The Next Day

Greg was really, really bored. He was in biology. With Mr Grissom. And they were still on bugs. He had managed to tune Mr Grissom out of his head completely. He just wished that Danny hadn't been moved to the other side of the room the week before for talking too much. Greg glanced over to where Danny was sitting, looking equally as bored. He caught his eye and pulled a funny face. Danny snorted.

Grissom (imagine there's a 'mr' in front of every Grissom, I don't like having to write it every time) looked up from the board on which he had been drawing a diagram of fly, 'Is something the matter, Mr Messer?'

Danny tried to hide a smile, 'No sir, nothing at all.'

'Surely there's a joke that making you laugh. I'm sure we'd all like to hear it.'

'Nah, no joke.'

'Hmmmm. I have the feeling that Mr Sanders had a hand in this, correct?'

Greg opened his eyes wide and did his best innocent expression, 'Me sir? I know nothing of why Danny is laughing.'

Danny snorted with laughter again and Greg glared at him.

'Mr Sanders,' Grissom sighed, 'Do be so kind as to stay behind for a minute after class.'

'What!' cried Greg, 'Why?' he demanded.

'Because you've already interrupted my class and now you're talking back to me. Now be quiet and listen.'

Greg slumped in his seat sulking. Danny grinned at him from across the room. Greg glared at him, mouthing the words, 'I'll get you later' at him. Danny just grinned and mouthed, 'ooh I'm scared' back at him.

The lesson dragged on but eventually it finished. Greg hung back as everyone else left the room. At last it was only him and Grissom left in the classroom.

'Sir can we hurry this up a little please? I have class to get to.' Greg said, he was still a little sulky about getting held behind.

'Sure. I just want to know, how did you get those bruises on your face?'

Greg was momentarily stunned. Why the hell did he care about what happened to Greg? It became clear to Greg why he had been kept behind after class. But he wasn't about to sell out Nick. Firstly, because he wasn't a tattle tale and secondly because if he told, Nick would get into trouble, which meant bigger trouble for him.

So Greg just said, 'Nothing sir. Nothing at all.'

'Something must have happened to have got you those bruises.'

'Walked into a door, something like that. Slept funny, I don't know.'

Grissom laughed. He actually laughed.

'Sure Sanders, that's a good one. What really happened?'

'Nothing! I keep telling you! Nothing happened! Why are you so interested anyways?'

'You're one of my students, Greg. I'm just looking out for you,' he looked slightly uneasy, 'is……is everything okay at home?'

Greg froze. He had not, had NOT just asked him that question. Greg felt his blood boil and his temper rise.

'With respect, sir,' he tried to keep his voice level, 'You have no idea what the hell you are talking about. No idea at all. You think you can make assumptions about me, about what goes on in my house, about my father. Well you can't okay? You can't. You have no right. You have no right at all.'

'Greg, listen,' Grissom tried to interject.

'No, sir, you listen. My father would never hurt me. Never. You got that? You want to know how I got these bruises? I'm in high school. I'm a geek. I'm unpopular. Figure it out. If you can actually use your brain properly!'

And with that he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him, before Grissom could say anything else.

Sara was waiting for him outside the classroom. She had heard him start to yell and had been about to go into the room when he came storming out.

'Greg,' she said, grabbing his arm.

'What?' he turned round.

'Are you okay?' she asked gently.

'Oh yeah, just peachy.' He replied sarcastically.

She looked him in the eye, 'Seriously.'

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, 'He practically just said that he thought my dad was abusing me. He asks me about the bruises and then was just like, is everything alright at home! Can you believe that?'

'Yes.'

'What the fuck? Whose side are you on?'

She sighed, 'Yours, of course. But, Greg, people are going to make assumptions about stuff like that. They like to gossip. And you haven't told anyone about what Nick does.'

'That's because I'm not a snitch,' he interrupted her.

'Of course not, but I just think you should make it stop.'

'Easy for you to say.'

'Oh Greg stop being so melodramatic!'

'I'm sorry, it just pissed me off.'

'I know.'

'Forgive me?' he looked at her with his big brown eyes and she melted.

'How could I not, when you unleash those eyes on me?!'

'I know,' he grinned, 'But it seriously just annoyed me so bad.'

'What did?' a taunting voice asked from behind him. Greg clenched his fists. Nick Stokes just wouldn't give up. He had had enough.

'C'mon,' he muttered to Sara and they started to walk away.

'Don't you walk away from me, Sanders,' Nick called.

'Watch me,' yelled Greg over his shoulder.

Nick felt himself get angry. He wasn't used to people disobeying him. He ran up behind Greg and grabbed his arm to stop him. Greg stopped. He turned to face Nick.

'Get your hand off of me,' he said quietly and coldly, looking Nick straight in the eyes.

Nick didn't move.

'I said, get your hand off of me,' Greg repeated equally as quietly and coldly, maintaining the unnerving eye contact with Nick.

Nick found himself letting go. There was something about the way Greg was looking at him, like the previous day, just looking right into him, sifting through his thoughts and finding his weaknesses.

'You think just because I'm not as popular as you, not as athletic, because I'm smarter, a geek, whatever, you own me. You can do whatever you want with me. You can hurt me, you can taunt me, and you can make fun of me. Well I've got news for you, Nick. You don't own me. You can't do whatever you want with me. So don't come near me again. Don't talk to me. Don't you ever touch me again. Me, or Sara, or any of my friends. Because I swear, if you do, I will NOT be held responsible for my actions. I am not here, as far as you are concerned, because i certainly wish you weren't here. Come on Sara,' he finished, putting his hand around her as they started to walk off.

'This isn't over Sanders!' Nick shouted at him.

Greg stopped, turned to face Nick and walked back to him, 'You see that's where you're wrong. Because, you know, it is over. God's sakes, it should've never begun. You're a bully and a coward Nick Stokes and I hope you rot in hell.'

Greg turned back to Sara and they walked away, leaving Nick in the corridor, surrounded by a crowd of gawking students, his face red, and his pride well and truly dented.


So another chapter! Sorry it took me so long to get it up! But now it is! Yay! Do read and review, I always love to read the reviews, they make my day brighter!

Elby x