Here's the actual first chapter. Enjoy. ^_^
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"Hey you little bastard! Get your ass up and get to school before I black your other eye!" A deep voice startled the 16 year old out of his light slumber. Phil Brooks groaned as he quickly rolled out of bed, his ribs and head protesting as his receipt from the beating from his drunken father last night. He took a quick shower, drying off and throwing on a pair of old jean with holes in the knees, an old faded Green Day shirt and his worn black chucks. He glanced in the mirror, lifting his shirt and looking down at his mid-section, surveying the damage done.
Purple and blue bruises littered his mid-section that were shaped like a fist; he had a shiner below his left eye from where his Dad punched him. "Oh fuck..." He mumbled as he gently touched it. How was he going to cover this one up? He could always lie and say one of the jocks did it if anyone asked... Phil snorted. 'Right like anyone cares enough about me to ask... hah... I'm fine.' he thought as he grabbed his Rancid hoodie and tugged it on, pulling his hood over his head.
He checked his watch. '7:03'. "Shit!" He hissed as he grabbed his backpack and rushed out the door, thankfully avoiding a confrontation with his father who was still probably drunk off his ass. He flew down the steps not even seeing the two girls until he collided with them and making them drop their books. 'Oh fuck... what a way to start a new semester... knocking down April Mendez and Kaitlyn Bonin... The jocks would be out for him for sure... Good job Brooks!'
"Oh fuck… I'm… so sorry… I wasn't… watching where I was going…" He mumbled avoiding their gaze, pulling his hood further over his face as he picked their stuff up from them, handing it to them.
AJ glanced at him in concern, noticing the black mark beneath his eye.
"It's fine, don't worry," Kaitlyn assured him, taking her books from him with a smile and nudging AJ to take hers. "We're fine. Right April?" The smaller girl nodded and smiled as well.
"Fine," she agreed.
"Oh... Okay... I'm... Uh sorry again..." Phil mumbled subconsciously wrapping an arm around his midsection which was aching from how hard one of their books caught him. He noticed AJ staring at him and made an attempt to further hide his face, knowing she had to have seen the bruise. 'She's probably thinking I deserve it anyways...'
"I uh... I got to get to school..." Phil mumbled, feeling uncomfortable under AJ's gaze. He shivered, knowing he had to get away before she started asking questions he didn't want to answer. He could just hear 'So who kicked your ass?' on the tip of her tongue followed by snarky laughter from both AJ and Kaitlyn.
"Well so do we, why don't you just walk with us?" AJ suggested, Kaitlyn nodding in agreement.
"We're all going in the same direction anyway, so what's the point of splitting up?" she added, beginning to lead the way up the street.
"Why? So your friends can kick my ass?" Phil snorted out before he could stop himself. He chewed on his lip ring and instantly avoided their gaze. His hand tightened around his backpack strap.
"Which of our friends are going to kick your ass?" AJ snorted. "Rollins? Adam? Remember we're nerds. We do more of the being pushed into lockers rather than the pushing."
"I wasn't talking about you..." Phil muttered as he glanced at Kaitlyn. He sighed and turned his back to them, staring to walk to school before he was late or jumped by one of the popular kids.
"April's my best friend," Kaitlyn sighed. "I don't want to be popular. Really. I just kinda fell into it. None of them are going to jump you on my watch."
The two girls fell into step with Phil, AJ adding a little skip to her step every so often.
Phil sighed and mumbled, "I don't need a body guard..." his arm wrapping tightly around his midsection, keeping his distance from the two girls. He still remembered when Kaitlyn and AJ stood there and watched last semester as Kelly Blank poured a coke over his head during lunch when he accidently bumped into her. He didn't mean too... Cody had shoved him...
He didn't have to look to know AJ was staring at him... at his shiner... 'Damn... so much for using the jocks' as an excuse...'
"It's not a body guard," Kaitlyn protested. "Its three people walking to school that just happen to be going in the same direction." AJ nodded and tore her gaze away from Phil as she jumped over a small hole in the footpath.
"What's your problem with us anyway?" AJ asked, truly curious. "We haven't done anything to you."
"Nothing... just nothing..." He groaned quietly, gritting his teeth against the pain. His ribs were killing him, and this is exactly why he wanted to walk alone, so he didn't have to mask the pain as much as he was having to.
"It's not you... it's me... I like my solitude..." He lied, cringing. His excuse seemed lame even to him... 'Using a break up line... really Punk?' he thought, shaking his head. The school was only a few blocks away and Punk had never been so happy, hopefully he could avoid more anymore of AJ's questions long enough until they reached the hell hole he called school.
"Break up line, really?" April laughed, Kaitlyn shaking her head in amusement. "Maybe you should try again."
Kaitlyn laughed and cuffed AJ lightly round the back of her head, the two girls falling into silence.
"I'm not a people person. I especially don't like hanging out with those who stand by and watch... never mind..." Phil muttered keeping his eyes firmly on the ground as they approached the school.
Phil let out a pained grunt, yelping and dropping to his knees, holding his midsection. It felt like a jolt of lightening as a fist collided with his already bruised ribs. "Fuck..." Punk whimpered biting down on his lip ring to avoid crying out and giving the man above him any satisfaction.
"Was he bothering you?" Dolph Ziggler asked crossing his arms and winking at Kait and AJ.
Kaitlyn crossed her arms and glared at Ziggler. "You remember what I did to you last semester when you grabbed my ass?" she spat. "Now don't you think I could do the same to him if he was bothering me?" AJ cursed under her breath and knelt to help Punk, trusting Kaitlyn to have her back.
"Are you alright?" she asked softly, one hand hovering lightly over his back.
"G-Get off me..." Punk groaned as he tried to take a deep breath, finding it nearly impossible to inhale. "D-Don't... Don't t-t-touch me..." Punk whimpered, his body trembling as he tried to put the 'tough guy act' on, finding it impossible.
"Just... get away from me..." Punk tried again, feeling AJ's hand resting on his back. He knew she was just trying to help him, but he knew this would happen. Ziggler had it bad for Kaitlyn... he was a dude seen with AJ and Kaitlyn...
"Not a chance," AJ muttered, resting a hand on his arm. "You're hurt, and I'll be damned if I leave you here alone."
"Why would you even hit him?" Kaitlyn cursed at Ziggler, glaring at him. "I've told you a million times. I'm not interested in you!" She knelt on the other side of Punk and slung his arm around her shoulder.
"I love when you play hard to get baby..." Ziggler smirked and nudged Punk hard with his foot. "See you later asswipe." He smirked and walked away, fist bumping Miz and Riley.
"Get off me..." Phil whimpered pulling away from them, trying to take a deep breath and find it nearly impossible. "I... I'm fine... I'll be fine..." He lied as he pulled away from them trying to stand on his own. If his drunken father hadn't beaten the daylights out of him the night before he might've been fine, but that coupled with Ziggler's assault made it almost unbearable.
"Aww... Look at the little baby... Needs women to help him..." Riley teased with a smirk as Punk growled and forced himself to stand, storming away from AJ and Kaitlyn, leaving his backpack behind. He bypassed the school and kept walking. 'Fuck the first day of school...' he thought, fully intending to ditch.
Kaitlyn rose to her feet and handed Punks backpack to AJ, motioning her friend to go after him.
"Why can't you just leave him alone?" she snapped, stepping right into Riley's personal space. "You two are such jerks. She brought her foot up and kicked Riley's shin with all her strength, pairing it with a sharp punch to his chest before she shoved her way past the two jocks.
"Wait up!" AJ yelled, chasing after Punk.
Punk groaned quickening his pace, turning the corner, disappearing into one of the alley ways. He pressed his back against the wall and slid down with his knees to his chest. He wrapped his arms around them and buried his face in them.
His ribs ached horribly. He always remembered being in pain thanks to his dear old dad... but nothing compared to this. Not even when he dad broke a beer bottle over his head... He just wanted to run away... he was only 16 and ready he hated his existence and had had enough of life... not that anyone cared.
He felt his eyes stinging, tears threatening to spill. He groaned and pulled his hood over his head, he was sick and tired of being pushed around by everyone in his life...
"Hey, there you are," AJ said, following him into the alley. "You left your backpack behind." She knelt beside him and placed the backpack next to him. "I'm sorry that we got you into that with Ziggler. He really annoys Kaitlyn, she wants nothing to do with him and he just won't let up."
"She's always telling him to leave her alone, but he seems to just keep getting jealous when he sees her with anyone else. We were hoping that he'd give it up this semester, but I guess not. Are you ok?"
"I told you your friends would kick my ass…" Punk shielded his eyes from her as he felt the tears about to fall, looking down at his back pack. "I'm fine... and... Thank you… for not tossing it the trash…" he mumbled quietly, knowing that even to his him his voice sounded upset, hoping AJ couldn't tell the difference. He kept his face buried in his folded arms.
"You should get to class… you don't have much time before the bell rings…" He mumbled quietly as he took a shuddering breath that his ribs protested against. "I'm not going today… And I don't want to be the reason you're late."
"I would never trash it," AJ said, gently nudging his arm with her elbow. "And you're right, I probably should go." She stood and moved to the opening of the alley before she looked back.
"I know we're not friends or anything," she started softly. "But if you want someone to talk to about those bruises of yours, I'm here to listen. And Kait or I will collect some of your homework or something if you don't show up. Can't have you falling behind in class." She favored him with a bright smile before she headed back to school.
Punk waited for her to leave before burying his hands in his blonde locks and letting out a choked sob, the tears finally falling. The fucked up thing was that he knew he had to go to school or else they'd call his parents to check up on why he wasn't there the first day. Then when he got home the beating would be that much more severe. He knew that AJ knew that.
He roughly wiped his tears with the sleeve of his hoodie, taking a deep breath to get himself together before he grabbed his back pack and slung it over his shoulder, letting out a grunt of pain. He stood up and walked back to the school, seeing AJ two blocks in front of him.
He slowed his pace slightly not wanting her to see him like he was, letting out a quiet sigh. He waited for the bell to ring before he walked up the steps, looking at his paper. 'First period History with Mrs. Dumas... fun...' He hoped AJ wasn't in it with him.
Seth glanced up from his desk where he'd already set out his notebook and pen, to see a scowling Punk walk into the room. He glanced around the room and sighed when he realized the only desk free was the one next to him and shifted his bag over to the other side of the desk.
Phil groaned when he realized he'd be stuck by one of AJ's best friends... 'Great job Punk.' He thought as he walked over and sat down.
"Mr. Brooks. You're five minutes late. In my class you will be respectful by showing up on time. Don't let it happen again." Ms. Dumas chastised as Punk nodded, swallowing thickly as all eyes locked on him. He heard Riley snickering from the back of the class. "Loser!" he coughed to cover it up as Ms. Dumas glared at him but said nothing.
Phil sighed and buried his face in his palms. He hated school already.
Phil couldn't even focus on the material because Riley kept tossing rolled up pieces of paper at the back of his head. Phil grit his teeth feeling his eyes well up with tears of frustration. As soon as the bell rung signaling that the class was over, Ms. Dumas wrote the homework on the board but Punk flew out the door, not bothering to write it down. He didn't care... He had to get out of that room.
Seth scribbled the homework down on two pieces of paper. His dad was a cop, and they only lived a few blocks away from the Brooks. Seth had heard there had been several calls from Phil's neighbors about drunk and disorderly behavior when he visited his Dad at work. Combined with the shiner under Phil's eye and he was willing to bet that the other boy was looking to get out of his home environment. Seth knew the best way for him to do that was to end up with a scholarship, which meant his grades couldn't slip.
And after constant torment from Riley and his friends himself, Seth certainly wasn't going to let the jock push Phil's buttons until he caved and got himself stuck in the same place his dad seemed to be.
Punk quickly located his locker to shove his back pack into. His hands were shaking as he pulled a pen and a single notebook out, looking at his sheet. 'Second period Math with Mr. Michaels'. He groaned, math was his least favorite subject. 'Great...' he thought when he saw Rollins walking through the crowded hallways with AJ and Kaitlyn. Punk slammed his locker and rushed in the other direction, accidently bumping into a wall made of muscle.
"I'm so sor-" he didn't get to finish his apology as Randy Orton grabbed him by his hoodie and lifted him off his feet, slamming him into the metal locker. "How about you watch where you're fucking going Brooks!" Randy growled in his face. Phil yelped as Randy brought his knee up to his tender midsection.
"No... please stop..." He coughed as he tried to push the larger male off of him to no avail. Randy brought his knee up again. Phil coughed, letting out a whimper as students crowded around them. "Get him Randy..." Riley urged with a smirk.
"Kick his ass!" Miz yelled.
Roman Reigns watched silently as the beating took place. What was he supposed to do? The guy should watch where he walks; everyone knew Orton had a temper on him. He glanced around feeling slightly bad for the smaller male, finding something else to look at. He saw that weird psycho kid, Dean Ambrose leaning against the wall, simply watching the exchange with mild interest. Then his gaze locked on the quickly approaching Seth Rollins with his two friends AJ and Kaitlyn by his side.
He'd heard about Ziggler's stunt this morning... 'This should be interesting...' he thought to himself.
"What the fuck Orton?" Kaitlyn yelled, feeling really bad for Punk. Beat up on that morning by Ziggler, and Seth had told her about History. "It was an accident, let it go!"
"No! Back off Kait! This isn't your damn business" Randy growled before driving his elbow into Punk's rib cage.
"Come on pussy! Fight back!" Ziggler yelled from the 'sidelines'.
"He won't! He's too much of a bitch for that." Miz exclaimed with a smirk.
Randy pressed his fore arm across Punk's throat hissing "You're not man enough to hit me... are you boy?"
Phil gasped for air, getting slightly lightheaded as Randy applied more pressure. Randy sounded so much like his father... He felt like he was going to pass out until Randy was pulled off of him and slammed into the locker next to him. Punk fell to his knees, gasping for much needed air.
His hands were shaking as he picked up his pen and notebook that he'd dropped when he collided with Randy. He looked up to see the usually silent pale skinned ginger male he knew as 'Sheamus'.
"Go on to class fella... I got him..." He told him in his thick Irish accent. Punk scrambled through the crowd trying to avoid AJ, Kait and Seth.
"Don't you get bored of picking on those who can't fight back Randal? How bout you fight me? You want a fight? I'll be more than happy... And I do fight back." Sheamus warned lowly as Randy silently shook his head. "Good and let that be a lesson to ya fella" he hissed before shoving Randy a final time and leaving through the crowd of jocks that parted for him.
"Thank fuck for Sheamus," Adam commented, coming up beside Kaitlyn and AJ.
"Nice of everyone else to stand back and let it happen though," AJ cursed, stomping over to her locker.
"Things happen April," Seth sighed, giving his friends a short wave before he hurried off to English. Kaitlyn hugged her shorter friend around the shoulders briefly.
"I have math with Mr. Hart," she explained briefly. "You know how he hates it when we're late..." AJ gave a little huff and nodded, shooing her best friend off. Kaitlyn hurried off, and left Adam and AJ to walk to their own class.
"Mr. Michaels' math class?" April asked, Adam nodding his head and walking down the hallway with her.
Phil sat in the back of the room, his cheeks burning with shame. He was thankful Sheamus had been there or it could've been worse... Randy could've choked him out if he was so inclined to.
"Oh fuck..." he cursed when he saw April and Adam walking in. 'Great! Just great! Don't see me, don't see me, don't see me, please don't see me...' he mentally pleaded as he pulled his hood over his head. He felt like he was going to throw up... Randy's knees to the midsection didn't help at all... Hell he'd be lucky at this rate to make it to tomorrow, let alone to PE with Mr. Lesner...
He focused on taking deep breaths, trying to relax against the hard plastic seat, finding it next to impossible to…
AJ noticed Phil at the back of the room, she wasn't stupid. But from his behavior she could tell that he obviously didn't want to be noticed, so she took the desk a few rows in front of him, with Adam next to her.
"Did you see...?" Adam started, April giving a sharp nod.
"He doesn't want to be acknowledged, let's give him his privacy," she replied, her tone low. Adam shrugged and pulled his books out in reply, respecting AJs wishes.
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We'll have Chapter 2 along shortly. Hope you guys enjoyed it, be sure to drop a review and let us know what you think.
~ Cal & P2