Don't worry, I'm not dead. Tell me what you guys think!
Chemistry was akin to an hour and a half in hell. It wasn't just the copious amounts of chemical and medical jargon that slid in one ear and out the other like it was coated in oil, it was just how compact the class was. The room was stark white and symmetrically lined with ten black lab tables rowed in two. Those tables cramped in about three students each, almost shoulder to shoulder, which put his height to the patience test.
As if trying to memorize the mental Jenga puzzle that was the periodic table wasn't bad enough, being stuck with some of the biggest scumbags in school was the worst part. Not only was Cardin crushed up next to him, but his partner was on the other side, enjoying all the leg space and ready to mess up his day. If that didn't make matters worse, the Professor was hard of hearing and went a little too into the lectures, so everything went sailing above his head. Most of the class barely paid attention because the Professor didn't seem to either.
Today was a different story though. Instead of thumbtacks on the seats, bumping, and constant snide comments, it was awkward silence and scratching of chalk. Cardin wasn't there today, which was unusual.
It wasn't particularly unique for the Angry Red Giant to skip out on classes, but this was day three. Even someone with his caveman sense would know to show up for class now and again, and yet he hadn't seen hide or tail of him. And as the Professor droned on and his lecture was becoming white noise in the back of his head, he was increasingly becoming more aware he just wasn't there. It was a strangely terrifying feeling, almost like at some random moment, he'd spring out of a containment shelf and break his nose, or jump through the window to piledrive him.
Nothing was going on, nothing to worry about, and he was about to go stir-crazy. Somehow, this was worse than the bullying. Was he planning on killing him with anticipation? Because if so, that would be genius.
Swiveling his head side to side, Russel sat unusually upright, eyes glued to the board. It was weird enough that one of the most prominent bullies hasn't been giving him much attention, but it was even stranger that he was one of the very few students paying attention and making notes. The more he stared, the more he noticed Russel's eyes flick in his direction then dart away again a split second later, drumming his fingers on the table afterward.
Was he nervous? At what? Jaune's aerodynamic chicken-bone arms?
The bell rang suddenly and Russel was the first one to jump out of his seat, stuffing his books and notes into his rucksack rough enough to snap his pencil in two. He merely grunted at that, leaving the broken pieces on the ground and rushing out the door.
The strange behavior was stuck in his head all the way through until the lunch hour, and it didn't stop at just Russel. Dove and Sky were mysteriously more interested in their shoes and the wall every time Jaune happened to speed-walk past them in the hallway. For some reason or another, they were avoiding him like the plague, and while a part of him felt relieved, another felt like a bomb was about to go off and he had no idea where or when.
Even in the lunch room, the team of lug-heads and jocks were huddled amongst themselves, whispering and muttering instead of laughing and jeering at everyone. At least here, his team was with him, so that took the edge off.
"Wait, he ran off?" Nora asked, holding a half-eaten chicken nugget between her teeth. "Just like that?"
"Just like that," Jaune clarified. "For some reason, the whole team won't look at me. It's been like this for the last couple of days now."
Ren raised a brow, propping his head up by his elbow. "Are you complaining?"
"Mm, not even a little," He snorted in reply, "The less I see of them, the better," He leaned in, darting his head back and forth on the slim chance that the team of jocks would hear him across a crowded lunch room. "You think they're planning something."
"I think you're being paranoid," Ren pointed out, sipping the mystery concoction that was his tea. "Perhaps they're reconsidering their actions? Tension has been looking high between Cardin and Russel lately. I caught them in a shouting match yesterday."
Jaune's brows furrowed. That was unlike them. From day one, the pair were practically held together with glue, sharing the same ideals, the same prejudices, the same rich families, topped off with the same urge to bully anyone marginally smaller than them. Before, a crowbar pulled by a bodybuilder couldn't pull them apart. Today, they were throwing each other dirty looks every few seconds, fists taught and looking ready to toss the table aside and throw each other to the ground.
The team of neanderthals dipped their heads lower the moment Jaune glanced at them. All except for Russel, who stared blankly at him. It was a hard stare to read, but there was something there that wasn't pity or disgust. Jaune almost stood up to go investigate on instinct before Pyrrha pulled him back down to her seat.
"Whatever it is, they're leaving you alone finally, aren't they? Perhaps the staff finally put a hold on their antics," Pyrrha suggested.
"I guess," Jaune sheepishly replied, swallowing hard.
"How've you been doing, Jaune?" Ren asked soothingly, quickly changing the subject.
Attention. One of Jaune's biggest weaknesses. Put right on the spot with his entire team staring at him, making his ears cherry red. "Doing better," He mumbled, resting his hands on his lap. He bit his lip, feeling the tension in the air that may very well all be in his head.
"How better?"
"Better enough, I guess?" Jaune stuttered, not sure how to even answer that question. "I got some sleep and ate a bit more if that's what you mean?"
"Do you want some of my-"
"Ren, I'll be fine, bro. Keep your dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets," Jaune pressed, raising his hands. "Look at my plate. All gobbled up. Nothing to worry about, okay?"
Nora glanced at them both suspiciously, with half a nugget sticking out of her mouth. "You two are getting awfully close."
"Is it too strange to offer my brother my brother-in-arms a chicken nugget?" He asked, crossing his arms.
"You normally don't give food to anyone but me…"
That tone sounded almost territorial. Jaune swallowed. Nope, this was a rock and a hard place situation he didn't want to end up in. "Nora, trust me, I'm not-"
A shrill scream and the clatter of plastic on floor tile stole everyone's attention. What Jaune saw made his heart jump to his throat, and his blood boil. Cardin had risen from his seat and had the rabbit ear of Velvet Scarletina in his grip.
This kind of bullying was, dare-he-say, normal. It was something that happened almost daily to some extent, with all the badgering and bigotry that Cardin was more or less known for. Jaune hated the fact that it became normal, to begin with, but there wasn't anything he could do about it.
This, however, was something different. It wasn't just some annoying tug or maybe a noogie, it was a full-on vice grip, squeezing hard enough to close his fist nearly. Velvet wasn't just whimpering or groaning for him to stop, she was howling in pain, tears streaming down her face as she tried in vain to pull away. Nearly everyone in the room gawked in several variants of shock and horror. Some had jumped to their feet but didn't move, not even sure what to do.
"What did I tell you about walking past my table, you filthy animal?" Cardin shouted, yanking her ear again.
Velvet's pained screams echoed loudly in the mess hall. Jaune was already out of his seat, feeling nothing short of helpless. To his shock though, someone else had stood up as well.
"Let go of her goddamn ears, Cardin!" Russel shouted, hands curled into fists. "We were just talking about this bullshit!"
Cardin swung his head around, glaring at Russel's bulging eyes and gritted teeth. "The hell did you just say to me?"
"You heard me, you asshole!" Russel roared, slamming his fist on the table hard enough to make the trays on the table jump half a foot in the air. "Enough is enough! We're gonna end up killing someone if we keep this crap up! Now for the last damn time, let go of her ears!"
"Who do you think you're talking to?"
"I'm talking to you! Let go of her!"
It was like watching the heads of a two-headed snake attack each other. The entire room was silent and still, watching the pair scream bloody murder at each other, be it profanities or threats. Meanwhile, there was Velvet, trying in vain to tug away from the much larger and burlier grunt. The rabbit ear was starting to bend in a way that Jaune didn't think it should be bending, and it made him feel queasy. Any more twisting and the ear would be coming off.
This wasn't right. He felt sick to his stomach just watching this. The world around him was slowing down, but his heart continued to pound. He didn't recall jumping across the table, nor did he remember stomping closer to the feuding team. When he could recall something akin to sense again, he already punched him square in the nose.
Cardin's head snapped back and bobbled, eyes wide and dazed. "What the fu-"
Jaune drove his fist into Cardin's torso, throwing his hips and all into it, taking the air out of his lungs. Pivoting on his heel, he hooked the confused bully in the jaw, hard enough to take him off his feet, and more importantly, let go of Velvet's ears.
The two lackeys on Cardin's team simply sat there, slack-jawed that their muscle-bound vanguard was put on the floor by limp pool-noodle arms. A few good tips on boxing from Pyrrha turned those noodles into whips at least. Russel stood there, eyes tight and fists tighter, but he didn't move from where he stood. Even so, Jaune was stunned. It took ages to process just what happened. And even after, all that came out of his mouth was a shallow, "Oh."
Then it came down like a splash of cold water. He just punched Cardin. Again. Words could not describe how liberating, and terrifying, that was. Although some of that hype died down the moment Cardin turned his head up, droplets of blood dripping from his nose and a glare angry enough to convince Jaune he was already dead.
"Boy, you have no idea what you just did," He seethed.
To be fair, he wasn't wrong.
Cardin bounced back to his feet, fist already reared back. Jaune shut his eyes tight and raised his fists, but before he knew it, he was floating a foot in the air, along with Cardin. From the rapid clicking of heels on the ground, he suddenly wished he was stuck in the room alone with Cardin.
"What on earth is going on in here?" Goodwitch demanded, dropping them unceremoniously on their asses. She focused on Cardin, jaw ticking. "Participating in yet another fight, Winchester?" She pinched the bridge of her nose.
"That little shit over there started it! Look at my nose! He-"
"This isn't high school, Cardin. Keep your mouth shut before I decide to be medieval and stitch it shut," Glynda fumed. Cardin zipped his lips real quick after that. "And as for you, Jaune Arc. I expected better of you! Inciting violence? Do you understand that Beacon doesn't tolerate this form of violence-"
"H-He was helping me!" Velvet piped up, and sat on the ground, holding her no-doubt agonized ear.
"Excuse me, young lady?"
"Cardin had grabbed my ears way too hard. H-he was starting to break them. And Jaune stepped in and helped me." Velvet sniffed, wincing occasionally. "My ear may very well be broken if he didn't."
Goodwitch looked from Jaune to Cardin, then to Cardin's team, trying to work out this puzzle in her head of what to do next. "Do you all have any objections?" She asked the rest of Cardin's team.
"Not a single one," Russel answered, crossing his arms. By the pale, tuckered look on his face, Jaune could tell he was done. That tears it. Something happened between the two, and part of Jaune was determined to find out what.
"Very well. All of you, are at ease. Go back to your seats. Someone, please take miss Scarletina to the infirmary. As for you two, go straight to your dorm rooms. I will discuss your punishments then," Short and swift. Her orders were followed the second they left her mouth. Jaune didn't waste any time speed-walking out the door.
What a miserable, yet strangely satisfying, day. Jaune had no idea where that surge or rage and lack of self-preservation came from. Maybe it was the look on Velvet's face that drove him over the edge. That look of agony and pain. He couldn't bare listening to it. Maybe it was also that incident down underneath the school, where he had punched Cardin before. It seemed a bit easier this time. Like he wasn't the biggest bully on the playground anymore without his team to back him up.
He closed his fingers around the doorknob, dread and exhaustion filling him. Before he could open it thought, a delicate finger tapped his shoulder.
"What?" Jaune turned around on the spot, making extra care to look down first this time, and saw Weiss, standing proud with her arms crossed and the most regal of expressions on her face. He sighed. This was something he didn't need today. "Sorry, Weiss, whatever it is, I didn't do it-"
"Quiet, Arc," She ordered, raising a binder she held in her arms. A binder that read 'transcripts'. Jaune's blood ran cold. "We have a lot to discuss."