that the sirens screamed and echoed in my head but for once they weren't coming for me. Jake thrashed and snarled in Lily and I's grip but we held fast. The nurse had taken Lukas away to her office and we had all seen the mess that Jake had caused. As Lukas was helplessly dragged away unconscious, we saw his bloody, broken nose and the blood smeared across his face made it hard to tell broken bones from fractured ones and bruised ones. I'd fought down the bile reaching its way up my throat and instead had gripped Jake's arm tighter, twisted it around harder. As the police burst into the room, Jake twisted around and with the remained of his strength ripped himself free. He took one step before he was knocked out by the butt of a policewoman's gun.

Elle

Those moments still haunt me today. I remember every word utter in that room, every blow thrown and every scream. It plays in my head like a movie, coming to me in my nightmares and in my darkest moments. There were worse to come but it was horrifying and cold and ruthless. It being both Jake and the situation. It was this endless cycle, both Jake and Lukas felt the same way, did the same thing. The difference? Lukas was the most popular, the most confident and the most manipulative. Jake wasn't quite as popular, wasn't confident enough and didn't quite master the act of manipulation. Instead that seemed to be Rose and Lukas's job. And that was why I gripped Dylan's arm and didn't let go. Because we needed each other. He was just as traumatised from those events as I was. That day I'd been shocked and admittedly, slightly frightened about the situation. I had then thought that Prepsworth's students had reached their lowest point yet. But that was just the start.

Amy

I hadn't thought that it would end that way. The thought never came to my mind. I thought that all that would happen was that Jake would see Rose and Lukas together and become disillusioned with both of them. I never thought it would end with Lukas going to hospital and Jake being carried away in handcuffs. I felt sick to my stomach, we had all seen what Jake had done to Lukas, how Rose had watched in horror. I found myself shaking in fear afterwards as I tried to come to terms with one simple fact, that I had caused this. It was my entire fault. Mine.

Afterwards I raced to Dance Room 10, and began to choreograph a new routine, a mix of ballet, contemporary and lyrical. I danced my heart out, beginning to dance softly and slowly, as if lamenting a lost friend but then grew more wild and frenzied before slowing again. I called the dance Storm, and immediately fell in love with it. I danced it until my feet were aching, thighs were screaming and my arms crying. But I danced and danced and danced.

Tom

When I heard about Jake's violent outburst I laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed. The outburst was admittedly interesting. The slick, girl crazy popular boy gets beaten up, badly by his right hand man, because the idiot (and second cutest boy, if you believe the popular girls anyway) got infatuated with the guy's girl.

I hadn't gone to class that day and had no intention of attending any more classes but I wanted to go to all my mates and talk and laugh about it. I didn't though. I stayed sulking on the couch, ignoring everyone who came in and out.

I fiddled with my phone and sent a text;

"You there?" The reply was immediate,

"Yeah, are you okay?", I smiled bitterly at the response,

"What do you think?"

"Ok, sorry...apparently you laughed when Matthew told you about...about what happened, did you?"

'Yeah, what does it matter to you anyway? It's not like you care about people getting hurt! It's not like you cared when I felt like absolute crap because you treated me like absolute crap! Like dirt on your shoe! Like I was nothing.

I paused, panting hard out of anger and felt too tempted to throw my phone across the room. It was a while before the replies came.

"Tom."

"I won't apologise for what I did."

"I won't apologise for wanting to have my own life."

"Tom, I won't apologise for breaking up with you, I did the right thing."

"YOU need to say sorry, you need to apologise for trying to control me, trying to own, like I was some prize, some possession of yours, something to parade around and smirk about. I will NEVER let you do that to anyone ever again!"

I had started off thinking that this conversation should have been face to face but it's probably better it didn't because I grabbed my phone and hurled it at the wall and then went over to salvage it when a text message popped up on the screen,

"Tom, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. You're not that bad."

I let out a low, bitter laugh. It was too late for apologies. Far too late. The phone crunched under my boot as I ground it into the carpet. I bit back a roar of anger. She's planned what she was going to say.. Why had she got with me if I was that insufferable? Spent so long with me just so she could do this? Let her think what she wants about me. I could easily prove her wrong and show everyone just how much of a hypocrite she was. People used to say I fit the stereotype of a dumb jock but, they're wrong. I have a penchant for revenge plans. I smiled a smile edged with cruelty and bitterness. Let her go to her classes and laugh with her friends. I had work to do.