I'll Always Be Here
Josh frowned as he heard a stifled sob coming from around the corner, a deserted nook in the school's seemingly endless corridors. Quickly ducking down the alleyway of sorts, he was shocked by what he saw.
Dylan was backed up against the brick wall, her arms trapped by her side by Asher, who was kissing her roughly, stifling her sobs with his mouth.
"Stop! Asher! No! Get off me!" She tried to scream, but Asher kept covering her mouth.
Seeing red, Josh crossed the room quickly.
"Hey! Get off her!" He shouted, and when Asher ignored him, Josh drew his fist back and punched Asher square in the face. Asher's head snapped back, and he staggered away from Dylan, his hand moving to cover his now bleeding nose.
Stepping in front of Dylan protectively, he growled, "Get out of here, Asher,"
Snarling, Asher charged at Josh, grabbing him and swinging him against the wall so that his head slammed against it with a sickening crack. Dylan, who had been frozen in shock, shook herself out of it.
"Asher! Leave him alone!" She screamed, grabbing Asher's fist as he drew it back to punch Josh, "Don't touch him!" She screamed, throwing her weight against Asher's fist and just barely holding it back.
"Dylan, get out of here," Josh grunted as he tried to hold back Asher's other fist, "You'll get hurt,"
"If I leave so will you!" She snapped back, turning in relief when she heard the click of high heels on the rough hallway flooring.
"Oh my god, Mr. Kennedy, step away from Mr. Rosen and Ms Schoenfield, please. Immediately," Ordered Mrs. West sharply. Asher's muscles tensed, but then he reluctantly released Josh and stepped away. Josh sagged against Dylan, and she led him over to a conveniently located bench.
"Mr. Dumetz, please come with me to Principal McMaster's office. And Mr. Rosen, you may wish to get that head of yours checked out," Mrs. West commanded, and Asher reluctantly followed her, leaving Josh and Dylan alone.
"Josh, you shouldn't have done that. You could've gotten seriously hurt. And look at your head," Dylan murmured, taking off her cardigan and reaching up tentatively to press it against Josh's bleeding head.
"You seriously expected me to just walk away when I saw him attacking you like that?" Josh asked in disbelief, wincing as Dylan applied light pressure on his head.
"Well… Yes. Everyone else does. Although he's never tried it when we're at school before. Mostly because I avoid being alone with him," Dylan said quietly.
"Are you serious? Dylan, you can't let him treat you like that. I don't care how important that Blossom Queen competition is. You're better than that idiot. You deserve better," Josh said seriously, gently tilting Dylan's chin so that she was looking at him.
"Josh, I-" She began, but Josh interrupted her.
"No, Dylan. I'm serious. You have to promise me you won't let him hurt you like that. Promise me, Dylan," Josh begged, looking at Dylan intently. After a minute or so she sighed.
"Fine, I promise. But only if you promise not to do anything stupid like punch Asher in the face again," Dylan countered, and Josh nodded, flinching as the movement aggravated his head injury.
"Dylan, listen, about the movie… It's not what you think. Or at least, I know what it looked like, but it wasn't - Well, it was, but - I mean, at the end, I - You know?" Josh looked at Dylan anxiously as she laughed and shook her head.
"No, nerd, I have no idea what you mean. But I did watch the movie. The entire movie. And it was beautiful. I'm sorry for not trusting you, Josh, but everyone always seems to let me down. You're the first person to come through for me in a long time," Dylan told him in a rare moment of vulnerability.
"Dylan," Josh said earnestly, leaning in so his face was centimeters apart from hers, "I will never let you down. And I swear I will always be here for you, no matter what,"
"I know. I trust you," Dylan whispered before leaning forward and pressing her lips to Josh's.