What I see next causes me some pain and a whole lot of rage. There's Been sleeping soundly save for the brace on his fingers, the bandaging on his nose and face, I can tell they tied him up and put something on him to keep him from moving with his messed up ribs. The clincher is the shoulder stab wound, all the bandaging they did to put him back together but he looks like he's still fresh. The final bit to this scene of my friend in a hospital bed is Heather; sitting in a chair with her head slumped on Ben's hand as much as possible quietly sleeping. I move next to her and simply watch the two of them quietly sleep, him much deeper than her as she rouses a little and bolts upright from her chair.
"Guy I'm so sorry I dozed off," Heather tells me standing on shaky legs.
"Hey I think you need more than a couple of minutes rest. You call Kori frantically then pass out. You've been pushing too hard," I reply, trying to console my ex.
"You push harder; he wants to prove himself to you again. He said you lost your faith in him or something," Heather says and immediately notices my face," I know better Guy, you drive yourself to the breaking point but never others."
"Yeah well that's about to change," I tell her, getting a sad look.
"End it please, justice or vengeance or whatever you want to do to make this 'right' but please Guy," Heather says with a sad look in her eyes," End this."
I lead Heather out of the room and find more people in the hall waiting for us as Gwen along with my girls have shown up at the hospital. I relay all the information I have
save for one thing, Heather thinking it's Taylor because it was her plan. They don't need to come after her for shit in her past and if I need to I'll bring that up when I can and in my own way. I am feeling travel tired and after letting Mr. and Mrs. Scranton know that I'll handle this when the cops won't we head back towards home. My girls head back to their homes while Gwen is being settled into Katy's room. I have my sister; despite it all I still get to say that and smile. I start to head to bed when my door opens and I see a female figure work her way into my room, blankets get pulled down and I feel a lot of soft and warm pressed against me.
"I get to sleep here now," Katy tells me quietly.
"Yes, yes you do," I reply and kiss her forehead.
"I want the bitch, I don't care about anyone else but that bitch answers to me," Katy says quietly and I contemplate what she's asking as we fall asleep.
Monday morning and word of what happened to Ben spread like wildfire. Sadly for Taylor, if he is pulling this shit, it didn't work like he thought. People are banding together, everyone is watching everyone else's back. There is an assembly set up and the A/V club has already made arrangements for me to pull off something ridiculous. Fifth period rolls around and everyone is in the assembly, everyone except me and a small group from the A/V club lead by Hideo. He's running me down a route and swears that this has been cleared by Mrs. Jackson and Coach Campbell. I shake my head, I like a grand display but this is a bit much with me on Pale Horse waiting. I've got everything set and I get the signal and start my route. I'm focusing on the route but there are camera men shooting video of me and I'm heading towards the gym when the doors pop open fast and I'm inside and in front of the whole school. I thought the students could deafen but take a Harley bike and put it in an acoustic oven like a Gym and you can see people screaming but you don't hear shit. I cut the engine and I hear music. It's familiar when I make Kid Rock's American Badass. I set my bike upright and smile at my people and pull my hood up onto my head which get's more cheering, not sure why when they can't see my face they cheer harder but who fucking cares. I walk over to Principal Jackson and with a smile take a microphone and get a hug. I step back to center stage and address my people.
"Over a week ago one of us was attacked here, on OUR turf. Now another one of us is attacked, one of my close friends. Well guess what," I state building my momentum," They should have come for me. You want to scare people, I'm right here leading the charge."
My words garner some applause and I see Mrs. Jackson debating the wisdom of making myself a target.
"Mr. President, a word if I may," I see they set up microphones for the students on stands and I nod to the blonde girl," How do you condone violence begetting violence?"
"I condone defending yourself and the people around you. If we don't stand together when one of us is hurt then people will come when we are alone and we will suffer for it. Anyone else," I ask and see a black kid take another microphone.
"Yes, you were elected in a landslide last year and now some think your popularity is getting to your head," He says and I chuckle.
"God I hope it's getting to my head. I cared about a dozen people last year. Everyone could just leave me in peace and I'd have been happy. Now I'm here with all of you behind me and I will look out for what is best for all of us," I state again and people like my responses.
I let Mrs. Jackson take the microphone back and she dismissed us and I walked my bike back outside and when I'm back at the parking lot I shook Hideo's hand. We're laughing a little when the rest of the crew catches up to me and it's a good feeling.
Tuesday and Wednesday came around and we're feeling a bit better about the world around us save for one thing. Nothing is happening against us or more particularly me. I thought something more would happen and we're about to leave school when I get a text from Lajita to come to Rachael's school right now. It's middle of school on Wednesday and I'm not only out of class thanks to no real classes after lunch and down the road with a courtesy text to Kori letting her know that I'm busy. I get to the school and while nobody decided to involve the staff or faculty I head to the library at Lajitas invitation to find Kamran and a few of his goon squad standing around, I crack my neck and as I approach one of the goons cuts me off trying to place his hand on my chest. I grab the thumb and twist outward, bending his arm in a backwards direction before beginning what would be a series of hard strikes to vital areas when Kamran himself stops me with a word.
"We are here in protection Guy, I am not your enemy here," He tells me quietly.
"You need to tell your people then to not fuck with me," I state and let his friend go.
"Guy," Lajita says, breaking through the macho," Rachael was attacked, I don't know who she was but she did… something and now Rachael won't talk to me. I asked her if I should call you and she nodded."
I let Lajita bring me to a computer cubicle where Rachael is sitting in the chair with a distant look on her face. I let her sit while I addressed Lajita and her people.
"You and Kamran," I ask skeptically.
"He has people and he has earned my trust. When I found her I asked for him and he brought them," Lajita says motioning to his three goons before taking my face in her hands," I am your friend; you still need to see your friends. Find who did this, yes but remember we will fight with you."