Page 107 of This is Me

“I think he needs to go home,” Cooper suggested, and I heard Leroy hum in agreement.

“That’s what I said.”

As Cooper and Leroy carefully pulled me to my feet, my mind began to swirl, and somehow, the blackness of my eyelids started spinning.

“My face is falling off,” I mumbled, staggering along with Cooper and Leroy, putting most of my weight on them.

“That much pain?” Leroy asked, and I heard a door open.

No, you limp rabbit. I’m in a world full of rainbows and lollipops.

Straining my eyes open, I saw that we had moved into the hallway, which was, thankfully, empty, though I had no idea how much longer it would stay that way. I didn’t know how long Leroy and I had been in the bathroom for, so, the bell could be ringing any minute.

“The bell is going to end me.” I groaned, trying to keep my eyes on something that wasn’t in motion. Which was difficult because we were fucking moving.

“Do you think we can get him to his car before the bell rings?” Cooper asked, but before Leroy could answer, a loud ringing ran through the halls and echoed in my mind.

It felt like my brain was melting.

“No. No, I do not,” Leroy muttered, readjusting my arm around his shoulder as students began piling into the hallway.

I did my best not to look at any of them, though I couldn’t do anything about hearing their voices.

“Oh, my God! What happened?”

“Is he okay?”

“Who did this?”

“I’m going to kick someone’s ass!

“Pete, are you alright?”

The voices of my peers filled my eyes, and my heart fluttered at how many people seemed to care. Although my brain was about to explode because of all the noise, it was trying to process as more and more people tried to ask questions about what had happened and comfort me as I walked past them.

I looked up at Leroy who was waving and asking for people to get out of the way, flinching at each movement of his hand. I wished that I had the strength in me to apologise a thousand times. He didn’t deserve my anger.

“What the living fuck! Peter!” Blaire’s voice shot through the hall as the bell stopped and it sounded as though every student in the hall moved up against the walls to get out of her way.

“Please don’t yell,” I mumbled and felt a warm hand gently touch the cut above my eye.

“Leroy, what the fuck?” Blaire spat, and I had an inkling she was accusing him.

“No, shush. We’re okay,” I managed to get out in a quiet voice, and I looked at Blaire to see her trying to process everything.

“What happened?” She asked, looking from my groggy face to Cooper and then Leroy, glaring at him as she did so, and looking at his hand. “What happened to your hand? Leroy—”

“Mitchell went the punch and Leroy punched the man. Can we be the quiet now, please.” My voice got quieter with every word I spoke.

I knew I was making next to no sense, but I couldn’t think too hard about what I was saying. Every time I tried—the inside of my head set itself on fire.

“Leroy Addins to the principal’s office. Leroy Addins to the principal’s office.” A static voice made its way through the halls, and Leroy sighed.

“Get him home,” he muttered, and Blaire huffed, moving him out of the way and taking his spot.

Closing my eyes again, trying to stop everything from spinning, I felt another warm hand gently touch my face before I was carefully moved again. A voice in the back of my mind told me it had been Leroy’s hand, but I blocked it out.

I had no idea how I managed to get to my car or get home, but the next thing I knew, I was laying in my bed. The throbbing in my face continued, but each pulse of blood that ran through my head seemed to get fainter and fainter as I fell asleep.