Edwin stared at his brother from across the twelve or so foot area where the fight would take place. "Yes, I am ready," Edwin said, him arms dropping to his sides, palms inwards. "Do your worst."
"No!" cried a single voice. The voice of Lizz. From where she peered between two eighth graders she shoved herself forward. She shoved herself between the two eighth graders and ran in front of Edwin just as Derek began to charge towards Edwin.
Lizz stood there, facing Edwin, tears coming from her clenched eyes, her fists clenched as well. It didn't stop Derek. He ran right through her, as if Lizz was a ghost. And with the first punch in the cheek, cold reality began to topple on top of Edwin.
Lizz wasn't real and never had been. That's why none of the teacher's ever called on her. She was a figment of his imagination. Someone created to be a friend, a combination of his conscious and SoccerGirlAbused. Edwin didn't react to the first punch. Or the second. It was only on the third did Edwin think to dunk out of the way. He failed miserably. Instead of his cheek being hit again, his ear was clobbered.
Gripping his ear, Edwin ran to the other end of the area. Frantically looking around for Lizz, she was no where to be found. The "world" he had been living in had shattered, reality crushing him. Lizz wasn't real and he would need to get over that now.
"She's not real," he muttered through clenched teeth as he let go of his ear to dodge another blow from Derek. Edwin, in a split second decided that what he called reality was crashing down around his ears, so, he might as well go with a fight. Edwin, having no fighting experience at all, through a punch at Derek. It might as well be called a miss because it barely skinned Derek's cheek.
"Oh, so the puppy has learned to bark," said Derek smirking at his brother. Edwin pulled back, right in front of a couple of eighth graders. Derek tacked his brother to the cement and the people behind Edwin were forced back two or three steps. Edwin heard cloth rip and with a jolt of pain knew his shirt sleeves had torn as they had been dragged across the cement and then his skin was cut.
Derek sat on top of his brother, pinning Edwin's arm to his own chest. Edwin was completely out yet. He started wriggling and jerking violently… anything to try and get his brother off of him.
"Get off of me!" he yelled. It was somewhat muffled, due to the fact that his lungs were being crushed by someone a good head taller and a good fifteen or so pounds heavier. Edwin had stopped moving.
"Let me think…" said Derek. "No." It was a finale statement, at least it sounded that way.
With a finale jerk, Edwin rolled out from under Derek, causing more people to move backward, he stood up and quickly kicked Derek who was still on the ground in the chest. Derek fell over but wasn't stopped in the least. Edwin was quickly knocked to the ground, Derek having kicked him in the legs.
His palms sticky with blood, Edwin grabbed onto Derek's legs to try and keep from getting up. Bad idea. Derek promptly started kicking and had no troubled getting his legs free. Both boys stood up.
Edwin took the initiative and charged at Derek with a punch to the chest. With a gasp of breath, Derek grabbed Edwin and whirled Edwin to the ground. Proceeding to slam him to the ground, Edwin was once again being sat upon.
His cheek now covered in blood, Edwin lay there, limp. It was done. Edwin couldn't take anymore. He wasn't in nearly good of shape his brother. Edwin didn't have gym and there were no sports for sixth graders. Even if there were, Edwin couldn't do them and risk his bruises and cuts being seen.
"What is going on here?" asked a teacher who had heard some of the shouts from the crowd of onlookers and had decided to investigate on her way out of the school.
Derek quickly got off of Edwin and tried to cover up what was going on, "He came at me first."
Edwin said nothing and continued to lie on the ground, all of his will having left him.
The teacher walked over to Edwin and said, "Are you alright?"
"Mentally or physically?" he asked sarcastically from where he lay.
"Both… I suppose," the teacher said.
"I'm not okay."
"Can you stand?"
Edwin stood up and glanced around. The crowd had shrunk dramatically, many of the people running away, not wanting to get in trouble.
"Well, come on," said the teacher. "Off to the principal's office. He's still here."
Reluctantly, Edwin and Derek started to follow the teacher.
"It was self defense," said Derek, protesting. "Do we have to go?"
"Yes," said the teacher as they neared the office. "Yes, we have to."