Chapter Text
“DINGGGGG” The sound of the bell halted RJ’s racing thoughts. He stood quickly, ignoring the teachers calls and shoved his books into his bag. The texture felt like sandpaper against his skin, small puffs of air left his body as the panic overtook him. He wouldn’t be fast enough this time.
“DINGGGGG” The second bell went off and he raced to the front of the room, wrenched the door open and bolted down the hallway. Rows of lockers lined the corridor and his was the first to the right. His lock screeched against the metal holder as his shaking hands pulled it toward him and away from the locker. He muttered the lock combination under his breath, having done it enough times it opened first try.
“Yes.” he breathed. He pulled the locker panel open and glanced at his reflection in the mirror in front of him. The bruises surrounding both of his eyes in a distinct sneaker tread pattern stood stark against his pale skin. His green eyes were glazed with the beginnings of panic and dread. Students were beginning to fill the halls now. Good. Distractions were necessary if he was going to escape. He shoved his books and papers into his locker and slammed the door, slipped the lock onto the holder and clipped it shut.
That was when he made his first mistake.
He turned, not even glancing around him and ran straight into a wall. Pain burst between his eyes. Blood ran from his now throbbing nose, over his lips and began to drip onto the dirty floor. Instinctually, he reached up to wipe the blood away. That was his second mistake. The fist connected with the side of his head faster than he could’ve ever expected. Pain bloomed behind his eyes and his vision blurred. He felt himself tilt to his side before his right shoulder hit the floor. His head lolled and he felt the cool, solid pressure of the floor tiles against his cheek.
“When are you going to learn that we don’t want people like you around? You’re a filthy freak and we don’t want that here.” A voice drawled from above.
So it wasn’t a wall he had hit. Great. He shifted his head and glanced up. Immediately his heart began to race. The face that met his eyes was cruel and unforgiving. Of course, belonging to Hunter Kane, that was to be expected. Hunter was built like a farmer, his arms thick with muscle, his hair styled into a mullet. He had steel-toed boots that his brother had bought him two weeks ago and a tan from working out in the fields so often, his skin was still peeling from where he had gotten burned before. His wild blue eyes had locked onto him, as though he was his next prey. A small sigh left his blood caked lips which Hunter picked up on.
“What was that? What did you say, faggot? What’s your name again? RJ? Damn, your parents must’ve hated you to call you that.”
RJ let the dim feelings of anger race through his body but didn’t act on it, he barely did anymore. That just made it worse. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before placing his palm down flat against the cool, dusty floor and pushed. His shoulder protested the movement but he continued until he was kneeling before them, his head hung against his chest as he tried to keep from swallowing the blood still freely flowing from his nosebleed. He could hear the bustle of moving students around them, their feet scooting across the tiles, the treads of their shoes grinding and squeaking, making his headache climb to almost unbearable. He should’ve been shocked nobody had stopped to help him. No teacher peeking their head out of their room, spotting them before they laid out their kicks and punches, no good-natured student running towards them and screaming at them to stop or else they would kill him. No one. He expected the first kick. It came from Carlos Garcia. Yet another one of the bullies that tormented him
Carlos had deep tan skin and brown eyes, his face seemed kind but he still bullied RJ. Carlos often hung back and barely hit him, said he didn’t want to bust his knuckles. His black hair was wavy with curls and if he wasn’t such an ass, RJ might’ve liked him. The kick collided with his chest, knocking the air out of him while simultaneously slamming the back of his battered body and head with the floor. Black spots danced before his vision. The kicks that followed were centered around his stomach and kidneys as he crawled onto his side. Never mind the nosebleed now, he would be having major problems if he couldn’t get away. His feet scrambled for purchase against the slippery tile and his body wouldn’t cooperate with him. His back ached as the kicks rained down on him. With all the bruises his body would have, the sneaker tread wouldn’t stand out as much. At least there was a bright side. He tried to get to his feet once again and succeeded. He stood, the blood gushing from his nose now, making his face a bloody mess, his breath stuttered from his lips as he stumbled down the hallway toward the open doors.
He could hear Hunter laughing behind him with Carlos and Collin Giles. Collin was a useless minion Hunter let hang around with him. Collin had pale skin, dotted with freckles. His arms could’ve rivaled Hunter’s in a battle for whose was beefier. Collin was slow and he had two teeth missing from when he took a header into his fathers’ tractor at three years old. RJ held out a hand to catch the blood falling from his nose, the other hand clasped tightly against his ribs. RJ was smart. He had to be; he had been taking care of himself since he was eight. Both his parents worked in the hospital, his dad a nurse and his mom a surgeon. They had taught him first aid at a young age because of how many times he got hurt on the mountains in Minnesota, snowboarding, but that fun seemed like decades ago, long before an avalanche had taken out the hospital his parents worked at, leaving them with no jobs and no way to make money. So of course, the best course of action was to move to Texas. Now here he was running for his life everyday just to go home to an empty house. He squinted his eyes against the brightness of the sun as he emerged through the open doors of the high school. The light pierced through his skull. The footsteps coming up behind him were slow and measured and he realized with a start that they were following him. Usually, they beat him up and left him to find his way home or lay, bleeding on the floor. His heart was beating out of his chest and his breaths came in shallow gasps. The world spun around him as he tumbled down the steps, landing on the hard concrete at the bottom. The parking lot was almost deserted now. Only a few stray cars were scattered across the lot. Likely, teachers staying after for their respective clubs. He heard low chuckling and the stomping of feet next to him as he lay on the ground. He gazed up at the blue sky and the fluffy white clouds. A feeble smile made it’s way across his lips. The concrete was cool against his back as his chest rose and fell lazily. He could only take shallow breaths without his ribs screaming. Broken ribs, he decided. Great. An ugly face filled his vision. Hunter. He could see Carlos standing next to Hunter and Collin. Carlos hung back a little and his face held a strange emotion. Did Carlos feel…guilty? That was impossible. “This is what happens to fags like you!” Hunter sneered. Then spit right on RJ’s shoes.
"Lets leave this freak to die.” Collin laughed, as they turned their backs on RJ and left him, bloodied and bruised, laying on the concrete in front of the school. That’s right, leave, you jackasses. RJ could only turn his head to the side, before his vision greyed out and his breath caught in his throat. Darkness welcomed RJ with open arms and he leapt faithfully into their embrace.