Author: Jen
Author's Note: A Joey/Chandler story about if Joey and Chandler went to the same high school. Events and facts from the show will not line up. Warning: bullying themes
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own anything or any of the characters
A/N: Chandler has become the jocks' new target to torture at his new school until someone unexpected has a change of heart.
I'm running as fast as I can. This week in gym has been flag football, but I'm not running for the game, I'm running for my life. I'm running because they're chasing me. A group of jocks that have decided I'm their number one target this year. I don't know how I became their favorite, but I have. If they catch me they will pound me as hard as they can into the ground. They will call it an accident and get away with it too because the teacher is also the football coach.
Therefore, I've gotten good at running these past few months. I guess when you do it enough, you actually get good and fast. I make sharp turns, confusing them with diagonal sprints. Today, I outrun them, but I know that will only make things worse later. If they can't shove me to the ground during gym, then they need to after school. It's a constant chase.
When gym ends, everyone files into the boys' locker room, I always stall and pretend to take my sweet time, trying to avoid going in for as long as I can. But a teacher always finds me dilly dallying outside and yells at me to get changed before the bell rings. So, I'm pushed inside and I have to face them. I hurry to my locker and start turning the lock with my code.
"Looks like chicken legs got away today," one of the jocks, Brett, immediately sneers.
I ignore them and continue with my lock, but the second I start to open my locker door, they slam it shut.
"See you after school," Chase hisses over my shoulder with an evil smile.
They purposely shove past me as they walk out.
I quickly change and rush to science class.
After science class, I head to my locker to switch some of my books. I'm greeted with notes shoved in my locker, as usual. They are always on the bright yellow notepad paper, I'm not really sure why it always has to be on bright yellow paper, maybe they think I won't notice them otherwise? The notes usually remind me of how ugly I am, that I'm the biggest loser in the school, that my clothes are on another level of dorkness or that I'm a scared chicken. At this point, I don't even read them anymore, I simply crumple them up and throw them in the trash. I'm so used to it now, it can't bother me anymore then my own thoughts do anyway.
The funny thing is, these jocks never actually never make fun of me for being gay. I'm not sure if they know my sexuality, but I've never seen a note mention it or hear them yelling some homophobic while they shove me into small places. I think it's pretty obvious I'm gay, but who knows, I am new at this school. Of course, the only thing people focus on is the fact that my mom writes erotic novels. That's why things always go downhill for me, that's how it started here too.
I grab my math textbook, close my locker and then toss the crumbled hate notes into the trash.
In my next class, I'm sitting next to one of the jocks, Joey. He's the quietest one - the safest one, I like to think. He follows the other jocks everywhere, but he never leads any of the violence or incessant ridicule. It's always Chase or Brett leading, I guess they hate me the most. So, I'm not as scared for my well-being while in the same class as Joey, but I still have to be on alert just in case.
It's the last class of the day now, so Joey has his football bag sitting next to his desk. He'll head to practice with Brett and Chase, but only after they get a hold of me and shove me against a locker or something else painful. It doesn't help that I'm so close in proximity to one of them in my last class, but I'm lucky it's Joey. Like I said, he never leads it so he has never held me hostage while the others get to us. Instead, I'm able to leave with the rest of the class and then it's a matter of seeing if I can escape on my way out before they catch me.
Since this is an everyday occurrence now, I have learned to never waste time returning to my locker, it's the easiest place for them to trap me. So, I grab my backpack and anything else I need so I can run for it after math is done. Unfortunately, they figured this out pretty quickly, so now they wait for me at the exits. Recently, I have tried changing my route to emergency exits by the stairs, but they caught onto this too. So, now, I just hope I can outrun them.
The bell rings and I always make sure to hide myself in between other students as I hurry out the room, away from Joey and hopefully get a head start before Brett or Chase find me. I sprint for a staircase further away, hoping they won't anticipate this, but today Chase has decided to wait in the courtyard right outside this staircase as if he was expecting this exactly. I stop short and turn around, but Brett is already running down the hall behind me. I jump back up the stairs and dash up to the second floor even though I know there's no way out. I figure my best bet today is hiding. I find an empty science classroom and hide in a storage cabinet under one of the lab tables. Luckily, I am small enough to fit and thankfully, they run out of time looking for me when I hear the school buses pulling away. I know when the buses leave, their practice starts. So I should be safe now.
The next day, I'm more on edge because I know the jocks will be livid they couldn't smack me around yesterday. I know they will make it their mission to catch to me today.
It's worse than I think, they go out of their way today. They show up at my lunch period, they aren't in my lunch period. This means they're missing class to find me. Luckily, I catch sight of them walking in before they spot me. So, I duck low and sneak out a side exit. I make a break for it and I escape. I hide until lunch ends and sneak to my next class.
Due to missing lunch, I'm starving the rest of the day. I guess it's worth missing lunch over a beating.
I'm at my locker, trying to find some loose change I can spare for the vending machine. I'm so focused on digging for extra quarters that I almost don't notice the lack of yellow today. I stand back when I realize it. No notes? This makes no sense, there are always notes. I know I should be happy or relived, but I'm too perplexed to celebrate and in fact, it worries me even more.
I close my locker, nervous they are about to attack at any moment. Unfortunately, my next class is gym. I'm so on edge, I wimp out and go to the nurse claiming I injured my ankle. They don't believe me, but they let me rest with ice for the period and I get to miss gym. I know I can't play this card everyday, trust me I've tried, but I haven't done it in a while.
When I arrive to math class, I'm so nervous this is the day Joey will turn on me. They must be furious with me, especially since they came looking for me at lunch and now I skipped gym too. I have a knot in my stomach as I sit down next to him. I hate that the teacher put me next to Joey. Why is every teacher against me? Why is everyone against me?
I open my text book and pretend to read so I don't have to even look at Joey.
As the class is nearing the end, my foot won't stop shaking. I'm convinced, completely convinced today is the day Joey grabs me and holds me down until Brett and Chase get here. Today is the day they will pound me until I can't see.
The teacher asks us all to hand in our workbooks that were due today. Joey leans down to unzip his gym bag to find his workbook. I take this opportunity to hurry and hand mine in, still trying to avoid any opportunity for him to trip or shove me. I get back to my desk as Joey is making his way to the teacher's desk. I sit back down, when something catches my eye. I look down at Joey's open bag and stare in disbelief. I see crumpled up, yellow notepad paper.
Joey returns and I snap my head forward again. My heart starts racing. I try to think this through. Maybe he takes notes for class on that same paper or they're just his homework - nothing to do with me. But I have never seen him with a yellow notepad. I would remember if I did, I cringe every time I see a dumb yellow notepad paper now. Why are they in his bag? My mind won't stop, my heartbeat won't slow down and I have to make a run for it in five more minutes. I can barely breathe, as I try to think of any explanation.
The bell rings and I jolt up from my seat. But instead of making a break for it, I stop.
As the classroom begins to empty, I turn to Joey and he looks at me. Neither of us move.
"Why aren't you running?" he surprisingly asks me.
I gulp down a huge ball of fear.
"Why aren't you chasing me?" I question him back.
The last of our classmates are leaving, the room will be empty in a few more seconds and I already lost all of my head start that I usually have.
I don't look away and neither does he.
"I think you should start running," he tells me.
I don't waste anymore time, I grab my bag and sprint out the door. I have no plan or strategy this time, I just run for my life. Brett and Chase are running after me almost immediately. I run for the front doors and decide to run between the line of buses hoping they lose sight of me. I weave in between the large vehicles and when I think I'm out of their sight for a moment, I swiftly jump through one of the open doors and onto a bus. I stay low and hurry down the aisle when the driver stands up and yells at me.
"Hey, excuse me young man. I don't believe you belong on this bus," he calls, but I stay hidden behind a seat hoping he will sit back down and stop yelling.
"Excuse me!" he yells even louder.
More students walk onto the bus and I still haven't moved from my crouched hiding position. The large man approaches my row and I look up to see the driver staring down at me.
"Oh, am I on the wrong bus?" I stammer out.
"Yes, didn't you hear me?" he responds in a booming voice.
"Sorry," I say, but stay frozen hoping I can hold out enough time for the jocks to give up.
"Well, I believe you need to exit the bus - now," the driver demands.
I nod at him, but still don't make a move.
"Son, don't make me call security," he threatens and I immediately jump up from the seat.
"I'm going, I'm going," I say.
He walks in front of me, back to his seat as my eyes are darting out every window looking for them.
I don't see them. I walk down the couple of steps and start speedily walking to the street to walk home.
I start running again, but suddenly my backpack yanks me backward and I fall down.
They found me.