I Will Protect You
Chapter 1: the set up
He had gone through lots of trouble in his life; his farther leaving when he was eight, his mother then falling into depression and relying on drugs, but when it happened he closed himself off from everyone. He had no friends. He only ever talked to his mom. The teachers didn't like to talk to him, and whenever they did, he would always respond in a bad way. The teachers would sometimes need therapy. There were only the other students he went easy on. When he was at school, he did what he wanted when he wanted.
He was turning 17 this year. Whenever he had a birthday he never celebrated. But this year, he felt different. He felt as if someone were always watching. It didn't creep him out, in fact, he liked it. He now lived on his own; his mother had died a year ago.
He was the only one of the two that had known why his dad left. His dad would always beat him and say that he was worthless and that his parents' relationship was going downhill because they had a child. But he knew the real reason, he would always get up every night to get a drink, but then one night, his dad got up too. He left the house. He couldn't get back to sleep then he heard a car pull up, he looked at the time; 1.30. What the fuck? Why would he come back at this time of the night? He thought that his dad was going out to work. He ran downstairs and into the lounge room.
He hid behind the lounge. His dad walked in and turned on a light. His dad, the one who was married to the woman in bed upstairs and had been for ten years, had lipstick stains all over him. His clothes were also messed up and he couldn't walk straight. He was a filthy cheating bastard! When his dad put everything down and went back upstairs and turned off the light, he ran back up to his room. The worst part about the beating was his mother didn't even seem to care. She would just ask what happened the completely ignore him. He was rejected by both parents who lead him to look after himself.
"Mom, Dad I'm leaving now! Oh yeah that's right! My mom's dead and my dad left me" Logan yelled "Anyone there? I know you are! I can feel you watching me!" he walked out of the house and to his car. He got in his car and sped off to school. He didn't know why he was still going, I mean, he's gonna die of depression. He parked his car and got out. The bell went just as he got to his locker. Logan didn't like going to school. Especially when the little kids were getting picked up by their parents. Parents. He didn't like to admit it be he really missed his parents. Not so much his mom though. He missed his dad. He didn't know why though, why would you miss someone who beat you? He started to grab his books out of his locker and closed it when he was done. He started to walk to class, and then some kid bumped into him.
"Oh my god. I'm so sorry" he said then he took off running. The students didn't seem to like being around Logan.
"Watch where you're going" he yelled
"Mitchell!"
"What?" Logan said turning around to face the teacher "Would you like something?"
"Why aren't you in class?"
"Because I don't particularly want to go to class"
"Well that's too bad"
"Why aren't you in class?" he asked the teacher. He didn't answer. Then the teacher turned and walked away "Other way idiot"
The teacher turned around and looked at Logan before they started to walk again, this time going the right way. Logan continued his walk to class. A little while later he got there and walked inside the room "Sup" he said when the teacher looked at him
"You are ten minutes late" the teacher said looking at her watch "Why are you late?"
"Because I am"
"Not good enough"
"Meh" Logan walked to a spare seat. The teacher started to then continue talking. Logan tuned out and started to think about that night when his father beat him.
"Why have you and mom been fighting?" eight year old Logan asked
"You are the reason you mother and I have been fighting!" his father yelled
"How?"
"Shut up!" he father said slapping his son "I wish you hadn't been born! Then we wouldn't have this problem!"
A tear rolled down his cheek. He really didn't know what he did.
"You little baby!" his father said as he pushed him. He fell to the ground and his dad kicked him "I hate you!"
"STOP" Logan yelled. He had started crying and his dad was still hitting him.
Logan got up and grabbed his books. He ran to the door and left. He continued to run until he got to his locker. He put his books back and sat down in front of it. He heard footsteps coming toward him.
"Hey, um are you okay?"
Logan looked up and saw a short kid, well, his age. He walked over to Logan and put his books down. He sat down in front of Logan.
"I'm Carlos"
"Logan" he said putting his hand out. Carlos took it and shook his hand "I haven't seen you around before"
"Really? You probably don't remember me, but in reception I came to this school and we were friends"
"Huh?"
"Yeah but them you closed yourself up in year two"
"Oh"
"Why?"
"Um. I haven't ever told anyone this before"
"Oh. Well could you start by telling me why you aren't in class? Maybe?"
"Same reason"
"Oh"
"My dad"
"What happened with your dad?"
"Well when I was eight he left. One night I caught him coming home at night. He was cheating on my mom. Then a few days later my mom and dad started fighting and my dad took it out on me saying everything was going bad because of me" Logan told him. His eyes started to water and a tear fell down his cheek.
"Then what?"
"He started beating me" Logan was now fully crying. No sound was coming out, apart from the sound of his voice. He leaned forward and he wrapped his arms around Carlos.
"I'm sorry" he said rubbing Logan's back "I didn't mean to be nosy"
"I needed to get it out" he mumbled into Carlos' shoulder.
"Well, we should probably go back to class"
"No" Logan said tightening his grip
"Well I don't wanna get in trouble" he said trying to get up. Logan just tightened his grip even more. A few minutes passed then the bell rang. Logan sprung back from Carlos and wiped his eyes. Carlos got up and held his hands out to Logan. Logan grabbed them and Carlos pulled him up "Well I've gotta go. What have you got?"
"Health" Logan said "You?"
"Drama"
"Well, I guess I'll talk to you later?"
"Yeah" Carlos said "Bye"
"Bye" Logan said. Carlos tuned and walked away. Logan turned around and opened his locker again. He took his health books out and closed his locker. He turned around and took a few deep breaths, then walked to his next class. He had to push his way through a few people to even get out of the corridor. He finally got out and walked to his class. He didn't want to start losing his mind about his dad; he wanted good grades in health. He wanted to be a doctor. He went inside and took a seat at the front and waited for everyone else to get there. When the whole class was there, the teacher started teaching. Fifty minutes later, the class was finished and everyone left. Logan walked to his locker and put his books away. He got out his money and walked to the cafeteria. He lined up and bought his lunch and then he found a seat. The back of the hall, excluded from everyone. Just how he liked it. He liked when he was on his own because there was no awkward pauses, because you know, you can't have awkward pauses when talking to yourself. But then he remembered, he remembered Carlos.
"Hi" Logan said awkwardly "Sup?"
"Hey, not much. You?"
"Fine" then it came, the awkward silence. It lasted a minute or two "So the weather. Am I right?"
"Uh" What Logan had just said made it even more awkward. He decided he was just gonna shut up "Yeah. The weather is, uh nice today" and that was it he couldn't take the silence
"I've gotta go to the bathroom" Logan said getting up. He casually walked away until he got out of the room. Then a little while later he walked back inside to find a group of guys surrounding the table he and Carlos were sitting at. He started to run towards it.
"Why are you hanging out with the freak? Are you a freak too? Well I guess you two can be freaks together"
"Hey fellas" Logan said walking back over to the table and sitting down "How are you all on this lovely day?"
"Oh look, it's the freak himself!"
"Okay that's it" Logan said getting up and walking to stand in front of the talking boy "You guys better all fuck off, before I put your heads up each other's asses!" Logan yelled. They all looked at each other, then back at Logan and they all turned and ran. They knew he wasn't bluffing; he had tried to do it once before.
"Are you okay?" He asked walking to sit next to Carlos "Did they hurt you?"
"Nah, they just pushed me" he said.
"Okay" he said. The bell rang and everyone stared to leave the hall to get to their next lessons.
School had just finished and Logan was heading out to his car to leave, finally. Just before he got to his car he could hear crying. He started to walk to a building and it got louder. He turned the corner and he saw Carlos curled up in a ball, leaning against the wall. He ran over to Carlos.
"Oh my god, Carlos what's wrong?" He asked. Carlos looked up at Logan and he had a red mark covering most of his face "What did they do to you?" Then Carlos lifted the legs on his pants to reveal bruises on his shins.
"They all hate me" Carlos said through his tears "They said it's because I'm a freak a-and that I'm stupid for talking to y-you. And that all I had to do was talk nicely to you an-and then you would protect me"
"Well do you want me to help you to your car?" Logan asked
"No"
"Why not?"
"I could hear them trashing it"
"Oh" Logan said "Well I am dropping you off then"
"My parents aren't home and my keys were taken"
"Oh. Well then you are coming to my house"
"No, I-I can't. That would be too much trouble" he said, still crying
"Well, I'm not leaving you here" he said standing up. He put his hands out and Carlos hesitantly grabbed them "You are coming to my house. Full stop"
"Fine"
"Where's your bag?"
"Over there" Carlos said pointing to the other side of the building. Logan started to jog over to it. He grabbed it and ran back.
"Let's go then"