Chapter 12: Sour
I spent the whole morning giving Leon a tour of the school, both parts of it. Since our school is so big they allow tour guides off classes for that day, its rare for seniors to get that luxury since there is rarely any new students in senior year, this being the first im experiencing it. At lunch i decided to show him the cafeteria and he was in awe watching the different cliques and friend groups there. "Never seen so many people together like this, its been a while" he exclaimed, chin between his fingers as his green eyes roamed the room. "What about at your last school? Didn't it have tables? Or people?" I asked sarcastically and rolled my eyes. He looked at me with a faint smile, " i was home schooled, so no, no people, just empty tables" i looked at him sadly, "i dont need your pity Avery, stop with that look, i was home schooled." He said then walked off, i followed.
"Calm down, its not pity, its just, im curious...what did you do for fun?" I asked, "i had lots of toys, games, fencing,swimming in our luxurious pool made only for nobles like mwa" he boisterously pointed at his chest, "dancing of course, as everyone of my stature must learn, the list goes on but let me not bore you with those details. Easily im stronger then both my brothers physically although Mike the moron is admittedly better at rough housing im more elegant and smart about my participation in fights, he's too hot headed even when its 5 against 1. Academically, im not the best though since i have to try harder then my siblings there. It sucks but what can you do" he sighed. "Well, you really are in love with yourself,arent you? Mr luxury and stature. Why don't you also teach me the proper ways to drink tea?" I mocked, he laughed "maybe i will, i dont see a point in being around people who don’t know how to dine properly, speaking of dining manners..." he started looking at the Cafeteria food student line. He walked to the front, pushed a guy aside and asked one of the lunch ladies, "mademoiselle, 1 hot pot and moon cakes, please, I'd like a big lunch" he ordered. The lunch lady looked at him blankly "dumplings or fried chicken rice?" She asked irritably. "He'll have none until he actually enters the line from the back miss Alice" grumbled an angry Brody, auburn eyes glaring daggers at Leon's taller form.
"Sorry shorty the adults are talking, you have to be at least my hight to join" retorted Leon, as he mocked the shorter Brody. "I don't need to be taller then you to give your skin a nice shade of purple, ghost boy! Dont cut in front of me in line and think ill let you push me around!" Brody placed his tray of food on the counter, clenched his fists, knuckes cackling as he did so. "Hmph, shorty has a temper? they do say its the short ones with the shortest of fuses" mocked Leon then he laughed while Brody's face turned red in anger.
He got closer to Leon, grabbed him by the shirt and a fight broke out, punch after punch,students cheered, Leon crashed into a table after having been thrown by Brody, he saw a tray of food left by the students who had just vacated the table and threw it at Brody's face, who began to used the sleaves of his shirt to clean around his eyes. Leon wasted no time in ambushing him with a furry of punches and kicks, Brody fell hard, lower lip bleeding, wiped the food off of eyes, stood up staggeringly, grabbed a nearby tray, eyes on Leon and ran towards him then smashed the tray against the left side of his face.
Disoriented Leon fell and Brody jumped on top of him and began to hit him hard over and over and over while Leon blocked the blows as much as he could with his arms. Finally Roy and Jason arrived and pulled them apart, the principal coming in straight after, students got quiet Jason stood by Leon's side holding him back by the arm and Roy did the same with Brody as the two stared daggers at each other while struggling to lossen the grips Roy and Jason had on them.
The Principal stared silently at them, then turned to look at Brody. Mrs Hanger has always been a short tempered woman, it was a shock to all when she solemnly told Brody to follow her to her office, hushed whispers passed around as Brody looked at Leon in utter disbelief while Leon smirked gleefully in return.
Everyone watched as Brody followed the rather defeated sounding principal, who's eyes looked like a shell of their former self, her drive and normalized iconic temper dissipated. At the cafeteria doors Brody turned his head to look back at us, Leon already standing and looking back at him. Something seemed to spark in his eye, looking at Leon with either conviction or a new found hatred. Brody turned foward and walked away with the principal in front of him, not much was said at lunch time but all students were told to vacate the cafeteria, all assuming clean up will be given to Leon and Brody as punishment.
By club time,it was found out that only Brody got punished and was forced to clean the cafeteria by himself. I dont participate in clubs so when i got an opportunity to leave Leon with the cinema club,who mostly watch movies and give their rating, i went to the cafeteria to check on Brody. Opening the doors, i saw the quiet blond mopping the room, wasted food thrown in the nearby trashcans given to him to help with the clean up.
"Hey,Brody, are you alright?" I asked,walking up to him. He did not avert his eyes from the floor he was mopping, as he continued to work in silence. Looking at his face, i could see bandages on his cheek and some cotton lodged up his nose, a bit of red could be seen soaked into the cotton.
"He's a new student, he'll definitely get punished next time but you really shouldn't hav-" , "Avery, if you got nothing important to say just please shut up and leave me alone" he said menacingly, now glaring at the floor as he moved the mop around. "Im sorry, i understand Leon was a bit much but-!"," a bit?" I sighed at the interruption, "as i said i understand he was much but it's our job as seniors and older enrollees of this school to help make new students comfortable and i-", "You think that's normal? I should take disrespect just because he's new?. Avery wake up, this school has had a ban on new students of senior year for years since the times they did it it ended up with them getting lower senior pass rates and its always the new ones failing. Suddenly this dude can enter? and not only him but Jason is also an anomaly. Jason is better though because he came earlier this year but this dude is so late that the school is taking risks. This is not normal and i dont know whether you dont see that or you choose not to, the Daytons aren't normal." He said looking at me with determination, not a beat of hesitance at what he is saying to me,his mop's movement halted.
"Avery,just watch your back and im telling you now that even next time he wont get into trouble. Jason and Mike are weird but i think this Leon guy bought the principal's loyalty, she didn't even say once that she was gonna give him a punishment nor scold him." He told then dipped his mop in the bucket of soapy water next to him, moved a few paces back dagging it along, lifted the mop then lowered it onto the ground, continuing to mop as a large amount of water pooled on the ground. He began moving the mop aggressively and mopping a wider area, the water spreading forcing me to move back before it dampened my school shoes while he stepped unflinchingly on the wet surface with his bare feet.
Unsure what to say and his words still ringing in my head, seeming to get more and more factual as i remembered the posted instagram story, i apologized to him, wishing him goodluck and made my exist. As i was about to close the doors he yelled out "Avery, please, i know you and i dont really talk, heck i barely talk to anyone in this school but please be careful and watch your back with these guys" he said, still mopping and not daring to look me in the eye.
I closed the doors and headed to the cinema club, deep in thought, the weather seeming to get unreasonably hotter. When i got to the cinema club room,still deep in thought, i saw they were watching a comedy. Leon was happily laughing with the club members, all of them judging the characters and happily enjoying the movie with popcorn in hand. The room was dark to accomodate for the projector, windows painted black and lights turned off. I did not know what the future was gonna hold,but the more i looked at Leon's laughing figure the more the pit inside my stomach got heavier and heavier.
To be continued....