Chapter Thirteen
I heard the entire hall take a deep breath.
I stood my ground and stared into his eyes. If he hurt Jake just because he didn't belong to the binary gender category, I wasn't just going to stand and watch because it was not a fault from Jake's part that he was born that way. Andrews swung his palm across to slap my face but I raised my hand and held him by the wrist before the slap fell. Suddenly, with his other hand, he pried my fingers open and released his hand from my grip. He took a step closer and brought his face just inches away from mine and roared, " HOW DARE YOU? A FUCKING FRESHMAN LIKE YOU?YOU DARE INSULT THE SCHOOL'S BASKETBALL CAPTAIN? YOU THINK IMMA JUST LET YOU WALK AWAY? FUCKING SLUT!!!" I kept my composure and calmly replied, " Touch what is mine, and I will destroy what is yours!"
I took a step back but they were not going to let me go so easily. Derick grabbed my hand and pulled me towards him. I didn't know what his plan was, but what I intended to do was clear in my head. I pulled my right arm backwards and punched him square on his nose and down he fell bawling, with blood spurting from his nose.
His other friends including Carter ran towards me, but my goal was to get away from them and take Jake to the nurse's. I knew to fight back but I did not want to. I would only defend myself and not strike first. The fact that I was an Underground fighter and a street fighter was supposed to be a hidden fact, not a public news. If anyone who was familiar to the techniques of street fighting was in this crowd, they would recognize it and I didn't want that secret about me to be known to a lot of people. I planned to get back at them some day soon enough.
Carter tried punching me with his right hand but I moved my head about 6 inches to the left hence, defending myself. Then I bent my knee upwards and brought it sharply into his groin causing him to double over which I used as an opportunity to smash my knee into his nose. Suddenly, someone came and put their arm around my neck trying to choke me. I tried to pull his arm away but he was very much stronger than me. I felt my neck paining and stars in my head. So I brought the ball of my foot forward and forcefully slammed it into the area between his ankle and mid-leg. Crying out in pain, he loosened his grip on me. Suddenly hearing a loud shriek, I turned around to see Andrews running towards me holding a baseball bat in the air. Before I could move, two guys came from somewhere and pinned my arms to my sides and someone held my ankles to stop me from escaping. Andrews stopped right in front of me and swinging his bat-arm all the way back, he hit me square in the chest with it. The air left my body with an "oomph" and I doubled-over. The two guys on either side of me pulled me erect again and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Andrews lift the bat again. I grit my teeth, closed my eyes and waited for the blow to fall but it never did.
"Now, now, boys...What do you think you are doing?", I heard the Principal bellow. I opened my eyes to see the crowd thinning and The Principal making his way towards us, followed by the nurse and few professors. The boys who were holding me left me and Andrews dropped his bat. Principal Jackson came close and looking at the boys on the ground, he asked me, "Miss Moraitis, was this your handiwork?" I nodded. "Did you make the first move?", he asked again. "Not exactly sir. Captain Andrews did. I only spat at his shoe. He tried to slap me, I held his hand. He released himself. I took a step backward. Derick here pulled me towards him and I punched him breaking his nose. The first successful move was mine but the first attempt was not", I replied, not batting an eye.
He turned around and announced to the crowd. " Everyone disperse this very moment. Off to your classes please. Whoever is still here other than this group involved in this, will all be sent to detention if you don't clear out in sixty seconds." Everyone started running off to different directions. Then, he turned to look in the direction where Jake was still leaning with closed eyes. Taking a deep breath he called out to the teachers, " Caira, Jane and Sally, take him to Sally's room. Whoever is guardian, give them a call, tell them that he's badly hurt and that they have to come meet me". Turning back to us, he ordered, " You all will follow me to my office."