Be a Man

There was a bloody nose involved, and he took a heavy-handed swing at the other guy’s face. I looked away, appalled, when it landed. It connected solidly with his jaw, and he grimaced before readying his fist for another punch. This time it went to the stomach, and with an ‘oomph’, he got one in return. Then the one who’d thrown the first punch, the one that had bloodied up the other’s nose, went crazy. I watched, in utter disgust, as the person who’d been defending - well, I had a distinct impression that it was me they were discussing - was hit repeatedly across the face with no way to defend himself.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

I ran up and shoved the guy who was throwing punches back, and my head snapped to the side with a punch he had been unable to stop. I turned my head to glare at him, then I promptly smacked him across the face. It was just my luck that a teacher had just heard the commotion and come around the corner.

“Anna!” I groaned as my history teacher, Mr. Burns, strode our way. “I never would have expected that from you!”

“He deserved it,” I mumbled under my breath, where only the one behind me heard, and he snorted.

“And Thomas!” the boy I’d smacked (and whose cheek, I’m proud to say, already had a bright red hand print gracing the flesh), looked up. “I’m sure she didn’t do that for no reason…why, her lip is split!” Mr. Burns seemed to notice, and in surprise, I reached up and touched it, and sure enough, there were little beads of blood in the corner of my mouth. “And look at Austin! Bloody nose, bloody lip! All you’ve got is a hand print on the side of your face, Thomas! I’m going to have to take you all to the vice principal, you know!”

“It’s not Anna’s fault,” Austin piped up from behind me. “She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

The two boys glared darkly at each other, and I felt kind of apprehensive standing between them with all this testosterone flying around. Then I realized that Austin was sticking up for me, and I turned to him, with Mr. Burns sighing and rubbing his forehead. Austin just grinned lopsidedly at me, and he looked the worse for wear. It looked like Thomas’s class ring had also given him a small gash in his cheek, which was bleeding, but Austin just had
a twinkle in his eyes as he used his thumb to wipe the blood from my lips and leaned over to whisper in my ear, “I’m glad you liked it.”

My eyes flew to where the necklace rested, defiantly on top of the shirt I’d tucked it under this morning. I felt a flush rise on my cheeks as Austin casually straightened and wiped his thumb on his jeans, and it was silent as we awaited our verdict.

“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to come along, Anna. I realize that you were just stopping it from getting worse, but you could have always just have gone and gotten a teacher.” I sighed.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” I said, “but can I at least get my stuff out of my locker, like I originally intended to do?”

Austin couldn’t help but let out a dry chuckle, but Thomas was still scowling as Mr. Burns nodded in approval.

“Alright. Make it quick.”

“I will.” I said, and I glance around to see what lockers we were by, and was astonished to find Austin standing right in front of mine. I nudged him, and he moved obligingly. It was silent in the hallway except for the thumps of my books and my locker. “Okay,” I said after a few moments, “Done.”

“Then let’s go to Mr. Young’s office.” Mr. Burns said in the voice that let us know he really didn’t want to do this but had to because it was his job. “To see what we have to do about this situation.”

I groaned inwardly at this, and Thomas was the first to follow Mr. Burns. I snorted at the thought that ran through my head - he must be used to this - and was shocked when I felt a hand on the small of my back gently pushing me forward.

“Come on,” Austin whispered so that the others couldn’t hear, “before we’re in deeper shit than we already are.”

I nodded and started walking on my own, partly to get away from Austin and partly so he wouldn’t see the pink dusting of a blush on my cheeks. And if I had thought I was getting weird looks when I showed up in my new truck, it was nothing compared to the weird looks you get if you’re walking behind a teacher in between a boy whose jaw was bruising and was limping and clutching his stomach, and another guy whose whole face was bruising and was bloodied up, with a light bruise also forming on your own jaw with a split lip. That’s when you really get stared at. Especially if you’re of the female gender, a straight-A student, and hardly ever seem to rebel. And especially if you’re known to very, very strongly dislike at least one of the men you’re traipsing off to the vice principal’s with.

We were turning heads. Many, many heads. Then I heard a familiar voice over the (slightly hushed) cafeteria.

“What the hell? Anna?!”

I hoped Brandon wasn’t going to get told off or brought along for that.

I flopped down at the lunch table between Hailey and Brandon, and felt all eyes on me.

“Whaaaaat?” I sighed, opening my eyes.

“What?” Hailey stared at me, “You, Austin, and Thomas Baker get carted to the VP’s this morning and all you can say is what?”

“Geez, Hails, what else should I do?” I asked sarcastically, “Open up and tell you all why I was carted along with the bloodied up boys this morning?”

“YES!” Hailey and Brandon practically squealed. I groaned and rubbed my forehead.

“I had a feeling they were arguing over…” I paused then sighed. “…over me. I can’t prove it, but Thomas is the one who asked to ‘have a shot’ at me, and he used the same phrase back there, before Austin said, ‘She’s not a target, idiot!’ Then Thomas threw the first punch, and I walked around the corner just as Austin was punching him back. Thomas started beating the hell out of Austin, and I stepped in and slapped him across the face, right as Mr. Burns came around the corner. Happy?” I said all of this rather dully, and they just stared. “What now?”

“How do you explain the bruise on your face?” Josh asked bluntly, Sara nudged him, aghast.

“Easy. When I pushed Thomas he was halfway through throwing a punch.” I shrugged. “That’s pretty much the reason I slapped him across the face.”

“So…you protected Austin?” Brandon asked with a smirk, and Hailey gasped.

“Oh my gosh, she did!” she squealed.

“Don’t even,” I murmured. “Now I wish I hadn’t…”

“Why?! Did you get detention?!” Brandon squeaked.

“No. You’re just not going to let me live it down.”

“You didn’t get detention?” Sara asked me, to clear it up.

“No. But they did.” I shrugged. “The VP just said not to let it happen again, and that was that.”

The others seemed awestruck at my stroke of good fortune.

Mom had a fit over my bruise, and sat me at the table for a half hour as she examined it.

“You should know better than to jump into the middle of a fist fight!” Mom scolded. “I can’t believe it of Austin, but you say he was standing up for one of your friends…so, I don’t disapprove…but I hope he doesn’t make a habit of it!”

“I know, Mom,” I chuckled, “You’ve already said that…twice.”

“Sorry, dear, but it’s true! What ever possessed you to jump in between them I suppose is your business, but don’t you make a habit of doing that, either, you hear me?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Now up you get. Take your shower and everything, and don’t forget to put some lip balm on that split!”

“Got it, Mom.” I said, getting up from my chair and heading upstairs.

I got to my bathroom and unclasped the necklace I’d let hang out all day, since Austin had already seen it. I laid it on the counter like I had yesterday, and admired it for a few moments. I couldn’t help myself. Even as arrogant as he could sometimes be, the necklace pretty much showed me that he had a soft side…somewhere in there. I sighed, bonked myself on the head gently, and got into the shower.

I didn’t see much of Austin over the next few days, due to his three days in DT. At first, I wondered whether to feel guilty, happy, or depressed. Then I knocked sense into myself and settled for happy. After all, the bane of my existence was out of my life (most of the way) for three whole days! I should’ve lived it up! So, I was exceedingly happy from Monday thru Wednesday, but then, Thursday brought him back into our midst.

“Hey, babe!” a voice assailed me as Hailey and I chatted on our way to the doors. I ignored him and tried to walk right by, but he grabbed my wrist like he had a few times before. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing!” I said brightly. “I obviously don’t mind being touched, can’t you tell by my twitching eye?”

He laughed and threw an arm about my shoulders. “Good! Then I’m not letting go!”

“You’d better get your hands off of me,” I hissed this time.

“Aw, you know you like it. Hell, you know you like me,” he smirked, “After all, it was you who stopped Thomas from beating me to a bloody pulp.”

“I wouldn’t have had to if you hadn’t been arguing over something and irritated him enough that he felt the need to punch your lights out!” I retorted. “And in your dreams!”

“You know it!”

“You’re unbelievable!” I cried, trying to worm my way out of his grasp.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered in my ear.

“Ugh! Back off!” I grumbled, shoving at him. “Hails! Get him off!”

“What d’you expect me to do?” she asked incredulously.

“C’mon, Anna!” Austin hugged the struggling me tighter. “You know you like it!”

“Stop acting like a five year old!” I halfway yelled at him.

“But it’s fun!” he grinned, and I paused a moment, staring at him, before I realized and struggled again.

He wouldn’t let me go. I struggled against him for the better part of ten minutes, with him saying all of his little jokes and immature comebacks and just laughing off my insults.

Curse his football player muscles! He was too strong for me to break his hold, and I was forced to endure all his teases and jibes and the little whispers in my ears meant only for me to hear that I tried my best to tune out, though that was an utter failure.

“Let me go!” I groaned for at least the fifth time.

“Not a chance,” he said, and you could see the laughter in his eyes. “I know you like it.”

“No I do not, you idiot!” I shoved hard against him, but he just laughed.

“C’mon! How about dinner and a movie this Friday?”

“You insufferable jerk-off! Not on your life!” I really yelled this. “Let me go!”

He let out a large, over-exaggerated sigh, and let me go. “There you go.”

I turned to walk off, and he called, “So, when do you want to go out?”

I spun around. “What did you just say?”

“When do you want to go out?”

He said it casually, hands in his pockets and his posture kind of slouched.

“What makes you think I want to go out with you?” I hissed, at the breaking point.

“Well…let’s see…I ask you out all the time, I like you, and I live right next door!” He grinned like a five year old again. “And I love to annoy you!”

“Only little kids annoy the person they really like,” I snorted.

“I guess I’m a little kid at heart, then. I love to see you all riled up.” he smirked, and I fumed, but put on a smile.

“When you finally grow up and decide to be a man,” I said flippantly, “I might consider it.”

“I guess I just have to grow up a bit.”

“Fat chance,” I snorted again.

”Grow up and be a man?” he asked with a lopsided smirk, “Deal.”

I stared at the offered hand, and smirked, shaking it.

“Good luck,” I scoffed. “You’ll need it.”