To RJ, Laura, Frida and Ana.
That afternoon, Ally, Trish, and Austin are standing by their senior lockers. It sounds so weird being a senior. But every time he hears the word, he gets pumped. Fuck yeah, he's a senior. His dumb-assery didn't hold him back even though he still doesn't know where New South Wales is. Wouldn't it be near Wales? Nope, alright. Fuck it. He's a senior. No one fucks with you when you're a senior. Not even other seniors. You're all seniors. You're all top shit. No one gives a fuck. It's great.
They're standing by their lockers and Austin is practically bouncing off the metal. He's on cloud nine and in the best of moods. Also, it's Friday. He's going to stay awake all night and sleep all of tomorrow and recover from his stupidity on Sunday. He's going to get wasted and he doesn't give a fuck. Seventh period is finally over and they get to go home. Just waiting for Dez, who's class is on the other side of the school.
He puts is arm around Ally's shoulders while she reviews her study material for Monday's test. Trish is talking to Jace since they're finally back together.
"Trish, quiz me," Ally asks, trying to hand her the notebook.
Trish responds with a raised hand. "Ally, I'm not studying right now. It is Friday. I'm going to visit my boyfriend and drink." She turns back to her open locker. "So what time do you want me to come over?" she continues, speaking to her boyfriend. "Okay, see you at 6. Love you too." She hangs up and offers a 'bitch, really?' look to Ally, who just pouts.
"Fine," Ally sighs. She closes her book and returns it to her book-bag. Austin keeps his arm lazed around her shoulder and she leans against him as he checks the time. 3:42. School ended twelve minutes ago, he notices. Dez is usually five minutes late at best. He looks down expectantly at Ally, who answers the question he didn't ask yet with a look. She nods slightly as well. He composes a text to their red-headed companion.
Where r u? he sends.
He waits a while and Ally plays with their fingers mindlessly. "Are you grabbing tonight or should I?" she asks, making conversation.
But he's distracted and doesn't answer. Dez always responds immediately. And now its 3:46.
Trish finishes doing her hair in her locker mirror and a puzzled look grows on her face. "Where's the clown?" she asks, confused.
Ally shrugs. Austin shakes his head. "I don't know," he answers. "And this is not like him at all."
bro... where are you?
Nothing.
As Trish puts her makeup back in her bag there's a loud thud and the echo of metal from the hallway to their left. They all run to see what's up just in time to witness Dez being thrown in to the lockers by a couple of football players in their grade. He's red in the face and it's evident that he'd been crying. There's some slight bruising on his lip and below his eye, and a long cut across his forehead.
"Dez!" the girls shout in unison, appalled by what they were seeing.
Austin, frozen, just stares. The guys hitting their friend don't seem to care – or notice, maybe – that they're watching. They just continue the abuse without fail. They knee him in the stomach suddenly, earning the tiniest squeak of agony from Dez's swollen lips. "P-please," he begs, holding himself upright. He can hardly breathe; they knocked the wind out of him.
"I'm going to get help-" Ally starts to say. But Austin bolts after Dez before she can go. He starts running down the hall faster than he's ever moved before. "Austin, don't!" she shrieks.
"Ally, go!" Trish equals, horrified. "Go get a teacher." Ally is gone in a flash.
The guys beating on Dez give him a rough blow to the face. "You fucking freak," one of them says. "You're a fucking pathetic piece of shit. Go back to the circus you useless fuck!"
Dez is silent as he takes the hits, unable to make noise, protest or fight back. The main asshole beating on him doesn't notice Austin coming. He goes to deliver a kick to the shin but as Austin reaches them he literally throws him five feet down the hallway. His advances are met with an even glare and the guy, who he finally recognizes as Dallas King, stands up. "What's the matter, Moon?" he taunts. "Came to save your boyfriend?" He looks at Dez and spits. "Fucking pathetic, that's what this is."
Austin shoves him again. "You better watch your fucking mouth before I shove your head so far up your ass people will think you're in to that shit and wonder where your boyfriend is. I swear to god I will haunt you until the day you die and whatever's after that if you don't walk away right now," Austin growls.
Dallas laughs in derision. "You don't scare me, Mr. Rockstar," he replies. "How 'bout I fuck up that face for ya? Make sure no love struck twelve year-olds ever buy your shit again? Or how about I take your little girlfriend for a spin and show her how a real man fucks a bitch like her? Why is she with you, huh? Probably would put up quite a fuss if I got my hands on her. Not for long," he grins. "I got ways of making girls see my way. Or maybe I'll just leave her and Pixie Stick and Dora over here without a weak-ass bitch like you and beat the shit out of you instead," he suggests.
"I fucking dare you," Austin threatens menacingly.
Dallas sizes himself up and takes a swing in Austin's direction, then misses. He stumbles slightly but recovers quickly. He braces himself off the wall.
"Walk much?" Austin taunts. The other guys beating on Dez have fled in the midst of the chaos. Thank god, he things, because it provides Trish the exact opportunity she needs to get their friend away from any lines of fire. He angles Dallas away and she creeps to the wall and helps Dez up. He groans and whimpers but complies, eager to escape the madness.
"What do you see in that fruitcake, anyway?" Dallas wonders sourly. "He's not a looker and has no chance of getting a girl, unless you fulfil those needs for him too, eh, Pretty Boy?"
"Not that I have to explain anything to you, Dumbass, but fun fact: people like Dez exist because people actually bother to love him. What the fuck is your damage? No one wants to be the sucker that has to get you off? What did I hear the other day?" Austin feigns sarcasm. "'Dallas King is so limp in bed that girls that he's with wish they were dead?'"
Dallas launches himself at him then and thrusts him against the nearest wall, but, to Austin's dismay, he's thrown in to a water fountain as well. The shape causes Austin's back to contort in an unnatural way and he hears a crack as loud as a gunshot in his ears. His back arches forcefully and all at once he yelps. He looks at Dez, who's watching with wide eyes while Trish leads him to a bench nearby. He's limping, which angers Austin further. He stands up as straight as he can manage and jumps at Dallas. They crumple at once and the blond stands to tower over the body.
Adrenaline starts to course through his veins like liquid Energizer batteries and his eyes practically glaze over. His forgets about the pain in an instant. He psychs Dallas out by faking a left and making a right on his stomach and kicked with such brute force they're lucky it didn't kill him. He's left motionless, breathing hastily and in broken rhythms.
He kicks him again. "You fucking son of a bitch," he seethes with disgust. "You think you can walk around this school and beat the shit out of my best friend? You think you can threaten my girlfriend? You think you can treat Trish like anything less than a person? Not fucking likely." He delivers a fatal kick with each word. "You're. Lucky. I. Don't. Show. You. What. You'd. Look. Like. Dead!" He gets closer to Dallas's face and practically whispers. "Next time you come near Dez, or Ally or Trish, I will find you, and I don't give a flying fuck where you are or how you do it, I will kill you," he promises.
"You don't get to walk away from this," he adds.
And with those words, the all-consuming adrenaline starts to exit his body and he's flooded with the pain and dizziness. He crawls maybe a foot away from Dallas and collapses, but not before checking on Dez and seeing Ally run towards them with a nurse and the principal by her side.