An Act of War

“What the hell happened?” Corey asks Austen. Austen pulls up her phone and shows the picture to Corey. His expression drops to sadness. 

“They were beating him up when we got here.” Austen adds. Corey is quiet, he’s so quick to judge Damon. “We should go tell the teachers what happened. Maybe he won’t be in too much trouble.”

“It won’t matter.” Corey says sourly. 

“Don’t say that.” Austen tries keep it optimistic. 

“No it won’t. There’s only one way the faculty sees Damon. But he’ll be fine don’t worry about him. For now...I have to deal with the rest of the school.” Corey rolls his eyes and walks away. 

“What do you mean?” Austen presses for information, why does everyone walk on eggshells around Damon?

“There’s a reason Damon doesn’t handle fights himself.” Corey sighs, “Now I am gonna have to do damage control with the hockey team.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Austen asks. “I feel partly responsible for going to Damon first.” Corey stops walking. He turns and looks at Austen with a stern face, he pauses and puts his fingers to his temples. Corey looks back up like he figured out a math problem. This guy is a special kind of stupid.

“I am going to find the hockey team. Could you find James and check on Torey? CJ probably took him home.” Corey requests, Austen nods. “Good. I’ll meet you at their house with Damon in a few hours. Hopefully by then things will have calmed down a bit.” 

“Okay. Sounds good.” Austen confirms. Corey whips out his phone and begins texting. Austen takes that as her que to leave. Austen begins pacing around in a circle, where would James be? I kind of just grabbed Damon and ran. He was at Damon’s locker… Austen makes her way back to Damon’s locker, she scans the hall. It’s quiet, she takes a breath and turns around a corner. She almost smacks face first into James but he maneuvers quick enough dodge her.

“Woah there.” James grabs her by the shoulders. He smiles sweetly, out of all his friends… this one is the strangest. “What’s going on? I was gonna follow but I was needed elsewhere.”

“This guy named Pat posted hateful pictures of Torey online and was beating him when Damon went to go find Pat…” Austen explains. James nods calmly. For the muscle of the group he is really soft. 

“Alrighty,” James slaps his hands together, “so Damon beat up Pat? Hopefully just Pat.” Austen nods to confirm James’s theory. James smirks at Austen. Why the hell is he smiling? “Oh Patty boy. Well. Let's go find Torey. I need to hear the full story.” 

“That’s what Corey said we should do.” Austen adds.

“Psh.” James scoffs, “Fu-uuh-ck him. Torey doesn’t need a check up. We are going there to help Torey finish what he started.” James smiles. Austen feels lost, James grabs her by the arm and they make their way out of school grounds. “Let’s go. Torey can explain everything.”

Austen pulls her arm away from him and stops walking, “We were fighting one week and now you and your friends are all buddy-buddy with me? I did what I did cause out of all of you guys Torey is the kindest. I did it for him, not for you guys. I don’t want to be involved in your guys’ bullshit drama club.”

James puts his hands in his pockets and shakes his head, “You thought we were fighting?”

Austen feels lost once again, “well yeah.” she replies 

James giggles, “Oh wow. No, we were sparring. Not just physically but you were sparring with Damon mentally. You beat both of us.”

“What?” Austen asks flatly. Okay now I am really lost. 

“Did you not know you changed the hierarchy of this year? For the first time in 3 years.” Austen stares James still utterly confused. “I mean not that it really matters. You’re a lone wolf and it’s our last year.” Austen doesn’t respond, James laughs and walks closer to her. Austen doesn’t move and keeps her eyes on him. “Look. We aren’t the type of gang that goes around and takes money or deals drugs… I mean we gamble but its more of making dumb bets. Our group runs this school to be the best in the county. In all areas.”

“Is that why this school is so much more well funded than the rest? Are you all rich boys too?” Austen asks hostilely.

“No.” James responds back flatly.  “We are well funded because of our success as a school. As a student body.” 

“Really?” Austen asks, a nerdy gang? Really? 

“Yes.” James smiles at her, “Really. We make sure that our sports teams do well, we have the best grade average across all grades, and extracurricular classes are involved heavily with our community. Now. Let’s go I can explain the rest on the way to Torey’s house!” James grabs her again and Austen lets him drag her to his car. Great. It got interesting. Austen sighs buckling up in his car.  I am my own worst enemy. 

Austen watches the city pass her by quickly, how did I even get here? I was going to stay away from them…  

“So ever since you dethroned Damon, well other guys have started breaking the ground rules Damon set freshman year.” James explains. “Bullying was the number one rule. Damon does not tolerate it.” James laughs, “But to bully Torey of all people nonetheless. What a dipshit. He’s lucky CJ didn’t come after him.”

“I didn’t know I’d have that kind of effect dethroning him. To be honest I didn’t really understand what you guys did to scare the living s**t out of people.” Austen says.

“Well people are scared of Damon, not us. He uses it to do good things.” James looks at Austen then back at the road. “You don’t know why they are scared of him, do you?”

“I don’t.” 

“It’s better that way.” 

“Well I ever find out?” Austen asks hopefully.

“Oh yeah. When you do.” James pauses, his eyes look lost, “Don’t let it trump what you know about him now.”

“Well it’s not great now, to be fair.” Austen exhales. 

“It’s still better… Than what people say.” James grumbles.

“You’re an idiot if you really let other people sway what you think of someone.” Austen spits. God, a little bit grateful for being put in the music industry as a kid. Taught me to grow a backbone… 

“Ooh sassy.” James smiles. “You’re so… spunky.”

“Don’t say that about me.” Austen growls.

“Oh come on. Just cause it’s usually associated with women doesn’t mean I am calling you one.” James laughs. Austen’s heart drops to her stomach, relax he didn’t say I was.

“It’s not that. I just don’t like that word.” Austen grumbles.

“So grumpy, wow.” James smiles. Austen rolls her eyes, god I thought Damon was annoying. The two pull up to a townhouse. It was nice, there were flowers out front and the house was painted bright blue. James and Austen walk to the door and knock. “Don’t mention Torey’s mom’s hair… it’s… a mess.”  Austen nods slowly.

CJ opens the door, he doesn’t say anything but moves out of the way to let them in. The inside of Torey’s house wasn’t clean but not dirty. It was a mess but a nice mess. James elbows Austen as he takes off his shoes. Austen follows his actions, when she looks up she sees a beat up Torey walking up to them. His eye was purple, his neck red, and a split lip. Austen’s heart twinged with pain. But Torey’s face lit up the moment his eyes met Austen’s. 

“I didn’t know you were going to come here!” Torey cries joyfully.

“I couldn’t let those a******s get away with what they were doing.” Austen smirks, he smile falls. “Are you okay?” 

Torey shrugs with a smile still on his face, so optimistic. “I’m okay.”

“So how did this all start?” James asks.

Torey sighs and has them walk to his living room. There’s no TV but a massive bookshelf. Austen is lost in the aesthetic of the room, almost like she was in medieval castle. Austen takes a seat in a chair that is facing a sofa and another chair. 

“Well if you saw the picture then...you know. Or are guessing.” Torey breathes. “Uh… well one of the other players… I won’t give out names, but him and I kind of connected over the summer.” Torey shifts uncomfortably. “I-I know you’ve all known for a long time, about who I am. I don’t really hide it but...he wasn’t really ready and we were caught...” Torey held back tears. “And to cover his own a*s… this guy showed those pictures of me to his friends. Telling them I was coming onto him. Which…” Torey laughs a bit, “isn’t wrong but he definitely didn’t tell them how he responded.”

“That still doesn’t give him the right.” Austen responds everyone looks at her, s**t. I spoke without thinking… “I-I know what it’s like to be outcasted. There’s no excuse for someone to further that feeling.”  Torey smiles at Austen sweetly and her insides warm, you remind me so much of Harry. The front door opens and closes. It’s Damon… alone. He walks in the room, he looks destroyed, Austen was speechless. 

“Where’s Corey? He said he was going to find you.” Austen blurts out.

Damon stares at her, he walks into the room and takes a seat in the chair across from her. “I don’t know. I never saw him.” Damon mumbles. “My parents showed up and then tried to take me home.” He looks around as he pauses, “So I walked here.” 

“Dude what’s wrong with you?” James asks.

“Hm?” Damon looks at James like he just noticed him in the room. “Oh. Nothing.” Damon pulls out his phone and starts tapping on it. He looks back up, “Moments before I walked through the door… I received this: ‘Damon the way you’ve been running the school isn’t working. Austen was proof of that. People want change. They don’t want someone to be terrified of. They want me as a leader. And let’s face it. If I tried telling you in person… well we both know how’d you act.’... that was from Corey…” Damon grips his phone tightly and throws his arm up in the air as if he is going to break his phone. Austen jumps forward and holds his arm up. She grabs the phone from his hand.

“Relax.” She says calmly. “That.” Austen drops to his level looking him directly in the eye. “Was a pathetic move.” Damon and Austen stare at each other. Austen grabs the phone from his phone and throws it to James who reads the message. Austen stands back up and sits back in her chair. Looks like I’m invested now… his face...Austen and Damon look back at each other as the phone is passed around. I feel like we speak our own language… his glances make me feel so nervous. Austen looks away from Damon, but he continues to stare at her. The phone makes it back to Damon and he pockets it.

“I guarantee this is Pat’s doing. He’s been looking for a reason to start a war with me since sophomore english class.” Damon laughs looking away. “But Corey has been looking for a reason to… leave.” 

“Why would he want to leave?” Torey asks, laughing like Damon is joking. Damon, James and CJ exchange looks like they know something Torey doesn’t… Torey’s expression forms into frustration and anger. “What the hell is going on?” 

“Corey and Damon have been fighting for a long time… They’ve been trying to act like things are fine. But it’s not right?” James explains looking at Damon. 

“How long?” Torey asks Damon.

“It’s began around April. And no. Things are not fine. Seeing him on the first day of school was the first time we interacted since the previous school year.” Damon explains. His stare at him in silence. Ouch. They’ve got more drama than my friends and that’s saying something. Austen looks around the room uncomfortably. This is awkward. What did I walk into?

“And I was hoping for a calm senior year. No offense Austen.” Torey says stiffly. “But I should have known better the moment you walked through the door.” Austen shrugs agreeing. 

“I can’t disagree with you on that.” Austen puts fairly. “What does this mean for your crew?” she asks looking at Damon.

“We gear up for war I guess… I don’t really see the point but Corey really doesn’t know what he’s up against. He’s trying to do this alone.”  Damon explains.

“You can’t run entire school alone.” James smirks. “What an idiot.”

“What do you think CJ?” Damon asks looking at him. CJ pauses and leans forward slightly.

“I think we need to be prepared for the worst.” CJ says calmly. “Val will seize this opportunity. So I don’t think he’s completely alone.” Austen is in awe, I didn’t think the giant was that invested. 

“I want to help.” They collectively look at Austen at the same time. “I don’t know what I can do but I want to help.” They all look at each other then back to her.

“Why, I thought you didn’t like us?” Damon asks.

“I was confused about what you were guys were doing. But James explained and with the more I’ve seen…” Austen trails off. “I just really want to help.” The boys look at each other as Austen holds her breath before they answer.