Bloody, Brawling Business chapter 1

  He put his arm behind him to catch his fall as he stumbled backwards. The rough pavement’s sharp rocks tore into the skin covering his elbow as he skidded a little across the frictious ground. Payas turned his back to him and faced his crowd of supporters. They acted like dogs, loyal only to powerful Payas. They barked and laughed, striving to best each other in volume, delighted to watch their master play.

  “I want to enjoy this,” said Payas. “But there’s so much to do.”  He started to bounce around on his toes excitedly shaking out his legs. “I just can’t choose. I can kick him.” 

  Payas turned and kicked Yuda’s supporting arm. It grated even more as it slid out from under him, deepening the pre existing graze. Yuda’s head hit the ground.

  “I can wind him.” Payas’ shoe dropped into Yuda's stomach.

  Yuda didn’t move. His breath ached and tears pooled in his eyes, but he still couldn’t care to fight back. He’d only put himself in a worse position. His parents, the meeting with the principal, the detention, a worse beating from Payas. It just wasn’t worth it. An eye for an eye, to fight fire with fire, Yuda knew it was wrong. It would only make him as bad as the oppressor. 

  Yuda’s ears rang. The sound of Payas’ boasting and the crowd’s cheer, now muffled. His head, the thumping, the pounding, the pounding, the pounding - the crowd broke. The sun burned behind Piko as he ran through at full speed, not slowing down as he grabbed Payas around the waist and pushed off the ground. They both tilted as Piko got his forehead under Payas’ chin, keeping it up so that Payas’ skull was tilting back, exposed. It hit the ground first, right in front of Mr. Morris who had just come to investigate the commotion.

***

  Yuda tuned out as his parents argued in the waiting room. He sat on the floor, meddling with the lint of the square carpet tiles in front of him. The bandage on his Right arm covered from his wrist almost to his shoulder. Every time he’d accidentally try to bend his arm the bandage would move a little, rubbing against his wound, causing him to wince and forcing a tear from his eye. 

  The air from the AC blew in streams through Yuda’s hair, toying with it and cooling his scalp. It started to irritate him so he leaned forward, lowering his head out of its way. Chairs were lined up along the room’s walls, except for in front of its only two doors which were the exit and the principal's door. His parents' bickering grew from a whisper into audible shouting, making ignorance impossible for Yuda to maintain.

  “He’s done the right thing. Why do you insist on making these problems worse?” said his mother.

  “Worse? This is worse. He took a beating and didn’t even try to defend himself. Look at him. Do you think it would've gotten to this point if he'd fought back?” said his father.

  “He wouldn’t have ever been able to stop it on his own. The other boy could’ve killed him,” said his mother.

  Yuda clenched his hand into a fist. 

  The knob of the principal's door rattled before turning, allowing the door to open. Principal Garrath stood in the doorway. 

  “Come in,” he said, gesturing inside.

  Yuda’s parents got up first and made their way in. Yuda followed behind. There were three cushioned seats in front of the principal’s desk which Yuda and his parents took. The principal sat in his office chair on the other side. The wall was decorated with certificates and awards and behind the principal was a shelf with photos of him and different groups of students.

  “How are you doing Mr and Mrs Vonhallen?” the principal asked.

  “We’re fine,” said Yuda's dad. “Now what’s been done about this psycho boy?”

  The principal froze for a moment. “The other boy, Payas, has been suspended. The boy who hospitalised him has been expelled,” he said calmly.

  “For what? Defending my son? Where were your teachers by the way, when all of this was going down?” said Yuda’s dad

  “Their teacher had stepped out and left the boys unsupervised which is not ok for any reason. He has been given a warning,” the principal said.

  “A warning hardly seems like enough. A boy is in the hospital,” said Yuda’s mother.

  “Ma’am, I have made sure that Mr. Morris has a complete understanding of what he’s done wrong,” said the principal, leaning his face over the table. "The same sympathy that brought that teacher's punishment down to a warning is that same sympathy that reduced your son’s suspension to three days.”

  “Suspention? For what!?” said Yuda’s father

  “Instigating a fight is just as unacceptable as throwing the first punch,” said the principal

  Yuda was speechless. His sense of morality had just been shattered. His parents, the principal, Suffering the consequences of another man's actions. He didn’t start anything.

  “He started the fight?” said his father.

  “Yes,” said the principal “He-

  Yuda lunged out of his chair and swung. His fist connected with the principal's face mid speech. The principal's teeth cut the inside of his own cheek and he pushed off the desk, rolling back with his chair. 

  Now drooling with blood the principal yelled “Expulsion! Leave my office! You will be expelled!