DancingKitsune. Warning: this installment of Counting to Sixty has extreme homophobic acts, extremely vulgar language, and very graphic violence. Leon's 14; Xander and Nathaniel are 13-going-on-14. BTW, the nickname for Thomas could be said as ether "Thom" or "Tom", depends on if the person saying it wants to annoy the person their calling or not..

"Why don't you just go fuck your boyfriend, faggot!"

I look at Xander with a brow raised and she returns the gesture. I look ahead of us to see a crowd forming in a near-circle, with a gap against the lockers. Then a slam and grunt comes from the crowd, we start walking over.

From the sound of it, ether some poor straight kid was getting bullied or some poor gay kid decided to come out of the closet and the close friend wasn’t reacting all that well. Not like that would be a first.

"Better yet, why don't you go and suck me off? Huh little faggot boy?" I hear the person say again. I growl in distaste at the comment and pick up my pace with Xander following closely behind.

"Fuck you, Thom."

At hearing that familiar voice, my eyes grow wide with rage. Xander’s eyes go wide and she looks to me in fear. She mouths ‘Nathaniel’ but I’m already shoving my way though the thick crowd of peers.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you, you fucking faggot." I hear the other person say smugly then I hear another slam.

I get to the front of the crowd to I see Nathaniel wiping his mouth, blood smearing onto the back of his hand. He's glaring up at a tall brown haired upperclassmen wearing a football jersey with the number 42. Thomas Rayel.

Thom raises his fist to strike Nathaniel again. Next thing I know, I'm running toward him, smashing the knuckles of my pointer and middle fingers straight into the side of his head.

I can hear a bunch of gasps from the kids around me, but I really don't care. He hurt Nathaniel.

Thom staggers some, spurting out something unintelligible. I whip my arm back again and my arm slingshots towards him just as he turns to face me, nailing him right in the teeth. I can see his blood fly into my face as he starts to fall backwards.

I still don't care. He hurt my best friend.

I grab the collar of his jersey and pull him back to me and I let go just as I hook him with the side of my balled fist. The strength of the hit sends him crashing into the locker next to Nathaniel, who's just standing there wide-eyed.

I want him to hurt so bad. That's what someone wants when someone hurts their friend.

I go over to him and pick him up by the collar again and smash my fist into his face, hitting him right in the eye. Someone's calling my name somewhere and I can feel someone grab my arms from behind and starts trying to pull me back.

I want him to never be able to move again. It's completely normal to want after someone hurts your best friend.

I struggle out of their hold and pull Thom back up again. I wind my arm back up for the fifth time when I feel someone grab my arm. I start to struggle it free--

"LEON! That's enough!!" Nathaniel shouts out. That's when I realize that he's the one who's holding back my arm. I pause for a second, wide-eyed, staring at Thom's face.

His nose is broken, both of his lips are busted and bleeding, the side of his face is bleeding from blunt trauma, and the skin around his eye is already changing color. I let go of his collar and he sinks to the floor, leaning against the wall completely.

I stand there and stare at his face, mutilated by my own eighth grade hands. In shock I just stand there, arms limp at my sides. I can feel Nathaniel wrap his arms around me, and I can feel the blood seeping through my green shirt.

But I don't mind all that much.

"Let's go home, Le..." He says into the back of my shirt and I numbly nod in agreement. We turn and start walking, his arm around my waist.

"Let's get home so we can clean those hands of yours, and your face too, Nate.." Xander says as she joins on the other side with her arm around my shoulders.

I did what any other kid would, right? I mean, he's my best friend next to Xander...

I only did what any other person would do... Right?

Right?