A/N: Chapter 4, again, this is out surprisingly quickly. sorry if its not very good.
and also, I do not own this (at least the source material)
Chapter 4
The Math period was dull and unimportant to note. Me and Damien were not sat together (and the lesson was only simple algebra) due to the math teacher having a seating plan and I was stuck between Kenneth McCormick and Stanley Marsh. Kenneth (or Kenny to everyone else) was a tall teen of around 6'0, somewhat long, unkempt blond hair, wide blue eyes and a sharp, handsome face that he was renowned for using to enchant many (male or female, he'd pretty much shag anyone) wearing the same bright orange parka he had since young childhood. He hadn't changed much personality wise, from what I could tell, I hardly knew him, but one thing I did notice about him was that he was a bundle of complexes and his slow decent to madness. On more than one occasion I had found him talking (to himself or others) about his supposed 'Immortality', raving like a lunatic that anytime he 'died' others would simply forget and he would be resurrected, he was a strange fellow. His friends would just dismiss it with a laugh and say that he should stop talking about his fantasies and that it was getting old. I recall that this had been happening since childhood but now he seemed to beg for any others to believe him. At times I would stumble upon him with this sad, solemn look that only the desperate had. I would have attempted to approach him, seeing as he was one of the few to simply avoid me than attack me but simply didn't have the courage and I feared that he would snap and turn on me. Funnily enough, once he was the one to approach me, rambling and raving to my face, I had been outside my apartment, for some reason simply admiring the height of the building.
"ke-ke-Kenneth, Kenneth, calm down, explain w-what you're trying to say" I had said, inside I was terrified of what he could do, he looked like he was both panicked and overjoyed as he shook my shoulders.
"you, you saw it right." He said, as he stopped shaking and moved back, the desperate smile on his face "you saw me, I fell, right from the top of that building, the one you came out of. Didn't you see, I was splattered against the floor, I was dead, yet, here I am. You have to remember, right, maybe being constantly bullied clicked something so you can remember, right... right." He said, almost on the verge of tears as he ushered the last sentences. He was barking, stark, completely mad, it was strange that he seemed completely stable when he hadn't 'returned from the grave.' 'What on earth had happened to him' I thought.
"no, no Kenneth, I didn't see you die, you're right here, how could I. Listen, um, just, just, um... just try and find some help, I know you don't know me, but, find something to keep your mind off of the... immortality" I said, I was just rambling to try and get him away from me, I was scared out of my mind. He looked, with that desperate gaze, before his face fell, and he stared at the floor.
"Everyone, fucking everyone... maybe you're right" he said, turning and walking away. He didn't punch and kick me for my words or recommendations, just walked away. Him and his friends always did that whenever they saw that I was in trouble, just walk away, I didn't blame him, it was bad to make too many enemies in this town.
Some may have considered him worse because he didn't intervene but I was simply glad that some would chose not to assault me. Indeed he did insult me when I was a child but so did anyone with sentient thought in this town.
The other person was Stanley Marsh, from what I could tell, like Kenneth; he was much the same as he was when he was a child. Wearing a brown jacket, white t shirt and jeans as well as a dark blue hat with red edges, with shaggy hair that reached from underneath the hat to the top of his neck, it had a dark blue tint to it but it was primarily black. He had a pointed chin but slightly puffed cheeks. I believed that he had given up on the on/off relationship he had with Wendy. He looked forward at the class with bored sapphire eyes, resting his head on his right hand. From what I could tell he was doing well academically (possibly due to tutoring from Kyle), I didn't know much about his personal life. He along with Kyle and Kenny were in the 'leaving me alone' category of my peers. He had stopped along with Kyle around year 5/grade 6 when Kyle saw how idiotic it was and Stan followed like the friend he was.
In fact most of that group had left me alone, which I found grateful. Even at rare times Kyle would spark some small talk with me that probably kept me sane. But unfortunately that small group made the majority of people who left me alone so it was only a slim improvement on my childhood.
When the period ended the class shot out like bullets from a Tommy gun, significantly faster than the end of English, probably because we had break for third period. I didn't care much for the brake it was mostly used by me to get to the next period or hide, pathetic.
I waited outside the classroom for Damien, who was getting homework from the teacher, who had insisted that it was essential to catch up on what we were doing.
The Math block was located on the second floor of the main building; it was comprised of six classrooms and an office for the staff. The hallway was decorated with lockers and posters' attempting to promote mathematics; the problem was that they were around twenty years old. The school had tried countless times to get most of the students engulfed in the subjects but unfortunately for them only a handful gave the slightest slimmer of interest.
Staring at the dull scenery, waiting, lost in mindless thoughts, I didn't notice the footsteps to my right until I heard a voice that sounded as if it was stuck in a permanent cold.
"Hey, turn around" he said striking a slight glimmer of fear through my heart, like a pen knife being stabbed through my chest. I froze, his icy tone like real ice, sticking me to my spot, my breath standing at the edge of my mouth. As if standing still would confuse him and he would go away.
I turned my head in dread to the voice's origin to see one Craig Tucker. One of my lesser tormentors, he normally only attacked me when he was steaming with rage because according to him I made a good punching bag. Only on rare occasions would he attack me out of the blue. Sadly this was the former, he was virtually burning alive with untold hatred.
'Oh, bugger' I thought, my own thoughts holing a quiver as I stared at him. He was averaged height, supporting a blue coat, shirt, jeans and hat. An average face that would normally have a look that seemed to be stuck in monotone but now he wore a glare.
He was alone but unlike Eric I couldn't outrun him. he was simply more athletic than me. In an instant I had been punched in the face, crashing against the lockers with a loud rattle of the old doors.
"So, it seemed your new friend has fucked off, this should be easier than I thought" he said. As fast as a thunderclap he had lifted and pushed me against one of the lockers causing another thud that no one would investigate, the cool metal slammed into my back as if joining him in the attack, the padlock of the lockers stabbing me from behind like a large nail. He was holding me by the neck with his right hand and had his left hand clenched and aimed at my stomach. Before reaction was a viable option for me the fist was firmly smashed against my abdomen forcing me to wretch and choke on my own saliva. A second punch caused said saliva to fly from my mouth and onto the gits' face, which only caused his anger to grow. After he had wiped it of he began attacking with significantly less mercy than before. Every punch felt like a train smashing into my stomach. Again, and again and again he punched and attacked, saliva and blood leaving my body with every assault.
I took the pain with closed eyes until at a sudden they stopped. I opened one eye slowly to see what had caused him to stop his beating. Looking I saw a pale hand tightly griping Craig's blue coated shoulder, following the arm I landed on the face of Damien, his eyes scowling entirely hatred at my assailant.
"Hi there" he said, his voice monotone but still somehow sinister and threatening "do you mind if I ask you why you are attacking Phillip." He asked
"What do you care." he smirked "what are you to him... his guardian angel?"
Damien continued to glare at him with an admirable confidence. "No, I'm not; it's just that he's the only person I've met in this town that I can stand for more than a minute. As well as that I hold a minute slimmer of respect for him because he's had to deal with this shit for most of his life." Damien smiled down at him the glare prominent in his eyes "so leave him alone unless you wish the wrath of hell to reign upon you."
Craig snickered at the statement and moved his arm from my neck, I slumped to the ground gripping the front of my shirt, squeezing my eyes shut and groaning in pain.
"Fine, I'll leave him alone." I opened my eyes enough to see him walk away with his arms tucked in his coat pockets. For a few seconds he stopped before turning only his head around to spare a glance at Damien. "But, just so that you know. You won't be able to defend him forever, and I don't care that you stopped me. Hell I don't even care about him, he was just unlucky to be in my way when I was pissed." He paused for a second and stared directly at Damien "but there are some people in this school that if you were to stop, they will not only kill you, but will make your life a living hell before they do" he waited for a second to let the ominous words sink in before he continued to travel down the corridor "like the fatass, literally everyone's scared of him, he's nearly killed for small reasons and he'll probably actually kill you if you get in his way" he half-shouted to Damien.
After he had walked around a corner a Damien looked down at me with an outstretched arm "you need a hand?" he questioned.
Smiling in gratitude at the gesture I gladly accepted with a "thanks" but as soon as we began walking through empty corridors the pain came back with a unending hatred and Damien had to keep an arm wrapped around my shoulders to keep me stable. As he basically dragged me through lightly colourd corridors, worrying onlookers who hadn't seen my face, because if they had, they wouldn't care, slight paranoia struck through me 'if I could be so easily sneaked up on... what if Eric or Trent gets a hold of me. If Damien decides to intervene, like Craig said, he'll be slaughtered like cattle.' I thought in fear. I would have continued my fearful thoughts but I was ripped from them by my new friend breaking the slightly tense silence we held.
"Who was that guy?" Damien said
"H-he's called Craig Tucker, he's really not like that, I guess I just got in his way on a bad day" I replied
"Are you serious, you look like shit, I'm not believing that's just a 'bad day' thing"
"It kind of is" I mumbled, an attempt to be silent, but he heard.
"even if it was, why do you not defend yourself?" he asked glancing over to me.
I turned my head to him "because as you can plainly see I'm not the strongest person and if I were to attempt to, they would only make it worse. Trust me, like Craig said some people in this school are truly insane" I paused for a moment worrying as the image of Eric invaded my mind like a war fleet. "And... if you see one of them wailing on me. Leave me be, it's for the best."
When I turned around I felt him grip my shoulder and I turned my head to see an angry fire like look in his eyes. "Listen Phillip, if I want to defend you, I will. I don't give a goddamned shit about who the hell you say I should allow to harm you, I'm going to do as I wish and you cannot do jack". He let go of me and continued to walk "I'm not losing the only person I can stand" he said not looking back at me.
I looked at his slowly moving form with a thousand questions racing through my mind 'why did he defend me. Does he simply have a strong moral code or is it some reason I don't understand' I got up (the pain had become bearable) and slowly walked behind him 'and why does he act nicer to me after only knowing me for but a few hours when the people of this town have turned on me for the entirety of my existence' I stopped for a second to go over what he had said earlier 'I cannot allow him to intervene if any of the psychopaths of this school turn on me. This day has introduced something to me that I refuse to lose, he's the only person to show me care right of the bat.' This day had truly been one of the best. The acceptance of one person seemed to be the biggest milestone in my life and it had finally been beaten. With a mall, timid smile I fallowed behind him. The only real problem that I could think of in my life seemed to be protecting Damien from Eric or Trent and if I was extremely careful that could be done easily, everything else fell into the background.
We wandered the school, me showing Damien where most of the subjects were so that he couldn't get lost. Eventually after what felt like aeons of walking the bell and we went our separate ways. Damien to Geography and me to History.
As I walked down to my class and entered the grey room to see my space to sit, and one Eric Cartman stationed next to where I would be. I felt both significantly more terrified and sour at the hour to come.
