Chapter XI

The lesson ended and I sighed in relief.

It was torture.

Having to sit next to the person that looked like him.

I found out his name, though.

It was the same as his.

I should have guessed.

I quickly gathered my things and rushed out into the corridor.

I hurried towards the cafeteria, trying to get the day over as quick as possible.

...

Why are there a group of people standing by the door, blocking it?

My hand went to the locket to ease my anxiety.

I stared at the ground, finding it very interesting as I walked forward getting ready to walk through them.

As we became level, an arm blocked my way and I looked up.

One of the thugs was looking down at me with a sneer.

He had a buzz cut and a scar over his eyebrow.

"Why do you always wear that locket?" The person next to him asked.

It wasn't really asking, more of demanding.

I opened my mouth to say something but no words came out.

I couldn't speak.

One standing to the other side of me reached towards me, grasping at the locket.

My locket.

I stepped backwards, finally coming to my senses, and the metal slipped out of his grasp.

I made a quick decision.

"Head teacher, what are you doing here?" I said, putting on a slightly confused expression and tilting my head.

The one blocking my way lowered his arm and they all turned to look behind them.

Using this opportunity, I rushed past them into the crowded cafeteria.

Surely they wouldn't cause a scene with so many witnesses?

"Hey! Where do you think you're going? Bastard, come back here!" The one with the scar said yelled at me.

I speed walked away, only to stumble back as one of them grasped the chain.

"Let go!" I tugged at it, trying to lessen the force around my throat.

I heard laughing from all around.

I heard a faint 'ching' as the clasp came undone.

It seemed to fall off of me in slow motion.

The metal of the main body of the locket caught the light as it got tugged behind me.

I turned around, reaching for it, only to have my hand close on thin air.

The place went quiet.

There was a loud click as the leader of them opened it.

My face paled.

"Give it back." My voice sounded weak.

More laughing.

The person with my locket showed the others around them and they all sniggered.

"What's this? Why does he have a picture if a guy in this thing? That's gay."

I couldn't tell who said that.

My ears were ringing slightly. And the edges of my vision faded out.

"Give it back." My voice sounded distant, like it wasn't my own.

There wasevwn more laughing, the sound seeping into my bones.

Something inside me snapped.

I lunged forward, fist clenched.

It hit the guy holding my locket square in the jaw and he reeled backwards, clunching at his face.

"Give. It. Back."

There was silence in the cafeteria.

People looked nervously at each other.

My blood boiled as he threw the locket to one of his lackeys.

I flew towards them, grabbing the chain of my locket and headbutting them in the forehead.

They cried out in pain and I saw a trickle of blood run down their head.

"What the- how dare you?!" The leader sounded incredibly pissed off.

He took a swing at me and I ducked.

I could hear the air above my head move from the force of it.

He let out a frustrated growl and took another swing, this time it landed

I let out a huff as his fist hit me in the stomach.

Hard.

I grabbed his arm and pulled him towards me, using the momentum of his fall to punch him in the face again.

Both of us threw punches at the other, most of them landing.

Red entered my vision as blood trickled into my eye from a cut.

My hands were bruised and bleeding.

I could feel a black eye starting to form.

Nothing existed but me and him.

Nothing mattered apart from beating him into a pulp for touching my locket.