“Damn it ... wait here!” I heard him mumble, before he got up and left me alone in the room.
About five minutes in, my phone started buzzing and I was elated when I saw what I had just received. This day couldn’t get any better! Craig, one of my last remaining ‘friends’, if I could still call anyone that, had started filming the whole thing as soon as he had noticed that the girl was not too receptive to Jack’s advances. It showed everything! I could now watch myself knock out Jack and his friend, and relive that beautiful moment, as many times as I wanted. But most important of all, if the principal chose to screw me over, I had solid proof!
Just to be on the safe side, I quickly created a new YouTube account, made sure the password was not saved in my phone, and uploaded the video to it. This way, it was definitely backed up in a way they could not get to, even if they took my phone from me, and I could easily share it if needed. Another twenty minutes later, the principal returned and sat back behind his desk. He fixed me with a look, still seeming anything but happy.
“Well, Mr. Brown, I just checked the security tape. It does indeed show that you didn’t initiate the fight, but instead reacted to threatening behavior from another student. It still doesn’t...”
“Threatening behavior!?” I interrupted, clearly irritated. “Are you saying the tape didn’t show Jack physically assaulting me when I just stood there? Pushing me into the lockers? Holding me by the collar, while raising his fist? Are you claiming, based on what you saw on the tape AND what you read in the witness’s statement, I didn’t have every reason to fear for my safety?”
The way the principal’s eyes narrowed told me that I had said the right thing. I had been left alone with my thoughts in this room for long enough to anticipate this. Working in a security company has quite a few benefits. One of those was hearing all the stories the guys at the firm told me. They are regularly threatened with legal actions whenever a drunkard they threw out of an event felt humiliated, or a spouse that got caught fucking around on our surveillance cameras felt like they were installed unlawfully. These people would make up the most fantastical tales of misconduct and excessive violence to somehow discredit us. So, as soon as the principal started talking like a cheap lawyer, I knew he would try to spin this any way he could to discredit me.
But I also knew I had the advantage, since I was holding all the proof. After two different beatings, I had been forced to see a doctor, and in both cases he noted all the “defensive wounds” I had. Quite telling abrasions, cuts and bruises I got while trying to shield myself. And as I just pointed out to the principal, even if the surveillance tape somehow went missing, I still had a witness.
The principal watched me for a few seconds before he took a deep breath and continued.
“What I wanted to say, Mr. Brown, is that I acknowledge you felt the need to defend yourself. Albeit you did so excessively. So, we will not expel you. Instead, you, as well as the other two boys, will receive a three-day suspension. I will notify your parents of what happened here today. Please accompany Coach Jenkins here off the school grounds to make sure there aren’t any more incidents today.”
And just as if on cue, Coach Jenkins entered the room and walked me out. I stopped by the door to get one last point across, though.
“You know, it’s interesting how the school suddenly has a surveillance system you could check. Makes one wonder, what happened to your need to call the police over this incident? After all, someone still got assaulted. Don’t tell me the police aren’t necessary any longer, now that the victim turned out to be someone other than one of your players?”
“Don’t overdo it, Mr. Brown.” he glared at me. “I might not see the need to call the police on you, but those boys’ parents just might!”
“In that case, let me remind you that we live in the age of smartphones. The whole show is already on YouTube. I suggest you keep that in mind when you talk to their parents to explain exactly what happened.” I deadpanned, and let Coach Jenkins lead me off school grounds.
I couldn’t have given any less of a shit about his threat. I achieved what I wanted to and had the proof that I merely defended myself. That was a good day.
Chapter 2
I just walked out of the kitchen with my freshly microwaved burrito, when I heard the front door open. It had been three hours since I was suspended, and it was time for Logan and Ava to arrive home. The entire afternoon I was unable to take my mind off the fight, but especially the confrontation with the principal that followed. What I told him was absolutely true. I really did ask the school staff for help, especially when the thefts started, but they never even did so much as hang Anti-Bullying posters in the hallways. The fact I now even had to threaten them with a lawyer after I was forced to defend myself, had kept me angry the entire time. So, when Logan and Ava stepped out of the hallway and into the living room, my mood was already pretty dark, and Ava must have noticed. She stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing me. Logan, however, came right at me.
“Great work, asshole! You proud...”
That was as far as he came before I threw my plate against the wall ten feet next to him, shattering it into a thousand pieces. Ava let out a shrill shriek and made a quick beeline to the stairs. Logan looked surprised about my outburst. He didn’t seem to have expected me to do anything but cower before him. But then again, his buddies didn’t expect me to hit back either. He had four inches in height on me, but I still got right in his face, causing him to slowly walk backwards, as I launched my tirade at him.
“Shut the fuck up, Golden Boy. I’ve fucking had it. Your friends have been beating on me for MONTHS! And you stood right next to them and WATCHED with a SMILE! I’m fucking done taking your shit! You’ve seen it today. You know what I’m capable of now. So go ahead and piss me off, motherfucker!” That last word I basically spat at him with all the loathing I could express, hinting at what I knew. “See how it works out for you.”
He visibly paled and took a few quick steps back from me. This was obviously not what he thought was going to happen. I wasn’t just seething, I was actually hoping he would try something so I could rip him apart. My fists were balled, my nails digging painfully into my palms, and my body was literally shaking in anger. The amount of pure hate that suddenly exploded inside me scared even myself. But he was there in the school’s hallway. He saw the violence. He knew what could happen if he pushed me over the edge again.
To my great pleasure, he turned and walked away without saying another word. My eyes followed him until Ava entered my field of vision, who was still standing at the bottom of the stairs. I was equally pleased to see the fright on her face before Logan reached her, grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her up the stairs. When they were out of sight, I went back to the kitchen to get something to clean up my mess, and moaned about the loss of my afternoon snack.
About two hours later, I heard a knock on my door. When I opened it, I found myself face to face with Ava. By now I had calmed down significantly and just stared at her with a bored expression. She looked at me, opened her mouth to say something, but then seemed like she was taken aback. Her mouth slowly closing again, her eyes started wandering around my room, and a look I couldn’t place crept onto her face. Like she was irritated. Or nervous. Or, maybe, almost like she was concerned. I looked around myself but couldn’t see anything unsettling. Wasn’t much left, to be honest. Over the past year, my room had lost most of its personal touch.