"Florence, can you come and get me at school?"
During the entire drive to West Shores Junior High School, the guilt toned voice of my beloved little brother echoed through the vast complexity of my mind. Without thinking twice or hesitating, I dropped everything I was doing at school and left my friends (who were probably had multiple questions upon my sudden take off) behind in the cafeteria. Right now, my afternoon classes were of little importance, the only thing that truly mattered at that time was Laurence. There was only one other time where he called me while we were at school, the reason being was that he got a serious case of food poisoning during lunch but this time it was different. Hearing the difference his usually calm voice sent me off of the edge, something was definitely wrong, I could feel it in my bones.
Easily parking on the curb in front of the school gates, I rushed towards the front doors of the building and made my way inside. Once I did so, I was immediately greeted by a foyer filled with multiple students, some of them turning to look at me. Apparently, seeing a senior enter the premises was a huge deal as they began to whisper and point at me. Someone even had the nerve to wolf whistle at me, which I quickly struck down with a sharp and cold glare. Maintaining my composure, I took a left and entered the main office. I approached the front desk, catching the attention of the female secretary.
"Miss Valentina, it's nice seeing you once again," Mrs. Rivers greeted, flashing her wrinkled smile at me. "What can I do for you?"
"Laurence called me, he said he needed to be picked up?" I replied, nervously tapping my fingers against the counter.
The woman's eyes lit up in realization and she quickly stood up from her ergonomic chair. Mrs. Rivers urged me to follow her deeper into the office.
"Yes, he is in the principal's office. We were all shocked to see him come down here, he never causes any trouble."
I only grew more nervous and anxious upon hearing the elderly woman's words. I could only question myself about what she meant by "trouble." Laurence hated conflict or any kind of disturbance of peace, at that moment, I was still in denial that he would be involved in such a thing. For the hundredth time in my life, I was proven wrong as I now stood inside the principal's office, my mouth gaping open upon seeing the physical state of my brother. A gash split the corner of his lips and a cut on his eyebrow accompanied it. What's worse was that his left arm was in a temporary sling.
"Miss Valentina, I'm afraid to say this but Laurence and Tony here were involved in a fight during the lunch hour," Mrs. Arthurs, the principal, informed me with a displeased look on her face.
It was then that I noticed the other kid sitting adjacent to my brother. A bruise was slowly forming around his eye and a deep gash was on his forehead, held together by a bandage. I bit my lip as I was in utter disbelief and shock that Laurence would even do such a thing. Even if Damien and I had taught him how to defend himself, we strictly reminded him that it was only to be used in serious circumstances. Retaliating at school in front of other students and teachers was a big no-no and now it's landed him in serious trouble.
Just as I was about to ask who and what caused the fight, the door to the room suddenly slammed open, causing me to jump. It felt like I stopped breathing as a disgraceful sight appeared before my eyes. Clenching my fist tightly, I glared at the guy standing in the doorway. I immediately recognized him from the party, he was the boy who decided to attack me first. Although I showed him who owned the floor, there was no doubt in my mind he still had a grudge, it was written all over his bruised face. In addition to that, I knew he took part in trashing our school, only shitheads would do that.
"Mr. Wales, I do believe that I told you numerous times to enter politely," the principal scolded sharply.
"Whatever. Tony, let's go," he hissed, throwing a menacing scowl in my direction.
They swiftly left the room, finally allowing me to release the breath I was holding in. I dropped my tensed shoulders, looking at Mrs. Arthurs expectantly.
"Laurence, you will be suspended as well. However, as you have not acted up before and are an integral part of our school's prestigious program, I will give you three days' suspension. With this, I do hope that you reflect on your actions and recover from your injuries."
"Yes ma'am, and I'm sorry."
Once we left the office, I took Laurence's bag and carried it as the two of us walked through the foyer. As we were making our way through the foyer, a girl with dark brown hair approached my brother and he paused.
"Laurence, what did the principal say?" she asked, a saddened expression on her face.
"I'll be gone for three days, Penny," he replied. "But don't worry, I'll still be able to work on the project."
Watching their short interaction, I immediately understood that she was Laurence's friend, the one I teased him about. That aside, she looked to be a nice girl, watching her expressions as Laurence told her about what happened. Penny cared about him, that much as true. Once they bid their farewells to each other, Laurence and I continued out the doors and walked to my car.
"Sis, are you mad at me?" Laurence asked as soon as we made it to my car.
Sighing inwardly and pinching the bridge of my nose, I turned around to face him. Although I had a scowl on my face, I tried to not give off the wrong signals.
"If anything Laurence, I'm disappointed. You know better."
"Tony started it!" he argued. "He had the nerve to say things about you that weren't right!"
"Even so!" I snapped, slamming the back door closed after putting his bag in the back seat. "I can't believe that you retaliated like that!"
Laurence frowned deeply and looked down at his worn shoes. Sighing once again, I placed my hands on his shoulders and squeezed them gently.
"You remember what I told you, don't you?" I questioned.
"Yes, sis."
"Good, now get in. I'm taking you to the clinic."
Before I could even open the passenger side door wide enough for Laurence to climb in, it was suddenly shoved closed by a different hand. My entire body recoiled back in sudden shock, feeling my heart stop at the figure threateningly towering over me. My instincts kicked in as I pulled my brother behind me and backed us away from the Kingsman, immediately abandoning the idea of getting into the car.
"If it isn't the little bitch who dislocated my jaw," he growled, cracking his knuckles as if he was about to fight me. "Your bastard of a brother took cheap shots at mine. I believe you owe me and my brother some recompense."
"In your wildest dreams will we ever suck up to an insignificant cockroach like you."
The foreboding look on his face only turned darker and for the first time, a lump formed in my throat. I could practically feel a drip of sweat slipping down the side of my head.
"If I were you, I'd watch what you say, little girl."
Before any more verbal damage could be done, a large hand suddenly clamped around my upper arm. I was yanked backward and almost stumble over my feet if it were for another pair of hands steadying me. My eyes widened to the size of teacup saucers as I stared incredulously at the sight in front of me.
"Are you two okay?" Felix asked softly.
I somehow managed to nod my head at his question. However, my attention still focused on Caleb, Tristan, and Travis forming a wall between the Kingsman, Laurence, and I. Even though the trio's backs faced us, I could practically feel the rage and animosity radiating from their threatening forms. They were angry, very angry.
"Derek fucking Wales," Caleb sneered, clenching his fists so tightly that I could see veins forming along the back of his hands.
"I assume that bitch back there is one of yours? You should keep her on a leash, fucker," Derek shot back.
I began to clench my own hands tightly, trying so hard to bite my tongue and prevent any other words from leaving my mouth. Felix, who was still standing beside me, suddenly grabbed my hand, whispering that I needed to calm down and breathe. He reassured me that I had nothing to worry about and that they would handle this.
"Watch your words Wales," Caleb denounced. "You mess with her, you mess with all of us. We all know that you don't have shit on us."
"I beg to differ, your school looks like a shit hole," Derek smirked.
Tensions were running high, especially now that a crowd of junior high students had begun to form in the gateway. They were all watching the scene play out, some of them had begun to chant: "Fight! Fight! Fight!" and eventually, the entire crowd joined in. Both sides were pressured to do something, yet deep down, I hoped that the boys wouldn't do anything that would land them in deep trouble. It was common knowledge that they had gotten multiple suspensions during their time at Whitewood and no doubt did Derek Wales fit into that category. It was odd to say this, but they were my friends, I didn't want anything to happen to them.
Luckily, the situation was quickly diffused as Mrs. Arthurs and a couple of security guards appeared through the crowd.
"Gentlemen, I suggest you go your separate ways."
Derek Wales gave one last glare to the boys before leaving, but not before looking at me and dragging his thumb across his neck. He then climbed into his car and sped off while he flipped the bird at us through an open window. Mrs. Arthurs then spun on her heels, ordering the students to go back inside and attend their classes. Once the students and administration had left, the boys were quick to confront us about the events leading up to the confrontation.
"I may or may not have beaten up his brother for saying things about my sister…" Laurence confessed.
The boys were in absolute shock, it was written all over their faces. Even Caleb, who was usually stone-cold and apathetic, wore an incredulous expression.
"You what?! Are you crazy?!" Travis exclaimed.
"Do you realize what you've done?!" Caleb suddenly chastised, snapping at my brother. "Florence was already in hot water with Derek for beating him up. Now that you've attacked his brother, he won't stop at anything until he gets even with you or your sister!"
Unable to bite my tongue for any longer, I stood in front of Laurence once again.
"Back off!" I shot back angrily. "Stop patronizing him you little shit! How was he supposed to know that Derek was Tony's brother?!"
Without saying anything further, Caleb scoffed at me before walking away. We all watched as he crossed the street before disappearing into Nate's Diner. If I didn't have enough reasons to already hate Caleb Melle, this surely gave me another point to add to that list. He and the others may have helped me out of a violent situation, but he was still an asshole for going after my brother. Laurence didn't even know Derek was Tony's brother, that part wasn't his fault.
The remaining boys tried to apologize to me on that jerk's behalf but at this point, I wasn't having any of it.
"I... I'm sorry... but we need to go," I muttered, grabbing Laurence's good arm and pulling him towards the car.
"Florence-" Felix called, but I painfully cut him off by shutting the door.
Once Laurence and I were buckled in, I started the car and pulled out onto the road. Through the rear view mirror, I couldn't ignore the frowns on their faces as they disappeared.