He could see him coming. Through the crowded halls of McKinley High, Artie could see him. He wasn't looking for some hot piece of you know what or the math dork that did his homework. He had his eyes trained on him, his chair and the stairwell that he had seen many a times...up close.
Artie hunched his shoulders as Azimio approached. He knew what was coming. "Azimio, I know it's not my place to ask, but can you push me down the back staircase. I will still have the same injuries, but it will be less crowded therefore less humiliating."
"Listen cripple, I don't want to do this, I need to do this. It keeps the school hierarchy in order." Azimio responded.
Artie laughed. "I'm surprised you know what hierarchy means."
"Don't push me, Abrams." Azimio said as he started taking off towards the stairs.
The closer he got to the stairs the more Artie started to panic. Then out of the corner of his eye he saw someone he hadn't seen in years…Luc his cousin. Artie had to have been seeing things. It was the panic making him see things. He knew he was in trouble now. He wished there was someone he could scream out to for help, but he couldn't see anyone that would give a damn about a kid in a wheelchair.
Where was Brittany?
Where was Finn?
Where was Quinn…?
Hell, he would even settle for Santana at this stage because all he could focus on was those top steps as they drew nearer. The countdown had started in his head…. 5, 4…
"Azimio, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. Please, we can talk about this right…?" Artie tried to reason, but it was no use, Azimio just kept getting closer to those stairs and ignoring Arties pleas. "PUCK!" Artie screamed trying to get someone to help him… it was no use, it was really too late… all he could do was brace himself for the crash and the inevitable pain that was to follow.
"ARTIE!" Someone screamed.
Azimio stopped to see who was calling his victim. It was the new kid…
"Listen douche, Artie can't go down stairs…or are you too stupid to realize he's in a wheelchair?"
"Lucas! It is you. Help me, please! You have to help me!" Artie began to beg.
"How about you leave Artie alone and pick on someone your own size, big man!" Artie couldn't believe his ears. Lucas was taunting Azimio.
"Or how about I do what I came to do and deal with you later, boy band!" Azimio threatened.
"Lucas don't, please! He has, like, 100 pounds on you at least. Just leave it and get me away from here, please Luc." Artie begged.
"Boy band, huh, that's a new one. What else you got?" Lucas was baiting Azimio. Artie knew he was in trouble as soon as Luc began to talk. Luc was always getting them into trouble, but this time it was different. Luc wasn't on his crutches anymore.
How? When…? What happened? Artie thought.
"He goes down those stairs, big man, and you will have to deal with me." Luc Threatened.
Azimio just laughed. "You and what Army? Your boy band?"
"Do it and find out" Luc said angrily.
"Catch." Azimio sneered…and Artie was launched down the stairs….
"Catch me" Artie screamed, to the people on the stairs.
The next thing Luc knew, Artie had careened into the wall and fell out of his chair. So he did the only thing he could…he charged Azimio, hoping that he would be able to get in some good hits before the jock realized what was happening.
Collecting Azimio underneath the ribs, Luc sent him barreling into the wall.
"Ugh" Azimio grunted. "You little punk" He grabbed Luc by the collar and slammed him into the wall, reversing positions. The people around them started screaming "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Using one of the knee braces hidden underneath his jeans, Luc kneed Azimio in the ribs. Azimio collapsed down to one knee and Lucas began to go to town on him. Hook. Hook. Hook. And Azimio finally hit the floor with blood pouring from a cut above his eye.
"That was for Artie." Lucas puffed.
Artie…where was he? Was he ok? Luc went to the stairs and saw someone he thought he'd never see again in his life. It was Ana. She was directing traffic, trying to get Artie back in his chair. It was then that Luc was hit from behind.
It was Azimio and this time he had back up. By the looks of things, the other guy was the Peanut butter to Azimio's Jelly; the nail to his hammer. Luc was in trouble.
"Ugh" Luc grunted as fists began to rain down on him; one after another. Exhausted from his previous fight with just Azimio, there was no way Luc was going to be any match for the both of them, even with Azimio sporting damage from a few minutes ago. Luc slid back-first down the wall as the jocks began to put the boots in. Then someone screamed.
"Get off him Karofsky, he's had enough. Someone get Schuester! Finn you gotta help me get him outta here!" The voice said.
That was the final thing Luc heard before hitting his head on the wall. He began to feel sleepy. He tried to stay awake, but it was too much…he slipped into unconsciousness as he was getting lifted on his feet,
When Luc came to, the two people who had pulled Azimio and who he had to assume was Karofsky off of him were dragging him to what looked to be the boy's bathroom.
"Artie?" he whispered questionably.
"Finn, I think he's awake" said the shorter but obviously more solid one. They eased him into a chair inside the bathroom as Lucas questioned again.
"Artie?" The taller one responded. "He's on his way to the hospital. He has a couple of broken fingers. It could have been a lot worse, but Santana saw him come off the top step and pushed some freshmen into the way so he landed on them instead of falling down the stairs. It was weird; I've never even seen her talk to him before."
"Put pressure on that cut" said the one with the Mohawk as he handed him a towel.
"Listen guys, thanks for pulling those behemoths off of me, but I have to go check on Artie." Lucas explained, throwing the towel onto a basin in the bathroom.
"I don't know who you are, but thanks for having my boy's back. It's not often that someone goes against two linebackers and comes out in half decent shape." The one with the Mohawk said.
"I just did what you two should be doing! Protecting the smaller guys. Bullying isn't right, why didn't anyone help him? He was launched down the stairs in a W-H-E-E-L-C-H-A-I-R. THAT'S NOT RIGHT!" Luc was starting to get furious.
With that, the door burst open and in came some teacher with a Jeri curl and a small Pakistani teacher that Lucas recognized as the principal.
"Puckerman, Hudson my office now!" Barked Figgins.
"What happened here guys?" Jeri curl asked worriedly.
"New guy pummeled Azimio for pushing Artie down the staircase, Mr. Shue." The taller one explained.
"Then that punk Karofsky jumped in and laid a beat down because he won…" The Mohawk sporting jock chuckled.
"Mr. Abrams, until an official investigation can get underway you are hereby suspended. Now, I recommend you get yourself to a hospital and get yourself cleaned up" With that said, Figgins retreated from the boy's bathroom.
"Well, it was nice while it lasted." Lucas sighed, feeling defeated.
"Mr. Schue. You can't let him be suspended. He was just defending Artie." The Mohawk jock burst out in his defence.
"It's not happening, Puck. Don't worry." Mr. Schue said. "Lucas, go to hospital, check up on Artie and get cleaned up whilst I talk to Figgins"
Lucas limped out of the bathroom, only turning back to mumble an appreciative thank you to the three…
The three men shared a series a bewildered glances and after a moment of silence, what Figgins said hit Finn.
"Hold up did Figgins…just say Abrams?"
A/n- So that is the first chapter of my story… um just want to thank a couple of people for nagging me to get this up and helping me out without being asked… seriously a massive thanks goes to- Starz of Draco, Violet-Shadow , DryadSpeaks and last but not least GLEEful Heart. Hope I did you guys justice.
Ok so I know I didn't explain a lot of things and left a lot of things open but I hope you trust me enough to keep reading and learn more about where I am taking this. Any reviews or advice will be greatly appreciated.