Memoirs of a Teenager

Hello everybody! What's up?

I've been doing a whole lotta nothing (as if I don't) for a while, but I'm getting psyched up for the Projekt Revolution Tour. It's headed for where I live in August! I seriously can't wait, since Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, and Taking Back Sunday are all headlining the tour. Well, sure, I don't like Linkin Park's new album a lot, but two-and-a-half out of three is good, right? They've also got Mindless Self Indulgence, so that's an added bonus!

Yeah. I think I'll start writing now.

This story (Memoirs of a Teenager) and all of its components are copyright of me (ddrarrow_reborn@yahoo.com) and you cannot distribute or reproduce this work without my permission. If you wish to acquire said permission, then you must send me an email stating why you want to and (if applicable) where this will be distributed to. You must also retain the fact that I am the author of this work. The only site that has been allowed to show this work is (nifty.org) and all of its mirror sites.

Speaking of, although this is being showcased on the Nifty Erotic Stories Archive, there is no erotica in this chapter of the story.

If you violate any of the above terms, then you are agreeing to a five-year-old beating you to death with a stuffed animal. Or I'll just be mad at you.

Oh, and another thing. The events in this story are, for the most part, fictional. Some of the characters are based off of random people I know and I DID base this loosely on my freshman year in high school. I just never had any romance, that's all.

Okay! Story time!

Memoirs of a Teenager

Chapter Six: Defending Your Friends

I got out of the car and walked towards the entrance. Beyond the doors would be a staircase leading down into a hallway. A short walk into the hallway would lead to the studio. Another class was already in session, and I could hear the periodic yells from the staircase. Must have been the little kids. I went into the bathroom and changed into my uniform. Solid blue except for yellow stripes down the outsides of the arms and legs, and on the collar, as well as across the front of the upper portion. There was a miniature Korean flag on my left arm, and a miniature American one on my right. Embroidered on the back read "Tae Kwon Do". I tied on my purple belt and walked outside. I would be testing for my blue belt at the end of the month, and I was pretty damn excited. I walked into the lobby of the studio and was greeted by Alex. Jeez, it's like he lives there or something.

"Hey David, what's up?"

"Uhh... Nothing much. You?"

"Uh... Nothing really. I'm going in to warm up, alright?"

"Okay."

It was kind of funny. Tae Kwon Do was practically Alex's life, and yet I seemed to excel while he did alright, but not as well as me. I guess he's just got that enthusiasm and I've got... Natural talent? Uh, sure. Let's go with that. Asian descent +10 bonus to martial arts skill.

After we warmed up, we bowed in and did some training drills. I worked on my combinations to prepare for the belt exam, and then we did some sparring near the end of the class. I almost got kicked in the groin by this guy who, I guess, never learned to pick up his leg to prepare for a kick. I managed to kick that guy in the head with a good round kick. (With protective gear, of course!)

After class, I changed back into "civilian clothes" and waited for my ride home. I easily fell asleep once I got in bed. Today's class was exhausting. I reflected on how great my day was, what with Jake coming over and stuff, I felt like school, and life in general, would be a lot better now.

In my dream, I was surrounded by at least twenty people. They all had faces from random kids that went to my school. They were all taunting me, teasing me. They made me feel like shit. Then they attacked. The first one charged me from the front, and I landed a good front kick to his sternum as he was raising his fist to punch me. He flew back a couple of feet and knocked over another one of the attackers. Another one tried to strike me from behind, but I had turned around in time to land a reverse sidekick. Two more decided to attack me simultaneously. The first was throwing a punch, and he was coming from my left. I stepped backwards, grabbed his punch, and drove him to the ground. The force with which I drove him to the ground with accidentally broke his arm, and he was screaming in pain. The other tried to kick me, but missed and tripped over the person with the broken arm.

Slowly, I began to get tired. These people were persistent as hell, and I began to realize that simply countering their attacks and using minimal force would not be enough. They were here to kill me. I had to use full, intentional force. One of the people began to charge me from the front. I stepped back and performed a fade reverse sidekick. The kick sent him back about three feet. This distance was enough to rush him with a jump sidekick to his sternum. This last kick sent him into three other people, who all fell down. Another came from my right, and I ducked. I swept his feet from under him and struck him while he was falling.

The fighting continued for what seemed to be for hours. More and more people began to come. These people had reinforcements. At first, they were just more random people from my school. Then they were former friends. People who I thought I could trust, but revealed their true colors when the opportunity arose. Their smirks and laughs had almost driven me over the edge. I was still calm and composed, but these new faces were digging into me emotionally. One of them brought his arm up to strike me. His face was pure evil. It was twisted, in a sick, sadistic grin. I ducked his blow and dug my left hook into his ribs. They broke, and he screamed. I stepped back and struck his nose with the heel of my palm. He flew, and in a surreal manner, exploded. The others began to dissipate, and I was left alone. It was over. I was the victor.

And then the alarm clock was the victor.

'BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP'

"Gah! Ungh.... Uggh..."

I hit the off button on the clock, but its blaring noise had left me in the land of the conscious.

"I need a quieter alarm clock..."

That damn thing was way too noisy. Hmm... What was up with that dream? Why were those people attacking me...? Maybe it was a physical representation of how I feel people are treating me. I dunno, deep thought can come later.

I got my contact lenses case and went into the bathroom. I turned on the hot water and let the thermally charged liquid pour over me. It plastered my long hair all across my forehead. I need a haircut, or so my mom says. I lathered my hair with shampoo and conditioner. People seem to always ask me why I use conditioner, and the answer is simple. Shampoo leaves my hair in this sort of "rubbery" state, where it sort of causes friction with other things, just like rubber. Using conditioner makes it smooth, and thus, easier to comb.

I stepped out and turned the water off. I dried myself off with my towel and put on my contact lenses. I brushed my teeth and got some clothes to wear.

Downstairs, everyone had already left. My dad went to work at 7:00, and I guess my mom had to leave early. I got some cereal and poured some milk over it. I turned on the TV and watched the Food Network for a little bit.

"Now once your pasta is done, just pour it into your colander-"

"Huh? Colander? Oh crap, I called it a "coriander" yesterday. Eh... Oh well."

I checked the clock and noticed that it was already 7:50. I needed to move my ass if I wanted to catch the bus.

Usually, I don't like Thursdays. Usually, I would just go into the band room and sit there until the bell rang. However, I can't just go into my Algebra II room and wait there for the bell to ring. Before, I would just wander around the school, but that would provoke these weird looks from other people, for some reason. So now, I've just decided to go and get some extra rest over by the tennis courts.

When I got there, I saw that Jake was there. Maybe he was also drawn to this place, for some reason or other.

But it looked like he was in pain.

...

...

He was bleeding!

"Jake!!"

"Shit! Uh... Hey, David..."

"Dude! What the hell happened!?"

"David, calm down! It's, uh..."

"Don't say "nothing". That's total bullshit. What happened?"

"Fine. You really wanna know? I got jumped. I got jumped by a bunch of dudes on my way to school."

"Dude, but why?"

"I dunno. I was just walking to school, and then there were three guys there. One of them punched me to the ground and then they all started kicking me. They were calling me shit like "faggot" and "fairy boy". But still, I don't know what the fuck I did to piss them off like that. Besides, I'm no fag."

Jake's story shocked me. The first thing I thought of was to get him aid. The second thing was to find out who these guys were and why they beat up Jake.

"Okay, dude. Jake, can you tell me what these guys looked like?"

"Uh... Sure, I think so... One of them was really tall, like 6'2", and skinny, with red hair. He looked like a skater. He was the one that punched me. I couldn't get a good look at the rest of them. I'm sorry."

Tall, skinny, and red hair? There's only one person who fits that bill at our school. Elliot. I dunno what the hell he was aiming for, but I was gonna find out soon.

"No, it's alright. You should get some help or something. Maybe you should go to the nurse's office. You really look bad."

Bad was an understatement. His face was a wreck. His lip was busted and bleeding, and his face had several cuts. He was also bleeding from his forehead. It looked like Elliot and his buddies did quite a number on Jake.

"Alright. Dude, don't do anything rash, okay?"

"Don't worry. I'm not gonna go psycho and beat the shit out of this kid, but I AM gonna find out just what the hell is going on, alright? Go to the nurse's office and get yourself cleaned up."

"Okay. See ya."

I turned and headed for the freshman hallway. Elliot was almost always there in between classes. I didn't know what I was gonna say to him, but I was gonna find out why he decided to beat up Jake.

Once I got there, it was easy to see Elliot. His head stuck up from the sea of kids there, seeing as he was so tall.

"Hey, Elliot!" I shouted.

"Huh?" he turned around. "Oh, hey, David." Hm. He remembered who I was.

"You wanna explain why you beat up that new kid today?"

"New kid? Uh... Oh! You mean that fairy? That kid looked weird. He must've been a homo or something, so me and a bunch of my friends decided to beat him up. Cool, huh?"

"Dude, first of all, you're a lot taller than he is. I don't know why you needed two other people to beat him up, unless you're a pussy. Second, just 'cause he's gay doesn't mean that you have the right to beat the shit out of him!"

"What!? So you're a fag too?"

"Dude, you're one hell of a dumb shit. I didn't say that I was a fag. Just because I'm defending someone doesn't mean that that makes me gay."

"But he's a faggot. Defending him makes you a faggot!"

"Elliot, you're as simple-minded as ever. I don't see him as a gay person. I see him as an ordinary person who deserves as much safety as any other kid. And even if he was, that still doesn't make me gay. I don't know what goes on up in that empty space where a brain should be in your head, but you'd better not mess with that kid again, 'cause if you do, that means that you're messing with me."

"Hah, as if you can take me. Nobody can beat me up! I'll make you an example, too!"

We were about six inches away from each other. He pulled back his right hand for a punch, but he was slow and I easily saw his technique. I always made it a point that my first technique in a fight would always be a counter, and that I would never throw the first punch. I ducked and drove my right upper into his gut to stun him. When he staggered to take a breath, I torqued my body and connected my left palm to his sternum to knock him back about a foot or so. I stepped back a couple of paces and dropped my backpack. I assumed a more defensive stance as well. When he regained his senses, Elliot charged in for another punch, but this time with one of those "macho man" yells. Maybe he thought that if you yell louder, it makes you faster. Nonetheless, I let him get about a foot and a half from me, then I hit him with a sidekick. His arms were raised, and I landed a direct hit right on his stomach. By this time, people had begun to look at our little scuffle. Elliot fell on his ass, and I waited for him to get back up. If he attacked, I countered. If he did not, then the fight would be over. It was simple. Hopefully he would pick that up by now.

He didn't. He got up and charged at me again. I side-stepped him and pushed him into a locker. I stepped back a bit, just to be on the safe side.

"C'mon, Elliot. It's become obvious that you're not gonna land anything on me. Just give it up."

"Never! You're a little punk, you know that, David? I'm gonna kick the shit out of you!"

"Dude, just stop. So, why the hell did you beat up that kid, anyways? People usually don't beat up people based on their looks. There must have been something else. There was, wasn't there?"

He threw another punch. I ducked and tripped him.

"Elliot, let's start here. Why exactly do you think he's gay? He sure as hell doesn't look gay, so that goes out the window. You might as well tell me now, while we're fighting, or you can walk away with both your dignity and your motives."

"Nope! You're gonna be bleeding black and blue by the time I'm done with you!"

He was clearly panting very hard. My blows were not drawing blood; that was usually what I aimed for. I needed to wear him out without causing him any real damage. Open-handed techniques to his torso, rather than his face, made that easy. He was as good as bruised and bleeding; he was tired.

He was damn stubborn, I'll give him that. He stood up again and tried to kick me this time. His kick was sloppy and slow. I intercepted his leg on the way up and pushed it into him, causing him to fall on his ass again.

"You're very persistent. But that won't get you very far unless you can find some way to go in a different direction. You should just give up now."

"NEVER!" he yelled. Elliot was positively fuming. Maybe his ego had gotten the better of him and he might have been genuinely surprised that he was getting his ass handed to him by someone else. "You really wanna know why we beat him up? He was a fag. This guy says that he knows that new kid, Jake, I think. He also said that he was this faggot who was a real pervert. He deserved to get his ass kicked."

"Elliot... I don't know who taught you that, but those are just a bunch of stereotypes. Gay people do not deserve to be targeted for any reason. Why you decide to beat up people based on things that they cannot choose, I don't know why, but that's just morally wrong."

"You stop talking down to me!"

"I'm not talking down to-"

"SHUT UP!"

He leapt at me. I side-stepped him again. When he got back up, he charged at me. Unfortunately for him, I had a good four feet between us. I slid back a bit further and torqued my body. I leapt and spun at the same time. I had built up enough momentum to deliver a tornado kick to his shoulder. He flew off to the side and slammed into a locker. He was knocked out cold.

"He just didn't give up." I said. "I didn't want to have to knock him out like that, but he gave me no other choice. Get him to the nurse's office."

It was strange, how people can change over time. Elliot and I used to be good friends when we were younger. Maybe time apart had changed him. He was a different person now, I guess.

"Wait... Why haven't any teachers arrived yet? How come no teachers went and broke up this fight?"

There was a voice in the audience. "The teachers are all sick of his ego. I guess they came to a general consensus that if someone was beating him up, then they would not interfere."

"Huh... Really? Uh, thanks, I guess. I'd better get to class now."

I walked to my backpack, hoisted it onto my shoulder, and walked to my next class. Everyone was staring at me. I was this kid that had come unmarked from a fight with another kid. It was not just me defending myself against another kid; I was defending Jake, I was defending someone who I cared about.

Wait... "Cared about?" That might be taking it a bit far, but I was defending a friend.

Speaking of, I'd best check up on Jake. He was most likely still in the nurse's office.

When I walked in, I was Jake on the other side of the room. He had a couple of bandages, and it looked like his wounds were cleaned out.

"Hey, Jake. Feeling better now?"

"Oh, hey David. Uh, yeah. Lots. I heard a commotion from over here. What happened?"

"Well, I confronted that kid, Elliot."

"You did? What did he say?"

"Uh, I can tell you that later. So, basically what happened is that he tried to beat me up, and I had no other choice but to defend myself. He should be on his way here, so we should get going to class."

"Yeah. Good idea."

As Jake and I were walking out, a couple of kids were hauling Elliot into the nurse's office on their shoulders. When Jake saw Elliot, his face went from calm to shocked in no time flat.

"Dude... David... What the... How did..."

"Like I said. He was very persistent and I had no other choice but to defend and counter his attacks. It's unfortunate that I had to knock him unconscious like that, but it was so that he would stop attacking me."

After a short pause, we headed for our next class. I decided to go outside and follow a rather deserted pathway to our class, so that I could tell Jake what Elliot had said.

"Jake, I can tell that you want to know what I got out of Elliot. Basically, he said that someone you knew told him that you were gay, and that's the basis of Elliot attacking you."

Something changed in his eyes. His expression changed from anxious to introspective. He was thinking of something, probably something from his past, and from what I could see, he was struggling with something within himself. Whatever this was, I knew that I should just leave it alone.

"Anyways, our class is up the stairs, on the third floor. We should hurry."

"Alright. Let's go."

The class was full of anxiety. I guess some of the kids heard about my fight with Elliot (More like a one-sided bullfight. Toro, Toro!) and were contemplating whether to ask me about it or not. I guess I was less invisible, which was a good thing, I guess. Jake's seat was right next to me, which was pretty cool.

Once class ended, Jake and I went on the same path, since our classes were right next to each other. That's when something crossed my mind.

"Hey, Jake... Where'd you put your guitar?"

"Huh?"

"Your guitar. You said that you were gonna bring it over to my house yesterday. Where'd you put it?"

"Oh. I left it in the band room. I'll pick it up once school's over."

"Ah. Alright."

We split up and went into our separate classes. When I walked into my third period class, a few people were looking at me. I decided to ignore them and took my seat. It's not that I was ignoring them because of the fight, but I just can't stand that awkward moment of eye contact that a person makes with complete strangers. I pulled my iPod out and switched it on as I waited for the bell to ring and for the Dailies (3rd Period Announcements) to start.

'I remember a year ago I was standing in the crowd,

Waiting for my chance to break through;

My chance to live again.

And now it seems I've found some friends who finally understand,

What it takes to make this dream come true;

We'll be here 'till the end.

Shake it, break it, get off your feet.

Come dance with me, and don't you fake it.

Shake it, break it, get off your feet.

Get close to me, and don't you fake it.'

'DING DING DING DING'

Everyone made their way to their seats as the Dailies started. I must have zoned out or something, 'cause I didn't notice that someone was asking me something.

"Hey, David."

No answer.

"David."

Still no answer.

"David!"

I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up, and it was this kid named Sam. I swear, there are "Sams"s everywhere now. This Sam was one of at least ten in our grade alone.

"Oh, hey. Sorry. Kinda zoned out there. What's up?"

"Dude, were you the guy that beat up Elliot?"

"Uh, I dunno. Did I?"

"Well, I was there, and the guy who beat him up sure looked like you."

"Okay, fine. I'll drop the charade. But I don't want to give you the wrong impression. I had no intention of beating the crap out of Elliot. I was only defending myself. When I figured out that he wouldn't be stopping, that's when I decided that I had to knock him out."

"Dude, that was amazing! How did you do that?"

"Eh. You need reflexes. Reflexes and a quick side-step. If you can perfect those, then you can take down most careless attackers like Elliot."

"Oh, cool."

"Yeah."

I focused my attention back on my music. I was getting bored fast and was waiting for lunch to come. I began to wonder what Jake was hiding. We hadn't known each other for a while, so I felt as if it wasn't my right to pressure him to tell me what he was hiding. But yet, at the same time, I had this strange urge to find out what it was that he was hiding. It was probably my semi-obsessive need for information that was acting up.

Well, it'd have to wait for lunch. I guess I can wait until then.

I decided to take of my earphones and actually pay attention in class for once. It wouldn't hurt my grade if I did that, right? Anyways, I guess we were learning about mental disorders. We were doing a project, and we all had to split up into groups of varying sizes, depending on the type of the disorder. Taylor and some other kid were the first to get the schizophrenic disorders. Damn. I ended up in a group with three other people. We were doing phobias. Actually, phobias are probably easier to explain than schizophrenia, since we had to "teach" the class about our disorder type for the grade.

Sexophobia = sux 4 u!

When class ended, I didn't even bother going to my locker. I just went straight for the tennis courts. I knew Jake was gonna be there, and I bet that Jake was also expecting me. As far as I could tell, he wasn't an oblivious kid. For all I know, he's at least a step ahead of me and is expecting me to ask what's on his mind.

Once I got to the tennis courts, he wasn't there. Well, I guess I should give him a little time, seeing as the tennis courts are right next to my third period classroom.

I took a seat on a bench and stared off into the tennis courts. There was a bird there. It was just hopping along the fence and looking back and forth like most birds do. I began to doze off. Nature had this strange way of lulling me to sleep. It was just so peaceful... Maybe it was triggering a yearning inside of me to have peace in my life. All I've felt ever since... Well, ever, has been loneliness. I've always had this lingering feeling of loneliness that nothing could ever get rid of. It was pretty bad, and one time it got to the point of suicidal thoughts. Of course, I was accidentally arrested and sent off to chill the fuck out, so that's why I'm here, talking/thinking right now.

I looked up at the sky, and I began to think of this one song. It was called "Your Guardian Angel". It was probably one of the most heartfelt songs that I'd ever heard. I don't know why, but this just made me feel even more lonely and sad...

'When I see your smile...

Tears run down my face.

I can't replace.

And now that I'm strong I have figured out

How this world turns cold;

And it breaks through my soul and I know

I'll find, deep inside me, I can be the one.

I will never let you fall.

I'll stand up with you forever...

I'll be there for you through it all,

Even if saving you sends me to heaven.'

I did something that I almost never did: I cried. I buried my head into my arms and I started to sob and shake uncontrollably. It was just too much. I was truly breaking down. This wasn't like that one time when I was at home, this was a total breakdown. Then, I was in control, in a sense. But here, I was helpless. I was helpless and weakened. I couldn't do anything but cry. The overwhelming sadness had finally flooded over the wall that I had built to block out my negative emotions, but they had built up too much.

What the hell is wrong with me!? Why can't I keep myself under control anymore!? Why do I have to be so alone!? Why do I have nobody but myself to trust in this damn world!? Why!?

I was openly crying now. People could probably hear me, but I didn't care. I couldn't get any lower. However, it probably would be strange for someone to see a 15-year-old crying, so I tried to stop as best as I could. I was able to calm myself down to little sniffles and hiccups, but my face was still red and wet. I was busy wiping my face off when Jake found his way to where I was.

"Hey David... Are you alright?"

His sudden presence surprised me.

"Aah! Uh... Oh, hey Jake... Uh, I'm fine. Nothing to worry about. Heheh."

Jake saw through my bluff. As if I even tried.

"Dude, seriously, what's up? I could hear you from the swimming pool. I really wanna know what's up, man. I'm just a bit worried, that's all."

Maybe I should tell him. Tell him about how miserable my life is and explain my emotional breakdown...

"sigh... Okay, then. I guess I can tell you."

My face had a pained expression, but I didn't notice at all. Jake did, however.

"No... If it's gonna be something that you can't fully trust me with, then that's okay."

"No, it's alright. It's just... Well, It's just that I've never really told anyone about this. I've never really been able to trust anyone since... Since... Last year..."

"Okay, then."

"Well... Last year I..." Shit! I was about to tell this guy that I was gay! I couldn't do that, at any cost... I paused a bit, trying to think of a way out of this.

"Dude, what's up?" Shit! Jake caught on!

"Uh..."

"YOU PUNK BITCH!!"

Oh, thank God. If I needed something to stall this conversation, this was it.

Elliot charged at me and Jake. I got out of the way, but Elliot landed a punch on the side of Jake's head.

"Jake!!" I shouted. "Get off of him!!" I yelled at Elliot. I snapped out of my depressed state and went into full adrenaline mode. I heard footsteps coming from behind me and I instinctively mule kicked whatever was coming from behind me.

"Oof!" I heard. I turned around. It was another kid with his ass on the ground. This one had short brown hair. He was shorter than me by at least three inches, but he would probably be faster than Elliot.

I ran towards Elliot and gave him a sharp chop to his back to stun him, then I pulled him off of Jake.

"Jake!! Are you alright!?"

"Uhh..." he groaned. "Yeah, I think so."

"Okay, good. Run. Go get some help. Try to get a principal or assistant principal here. These guys are probably after you and me, so I'll keep them at bay." I barked.

"Alright. Watch yourself."

"You don't need to tell me that twice." Jake ran off towards the school building. Now it was two against one.

"Watch yourself, Matt!" Elliot yelled. The other kid, Matt, I presumed, was picking himself up off of the ground. I readied myself. Two on one isn't exactly the easiest thing to manage. All I could do was hope that Jake was able to find some help in time.

Matt rushed at me, readying a punch. I sidestepped, but got close enough so that I could hook my arm with his. I grabbed it and twisted it around him, while pushing him towards Elliot. This would be a better angle. As long as you keep both opponents lined up, a two-on-one situation won't be so unmanageable. Elliot stepped in front of Matt and charged at me. I thought it was a punch, so I ducked low. However, Elliot was preparing a kick. It almost hit me directly on my face, but I managed to roll out of the way. I stood back up immediately and ran towards a tennis court. As long as I was in the large, fenced area of a tennis court, it would be much easier to fight two attackers.

Of course, Elliot and Matt followed me. I ran towards a corner to give myself the best view. Both Elliot and Matt charged at me. I sidekicked Matt and spun around to throw a back leg round kick at Elliot. As soon as they were down, I ran for another corner. Although we weren't too far into the fight, I already recognized that I would have to really stay frosty to avoid their attacks. I did the one thing that made sense to me while they were down.

"HEY!!! ANYBODY, HELP ME!! I'M BEING ATTACKED!"

Hopefully, my cry for help would bring some actual help. Elliot and Matt got up. Matt stayed where he was, but Elliot ran to another corner. As I was watching Elliot, Matt ran towards me. I assumed a defensive stance. He was simply running at me, and I couldn't see any sort of technique coming from him. I decided to stay put until he was about to throw something. From the corner of my eye, I was Elliot running at me as well. Crap, this was gonna be trouble.

Matt threw a left hook. I parried his attack so that his back was facing me. I pushed him towards Elliot with both palms. I ran past Matt, who was stumbling, and I slid under Elliot's feet, tripping him. I rolled out of the way so that he wouldn't land on me, then I stood up and ran towards another corner.

"HELP ME!!!" I yelled. I was shouting at the top of my lungs, hoping that some assistance would come.

"Hey!! Hold on! I'm coming!!"

That voice was all-too-familiar.

"Alex!! I'm over by the tennis courts! Hurry up!"

I saw him running to where I was.

"Dude, what's up?"

"These two guys jumped me and my friend. My buddy's getting a faculty member here, but I've gotta hold these two off. They're after him, but I guess they're also after me."

"Okay, then."

"Alright, I'll get Elliot, the tall one. You get the shorter one, alright? Make sure to stay on the defensive. Even though they're after me, I wanna cause as little damage as possible."

"Got it."

Finally, the playing field was level again. Alex and I could easily take the both of them now.

"Ready... GO!!" I yelled. Alex rushed straight at Matt and maneuvered him towards the opposite side of the courts. Elliot was about to go get them, but I yelled, "Hey! I'm the one you're after, right?" Elliot turned his attention to me again. He charged at me. I readied myself.

I ducked and sprang off of my front foot, at an angle. Hid punch went over my head and I connected with a ridge hand to his gut. This knocked the wind out of him, giving me time to distance myself.

"Ay-ah!" I heard from Alex's side. Looks like he can handle Matt by himself.

"Elliot," I began. "Stop this. What the hell are you going to accomplish by fighting me? Nothing, that's what. Just stop this senseless crap and go away."

"Never you little bitch. You made a fool out of me and now I'm gonna make a fool out of you. I'm gonna cut you 'till you bleed to death." He pulled out a switchblade. Shit! He was serious! However, from the looks of it, it was old and dull. I looked around quickly for something to defend myself with, but there was nothing. Crap. I REALLY had to stay frosty for this one...

He charged at me, knife in hand. I thought quickly on what to do, then the solution found its way to my head. However, I had to wait. This technique was a bit risky, but it was probably my best shot.

His blade was held horizontally, he was going to slash across my face. I had to calm myself and get ready... Ten feet... Calm yourself, David! Seven feet... He's getting closer... Four feet... He's almost here... Eighteen inches... Now!!

I tripped myself, making sure to fall on my back. My movement was quick enough that his strike missed my face by about an inch. He tripped over my body and I rolled out of the way. I grabbed his leg and twisted it hard. He yelled in pain and was stabbing blindly at me. I let go of his leg and maneuvered my way to his back. Once he stood up, I grabbed his knife hand and applied a wrist lock. He screamed in pain and dropped his knife. I brought him to the ground, roughly, and I took the opportunity to kick the knife away from the tennis court.

Dammit... I was hoping that he'd have more sense this time... Oh well, I guess that there's no more sense in holding back. I had to immobilize this guy before he did anything even more serious.

I decided to take the offensive and rushed at Elliot. I stepped to the left and dashed behind him. For a guy that was my size, I could run pretty damn fast. As he was turning around, I dug my foot into the ground and pivoted all the way around, dashing at Elliot again. As I was running at him, he raised his leg for a kick. Perfect.

He tried to kick me in my stomach. I blocked with both of my arms, then I parried his strike so that his front was facing me. I ducked under his right cross and drove my elbow into his groin. He slid back and began to yell in pain. This was my opportunity to stop him from attacking. It was unfortunate that it had to come to this, but what must be done must be done.

I slid back and rushed back in for a blitz. I punched him in the gut, then I elbowed his ribs. I followed up with a backfist to the side of his head. I dashed behind him and gave him a palm strike to the back, and then I ran back to his front. I hook kicked him on one side of his face, then round kicked him on the other. I sidekicked him on his chest, knocking him out.

Once Elliot was down, I looked towards Alex's direction. Matt was having trouble with Alex. Every time Matt would try to punch him, Alex would duck and punch him right around his armpit, probably closer to his upper ribs. This was taking a toll on Matt.

"HEY!!! You! Stop!" Alex heard this and stopped attacking, but continued to defend against Matt's blows.

I looked around. It was the principal. Not far behind him was Jake.

"Hey, stop this right now!!"

This was a different voice. I saw a couple of policemen running in our direction. They got to the courts and one of them restrained Matt. Another went over to Elliot's body.

"Don't worry, he's only unconscious." I said.

The policemen handcuffed Matt, told him his rights, and ushered him to the squad car. Then, they went to Elliot and handcuffed him, waiting for him to awaken. Afterwards, they walked towards me. I suddenly became worried.

Jake saw this change of expression in me. "Don't worry," He said. "I told them everything I could. You're not in any trouble."

"That's right, young man." the policeman said. "We just need to get the whole story. Now then, could you tell us what happened, from the very beginning of the day?"

"Uh... Alright. So I saw Jake," I pointed at Jake. "He was bleeding. I asked him what had happened to him, and then he said that he was attacked by three people. He was able to provide a description for the tall one over there, who I later identified. I called him out today before school and asked him why he attacked Jake. He refused to tell me anything and then proceeded to attack me. I had no choice but to counter his attacks. After a while, he finally revealed his motive as the fact that he believed that Jake was gay. He then proceeded to attack me some more. I decided that he was not going to cease attacking me, so I had to knock him out."

"Okay then, son. Now, then... What happened just a few minutes ago?"

"Well, I came back here to talk with Jake. The tall one, Elliot, charged at us and hit Jake. I was attacked by the other one, Matt, from behind. I kicked him to stop his attack, then I pulled Elliot off of Jake. I told Jake to get a faculty member and some help. I thought that these two would be after Jake, so I stayed behind to keep them here while Jake went to get help."

"Ah, so that's probably when we got the call."

"Yeah. So, I led them to the tennis courts and had to defend myself once again. After a while, I called for help and my friend, Alex, came to help me. I instructed Alex to take on Matt and I had to fight Elliot again. He pulled a knife from his pocket and tried to injure me with it. I disarmed him and kicked the knife over there." I pointed at the knife on the ground.

"So he tried to assault you with a weapon?"

"Yes. I managed to knock him out again, and that was when you guys showed up."

"Alright, then. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Am I correct in assuming that the state will be pressing charges against these two and that I will have to attend as a witness?"

"...Yes. We will call for you when the time comes."

"Okay, then. Thank you."

After some more questioning, the policemen left. The principal allowed Jake, Alex, and I to leave the campus. Alex headed home, but I followed Jake to the clinic.

"Dude, how are you?" I asked.

"Uh, I'm better. I'm not hurting so bad. That's a good thing, right?"

"Yeah, either it is or they drugged you up bad."

"Hahah... Maybe, I guess. So, do you wanna go home now?"

"Uh... Sure. That sounds like a good idea. Let's get your guitar before we go, though."

"Cool."

We went down to the band room and picked up Jake's guitar and amp. Thankfully, nobody was inside. I didn't want to have too many people staring at me and Jake.

Once we got home, I brought Jake upstairs. He plugged in his amp and guitar and then he started to play those chords again.

"Hey, David. I came up with some lyrics yesterday. Wanna hear them?"

"Sure. Go for it."

He started to sing.

"I see you in the light,

Your presence makes me bright,

Together we are one and nothing can stop us at all.

Now listen to my words,

You're fluttering, like birds.

You're beautiful and I just wanna hold you.

Now, we tremble through the night,

And all that's left inside,

Is this feeling; like I'll die without you...

But now that you're here,

There's nothing to fear,

We can make it, toghether in stride, now!"

"Dude... That's pretty b-... Good! Great, even!" I had to stop myself. I was about to say "beautiful", but I didn't want to give myself away.

"Really? Thanks!"

"That's a pretty good song. I bet it'd sound better on an acoustic guitar. It's just got that "love song-ey" feel to it, y'know?"

"Yeah... Well... Uh... I just wanted to say that... That..."

"Yeah? That what?"

"Uh... I'm not sure if I can do this..."

"I have a feeling that I know what you're gonna say, but you have to say it yourself, alright?

Wow, that was unusually sagely of me.

"Uhm... Alright... David, I'm gay."

Inside, I was happier than ever. Not because I like Jake or anything (Which I did!), but because I finally had another gay person to talk to.

"Really? That's cool." For some reason, I felt like I had to tell him that I was gay some other time... I wasn't sure if I could come out at all, not since last year...

"And... Uh... Uhm..." He was having a hard time stringing together the words.

"Go on..."

"Well... Uh... I like you." He said that last sentence quickly and turned red.

"Hehe..." I giggled. "I can't believe this is happening. Are you sure you really like me and not just because I protected you from Elliot?"

"No, I mean it... Like, when I first saw you two days ago, you looked so peaceful, so cute... I couldn't stop staring at you! ...Gah! Why am I telling you this, anyways!? It's not like you're gay or anything."

"Uh... If it makes anything easier for you to say, well, I guess I should tell you that I'm gay."

...What!? Did I just do that? Did I just come out of the closet?

"Really!?" Jake said. "Uh... You're..."

"Yeah, I am."

"Oh... But you don't seem..."

"Yeah, I'm not very effeminate. Hold on... If you didn't think I was gay, why are you telling me all of this?"

"Uh... Wishful thinking, I guess."

We both laughed for a bit.

"Alright then..." Jake started. "So, you're gay. Do you like me?"

I blushed a bit. "Honestly, yeah, I do. You're a hottie."

"Did you just say "hottie"?"

"Uh... Yeah. You're hot, so that makes you a hottie."

"Uh... Alright, then. So... You like me, and I like you. Does this mean that we're boyfriends?"

"Hm... Only if you want us to be boyfriends."

"Then we're boyfriends." He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. We hugged for a little bit, and then we started talking again.

"This is kind of sudden, isn't it?" I asked.

"Yeah, it is. But I feel comfortable with this. I really, really like you."

"Yeah, and I really, really like you too."

"Yeah..." He sighed dreamily. "So, do your parents know about you being gay?"

"Uh, I told them last year. But even still, I feel like they're uncomfortable with the subject and I try to avoid "being gay" or talking about it, so I feel like it's best if my parents don't find out about this."

"Alrighty."

"So, what about your parents?"

"They know. I came out to them last year. They're really cool with it, and we even moved here to find me a boyfriend. Everyone in California seemed to be really assholish about me being gay. It' pretty different than what people think of Californians. California isn't made up completely of "Castro"s."

"Hahah. You've got a point. And Virginia isn't filled to the brim with Southerners."

"Yeah." Another dreamy sigh. "Alright, then. I have to go."

"No... Don't leave!" I whined.

"Don't worry, we can hang out tomorrow."

"Okay, then..."

I helped pack his things up. When his mom got there, she honked the horn and we went outside.

"Alright, then. See ya, Jake."

"Bye, David." He leaned over and hugged me. That was a bit too much contact in public, but oh well.

"Thanks Mrs. Johnson."

"You're welcome. And it's Beth. Don't make me feel old."

"Okay. Bye."

As she drove off, she gave me one of those smiles, as if she was reading my mind or something.

I turned around and went back into my house. I sat on my bed and drifted off to sleep.

That night, I dreamt that Jake and I were still together in our early twenties. We were happy, happy and smiling.

I'm not sure if it was even possible, but I think I smiled in my sleep.

Okay, then. That's six down. Any questions/comments/suggestions are to be sent to (ddrarrow_reborn@yahoo.com). Your feedback helps feed Cambodian children, one meal at a time.

Or maybe they just make me feel good inside.