Chapter four

He wasn’t that big. You know, in the sense that a dump truck wasn’t that big. He had the same form as well. While he wasn’t fat, he was made out of a bunch of shapes. And the only description I could come up with for his face was a sculpture must have failed his class. His ears were huge, his hair looking as if it was glued on at random angles, and his eyes small and beady. He was your common school yard bully, and could squish me if he decided to sit on me. Thank god he didn’t. I liked my legs intact. I didn’t mind if Caden molested them, but I preferred them intact. They let me walk.

I turned to see what Caden thought of this ‘visitor’. Since I never thought much of bullies myself, I paid him very little attention. It would have been ignorant not to be scared, but I didn’t have to show that I was.

After so long, you get use to the fact that people will pick on you. Especially when your like me. Short, more feminine then masculine and prefer to read and expand your intellectual level then run on a field, grunt with other males of the same specie and grope each other.

Excuse me for not wanting my head knocked in.

“Caden…?” I whispered, placing a tentative hand on the boys foot. What, it was on my lap, it was about all I could reach. I did in fact notice that it had daises drawn on it with sharpies.

The boy looked frightened. There was nothing else to say about it. His eyes were wide, and he had gone suddenly three shades whiter.

And of course, the bully grinned.

“I asked you a question Candy cane.”

Caden didn’t say anything, he just hung his head.

Now, I may not be a math genius, but I’ve seen animal plant. And im not an idiot. This guy was huge, I was not. So what I was about to do was like asking a biker to ride over your skull and thanking him when he was finished.

And yet, I got up with a smile. Sure I just met Caden, but the green haired boy looked scared to death.

“Hey, fuck up.” Obviously I’m not very skilled in the art of insults. I’ll remember to take a class on it later, after the crap had been beaten out of me. Insults for dummies, a handbook guide for the idiot.

The older boy turned, snarling. I was reminded of a boar. Big, hairy, drool flecked and ugly.

”What do you want shrimp? Protecting your boyfriend fag?” He snarled, getting a private laugh out of his comment.

Yes, fag. How original. “Fag this.” And just as I said that, I slammed my knee into his groin, grabbing his greasy hair with my hand and ramming it down into my knee as it came back up.

He groaned in pain, staggering back with a cry.

“I’m sorry, should I get your boyfriend for you?” I sneered, watching him waddle around like the ugly duckling. Inside I was more then shocked though. I had just kneed someone in the groin! Was it wrong to be happy about this?! What was wrong was the fact that I had to touch his groin to do so.

I needed a very hot shower, because that was just very wrong. First I was groped(I got over that) and now I voluntarily touched this guys crotch.

Ew. I was very quickly turning into the cliché characters in the novels I read.

‘I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!” He came at me, claws extended, breath wafting in his dominance and a pounce that was more messy tackle.

Oh shit, I’m going to die I thought. Nice move Warrik. You could have written your will first. At least I’m going to die knowing one thing.

…I couldn’t think of anything.

I closed my eyes. Like the coward I was. And waited to feel those yellow teeth sink into my throat. And yet, it never came. What did come was a hand wrapping around my arm and jerking me painfully against the table. I tripped over my own feet, stumbling into the soft and rather awaiting body of Caden.

We both fell over in a pile, all arms and legs and very unconventional swears. I was trying to get up before the human boar could gut us both, and Caden was trying to get up so he could I thought, drag me away again.

For a brief moment all I could see was the boar boy. His head large in my vision. Eyes rimmed in red, his hair plastered against his face. I could count every single pimple on his flesh as he came at us once more. And both Caden and I realized at the last moment that we had chosen a table next to a corner, and we had no where to run.

Once more I closed my eyes, covering Caden’s hand with my own. I couldn’t help it.

Once again the slamming of bodies never happened. I felt ripped off a little bit. What I did hear though perhaps made up for it. A grunt of pain, the sound of a short (very short) fight and the dejected swear of the boy who had tried to attack Caden. I was just thankful that Caden was all right, then quickly got rid of that thought before I could voice it.

Slowly I opened my eyes, glancing around. Ha, no one had seen me, except, I the vice like grip of my rainbow clad friend made me think he wouldn’t have noticed anyway. He was far to busy trying to stoop to hide behind me.

“We are so screwed…” He said softly, painted nails digging into my arms, biting faintly into my flesh.

I winced.

“Why?” I glanced at him for a moment longer before turning to see who had saved us. And I swear my heart stopped. The man wasn’t wearing one of the coats the doctors always wore(had to, it was in their job description), but a normal, if slightly rumpled shirt and dress pants. It wasn’t his clothes I was worried about.

It was the look on his face.

Cold, spiteful, down right hateful. He would have been strikingly handsome was it not for those emotions etched into his flesh. A crooked nose, probably broken more then twice. Bright, almost pale turquoise eyes and messy, feathered raven toned hair. Odd highlights of blue and green when he turned his head just the perfect way.

The icy glare was given to me in turn, and I gulped. I felt like a bug beneath this mans shoe. A very unsightly bug that he wanted to squish. And any minute, I would feel his boot against my back and id be dead. I just hoped that my dead would come quick, and painless.

“What, do you think you three are doing, at lunch time never the less?” He growled, glaring at me and Caden. Caden shook against me, and I wish I had the ability to do that right now.

“Um…” Was all I could mutter in reply, looking at the boy who had tried to attack Caden. He just glared sullenly, muttering something to the doctor I couldn’t hear. The man pushed the kid away and he walked away, looking over his shoulders at us with a sneer. I stared dumbstruck, not even realizing that my mouth was open wide enough to catch not only a fly, but probably a duck to.

“Er….” Caden squeaked, eyes wide, and still hiding behind my much smaller form.

“Caden, you know very well that fighting isn’t allowed.” He snarled, eyes ablaze with hatred. That right there got me, as the cocky bastard of a doctor stood there, glaring quite happily at my new friend.

“Hey, he didn’t start anything!” I managed some how to dig my friends fingers out from my arm, settling him nicely behind me. Now, Im not stupid. I just came here, and this man could easily get me kicked out and force me to go back to my mother. But Caden looked scared, worse then scared. He looked scared and fearful that something would happen. He was like an adorable rainbow puppy.

And you can’t kick the damn puppy without someone getting pissed. Because there is always someone there who will hit you back ten times harder.

“Excuse me?” The doctor asked, arching an eyebrow incredulously.

“Yea, he didn’t start it. Now if your head wasn’t so far up your ass you might be able to see the fact that that kid? Yea, he was a bully who picks on people because their different. And you don’t seem to be any different from him either.” I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest. I was being braver then I actually felt. In reality I just wanted to run away and hide.

I waited for it to come. Perhaps a punch, him yelling, me being kicked out. Something, but not what happened.

He smiled, an awkward smile and shrugged, brushing his hair out of his face. “Hmm, you seem to know a lot more about psychology then I do. How odd. Maybe later we can trade secrets hmm? Caden, you missed your appointment with your psychologist, you know you cant do that.” He changed topics faster then it was possible to breath, glaring softly at the green haired boy hiding behind me.

“Yes sir.” He mumbled, head down, defeated.

“Good.” With that last parting word the doctor turned on his heal and walked out, leaving me feeling like I had missed something rather big.

“Who was that.” Obvious question, but I had to know. I just had to.

“Dr. Troy Ditrick. He’s a famous psychologist.” Caden sounded like he didn’t believe that, and really, neither did I. I would believe that he was famous the day he showed me actual proof. For now I just thought he was a jack ass.

“He seems nice.” I answered, sarcasm dripping heavily.

“Oh yes, nice in the sense that he would rip your arm from its socket and beat you with it.” Caden smiled happily, apparently since he wasn’t in mortal danger he was fine now. I didn’t even flinch this time when he took up my hand and began dragging me after him. I had to take two steps for every one of his.

“Where are we going?” I didn’t even care anymore that he was dragging me around like a rag doll. I just managed to keep myself up beside him. I just met him and I was already use to his charisma. I supposed it was naturally. Caden had the type of personality that you either loved or hated. Turns out I loved it.

“We are going around! Aaaaround!” He giggled helplessly, stopping his peels of laughter with his hand in his mouth. I just watched him, not sure which emotion won. The fact that he could in fact fit his fist in his mouth, or the fact that he was leading me to no place in particular. I think the first won. It wasn’t like we had anywhere fun to go.

“Right.” And let the blind lead the able bodied right into a wall, because the able bodied were idiots who didn’t want to make a specific green haired boy cry. Because that, that would be horrible.

He did end up leading me around. From the cafeteria to the classrooms. Bothering anyone we saw with hellos(mine mumbled) and a wave before going on. The place was bigger then I thought. With rooms in the basement, and psychologist rooms scattered on their own floor. There was a swimming pool. Two games room, a rest room, a drama room, a library, a greenhouse and a large expanse of land to every direction. Caden mentioned that some of the trees lining close to the school were actually people who use to go there.

“Look at that tree, isn’t it funny?” He pointed out one in particular. It was stunted, and I could easily wrap my arms around its base. The tree was bent towards the ground, as if I giant foot had made it that way. It was curved perfectly though, to perfect to have been tossed in a storm.

“Yea…funny.” I muttered, watching Caden twirl.

“Lets go see the lover trees!” With a yank that nearly dislocated my shoulder he lead the way father and farther down the path. Chattering constantly like a sparrow on crack.

The entire time, I couldn’t help but let my thoughts drift, now and then picking up something that caught my fancy. A silver chain, some shiny rocks and a few oddly shaped leaves. I kept everything that seemed valuable enough in my pocket, while the other things I used for knickknacks and just something to touch when I was nervous.

Though he never shut up, and hit me twice with his elbow In the face, I didn’t mind it so much. It was kind of nice, even with the black eye, and cuts from forest thorns. Much better then being with my mother. Here at least I had someone to talk to.

And the sunsets were nice in the country.