He could've ignored it, turned his head, carried on with his day. He could've avoided this entire fiasco if he had just kept walking. It was a show that nobody liked, but everyone attended. It was a play that was talked about throughout the school as some kind of game to some and a crime to others. It was a form of entertainment in one way or another and it was sickening.
Ryan was on the ground. There were shouts and cheers and gasps surrounding him, suffocating him. He leaned on his knees, head bowed as blood dripped out of his mouth into a small pool on the floor. His body trembled. His vision blurred. He could only see the feet of his peers as they stood back and watched the horror unfold.
Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet. His body was numb, his muscles limp, his injuries throbbing. He felt everything associated with the pain, but the pain itself subsided shortly after the first hit. Maybe it was a side effect to being beat up all the time fighting monsters, maybe his body was just used to the pain…
"Still want to take their place?" the jock shouted. His knuckles were smeared with blood. Ryan's blood. He seethed with anger. How dare a freshman ruin his fun? How dare an underclassman stand up to a junior? He shook his head, hands clenching into tight fists. He would teach this kid his place, one way or another.
Harris was gone, ran off when the first punch was thrown. He bolted to shop class where he knew Mark would be. If anybody was going to stop a jock from beating his best friend to death, it'd be Mark. Harris only hoped they weren't too late by the time they made it back.
Spyder was stuck. He fought as hard as he could, thrashing his arms and kicking helplessly at the two seniors who held him back. He tried, god did he try. He tried every play in his book, every distraction, every maneuver, every trick. Nothing worked. Spyder could see through the spaces between the seniors' shoulders. He could see Ryan stand to his feet, blood dripping off his lip and spotted across his face. He was stuck, forced to watch his best friend get beat without so much as a yell of protest to stop it.
Ryan's body trembled. He took one step forward and his knees gave way. He crashed to the floor, his arms tingling as he tried to catch himself. Laughter rippled through the crowd. Ryan looked around slowly. Where the heck were the teachers?
"Had enough?" the tormentor asked, grabbing Ryan's arms and jerking the boy to his feet. He swung his fist at Ryan's jaw. The freshman fell to the floor once more, this time more motionless than the last. "Do you regret getting in my way?"
Ryan smiled up at him, teeth stained with red. "I will never regret standing against the bad guys."
A few feet away, the first victim pressed himself into the bathroom wall. His stomach lurched with every cheer from the fight outside. He observed his injuries in the mirror, examining the bloody nose and the bruises along his arms. Although he was grateful somebody stood up for him, that somebody finally ended what had been going on for months, he wished Ryan hadn't. Because Ryan stood between the victim and the bully and ultimately inflicted the pain on himself, the victim didn't know which hurt more: The beatings or the guilt.
Ryan had tried to use his powers to his advantage at first. He tried knocking the lights out so he could make a grand escape, but the bully hit him too quickly. Any chance he might've had to use his powers went down the drain when he began seeing stars after the third hit.
Mark's blood boiled. He charged through the crowd, shoving people out of his way like he was knocking down linemen on the football field. The cheers quieted noticeably as people caught sight of Mark Walker storming down the hall. Harris cut through the kids and met Spyder on the other side. Spyder shoved away from the seniors with a cold glare as Harris pulled him away.
The jock towered over Ryan, a dark shadow fallen over his face. Ryan coughed into his hand and cringed. Blood.
"Hey!" Mark shouted, silencing everyone. Harris and Spyder broke through the crowd and rushed to Ryan's side. Mark stomped over to the bully, hands clenched at his sides. The bully took a few steps back, holding his hands out in an attempt to stop Mark.
"Wait, wait, this isn't what it looks like!" the bully tried. He tried to sputter out excuses, create stories that would justify his actions. In the end though, everybody knew he was a goner. The way Mark's body shook and the veins in his arms bulged and his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed… They knew there was no chance anybody could talk their way out of hurting Mark Walker's little brother.
Teachers swarmed the halls. Word must've got out that there was a fight in one of the wings. The crowd dispersed, everybody desperately trying to get out of sight before they're witnesses. The bully tried to back off, muttering apologizes as he went.
Mark caught his classmate's shirt collar and slammed him against the wall. The gym teacher blew his whistle to try and stop the two, but to no avail. Another teacher led Harris and Spyder to the nurse, Ryan draped around their shoulders.
The whistle didn't stop. Ryan wanted to stop and watch, wanted to see what Mark would actually do to that guy. He started to look over his shoulder, but the teacher stopped him.
"You've witnessed enough for today, don't you think?" she asked softly.
"I guess so…" he whispered, swallowing back his words (and a bit of blood). Harris squeezed his hand reassuringly. Spyder smiled and began talking about something else, a totally off topic subject that distracted Ryan long enough for them to reach the nurse's office.
The bully fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. He didn't move, didn't even breathe. A few inches from his face, a single tooth lay innocently on the floor.
"You deserve so much more," Mark hissed. "God, if we weren't in school…" Mark's football coach along with the gym teacher rushed to the two boys. His coach grabbed Mark's arms, restraining him from throwing another punch. The teacher knelt next to the bully, quietly asking if the boy was alright and if he could stand.
When the two stood face to face once more, Mark took a step forward. He walked as far as he was allowed, a murderous glint in his eyes.
"If you ever," Mark growled, "ever touch my little brother again, I swear to God I will end you."
"O-Okay," the bully stuttered. "I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry…"
•••••
Ryan was sitting on the medical bed when Mark was finally able to go see him. After explaining what had happened and giving their testimonies, Harris and Spyder were sent back to class. The bully's fate was sealed even before Mark explained his side of the story, and he will no longer be attending Bay City High (nor will he be allowed back).
"You okay?" Mark asked, shutting the door behind him.
Ryan shrugged. "I'll live. Been through worse, you know?"
Mark bit his lip. "I'm sorry, dude. I'm sorry I couldn't get there sooner."
"No, it's okay. I knew what I was getting into when I stood up for that guy. Okay, well, I wasn't expecting all of that exactly…"
Mark clenched his fists. "That guy deserved so much worse. He deserved way more than just a missing tooth."
Ryan's eyes widened. "You knocked out his tooth?"
"Yeah, one of the front ones. His chances with the ladies will definitely be damaged."
Ryan smiled. "Thank you for standing up for me back there."
Mark scoffed. "Kinda my job, bro. Who else is going to save you when you do something stupid like that again?"
"It wasn't stupid… He was bullying one of my classmates. It happens all the time and everyone thinks it's some entertainment for them. I was tired of it. Why should I stand back and watch when there's something I could be doing about it?"
Mark shook his head and chuckled. "You and your stupid good guy motives. It's really going to get you killed one of these days."
"Not if my secretly caring big brother is there."
"Yeah, yeah, tell anybody and I'll deny everything."
Ryan nodded. "Yeah, expected as much. So, I've been excused the rest of the day and I hear ice cream is the best medicine."
Mark rolled his eyes. "I don't think that's the expression, but I'll give it to you since you're hurt and all that."
"Thanks, bro."
"No problem, dingus."
So wow, yikes, this actually turned out kind of darker than what I thought it would be. Maybe I'll write another about Mark standing up for Ryan but less… Bloody.
Haha this is for Stardust16 because she gave me the idea in the first place! Hope you liked it :)