Rebekah slowly broke the kiss and my my mind was still looking up at the sky in a stupor. One could have thrown a football at my head and then tackle me to the ground and I wouldn’t have cared a bit.
“Eric!” Molly hissed.
My face turned beet red as the four of us ran off the field and onto the sidelines. Molly ran further area to rejoin the pep band, Nick turned way, presumably to go back to his car. Rebekah and I ran in the opposite direction, toward the other side of the football field, far enough away from the crowds, but close enough that if one was to try to see us they would.
“Maybe that wasn’t such a good.”
“I wouldn’t have traded it for anything, “I replied.
“If only we had some music and fireworks,” Rebekah replied as she looked back to the field. “I’ve never done something like that before.”
“Well, we did say we would let people know. Go big, or go home, they say.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, no, don’t be sorry,” I said as I felt like lifting her high into the air while laughing in extreme happiness but I couldn’t bring myself to that as I felt I’d probably drop her and that would have really ruined the moment.
I took her hands and looked at her.
“Thank you.”
“No, thank you,” she replied.
“We’re very complimenting to each other, aren’t we?”
“Yes.”
“Rebekah Anne Bettencourt!” We both looked to see Jeannie and Paul running to our location and the thought of taking Rebekah’s hand and running away was front and center in my mind. However, she broke her hands away and stood in front of me.
“What did I see you doing?” Jeannie’s voice toned down a bit but she made a direct path to her sister.
“You know what you saw,” Rebekah replied with the upmost clam, “and I don’t understand why it matters.”
“Eric? Was this your idea?”
“We thought it would be a good ice-breaker,” I replied as I avoided eye contact, for fear of getting the death stare. Her sister was apparently immune to it.
“Ice breaker?” Jeannie asked. Paul said nothing as he stood a few steps behinds Jeannie. “You might as well have had a make-out session in front of the whole school!”
“It was a kiss.”
“Yes, everyone saw it,” Jeannie’s voice elevated a bit. Apparently, she expected Rebekah to feel regretful and ashamed about what had occurred.
“Good.”
“I’m telling mom and dad,” Jeannie replied with no emotion.
“Good.”
“Come here, I want to to talk to you.”
Rebekah turned to me, “I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be right here,” I replied as I kept my eyes away from Jeannie.

The sisters walked away in silence. I was sure there was going to be a lot of terse words in a few seconds, assuming they didn’t walk all the way back to the field.

“Like them young there, huh?” Paul asked as he pointed back towards the girls.
I should have kept my mouth shut, but, “I’m not even going to respond to that.”
“Wow. I mean, has she gone through puberty yet?”
“Why does this even matter to you?” I asked.
“I think it’s kind of weird to see a senior Frenching an eighth grader.”
I wanted to step up to him and tell him that he needed glasses as that didn’t happen.
“I mean that’s disgusting.”
“What’s disgusting is you telling lies about people.”
“What?”
“Nick never threatened you,” I said with a little disdain and almost regret as I instantly knew that I was throwing gas on a bonfire; and as cool as a real one would be, the figurative one in front of me was about to cause some serious burns.
“Oh he does.”
“How?”
“He’s talked to me.”
“Wow, what a crime,” I replied.
“Stradlin!”
We both turned to see Nick running in our direction.
“What’s your problem?” Nick yelled.
“Mind your business, twinkle toes.”
Nick was immediately up against Paul—mere inches from his face.
“Just talking with Eric here, about his liking of little girls.”
Nick’s face turned three shads of amber—I wasn’t exactly sure what color my facial expression was, most likely white as a ghost.
“Great argument.”
“Whatever, man.”
“No, we’re not, ‘whatever man’ here. We’re past that. You want to debate? Fine. You don’t like me. You’ve been here for, maybe, two weeks; spoke to me for maybe thirty seconds and then you make it a point to try and make my life a Hell by making up crap.”
“It’s what I’ve heard.”
“Name your straw men.”
“What?”
Nick took a step back and I looked in the distance, in hopes that I could see Rebekah and Jeannie.
“What did they tell you? What evil and diabolical things am I guilty of?”
“I’m not saying anything.”
“I know. You’d prefer to throw your fists instead. So you rile the crowd and throw some ad hominem attacks about things and people you don’t even know about. I’d fight you, but you’re not worth it.”
“Don’t want to get your nails broken, do you?” Paul asked.
“You see, that’s what I mean,” Nick replied as he looked at me. “Paul here just likes to goad people and. Make. Crap. Up.”
The doomsday clock advanced another minute to midnight.
“You know nothing about me. You know nothing about Eric. You’re not making assumptions. You know damn well what you’re doing. I know your kind, Paul. You’re bullies. You’re bile-spewing little bullies.” Nick bowed his head down and clapped his hands. “You know what, I take it back. I will make a motion to dismiss this debate and kick your ass!”
“Nick, no!” I shouted but his fist already connected with Paul’s abdomen.
There was no fake-outs or shoving this time around as Nick shoved Paul to the ground and the two of them grunted and swore as their hands grappled at each other. I admit, I looked like a monkey with my arms out and my face red with fear and anger at the situation.

Jeannie and Rebekah, along with several other people, tragically not one of them someone with a position of authority, ran up to witness the fight. Nick and Paul continued to slam each other around until the stood up and took up the classic school hallway fight pose. I couldn’t hear what the crowd was yelling but I saw the look on the girls’ face in the low light and thought that there was someone in a position of authority: myself.
Like before, I stepped in-between the two of them. “Stop it!” However, unlike last time, they didn’t stop as Nick reached around my shoulder, causing me to flinch toward. Paul took that as an attack and slammed his fist into my face.
Yes, it hurt.
Yes, one does see weird lights and sounds become muffled, well, maybe except for a fringing noise.
And no, I didn’t go down but I staggered a bit, only to be shoved out of the way by Nick.

I felt like throwing up while the two of them continued fighting. It was worse than that summer day inside the minivan. I wanted to crash to the ground but I also wanted to deck Paul in the face or place him in a chokehold. I tried to focus on Paul and Nick but my eyes went back to Rebekah and Jeannie, who looked like they were trying to get to me. I heard my name several times but I had no idea at the time who it was. Paul lunged towards me at about the same time Rebekah did. I moved between them and blocked him from approaching; and in the process wrapped my arms around his neck. He shoved at me and in his attempts to twist away I had him in a headlock and I squeezed at his neck.

I felt disconnected from what I was doing but I knew I was holding him ad he kicked at my feet and tried to move his arms back. Nick had several opportunities to hit Paul, but he refused. I maneuvered Paul away from the crowd and away from the girls all while hearing him shout words that would have made George Carlin say “I missed that one.”
“You haven’t changed!” Nick yelled.
“Neither have you!” Paul yelled back
“What did I ever see you in you?” Nick yelled as he stomped away.
There was an abrupt silence from everyone and I wasn’t exactly sure I heard what I thought I did.
That can’t be right. I thought to myself but then I saw Jeannie’s shocked expression so I guess I heard Paul correctly.
Paul pushed his body back and tried to slam his head into my face so I tightened my grip on his neck. I had no idea on how I was going to be able to let go of him without him wanting to kill me but maybe if I let him go he would just walk away, since everyone heard what was revealed.
However, I heard Rebekah’s voice through the crowd and Paul’s barrage of threats. “Let him go, Eric.”
“Yeah, Eric, listen to your little woman.” Paul grunted.
I released my grip and I could feel my senses return as I pushed him away. My vision was still a little blurry and I had an extreme pain in my face. “Glad that’s over” I thought to myself as I thought about falling to my knees and then laying down but Paul turned around and punched me in the gut. So much for the rules of The Geneva Conventions.

I had to wonder who was watching the fight and why they chose to not do anything.
A few hits later and I was lying on the ground with Paul towering over me.
I tried to look at his face but I could barely make out his features. He was just a faceless fighting machine. I waited for him to kick at me.
“Coming through!” I heard Jason’s voice. “Hold him!”
I laid my head back as I heard hat sounded like several people run up and slam into Paul.
“So, what have we learned?” Jason asked me.
“To call for back-up before attempting to get in the way of two freight trains?”
“Close enough. Seriously, though, are you okay?”
“No, he’s not,” Rebekah yelled.
“I know that,” Jason stated, “But he doesn’t.”
“I know my nose is bloody.”
“Your nose, Strad, looks broken.”
I gave Jason a thumbs up. I kind of wanted to give him the finger, but thought against it.
“Come on, you can’t just lie there, get up.”
I opened my eyes, or at least tried to, but they were pretty swollen. Jason grabbed at one of my hands and Rebekah took the other. I looked like a broken marionette, barely being held up by tattered strings as I leaned on Jason.
“Whats happening?” I asked as I heard multiple shouts.
“Oh, just a a few guys holding Paul down. It helps to know people all over.”
Jason had found a few of the cowboys, a group of students who wore wranglers, boots and a RC can as a spit cup every day. Somehow he got a few of them to back him up.
“You owe them six packs of Skol, each,” Jason whispered as we limped away.
“I’ll make sure they’re gold-plated,” I replied as we walked to the fence on the other side of the baseball field. The football game continued in the background.
“I’m going to get someone to come look at you…and maybe Paul after Eddie’s through with him.”
I sat down against a metal fence pole.
“Thank you,” I replied as Jason walked away.
“Is he the friend you told me about?”
“Yep.”
“What happened?”
“Paul said a few things about, well, us and Nick heard him. To be honest, I’m not sure why he was there, but when they started fighting I thought I had to break it up, again.”
“I’m sorry.”
“About what?”
“About making you stop trying to choke him.”
I had to smile at that, and I could almost see a small grin on her face.
“It’s okay. I can knock this off my to do list.”
“A fight?”
“Something for the yearbook. Are we still up for homecoming?”
“Are you sure you’ll be up for it?”
“If you are.”
“Let’s see how you are in the morning.”
I gave a thumbs-up at that.
“Strad!”
“It’s Jason,” Rebekah said as she squeezed my hand, “ along with a few adults.”
“Brought some help for you,” Jason said as I felt a shadow fall over me.
“Eric?” The voice of someone I didn’t know asked. “Can you see me?”
“Nope,” I replied.
Several adults, some I recognized as teachers came and went, along with a lot of shouting and cheering, which I assumed was for the the football game and not for me, not that I wanted it as I didn’t think what I did was extraordinary. The fact that I made it out alive? That was miraculous.
I was informed that I wasn’t going to die but I should hav my nose looked at so they placed an ice pack on my face and someone called my parents. They said they would come and get me.
They moved me down to the high school and so I waited in the pit with Rebekah sitting next to me.
“So, I get to meet your parents? So soon?”
“I’ll let you explain what happened,” I said as I shifted the pack form one side of my face to the other. I could see her a little, mostly her eyes and some of her freckles but everything else was a blur.
“Why?”
“It will sound better coming from you. They won’t do the parental tag team thing.”
“You’re parents do that too?”
“Doesn’t everyone’s?” I asked.
“That was incredibly stupid!” Jeannie yelled form the middle of the hallway.
I didn’t say anything but I was thankful that I couldn’t see her so she couldn’t use the death stare, which I assumed she had trained on me for some time now.
“He was trying to stop them,” Rebekah calmly replied to her sister. Their sisterly dynamic was incredible—they didn’t scream at each other. It made me wonder if they as calm at home as they were with each other when they disagreed in public.
“I meant me,” she replied, much to my surprise.
“Sorry. I’m sure he was a nice guy,” I said quietly.
“Yeah, was, or maybe just the guy I wanted him to be.”
I didn’t reply to that.
“So, you’re him then? The one I’ve had to hear about for the past week?”
“Jeannie,” Rebekah hissed.
“Okay, okay. I won’t say anything. Yet.” She walked back to Rebekah. “They’re going to ask about his face when he comes by tomorrow.”
“We know,” Rebekah replied.
“You’re going to get grilled, Eric, you know that, right?”
“By your parents?” I asked.
“Yes, and by me.”
“I’m willing to face the music,” I saiid with a confident smile. Sure, my face looked like I had called Mike Tyson, but I felt like a winner at that moment.