The rest of lunch was uneventful. Kari and TK were left alone, mainly the guys were afraid of Kari attempting to kill them. And the girls stayed away from TK because they were afraid of Kari attempting to kill them. TK left for Kari's math class, thinking that should be manageable. They both had about the same level math skills. Kari left to go to TK's language class. After they split up, a large guy, who was obviously pissed, stopped Kari in the hall.
"What you think you were doing with Katie?" Now Kari was kind of confused. She did not do anything to Katie. Katie was one of the cheerleaders Kari sat with earlier. Kari could not think of anything TK did. Oh Damn! Katie was the one who ran her hand across Kari's leg, thinking it was TK.
"Oh, that. Sorry about that. Won't happen again, I don't even want to be with her." There was some truth in that. "I have a girlfriend, don't worry." There, a nice apology should solve the problem. Kari forgot that male social interaction is one hell of a lot different from females. The guy shoved her in the shoulders, and she was forced backward.
"You calling my girl ugly?" This guy was crazy, and Kari had never been in a fight before, so she was really scared.
"No, it's not that, it just..."
"So you saying a pretty boy like you can have two girls?" Kari couldn't think. She was just too scared.
"Calm down..." Kari was so scared she was almost begging.
"I don't got to do what you say," and with that he shoved her again, into a locker. Kari's head hit the locker and she was momentarily shaken. She now really couldn't think. She believed she was about to be killed, genuinely. The guy hit her hard in the stomach, and she lost all breath. "You stay away from my girl." The guy left Kari gasping for breath on the floor.
When Kari was able to breathe, she looked around. A few people saw what happened, but no one came over. Eventually, Kari hauled herself to her feet. A passing guy that TK must have known commented.
"Come on man, he didn't get you that hard. Your taking the hit like a girl." Kari was insulted. Of course she was taking a hit like a girl. But she remembered she was in TK's body, and had to act the part. Much to her loathing, she straitened out, cracked a smile, and spoke.
"Sorry, just caught me off guard when he hits me like a girl." Kari laughed a bit, TK's friend didn't.
"You better not let John hear you say that, man. He'll pulverize you. Come on, we late already."
"You go ahead, I got to go to the bathroom first." TK's friend went off to language class, and Kari went to the boy's bathroom. She was still feeling faint, and nauseous. She wondered why TK's body still felt the same as hers when hit. Was pain part of the mind? Did it feel the same for both and boys can take pain better? Or did just the fear of ridicule make boys take pain better?