Gary.
The single word that evoked a frightful shiver out of Pete. His mannerisms surprised Amelie, who thought that such intense fear was only to be reserved to a figure like the devil.
Eyebrows raised, the girl turned to Pete and leaned in a bit closer to him. "Who is Gary?"
With that single question, Pete rose to his feet in an instant and reached out a hand impatiently to Amelie. She took it tentatively, gauging his reaction. Once she was pulled up to his level, Pete's body became stiff as he crossed his arms.
"Come with me." It came out as quiet as possible. Pete frantically began to struggle against Amelie's luggage, but to no avail. The weak upper body of the boy was apparent as he could not even lift the case off the ground using all his might.
Amelie glanced again towards the headmaster and the boy named Gary while Pete struggled with the bags. Given, they were across the courtyard, practically standing in the street while Pete and Amelie were already at the fountain. She could see no sinister intents or look about the brunette, at least from this distance. Turning her head back to look as Pete yelped in pain at the strain of the bags, she picked the boy up from under his arms.
"Peter, don't worry about my bags. I'm sure there is someone around here that can help."
"A-Amelie, you don't understand… I have to get out of here… now. You have to get out of here," he desperately cried.
Despite her usual paranoid tendencies, even Amelie thought that Pete was being a smidge ridiculous. Acting as if the boy talking to the headmaster was a psycho serial killer or something. She chuckled lightly which further upset Pete.
"What's the problem? Why can't you tell me?"
"We aren't safe here. Come on, just help me carry these and we can make it there-" Pete pushed his entire body into the bags. No budge. It was useless, so Amelie looked around for a strong person that could help them.
She was being especially bold, considering her social anxiety. However, she reminded herself, this was going to be a new year and a better her. Besides, they were just people, they didn't bite. As the short brunette approached a group of muscled boys, her heart raced faster. Her palms got clammy and she could feel the moistness in her palms with her fingertips.
When she arrived at the group of white shirted boys, Amelie forced herself to smile and breathe normally.
"Hi, I was wondering if you could help me and my friend carry my bags to the girls dorm."Easy enough. It was a sentence, without mumbling or incoherency.
A particularly thick-headed boy built like a refrigerator scratched his head at the girl. Amelie had to bite her tongue to hold back her laughter as the boy looked like an overgrown ape wearing a shirt and jeans.
"Why should Russell help?" The beast roared at the girl. His knuckles flexed fiercely as the other boys stepped forward towards Amelie, leaving her trapped.
Her heart was practically out of her chest as her pulse quickened by the second. This was not how she wanted to start her year- being humiliated by some meatheads who didn't look like they could read. However, she feigned calm and shoved her hands in her pockets, the epitome of cool.
"I'm not strong enough, and you guys look like you could lift it up with your pinky," she joked nervously. Why did I say that, Amelie thought, shaming herself. You talked to much and messed it up. Again. But her mouth could not stop blabbing away, hoping to get the boys on her side.
"If you help me with my bags, I could help you with your homework," she said coolly. Oh great, she immediately thought. I assumed that they are big buffoons that need help with their schoolwork. Now they are going to think I'm insulting them. Why do I speak again? Amelie thought, wishing she was mute. It would make things a lot easier for her.
The other boys turned towards Russell and smiled evilly. A boy with bright blonde hair and horrible acne scars stepped towards Amelie with a sinister look on his face.
"I've got another idea, sweet thing," he cooed as he forcefully grabbed her chin up with his hand. Amelie stood frozen in place. She dare not move and get a black eye on the first day. The fact that she was concerned for others above herself did not help in escaping the rising tension.
A stray wisp of brown hair was pushed back by the boy's hand as he moved his mouth inches away from her ear.
"I'll carry those bags for you… and I'll expect repayment in my room tonight. Be sure to wear those shorts so I can see those fine legs," The blonde rasped in her ear, his voice a mix of complete seriousness and concealed laughter.
Amelie resisted the urge to shove him back, hoping that another student would help her. She kept her head locked but moved her eyes to Pete, who was cowering away from the bullies. Help me, she silently pleaded.
When the boy ran his hand over Amelie's tanned leg, she dug her elbow deep into the boy's chest, aiming right for his heart. The blonde winced, but he was strong. This girl was powerless under his command. Cat calls and whistles were deafening in Amelie's ears as she struggled against the powerful boys dragging her by the arms, forming a malicious circle and tossing her around.
"I wanna have her first!" The blonde yelled as he pulled on Amelie's wavy hair.
"No way, I saw her first!" A different boy shouted over the noise.
Amelie could not believe what was happening. Eyes squeezed shut, she finally bit on one of the boys' hands, hard. She could hear the crunch of a bone being ruptured. Immediately the boy took his hand back and slapped Amelie in the face with the back of his bloodied palm.
"Crazy bitch!" He yelled as he shoved her to the ground.
Amelie could not think, her hand rushing to the side of her face and feeling the warmness rising in her cheek. There was no hope left, she thought, and simply watched in horror as the boys rushed forward at her, when suddenly there was a large smacking sound that resembled the sound of thunder.
As she glanced up in horror, she saw Russell laying face down on the gravel. Her eyes traveled upwards until she saw her rescuer with his arm still raised, like he was going to strike again. The bullies forgot about Amelie, stepping over her to fight whoever dared get in the way of their precious game. As the blonde haired boy lunged forward, the other student quickly dodged his attack and clamped a firm hand around his neck. In the same instant, two other bullies charged like bulls about to head butt her savior. The boy used the wriggling blonde in his hand as a shield and the lumbering apes could not slow their charge to avoid hitting their friend.
Amelie got up in the commotion and began to sneak away, darting on the balls of her feet like a cheetah. Unfortunately, one of the bullies grabbed a hold of Amelie's hips and dragged her back forcefully to his eager body. The girl screamed and struggled against the pain, hoping to God that it would be over soon.
As if God had answered her prayers, two prefects in perfectly ironed navy blazers tackled the bullies to the ground as a third prefect kicked Amelie's blonde captor into the ground, face first.
"Everyone to the headmaster's office, NOW!" One of the prefects yelled over all the commotion. This seemed to garner the attention of the headmaster who was only a short distance away, who had either not seen the situation or chose to ignore it. Amelie hoped it was the former as the bullies were dragged down to the school entrance.
The girl hadn't even realized she had been lying on the ground, frozen in fear, until a hand reached out to her and pulled her feet to the ground.
Amelie's nerves had gone into overload and were past the point of no return. Her thoughts were racing at a hundred miles an hour and he central nervous system was rendered useless. She hadn't been standing for a few moments before her legs collapsed under her from the shock that coursed through her body.
Standing seemed impossible and breathing required Amelie's voluntary thoughts of In, out. In out. Combined with her sensory overload, she forgot to breathe and choked out in pain. The hand that had reached out was now a voice, leaned low over Amelie's still body.
"I'm here. Breathe," the husky voice soothed.
It hadn't been the high pitched voice of Pete, nor the bullies who were long gone from her presence, nor was it the headmaster as if he would get involved in a scuffle.
The girl simply lay on the concrete, eyes searching desperately for the voice that spoke to her. However, her vision was spotting black dots as she dipped out of consciousness. The last thing she felt was a pair of strong arms carrying her limp body off the ground. The last thing Amelie remembered hearing before passing out was her rescuer's voice, speaking in a low murmur either to himself or Amelie:
"I'm here."
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