The Rumour (Collab) - Part 16

Chris’ PoV

I wonder where everyone’s gone…Dean walked off with Jack earlier, said he had something important he had to tell him. Phil left about five, maybe ten minutes ago to go the toilets. It shouldn’t take that long to go to the toilet. At that moment, Jack and Dean walked back into the canteen. I think Jack is holding Dean’s hand. Dean seems to be blushing and hiding his face with his fringe, but he has a slight smile on his face. I ran up to them.

“Hey Dean, have you seen Phil?” I asked.

“Um…no I haven’t. Have you seen him Jack?”

“No, but I thought I heard noise from the bathroom.”

I looked around the hall quickly. PJ was at his usual table, but Dan wasn’t there. Weird. I scanned the rest of the hall quickly. I don’t see Steve and his goons anywhere either. Wait…

“Something’s wrong…” I mutter.

“What?” Dean asked.

“Something is very wrong.”

“And by something wrong, you mean?” Jack asked. Wow, that’s the first time he’s spoken to me for a while.

“Phil and Dan are in trouble. Go get PJ, we have to help them!”

“What if everything’s OK though?” Dean asked.

“It’s not though! Noises in the bathroom, Phil and Dan gone, and the fact that Steve isn’t anywhere to be seen! Go get PJ!”

Something seemed to click on both of their heads. Jack nodded then ran off to get PJ. I couldn’t tell what was being said, but there were lots of hand gestures and worried facial expressions. PJ then picked up his bag and came over to where Dean and I were stood. No eye contact or words were exchanged, we just ran to the bathroom. We opened the door, and we all gasped at the sight before us. Steve and his friends were there. Phil was on the floor against the wall, and he wasn’t moving. Blood was beginning to create a pool around his head. Dan was being repeatedly kicked and punched over and over again, he looked as if he was about to go unconscious any minute.

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!” Jack yelled, getting the attention of the bullies.

“Teaching these homos a lesson.” Steve replied. Then he looked past Jack and at Dean, who seemed to be really scared. Steve smiled. “I see you brought Honey Boo Boo child with you.” At that him and his two followers laughed.

“You still don’t understand the phrase ‘touch Dean again and you’ll learn what real pain is’. Do you want me to give a demonstration?” Jack raised his fist about to punch Steve, but Dean grabbed his fist and stopped him.

“Don’t, we need to help Dan and Phil.” He squeaked. Wow, he must be pretty scared.

“Hey Steve?” PJ said, finally having his say.

“What is it?” Steve almost shouted.

“You’re a worthless piece of shit, did you know that?”

“What did you say?” Steve was angry now.

“I said. You’re a worthless. Piece. Of shit.”

That was it, the spark that ignited the flame. Steve went to punch PJ, who thankfully dodged it. He kicked Steve in the groin, sending him to the ground. His friends went after the rest of us. Jack knocked one of them square in the jaw, causing them to yell in pain. So Jack was locked in a fight with that guy and PJ was busy with Steve. I kicked the second boy in the shin before running over to help PJ, he looked like he could use some. Steve had PJ cornered. I crept up behind him and hit him over the head with my maths text book that always seemed to weigh a tonne. Pretty hard as well. He turned to face me, and then PJ used this moment to kick him in the back. PJ now had the situation under control. Jack seemed to be fine. One last punch and the guy went limping out of the bathroom. We exchanged smiles, he seemed out of breath, but then we heard a mix of a cry, a scream and a gasp. We turned to see that Dean was in trouble. The guy, which I thought I had sent to the ground, had Dean by the throat and holding him against the wall. Dean had both of his hands on the other guy’s one which was securely on his throat, trying to pull it off so he could breathe. He was failing as he started to choke. He looked as if he had a horrible beating before this moment; he had a cut on his head which blood flowed from. His feet were about eight inches off of the ground. This guy was trying to kill Dean.

“DEAN!” Jack screamed.

He seemed to have found some new source of energy and strength, as he ran up to the guy and punched him in the side of the head. The guy stumbled, releasing his death grip on Dean who fell to the ground. I went up to check on him, he was gasping, trying to get air back in his lungs. I looked back up at Jack who has somehow in the past five seconds managed to send the guy to the ground. Then he kicked him. And again. Over and over again.

“Stop…” Dean croaked.

Jack did. He looked at Dean, a look of worry blossoming on his face. He ran over and knelt by Dean, examining his injuries. He asked over and over if he was OK, and that he was sorry. I then remembered, Dan and Phil. I went to Dan first. He was still breathing, but unconscious and he was covered in so many bruises. I then ran to Phil. Blood had formed a pool on the floor next to his head. His breathing was slow.

“SOMEONE GET A TEACHER!” I screamed.

It seemed that a teacher must have been walking past at the very moment as our PE teacher, Mr Stevens, walked in.

“What’s all the fuss about?” He asked slightly angry, but then his mood completely changed. “Oh my…who did this!”

“Steve and the other two.” PJ said. I hadn’t realised he had floored Steve.

“OK, I’ll get a couple of other teachers. These three boys need medical attention.” He said, motioning to Phil, Dan and Dean.

*Five minutes later*

A group of five more teachers arrived soon after. Mr Stevens, the other PE teacher, one of the drama teachers, one of the art teachers and two Science teachers. The school caretaker was brought along as well, probably to clean up the blood. The science teachers and the one art teacher took Steve and his friends to the Head teacher’s office. They are bound to be in some deep shit. The PE teachers picked up Dan and Phil, carrying them to the school nurses office. The drama teacher and Jack helped Dean, who seemed to have a little trouble walking, over to the nurses’ office as well. That just left PJ and I. I looked over at him, and we held each other’s gazes, before he stormed out of the bathroom. As he walked away, something fell out of his notebook. I picked it up and looked at it. It was one of drawings. It seemed to be him putting a heart, possibly his, in a locker. Confused, I walk away to get my books for the next lesson from my locker. Once I get there, I open it and some notes fall out. I pick them up, they all seem to be drawings of…me? I look at them all, they’re me! I seem to be doing various things, jumping, laughing and in some just standing. Each doodle me has a smile. I look at another page, it’s a really detailed drawing. It’s just brilliant. A lot better than my obese Pikachu, anyway. It’s of two boys kissing. Upon closer inspection, I notice small things. One boy has curly hair, the other has hair a bit like mine. Then I realise, this is us. A tear rolls down my cheek as I go to look at the last page. It has no drawings, just words.

“I miss you and I love you, but please don’t let me hold you back. I want you to be happy.”

It was written in PJ’s neat handwriting. He wants me to be happy? Why doesn’t he come back to me then? As cheesy as it sounds, he is my happiness. Without him, I don’t know what true happiness is. Quickly, I grab my notebook. I draw something quickly and write a quick note. I rip out the page and run to PJ’s locker. I put it in the locker, along with the drawing he dropped. I smile to myself and walk away, I better see if the others will be OK.

On that bit of paper I drew an obese Pikachu. Under it, I wrote:

‘Each time I miss you I love you more. You are holding me back Peej, you are my happiness and I can’t be truly happy without you. I’ll stop missing you when this Pikachu loses weight, which will never happen. Looking at the state he’s in now, he’ll be dead soon. And have you ever seen a Pokémon who is able to use gym equipment? Me neither.”