I woke up and saw my Mum's face above mine as my head rested on her lap. I tried to sit up but it made my head hurt; it felt heavy and sore.
"Don't move Bruce, I'm here now," she said. I looked around the room. I was back with the nurse.
"Mrs Banner, this is the second time Bruce has passed out recently and I'm worried about his health." The nurse spoke slowly, as if she didn't want to panic my Mum.
"Well, we can take you to a doctor, can't we Bruce?" I nodded but the nurse was shaking her head.
"This is not a physical problem Mrs Banner." My Mum gave the nurse a quizzical look. I'd suffered that look many times before. "I'm concerned about Bruce's mental health," the nurse explained. "Bruce has been asked to leave a lesson after shouting at a student. He also appears agitated and on-edge most of the time. I've learnt from his teachers that he hasn't done any lesson work this week, nor handed in homework." I closed my eyes to avoid my Mum's fuming gaze. "Bruce is usually a gentle, hard-working student. He has often come to me after being hit by a bully, but even then he carries on being pleasant." I could sense my Mum's stare hardening at the sound of Bucky. "Could you please inform me of his home life Mrs Banner? That way, I can do my best to steer him back to his lovely, happy self."
"Is all that true Bruce?" My Mum didn't sound angry anymore; she sounded disappointed. In my experience, this was always worse than anger. I nodded and began to cry. She made an attempt to comfort me by patting me on the head. "There has been no change in Bruce's home life at all, thank you." My Mum and the nurse exchanged contact details and then my Mum left. "Trust the nurse Bruce, she's lovely."
I smiled at her and said goodbye, heading back to my seat.
"Tell me everything that's changed since Monday Bruce," the nurse said, poised to make notes on whatever I said. I was going to sugar-coat my week when I had a sudden flashback to kissing Nat. I couldn't keep quiet any longer, and I told the nurse everything; Nat, Tony. Even about Steve.
The nurse finished writing down my week and let me go, with the idea that if I needed to talk again, I'd go and see her straight away. I finally made my way to my Physics lesson with Mr Fury but nothing was ever simple anymore. Opposite the science lab, was Tony. Except he was being held by the scruff of his shirt just like I had been.
"Oi nerd!" Boomed Bucky. I walked past him, and past Tony, pushing the lab door open. "Yeah that's it! Crawl back under your rock, mummy's boy!" That blew it. I threw my bag at the wall and strode back to face Bucky.
"Say that again big head," I said, a slight growl to my voice. Tony started to whine and Bucky pushed his head against the lockers. I felt my fingers close tight into tiny fists of anger. Bucky laughed and his followers followed suit.
"I said, nerd, that you're a mummy's boy so go crawl under your rock. Otherwise your gay nut job friend here will get a beating!" Tony tried to talk but Bucky pushed him harder into the lockers, beginning to block his airways. I walked away from Bucky and his followers, leaving them to laugh at me. Except I turned after walking a couple of metres, and I faced back towards them. Bucky was still laughing, but some of the other boys began to look concerned.
Suddenly, I sprinted at Bucky, leaping onto him. I caught him by surprise and he fell backwards onto the floor, releasing Tony. Some of Bucky's cronies helped Tony up and took him into the science lab. I stood up above Bucky's face, finally taller than him. In a twist of events, I grabbed the scruff of his shirt and pulled him close to my face.
"Never use my mother as an insult again! You hear me?" Bucky nodded slowly. I pulled at his shirt, causing him whiplash to his neck. "I said, do you hear me?" I was starting to shout properly now, my face turning red with the rage I had built up over the years. "And you never lay a finger on any of my friends ever again or I swear I will crush you so hard you will beg me just to send you into oblivion."
I wasn't certain that Bucky would understand what I had said, but I think the longer words intimidated him. I stepped off of him to allow him to stand up. However, before he got to his full height, I punched him right on the nose. Using my other fist, I also punched him under his chin so he fell back onto the floor. My hands were stinging from impact and slightly covered in Bucky's nose bleed, but I ignored them.
Mindlessly, I walked into the Physics room. Mr Fury was teaching the class but this didn't occur to me as being important. I walked straight to the back of the room where Tony was being looked after by the older boys. They saw my reddened fists and left in a hurry, leaving me with Tony.
"What did you say to him Tony?" He turned away and then winced, his neck sore from being bashed into the lockers for so long. "I'm Bucky's favourite. He only picks on you if you say something to him. So please just tell me what you said!" Tony looked at me and for a slight moment, I thought I saw fear in his eyes.
"I told him to leave you alone." I sighed and hugged him.
"That's not all of it. What else Tony?" He nestled his head onto my chest and began cleaning up my hands using a tissue from his pocket.
"Ok clever clogs. I told him to leave you alone and all that, and he said why." I waved my hand for him to go on. "Well then I said because he'd have to go through me instead." He sat up and scanned the room for a bin. I placed my hand on the side of his face and instantly his eyes locked with mine.
"Stop blocking me out Tony. I'm your best friend. I'm like your brother, your science brother! Just tell me what's going on in that large brain of yours." Tears started to form in his eyes and he mumbled something under his breath. "What?" I asked. He repeated himself but still I couldn't hear. "Pardon?" He sighed.
"I like you! A lot!"
The class turned around in their seats and stared at us like we were goldfish in a bowl. Mr Fury did his best to get their attention back to the solar system, but this was prime time gossip right in front of their eyes.
"You mean-" I said half-heartedly. I didn't need to finished my sentence as Tony nodded. A couple of tears fell from his cheeks. I held onto his hand behind our backs so the class couldn't see. I squeezed his hand and he squeezed mine back. I had my friend back.