Right By My Side

By

Penelope Peterson

This is a request by lexboss. The basic plot is implanted, while the author added or discarded material into her own imagination.

Reader Discretion is Advised.

I: Bad Brawl

You want me to tell you a story you'll never believe? You can only trust my words when you have faith and reason. My name is Gumball Watterson. On May 21st, 2012, I was jumped.

It doesn't take long for people to go into a narrative detail on what is going, but I'll try to sum it all up without going too much into detail. I'm not a writer, so you can't blame me for poor story-telling (but I'm better at it than my frenemy, Tobias).

I was with my brother, Darwin, not by blood, but by pet. We were just done by helping out in the school play. I wasn't the lead or anything, but it was a sure thing to know that Penny isn't with anybody for the play.

My brother and I were working on costume design and background painting (they were very precise that we wouldn't mess up anything, so they just made us paint the background all red so they can design it later, and only made us listen to a paper bear, Teri, on what's good to use, while we would only express our opinion, but didn't have any real choice.). I guess you can say I was watching Penny play her part as the fair leading lady, while Tobias got the main lead for the fairest of them all, which all he did was paid Miss Simian $100 (from the money I gave Darwin to be friends) and fake a good audition.

Even though it's against school policy about taking bribes, but both Miss Simian, and the school, are corrupted in many ways. I think I can say that in all fairness.

Penny was doing pretty good - no surprise there, since she is very talented.

I watched her play her lines good, even sometimes giving her some help when I actually paid attention to the script (or playwright, or something), which is something amazing since I don't pay attention for anything. I think that's true love since I would do anything to help her. Maybe it's just me being a good friend, but maybe not. I have faith that stuff, still and before.

Darwin and I were there late since Miss Simian told us we had to stay and work extra, even though I feel this was out of spite when Tobias noticed that Penny was pushing Miss Simian to not include the big kiss and rather an interpretation ending.

She succeeded, and her reasons, in her words, by Miss Simian's announcement, while I was painting the background, because of "personal" reasons.

I don't know whether or not she did it to not make me feel bad that I didn't get the main part, and that was the key spotlight, or she didn't want to risk breaking something we may have, and doesn't care about the play scene very much. I mean she does, but still. Penny's a nice person, and I don't think she would deprive Tobias of his spotlight, but she wouldn't kiss him for all the fame and glory, and to be with me.

That's just an idea. My idea. I don't know for sure.

Tobias was mad, which I can conquer the reason was I prevented a kiss from the girl that i love and the one he lusts over. He was like a ticking time bomb, now with z new purpose. He would have been all joyed and rubbed it in my face probably that he got to kiss Penny, and is he her first kiss. I stopped that, which was a good thing. Now, it seems he may burst with a fistful of rage. That's something that worries me.

Miss Simian kept us in there, there's no point in disobeying since my mom, Nicole, wasn't home now.

We stayed and did what we have to do. I knew my mom was coming late, so it was a good thing since Darwin and I could run it and our mom would be there to see anything bad happen. Seemed like a good plan, but i didn't tell Darwin any of this. He still thinks that this is just for the fun of it. He's really naive, but he's still my brother. And I don't want anything to worry him.

After we were done, around 8:30 as I saw when we left, we tried going out in the front since Tobias might be expecting for us to go out the back. When we did, it was locked (which I guess you knew since I used the word "tried"). We had no choice but to walk out the back.

We didn't leave anything important and turned off the power, since Miss Simian didn't want to argue about the electric bill, even though she might have to explain some reason the energy was still on during nighttime.

Darwin went first out, while I watched him from the back. I did it for (a) to protect myself a little, and (b) if Tobias tried jumping Darwin, I could save him since I'm aware of what's happening.

We left and nothing, but the back school was something else. It was connected to the playground and a weird walkway, which didn't have its ups, but rather the downside of high school drop outs.

I'll be completely honest, I have never seen the school at night. I could go on and on how it creeps me out and the goose bumps that strike me through my fur that causes me to shiver and pur out like a scaredy-cat. I won't say that, because I couldn't get a good glimpse.

I told Darwin that we had to hurry or mom would get mad that we were out so late. He didn't hesitate about it since he understood what our mom was capable when she is mad (and believe me, you wouldn't like her when she's mad; but don't start talking about that buff green guy since I know where that comes from. But he ain't got anything on her, trust me.). We ran through out the playground, but soon were stopped by a lock.

I let out my frustration out since I hated obstacles, especially when it could got me killed.

"What now?" asked Darwin.

"I don't know," I said, but when I turned around, I saw five guys coming up to us. I didn't seem them clearly in the shadows, but I'll tell you this, it wasn't pretty.

It was still dark, and they talked to us, "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing," I answered.

"They're lying, take them out."

"But sir," one of them, "how do we know if they are?"

"We can't take any chances. We have to make sure they don't talk."

"We won't talk," Darwin said.

"I know you will," he said, then a snap out of those fingers - I don't know of what - and we had it. Those guys grabbed me and Darwin by the arms, while I tried to get out of it, They pulled out something shinny. I saw it glare, but I received it from my jaw.

I'm sorry, but thinking about it makes me feel like it just happened again. It's very chilling.

We were beaten, bruised, bloodied, and honestly, I don't know how we're alive.

They kicked us, but also used hard wood sticks around and used it to whip us. I'd tell you, it hurt so much that it broke with them using five at once, maybe more.

Darwin was headbutted and punched in the head, while one of them had a cigarette, already smoking around, and used it by burning Darwin's eye. Left one, as I can remember. I have never heard Darwin scream for his life, and the pain and agony that he was indulged in...I couldn't have believed it, even if I was there.

While he got burned, I got stabbed in the leg. It was the right, probably have to wear a crutch or something.

How far did they get in, you might ask. They got it in to the point a bone was scratch, and it sounded like hearing someone scratch a chalkboard with their nails. But that wasn't the end of it. They did it so far that the small knife went through my thigh. Blood gushed through my black jeans, but even then I could still see the colors. How? The light post was still orange. I knew I wasn't fading it. But that wasn't a good sign.

Darwin was then thrown to the fence, with two of them grabbing his arms and legs. They grabbed a metal pipe and started to beat him bad. I swear I saw him spitting, maybe puking blood out of through the rusty gate. Blood dripped through that. I don't need to see it to know that.

With me, I saw the head honcho just standing there. He came up to me and said they're gonna leave us there, but if they talk, he will hunt us down. I told him I won't say a thing, but we didn't see anything. They started to come on to us from the position of the light post. I probably would have seen them, but I didn't even think to look back, I just wanted to go home.

Later, they let go of Darwin, barely able to stand up since when the guy and I talked, they started to hit his arms and legs. I could tell from the bruises later on.

They told me that they want to make sure I didn't talk. They grabbed my arm and looked at my hand.

"Which is your favorite finger?" the big guy said.

"What?" I said.

"Let me explain it in more simple terms: Which finger do you like the most so we don't cut it off when we use pliers to take it out?"

I squirmed by that, while my skin turned cold, almost chilling my blood.

They didn't cut my finger, but they did something else.

They stabbed right through my palm, almost killing me by blood loss. They stopped it, thank God, but I didn't thank Him on how he stopped it. They used a lighter and burned it through my palm, slowly and painfully because it was a lighter.

Blood was not on my side since it kept putting out the flame. It hurt like hell. Luckily they got my left hand. I'm grateful I'm able to write this all to you the way I have it.

After the blood being stopped, but they let us go, knowing we wouldn't talk.

Darwin and I were barely able to get out alive. How did we get out?

I know they wouldn't open the gates for us, but I thought I heard the lock for gate drop, possibly from the stick when they hit Darwin with it. It could have broke. I knew I had to wait a bit so they wouldn't see us. They would probably think we would escape but died around the area or at the school. Sure, the police could have suspected something else, but they were probably amateurs trying to be big shots. They did it well, but they left us alive.

I crawled over to Darwin, checking if he was alive. He was breathing, but I had to see if there was a way out.

My thigh started to hurt when I tried standing up. I had to hold on the fence while having my legs just lag. I put all my strength on my right hand, so I didn't have to use my right leg, but neither my left, so it gave a bit of a disadvantage. I pushed the the door with my left and it opened.

That is what I call a miracle.

I laughed a bit, losing a bit of reality, knowing I was out.

Darwin was barely alive. I grabbed him, but it was nearly impossible. My leg was stabbed, and any pressure put there might release more blood. I had to do it, anyway. He's my brother.

I don't know how much blood I lost walking him back home. If you live in Elmore, you'd probably see a trail of blood from the school playground to my house.

When Darwin and I made it home, mom was waiting for us.

Before she got a good look at what happened to us, she said "Do you have any idea how late - "

She was stunned. She fell to the floor, closing her mouth. She saw my stabbed right leg, left hand, bruised face, Darwin's busted hands, legs, burned left eye, she was shocked.

I put Darwin and I on the couch. We were barely breathing. Our mom kept yelling, crying as well, on about what a happened to us. I turned to her to say that we couldn't talk about it.

She demanded us to say who did this. I told her we didn't know. They were five of them, but there was no way to identify them.

Mom checked on my cheek, the spot where the guy with the possibly brass-knuckles that hit me in the jaw.

"How did you get this?" she asked.

"Same guy...who hit us." I was barely able to say anything. I was almost out of breath.

She studied it. It was almost as if she knew it looked familiar.

After a while, she got up and went up to her room. She came back a couple seconds later with her bag, saying she'll be back.

I was left alone for about 2 hours. I know by looking at the clock (9:45) and falling to sleep to wake up 2 hours later (12:12, almost enough) and then she came back.

She carried Darwin upstairs, while I followed since I wanted to see Darwin. Plus, I didn't want to look weak like I had to be carried too, but had to wait for my turn.

I walked up, struggling on the stairs, but saw mom washing Darwin at the tub.

"Shouldn't you take him to the hospital?"

"Right now I want the two of you to stay with me. Tomorrow morning I'll take you both."

"Why?"

She turned over, "Trust me."

I did.

"I got it all under control. They won't hurt you anymore."

I felt safer when she said it.

Later she the same to me. She wrapped me in thick white bandages that seemed like pieces of clothes, on my right leg, left hand, even on Darwin's arms and legs.

The eye? I don't think we could do much. She put those bandages on his eye.

She carried him over to the top bunk while I just went to my bed.

She looked at me, and I couldn't help but hug her. I felt scared and lost. She was there, but even though she said I didn't have to worry about it.

After she left, I prepared myself a bit of a will. That's what I'm writing. In case something happens. I thought about telling you what might have happened.

Now, I have nothing. What I can bring you is my side of the story. I leave this here so you guys have some idea what happened. If you're reading this, then I'm dead.