Mend My Elastic Heart

Speechless: Season 2 - 34

Eight hours earlier...

Duncan's POV:
"Yo pothead, get up you still have to go to school."

"Seriously, just cause mom and dad aren't home doesn't mean you get to sleep in. You need to get out of that room and go socialize with people."

"Nelson, I'm serious you're not sulking in bed." Luis repeatedly announced as he stopped by my bedroom door every thirty minute that went by. It would have been easier to get up at my usual "It's  7 O'Clock wake up!" call from my mom but it seemed like talking to me was the last thing my mother wanted to do today. But who could blame her, I wouldn't want to talk to me either.

November 14th,  a month and day I hope never come up every year that go by. But to my despair, here it is showing up at the exact time again. I hated this day with a passion, why? it brought back a memory that I'd do anything to forget.

"Get out of bed!" Luis shouted this time finding a way into my room,  he pulled me out of bed and lifted me up. For my older brother, the guy grew shorter every year, he looked up at me and pulled me into a hug.

I stood there, half repulsed, and unable to push him away. Trust me, I could if I wanted to. "Come on, you gotta go to school. I'll drive you." He said in a low raspy voice. I got up earlier to shower, then went back to bed because that's where I planned to be all day but of course I couldn't do that either.

So I threw on a dirty wife beater and a blue flannel and walked out of my room.

.....
Arriving at hell seemed better than anything right now but the more I stood in those halls the more I pictured a younger me following my best friend around because I had no idea which class I was supposed to be going to and I needed his help.

But of course, the bell rung and knocked me out of the trance and into class. I listened as Mr. Cupid welcomed me in but honestly the voices around me seemed like they were getting lower and lower.

So class for me was on mute for the next ten minutes I was in here.

...
I walked amongst the crowd of people after lunch, unable to eat anything, and it wasn't because of Chefs god awful cooking.

"Dude, stop playing around you're gonna get somebody hurt!" I heard from behind me. The seniors found a way to mix themselves into the line of Juniors, flooding the hall to get to their next period class before going home.

"Seriously, Jose put that shit down I'm not spending the afternoon in detention again because of you, my moms gonna kill me."

"Oh come on stop being such a pus—"

I felt my own body weigh down as I landed on the floor, a book bag laying on top of me. "See what you did?" I got up and saw Jose and his dumbass friend arguining back and forth about what just happened to me. Then I realized, someone threw a heavy ass book bag at me.

I rolled my eyes and begun to walk away when I heard a laugh. "See, I told you he was too pussy to do shit." I stopped and turned around and saw the annoying Cuban picking up the book bag. He then threw his hands up and remained still, impersonating a soldier. "Your... brother is  a soldier right?" He asked, pissing me off. "Well... was." He continued, pissing me off even more. He continued to laugh, this time bringing me out of my despair, and into anger.

I threw a punch, and within seconds,  we were going at it, but at some point, I lost control of things and ended up on the floor, as Jose repeatedly punched me.

"I think he's going to kill him!" I heard from afar. But the voices seemed to echo. "Someone stop him," they said as Jose continued to swing while I missed.

I turned a little to the left while beginning to blink slowly and longer until I realized what was going on and quickly tried get a punch in, but was pulled away by Geoff and then Chef who gripped onto my flannel tightly and pulled me out of the second match. "That's it! It's done!" He shouted at us both and motioned us to the principals office.

I pulled myself out of his grip and begun to walk on my own, looking at everyone who stood in my way, including Courtney, who looked at me as if she witnessed an attempted murder.

....
"He's suspended for 3 weeks." McClain said as Jose and I sat down in the seats in front of his desk. Our parents stood behind us angrily, well mine specifically stood there not surprised. "Not only did he start the fight by throwing a book bag at his head, he continuously punched Duncan until he was at some point unconscious.

I looked around, realizing the suspension wasn't for me but was for Jose, who looked at McClain with the same disbelief that I did. I was still angry, angry that he got some hits in and at myself for letting him think he had this huge power over me now, being able to fight me and win. "You, Duncan, will spend the next three weeks in detention, wiping down all the tables and chairs in the cafeteria until they're spotless."

"Isn't that child labor?" I asked coldly under my breath.

"For you, no, because you're eighteen, and fights like that in a public setting doesn't equal child labor, it equals jail time," McClain continued, hearing my complaint.

My father scoffed while my mother sucked her teeth. "He'll do it, and we'll be happy to pay any damages they may have caused during the altercation." She said, as if I had a say in whether or not I would clean up this dirty ass school.

"Luckily for your checkbook, they didn't break anything. This time." The principal said angrily. "Now, I would usually report this to the police, because of your ages, but you deserve a break today, I heard around, about what he said."
....

"I.. I don't even know what to say Dunca-

"He.. he was talking shit about Mateo being a soldier," I said softly interrupting her.

"What?" She asked now lowering her voice. My father stood next to her in silence. I mean, he hasn't said a word since he showed up.

"I just.. I couldn't let him disrespect my brother." I said coldly. I felt as my mother pulled me into a tight hug and wrapped her arms around me.

"Come on, let's go home. It's been a long day, for all of us," she said eyeing my father who rolled his eyes. I didn't care about winning my dad over, but knowing my mother still loved me after the shit I always pull, was all I needed.

.....
Bridgettes POV:
"Hey, what was all that about? And why did Jose mean when he said Duncan's brother was a soldier?" Courtney asked as Gwen and I grabbed our jackets out of our locker. I looked at her and then at Gwen before sighing. "I mean, Luis, is old enough and everything but... trusting him to fight for our country?" She continued.

"Courtney... he never told you did he?" Gwen asked as she clenched onto her jacket. I looked down. Duncan never .. told her?

If anything, I'd think he'd be more comfortable opening up to her about what happened and why he's acting this way today since they secretly get along so well.

I mean.. the guy has known us for the last 3 years and Geoff longer but he's never actually sat down and talked about his brother to us. I used to think it was because he lowkey hated our guts and only hung out with us because of Geoff but honestly, the moment Courtney came here, he changed.

"Courtney, maybe you should ask him yourself..." I said softly hoping she would listen. The brunette looked at me unsure of what to say and opened her mouth to speak before being interrupted by the bell, that told us to hurry and go home.

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