Loner Autumn (Ch2):

The Schoolyard Fight Story

The Whispered Reputation

It had been a typical first week at school for Byron. He kept to himself and everyone else avoided him like the plague, however it didn’t stop people from constantly staring at him and talking about him. The story of his intervention the previous weekend seemed to have traveled to every nook and cranny of the school and soon, Byron heard his name whispered in the hallways nearly every day. It was exhausting.

Even in the cafeteria, where he usually found solace at a small table, he was surrounded by hundreds of eyes. Thank God it was Friday! He couldn’t believe he’d managed to deal with all of this in a single week. And there were still 35 weeks to go until summer break.

Still, the only people who were there that day were Tina, Russell, and himself. And he wasn’t the one blabbing about what happened, and he doubted it was Russell either. Of course, the story varied as to what happened. Byron hadn’t heard a single true version of the story yet, however, each story ended with Byron knocking Russell unconscious. Tina must have been telling everyone some version of the story to protect Russell’s integrity… somewhat.

Byron stared blankly ahead. That girl perturbed him. She was the most stereotypical high school cheerleader he’d ever met, matching every old movie trope he’d watched… Incredulity didn’t describe how Byron felt at her hesitancy to get this guy kicked out of school, even better locked up. He shook his head and drank his milk. ‘Whatever,’ he thought, ‘I’ll do my best to stay out of everyone’s way. It’s none of my business.’

Gossip and Denial at the Cheerleader Table

Tina Kurt sneezed while biting into her sandwich. She sat at a long table with the rest of the cheer team. She hastily wiped snot off her nose; it was very important to keep up her appearance. As she did so, she scanned the cafeteria for the boy who saved her, not because she wanted to see him, but more as to make sure he didn’t know she was talking about him… and she still found it weird that he didn’t grab her ass or anything! What was wrong with him?

“He’s over there,” said Jennifer, a tall, pale girl, with heavy black eyeliner and long blonde hair, “He’s sat in that same chair every day. You should go talk to him, since you’re obviously crushing hard.” A mischievous grin spread across her face as the other girls snickered.

Tina stood up and shouted ferociously, “I don’t like him!”

The whole cafeteria stared at her until she took her seat. She saw him staring at her, and she couldn’t help but blush. But it was only because of her involuntary outburst. It was embarrassing and very unbecoming of the most popular girl in school.

“Whoa…” Jennifer blinked, “Easy there, firecracker. Save that for the game.”

Alice, a short haired brunette, whose eyes were roaming a book, said, “For the record, for someone who doesn’t like him, you talk about him all the time. You’ve barely mentioned Aaron this entire week.”

“Aaron who?” said Jennifer, as the others at their table laughed.

Tina’s lips pursed as tightly as was humanly possible. “I don’t like him. He’s ugly, short, and scrawny! He’s not a dream boat like Aaron Thompson!”

Alice grinned and Jennifer rolled her eyes.

“Besides,” said Tina, “As the hottest girl in school I deserve the hottest guy, and Aaron is MY guy!”

The heat at the table rose several degrees, pressuring other tables to push away.

“Tina,” said Alice, “Aaron is a senior. There are plenty of attractive senior girls. Just because you somehow got the captain position of the cheer squad, doesn’t make you the hottest girl in school.”

“Yeah,” said Jennifer, “Can someone explain that?”

“Sounds like someone is jeally,” Tina interupted. “You think you can take Aaron away from me, Alice?”

Alice closed her book and sighed. “No, Tina, I can’t take Aaron away from you.”

“Speaking of jeally,” said Jennifer, “It looks like your plan to make Aaron jeally by flirting with his best friend didn’t work.”

“Yes,” said Alice, “It only worked against you. You’re lucky that Byron kid was around to help you.”

Tina fell silent. Alice was right, as always. What would have happened if Byron wasn’t there? She would have been raped.

“I still say we should report him,” said Alice. “He could do it again. He might have already done it.

“No!” shouted Tina, standing up again, and sitting back down as quickly as possible. “We made a cheer promise not to tell a soul.”

“You told everyone in first period Monday morning,” said Jennifer.

“That’s not the point!” said Tina, “We don’t tell any old people!”

Alice sighed. ‘At least she doesn’t think she’s the smartest girl in school.’

Russell’s Bruised Ego

Russell Brown studied his lunch tray. He’d been in a funk all week, and nothing he or his friends could do would lift his bad mood. It was embarrassing. That little kid beat him up like he was nothing. In a matter of seconds, he’d awaken to find both Tina and the kid long gone.

The worst part about it was that everyone knew what happened. Everyone knew that Byron Lucas, some new freshman from another town, kicked his ass. Russell watched him from across the cafeteria, reading a book, completely unaware of how much he’d ruined his, Russell’s reputation.

“Russell,” said Aaron, “You’re shaking the table.”

Russell looked away from Byron and glared at Aaron. He didn’t say anything. Hector, a dark eyed, dark-haired boy with a tiny dark moustache, turned to where Byron was sitting. He like everyone else found the idea that he beat Russell in a fight was insane. “That kid beat you up?” he turned to Russell. “What is he? A buck ten?”

“Shut up, Hector!” said Russell, “He took me by surprise. And I got dirt in my eyes.”

“That rhymed,” said Ted, a tall blonde with spikey hair, reaching for a high five from Hector, who just stared at him.

“Yeah, yeah,” said Aaron raking his fingers though his hair, “It’s alright, man. It could have happened to anyone.”

Russell looked up from his tray. “What are you talking about? I got beat up by a little kid. A little kid!”

“It really is amazing, actually,” said Howie Nelson, a tall, 6′ 6″, boy with sandy-brown hair, “A little guy like him taking on a goliath like you, and it’s rather poetic really.”

“Don’t start, Nelson,” said Russell, looking disgustedly at him, “And freaking chew with your mouth closed!”

Howie smirked. “Roger, will comply.” he saluted and spit a little apple at him.

“You know what you have to do, right?” said Hector, stopping Russell from getting up, “You need to have a rematch and take him down. If anyone from anywhere else hears about this, our team will be a laughingstock.”

“I doubt there’s any chance of that,” said Howie, finishing his apple core.

“Whys that?” challenged Hector.

“Look at him,” said Howie pointing. “He wants to be left alone. He’s not interested in this stuff.”

“Because I’ll kick his ass,” said Russell, standing up, “There’s no way he’ll beat me again!”

“Yes,” said Aaron, “Nelson, go tell him to meet Russell at Old Town for a rematch. Tell him if he doesn’t, we’ll bother him until he does.”

“Seriously?” said Howie, “You guys really want to do this?”

“Of course we do,” said Aaron running his fingers through hair again, “Go tell him. Either way, things will be as they should.”

Howie nodded.

An Unwanted Student

Byron took a deep breath, listening to the world around him, the vibrations of the school tapping his skin like insect legs. He slowly breathed out, hoping to relieve his anxiety. He opened his eyes and looked around. He saw the red fire alarm on the wall across the cafeteria. He turned his head to the right and saw a black rimmed clock, counting down the time for lunch to end—fifteen minutes. And then he turned to his left and, to his horror, someone was approaching him.

His name was Todd Muckleroy, a large boy, with slicked-back, black hair, thick black glasses, which had clip on shades, and a superhero tshirt that Byron didn’t recognize. The two shared many of the same classes, as they were both freshman, and Byron found him exceptionally annoying.

“Hi!” said Todd, extending his hand to shake. “My name’s Todd Muckleroy.”

Byron glared at him, which had no effect. It only made him lean in closer, his hand reaching, trying so hard to be shook.

“You are Byron Lucas, right?” He said, deciding to rest his hand on Byron’s.

Byron, slowly, pulled his hand free and placed it on his lap. Raising an eyebrow, he said, “Why are you bothering me?”

“I heard you beat the snot out of Russell Brown. Is that true?” he blurted out a bit louder than Byron would have preferred.

The whole room went deadly quiet. Byron could feel everyone’s eyes on him again. Dead, listening stares, touched every part of him. He hated it.

“What happened? Did he give you a wedgie?”

Byron cracked a smile that gradually turned into a laugh. He laughed really hard, and had a hard time stopping, because no one had ever given him a wedgie. He didn’t even think they were real.

It was hysterical, and if a single person wasn’t looking at him before they were now. Some were even chuckling along, unsure what was happening.

Byron finally settled down, the thought fading to the back of his mind. “No,” he said, smiling, “Did he give you a wedgie?”

Todd glanced around the cafeteria. “Well,” said Todd, leaning in to whisper, “Yes, I get wedgies every day.”

“Why?” said Byron.

Todd blushed as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I think they’re jealous of how cool I am.”

Byron stood up and picked up his tray. “You’re an idiot,” he said. He walked away, towards conveyer belt to place his tray. Sadly, he could feel Todd jogging up behind him. He winced and turned around. “You’re not going to follow me, are you?” he said, trying not to lose his temper.

“Well, you see,” said Todd, ignoring Byron’s avoidance, “My parents are really confused about why my underwear gets so stretched. And I’m tired of lying to them.”

“So, stop lying,” said Byron. “How does this involve me?”

“Please, Sensei! Teach me your sweet, ninja moves!” He struck a pose much like a power ranger. Byron’s face ignited scarlet and felt like hot coals. ‘What the heck did he just say?’

“I think you got the wrong guy,” said Byron. “I’m not a master, so I don’t teach. I don’t like people; I can’t stand being around them. Why do you think I sit alone?”

“Well, everyone needs friends,” said Todd.

Byron winced. “I don’t. Now please leave me alone.”

The Rematch Invitation

He walked away towards his locker, up a flight of steps and towards the freshman hallway, almost unaware of the looming presence of another following him. He ducked into an alcove of lockers where his stood near the entrance of his next classroom. He knew someone was there, behind him, but this one felt a lot calmer than Todd Muckleroy.

He felt no need to hide. This was school after all, someone was bound to see him at his locker at some point, but hopefully this would be his one and only visitor. He spun the combination and opened his door as the shadow grew closer.

Byron grabbed his English books and folder and closed the locker before he acknowledged the intruder.

“Hey,” Byron said, dryly as he looked up at the giant, with about as much awe as he would if he were staring at a goldfish.

“Hi, what’s up?” said Howie. He was chewing on a piece of gum, Byron sighed and rolled his eyes, not willing to start this conversation.

“So…” said Howie. “There’s word that you beat the shit out of my bud Russell.”

“Word, huh?” said Byron. “And if I did, what are you going to do about it?”

“I’m not going to fight you,” said Howie, “Not because I’m afraid of you, but because that jerk probably deserved it. Honestly, I’m here because my friend is requesting a rematch, today afterschool, in Old Town. Do you know where that is?”

“I gather it’s the historic district, with the brick roads and old buildings,” said Byron.

“Yeah,” said Howie, “That’s the area. There’s a park there. That’s usually where that stuff takes place.”

“Are you going to be there?” said Byron.

“I… Am going, yes,” said Howie, “I’ll be there.”

“Why?”

Howie laughed. “My bud wants a rematch. I got to support him.”

“He’s not your friend. You care less about that guy than you do me. You’re not fooling anyone.”

Howie frowned. “While I may not particularly like the guy, he’s my teammate, and he’s going to kick your ass!”

“Like last time, right?” A smirk grew on Byron’s face. “I doubt I’ll make it. So, however you guys want to spin it: Russell kicked my ass. I cried. Maybe throw in a wedgie for good measure. I don’t care. I won’t be there though. I’ve got more important people to see.”

Howie tried to keep his clenched fists from rising. Byron noticed. “Fine,” said Howie, “You forfeit, because you’re too scared.”

“I mean, however you want to spin it,” said Byron. “You let me know if you ever want to fight, though. I bet you have a vicious punch.”

Byron turned into the empty classroom next to his locker and took a seat in the back of the room.

‘What a dick,’ Howie thought. ‘I hope Aaron is okay with this. For everyone’s sake.’

Language Arts and the Ninja Note

Byron continued his day with language arts taught by Miss Francine. She was the prettiest teacher he’d seen so far at Morrisville High School and her voice was sweet and calming. He couldn’t help but breath it all in and enjoy her classroom environment, except Todd had chosen to sit right next to him.

They didn’t have assigned seats, however Byron liked sitting in the back because it was against the wall, with the least amount of people staring at him or even willing to talk to him. Most of the people in the back were “under achievers.” Several of which, it was clear, had used the lunch period to smoke weed in the student parking lot. He wasn’t fond of the smell, but it was the price one paid for a seat in the back.

Todd looked nervous—like he’d never sat in the back of a classroom a day in his life. The thought was amusing, but at the same time made Byron anxious, because he knew what was coming. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Todd pushing a note closer and closer to the edge of his desk, to the point it was about to fall off. Miss Francine continued to teach, but Byron got the impression that she could tell some mischief was a foot in the back.

Todd began to telegraph with his pencil loudly, including “pssts” and “heys” to get Byron’s attention. Byron took a deep breath and focused solely on the black board as Miss Francine explained participle phrases… or something like that.

Then Todd started scooting his desk over. Inch by inch, sliding his desk closer to Byron’s.

‘Oh no,’ Byron thought, ‘seriously?’

Todd’s desk was in the aisle, about to touch Byron’s, the note sliding on the corner of his desk now, folded neatly, when Miss Francine walked over.

“Mr. Muckleroy? Fancy seeing you in the back of the class today. Did you get tired of my lessons?” She asked looking down into Todd’s eyes.

“Oh!” said Todd, “Miss Francine, what brings you to the back of the class today?”

Byron shook his head the classroom erupted with laughter.

Miss Francine blinked and then grabbed the note on the desk and began to read it.

‘Please don’t read it out loud! Please don’t read it out loud!’ Byron thought to himself.

Then she handed it to Byron. “It’s for you,” she said smiling. A smile from an angel…

“Since it is Friday, and the end of the first week of school,” she addressed the class, “I’m going to let that slide, but, henceforth, I will not tolerate anyone passing notes in this classroom.”

Byron glared at Todd, who in turn waved at Byron. “Read it,” he said.

Byron shook his head and opened the note:

Dear Sensei,

I am willing to be your humble student, your protégé, your ward, in short, I need you to teach me how to be a ninja, so I can defeat my enemies and become the strongest fighter at Morrisville High School.

I will stand up to the bullies and protect the weak; I will become the hero that this school needs. I will become Ninja Todd!

Your Best Friend,

Todd Muckleroy

‘I really can’t take this kid seriously,’ thought Byron shaking his head. He turned back to Todd, who gave him a thumbs up and a wide grin.

Byron smiled, crumpled the note up, and dropped it on the floor. The returned Todd’s thumbs up.

The Fight Setup

The bell rang, and like the rest of the class, Byron grabbed his books and went to his locker. Todd followed him; their lockers were close by. Byron did his best to grab everything he needed for the weekend and run home. It shouldn’t be hard to leave Todd in the dust; he didn’t look like he could run fast, but as he closed his locker, Todd was already behind him. For the first time Byron was startled by someone.

“What?” said Byron.

“You didn’t answer my note,” said Todd.

Byron twitched. “Crumpling it up didn’t give you a hint?”

“I thought you were just destroying the evidence, like a ninja would,” said Todd smugly.

Byron blinked. “I… I don’t know what to say to that.”

“Clearly, you’re speechless,” said Todd, “Meaning, I’ve impressed you to take me on as your pupil. I will become a ninja and save this school from tyranny!”

“You got some real ‘main character’ energy, Todd,” said Byron, placing his hand on Todd’s shoulder, “But I can’t teach you ninjitsu. I don’t do ninjitsu. So, this is goodbye.”

“Please, Byron, I want to be able to defend myself. All my life I’ve been picked on, and I don’t know why. Maybe if I could defend myself, I would get some answers.”

In his passion, Todd had put his hands on Byron, and instantly Byron grabbed his hands about to throw him to the ground, but he stopped himself. Todd wasn’t a bad guy…

“No, Todd,” Bryon released his grip, “Listen, you’re incredibly annoying. Please leave me alone.”

Byron walked away and Todd didn’t follow.

He felt guilty about what just happened, but he knew why Todd got picked on: because he was emphatically himself, and no one accepted it. If he was just low key and went unnoticed, then he’d probably be a ninja, instead of always being so obnoxious…

Byron made it out the doors and bobbed and weaved around people until he made it to the sidewalk. Everyone was talking about the “Big Fight” that was happening in Old Town. Byron laughed to himself. ‘They’ll all be very disappointed.’ He stood at the crosswalk with several other students, waiting for the WALK to light up.

“Just got a text from Aaron,” said a boy standing there, “Fight at Old Town, going down in 30 minutes.”

“How childish,” said a girl next to him.

“Do you want to go?” he asked.

“Sure,” she said, “Who’s fighting? Anyone we know?”

“Russell Brown,” said the boy, “And some kid named Todd. It was supposed to be a rematch with that Lucas kid, but word is he’s a coward and wouldn’t show up.”

“Oh gawd,” said the girl. “Is it that know-it-all Muckleroy? I wouldn’t mind seeing him get his ass kicked. He’s so annoying!”

Byron stopped. ‘No. Oh no. Seriously?’

He turned around, “Hey, how do you get to Old Town?”

Old Town Showdown

It wasn’t far from school, five blocks East, and Byron found himself walking down a red brick road with lots of shade from the trees up and down the sidewalks. He wondered how it could have happened so fast—Todd facing Russell in a fight. Was Russell and his friends near Byron’s locker when he rejected Todd? Did Todd lash out? He felt guilty about all that had happened that afternoon. Todd had no business fighting Russell. Then again, if Todd wanted to be in a fight so badly, perhaps this would be a chance for him to see what it was all about.

Fighting, as Byron saw it, was just a means of protecting oneself and others. Had he just walked away when he was passing by Tina and Russell that day, he and Todd wouldn’t be in this mess. If he, Byron, had just accepted the rematch and lost gracefully, this could have been over.

Lost in thought, he nearly ran into a stone column that sat in front of a large area surrounded by a black iron gate. He took a second to look at it. There seemed to be a house up on a hill, surrounded by trees within the black iron bars. Byron gave a whistle. ‘Does Dracula live here?’ he thought. But then his attention was possessed by what was across the street.

On the other side lay Morrisville Park, a large open space with a playground and cement sidewalk that wrapped around it. Every parking spot was filled with a student vehicle, and a large group of students had formed a circle in the middle. ‘Bingo,’ thought Byron.

Quietly, Byron slinked around the crowd and looked for an opening so he could get a good look at the action. He didn’t want to be noticed by Russell or his friends; he just wanted to make sure Todd was alright. He might have to step in and save him.

As he scanned the park, he saw a tall tree just on the outside of the circle. It looked scalable, so Byron crept up and climbed the tree to a spot thick with foliage. The fight hadn’t started yet. Byron looked at his watch. He was already late. What were they waiting for?

Todd stood in the middle of the circle, facing Russell, who seemed to be looking around for something. He wasn’t sure if he should strike first or wait till his opponent wasn’t distracted. What would his favorite superhero, Jackelope Man, do?

Todd started hopping up and down. He imagined himself as Jackelope Man, with rabbit ears and antelope antlers and big rabbit feet. He saw himself jumping so high that he kicked Russell in the head, knocking him out with a single hit. ‘Oh yeah! I’m so cool,’ Todd thought.

“What the hell is he doing?” Hector asked Howie as they watched Todd do a series of poses and mediocre kicks.

Howie shook his head. ‘Where the heck is Lucas?’ Howie thought. ‘His friend is going to get destroyed.’

Russell held back laughter as he turned to Aaron, who entered the ring at this time. Aaron believed that Byron would show up, due to what Aaron called his MO.

“Where is he, Aaron?” asked Russell between snickers.

Aaron, who had been scanning the crowd since the first person showed up to the park, shrugged. “I can’t find him. Maybe I misjudged him. Or maybe this doofus isn’t really his friend.”

Howie stepped forward to join the conversation. “So, we’re calling this off, right? This kid can’t fight. Look at him.”

Aaron smiled. “No. You heard what he said earlier. He wants to learn something about himself. Just lay him out flat, Russell. Be quick about it, we have things to do.”

The Unexpected Outcome

Howie grimaced and returned to the circle with Aaron. Russell approached Todd. He had little interest in beating this poor guy up. Certainly, wasn’t a good use of his time. They did have other things to do, specifically perusing the mall for girls.

“I see you’re finally taking me seriously!” said Todd, assuming a crane stance. “I must warn you that my jackelope powers make me incredibly strong, for when I was bitten by a radioactive jackelope just after birth, I knew that I was different from others…”

Russell punched him square in the face. Todd fell, his glasses flew off his face and to the grass,  broken in half. There was no cheering. Just silence, as everyone felt how one sided this fight was. Russell felt a twinge of shame, but just as Aaron said, this kid was wondering what he was made of. The crowd began to disperse, but then Todd hobbled back up on his feet.

“Where… Do you think you’re going?” Todd stood up. His nose bloody and his face scarlet. He was panting. He hadn’t expected it to hurt that much, but he could still stand. He had to see if he could land one hit. “Hold on there. I’m not done yet.”

“Kid,” said Russell, “I’m not hitting you again. It’s embarrassing.”

The crowd recircled quietly. Nobody expected Todd to stand back up. From the tree, Byron couldn’t help but smile. This kid was tougher than he gave him credit.

‘I can’t just knock this kid down again,’ thought Russell. “Tell you what. You get one free shot. Punch me.”

He ducked down to Todd’s level and tapped his cheek, a grin spread across his face as the crowd laughed.

Byron watched as Todd anchored himself in a back stance—all his weight shifted in the back—as he placed his right fist at his waist. “What’s he doing?” Byron said out loud.

“Falcooooooooon Punch!” shouted Todd as he stepped and punched Russell in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him.

Byron blinked, stunned. “Did he just use a super smash move?”

To everyone’s surprise, Russell fell back, being hit right in the solar plexus knocked the wind right out of him. Todd maintained his anime punching pose, panting, about to fall over from all the physical exertion.

Hector stepped up and knelt to Russell to right him back up. “You’re making us look bad! Stand up, and knock him back down!” Russell righted himself and walked up to Todd as he lowered his arm.

“Say good night, kid,” Russell picked up Todd and threw him hard on the ground.

Todd breathed out an “oofff!” But he did not get back up.

A New Bond

Everyone dispersed. Russell and Hector exchanged a high five as they walked away. Byron had leapt down from the tree once everyone had gotten back in their cars. He watched Aaron close the door of his red charger and their eyes met. Aaron smirked as he and his friends drove away.

Byron knelt next to Todd. “Hey, Todd. You, okay?”

Todd gasped. “Did I win?”

“Not in the slightest,” said Byron, smiling. “But you did alright for your first fight.”

Todd’s breathing was labored but he seemed to be okay, just stunned and catching his breath. “So, can I be your student now? Did I prove myself worthy?”

Byron hesitated. Something was happening. He felt a little differently towards Todd, like he wasn’t as annoying as he originally thought. It might be cool and hang out and train together. He didn’t have anyone to train with in this new town. “Yeah. I think you did. Let’s get you home and we can talk about it this weekend.”

 

Missed Chapter 1? Read here: The New Kid