Burn it Down

~Megan's POV~

"Look at how many little faggots brought along a date tonight!" One guy said. I was pretty sure his name was Alan, but I couldn't be positive. He kept taunting people as he shoved people off to the side as he moved his way to the front, his date, his friends, and his friends' dates all in tow behind him. I didn't know what it was with these assholes saying the word faggot. How was that even an insult to them that someone could possibly be gay. I just wished they'd pick a different word. Any word.

This guy, anyone could have guessed, was an athlete. But unlike the idea you usually have in your head of what an athlete should look like, this guy just kind of looked like a bulldog. His face was wide and fat, and sunken in at the nose with a jaw that stuck out. Exactly like a damn bulldog and I already hated him just for his face. I shouldn't have, but he was not nice either so I felt justified in my judgment that I could hate him just for his face.

The night had gone by smoothly so far. I had a nice time with Luke and I was glad he asked, even if I could already tell it wouldn't be the best night of our lives.

Luke and Tyler stepped back with Tiffany and I. Alan then looked over and noticed Luke before smiling wide. For a second I thought he might be nice to us and say something pleasant like we cleaned up nice. Something demeaning, but not hurtful. I just held on tighter to Luke's arm.

"Heeey!" Alan said. "The faggot king!" He turned to look at his friends who were all laughing at us already. "Cleans up really nice, doesn't he? Oh! And look!" He went on, "He brought his girlfriend Cousin It. Guess I really can't call you a faggot, now can I?"

"Assuming they're even dating." I heard one person say. I couldn't even look up because I had spikes on my little bag and if I saw who was talking I might just beat them with it.

"True." Alan said. "You ask her out yet dipshit, or are you waiting to grow some balls?"

Luke tried to talk but all he could do was utter the beginnings of the words he wanted to say but that refused to come out. I just leaned into Luke to try and comfort him when Alan turned his attention to Tyler.

"Stretch Armstrong! How's it going? I see your date looks more like a man than you do."

Finally someone showed us some fucking mercy because the doors unlocked and people began to pile in. But not before Alan's friends had shoved Luke and Tyler on their way through the door.

We all four stood outside, our morale gone.

"I'm still going. I don't give a fuck what they said. They don't own us and we deserve tonight too." Tiff was finally the first one to pipe up. Tyler looked at us for a minute and finally just followed Tiffany in.

I just held onto Luke who sat there in silence. He had that same glazed look in his eyes like he did the first day I met him and he had his head slammed into the locker. It was here I put together that this look was him trying not to cry in anger that he couldn't stop what was going on and how people were treating him.

"Luke." I said softly, looking up at him. He didn't respond. "Luke." I said again, a little louder.

He finally snapped back and looked down at me.

"Let's go in."

I was completely shocked. I would have been completely okay with staying the fuck out of that place. I don't want to be surrounded by walls in a place where people openly mock and abuse me and Luke, as well as Tyler and Tiffany. But we went in.

I'd never been to a dance. I never had an offer and I just never felt like going. There were so many people here at once, I'd hoped that since we came in, there'd be enough people to drown us out and all the assholes at this school would forget we were here.

Very few people wanted to dance so for the most part I sat and hung out with Luke who seemed a bit distant to me. Instead he hung out with Tyler who had also ditched Tiffany. So Tiffany and I just talked.

"Tell your mom thanks for the shoes." Tiffany said to me. This was small talk, avoiding the bigger problem.

"It doesn't bother you what they said?" I asked. I just couldn't understand why we weren't talking about this.

Tiffany was silent for awhile before she sighed.

"Megan, try to understand. This shit happens every day. What they said tonight was stupid but I don't know...forgettable? Even if we tried to stop it, it wouldn't stop so why even give a fuck?"

I looked down and linked my fingers together, suddenly embarrassed. I took a deep breath and looked back up.

"Mark my words, Tiffany. Something bad is going to happen because of all this. I don't even know what I'm saying but the whole thing gives me this feeling in my stomach...I don't even think we should be here." I looked over at Tiffany. Even though I had managed to make friends with her, there was something off about our friendship. It was tenuous and strained, and if I didn't know better I'd say she didn't like me.

She gave me a sympathetic look before a crash made us clench our eyes shut tightly. I felt hard little pieces of something graze my face and when I looked finally, someone had thrown a glass bottle. I assumed it was beer, but I wondered how someone got beer in here, but finally a worse situation grabbed my attention.

Luke was wrestling with some guy on the ground. While Luke was winning against this guy, it was when three more joined into the fight that I jumped up. Tyler threw himself in as well and quickly this turned into some sort of beatdown.

I was mortified and wanted to cry. I jumped up and tried to keep my eyes on Luke.

"STOP!" I barked, not that my voice would do anything. I was scared to be too loud and after scratching and trying to pull these guys off Tyler and Luke I remembered my spiked bag. I looked at it for a minute then put my fingers through it and began punching furiously and as hard as I can. The sharp spikes seemed to get my point across and these fuckers were just lucky I could only graze their cheeks and not stab them in the eyes.

I hate this fucking school. I screamed in my head.

When administrators finally came up to break up the fight, it had already stopped for the most part. Luke jumped up from the floor and left immediately. I saw him storming towards the door. I tried to head after him but when I went to step away, two girls tried to start with me.

"Your boyfriend is going to have his ass kicked for that, bitch."

I just gave them a look and they tried to return it, like it was Luke's fault someone had thrown a god damn beer bottle at him and he fought back.

"And," The one girl continued. "you're going to get the same from me if you can't get your faggot boy under control."

I sighed. "Cool, see ya." I said and pushed past them. I'm guessing one of them grabbed the back of my dress. They pulled back really hard and all I heard was a solid rip.

We all gasped. But when I turned around the girls started laughing.

"Her fucking dress ripped."

"Not funny. This dress cost more than your entire outfit." I spat then turned on the ball of my feet and bolted after Luke. I had lost track of Tyler and Tiffany.

Once I got out of the door, I stomped out of the school, across the shiny tiles where my shoes lightly clicked against them. I shoved the door open and as soon as I got outside into the chilled air of the early fall I stopped. I took a deep breath, my throat locking up. I knew I'd cry. I didn't want to. I was here for 10 minutes and the night was already so awful I wish I had never come. My mom would have my head for the ripped dress. My mom had fought hard to get this dress on time. That disappointment put me over the edge and I covered my face with my hands and sobbed.

I don't know how long I cried before I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. When I looked up it was Luke.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

I dropped my hands to my sides. "No! I'm not! Are you?" I just looked up at him. He was just a blurry figure since my tears were clouding my vision.

"I'll be okay." He said gently, stroking my upper back.

My head fell and I choked a bit on one sob.

"Megan, why are you crying?" He tilted his head. At the very least his lip was busted.

"Tonight sucks. We're never going to have a good time at this school. They say awful things to you, they hit you. Two bitches back there just ripped my fucking dress! I want to go home."

"Wait, who ripped your dress?"

"Valerie and Amber." I sniffled.

"Here, let me see." He nearly whispered.

He had gotten his ass kicked and he was comforting me which made me feel even worse. I turned around for him.

"How bad is it?" I asked cautiously, turning my head back.

"Oh, not that bad. It's okay." He said, taking off the jacket to his tuxedo. "Here. Put this on." Slinging the jacket around me he smiled.

Putting my arms through the jacket, I tried to relax. I looked up at him and his silly smile and immediately I hugged him as tight as I could.

He stood there for a moment. I guess he was shocked, but slowly he put his arms around me and hugged me back.