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Mar. 28th, 2012 08:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fry_sandhuThe school fair was a resounding success. While Fry found he couldn't bring himself to like Nigel, the older boy's keenness to turn from bully to friend seemed something he ought to encourage.
"Fry." Jo takes him aside one art lesson, just after lunch. "I don't want Nigel sitting with us at lunch. He might have stopped picking on you, but he keeps asking me intimate questions, Maurice is terrified of him, and he keeps perving on Kathy."
"I don't want him there either but I don't know how to get rid of him." Fry says. "If I tell him no, he'll go back to bullying."
"You don't have to be someone's friend unless you want to." the art teacher, Miss Cartwright, comes over and sits on a chair. "It was kind of you to help Nigel with his family situation, but you're not obliged to continue."
"I want a truce, but I don't want to be his BFF." Fry says. "It's not that I want to go back to being enemies, I just want him to back off a bit."
"Well, you should try and let him down gently." Miss Cartwright says. "How about we role play it after art? Or would you rather it was Mrs Carter?"
Fry had to admit it helped a bit, getting a bit of preparation. And he knew Miss Cartwright was keeping half an eye out the art room window when he approached Nigel in the playground at the end of school. It occurs to him, for the first time, that teachers other than Mrs Carter could be useful for support. That said, Mrs Carter has been his form teacher for three years, and he sincerely hopes she isn't going anywhere soon.
"Nigel... look, I need to say something." Fry pauses, as Nigel is quiet for once. "I like that we're not enemies any more, but I need you to back off a little bit. I'm not ready for us to be best mates, especially not so soon after you used to bully me."
"So you would be open to it later?" Nigel asks.
"Probably not." Fry says.
"...Fair enough. We're still allies right?"
"Yeah. Just... less intense."
Seeing Nigel seems to have taken it fairly well (though unsure if it will work), Fry collects the others he usually walks home, and heads towards the gate. Just as they get outside, Nigel suddenly starts running after them.
"Fry, I'm not having him tell me my bra size in different units again." Kathy says. "You said you were going to talk to him."
"I did, he said he got it and was going to back off..." Fry says.
But it doesn't seem that Nigel intends to walk home with them; in fact he looks panicked and yells out a warning.
"Fry, look out!"
Fry blinks, looks around, and finds himself suddenly hoisted off his feet by Nigel's ninteen-year-old brother, Kevin, the one he spoke about to the school for bullying Nigel. Kevin is accompanied by a couple of mates, and shoves the struggling Fry into the railings.
"You interfering little shit!" Kevin yells. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused my family?"
"You shouldn't have picked on Nigel then." Fry says, trying to twist out of the grip. Maurice darts back into the school for help.
"Yeah, you know what, I'm a bully to him." Kevin yells. "I admit it, I'm not perfect. But you should see him at home! I can't bring friends over because he kicks off. I can't play music even quietly because he comes into my room and smashes everything up. He kicked a hole in my bedroom door and we can't afford it replaced. I had to give up the trumpet. I've not had a birthday party since I was four because he doesn't like them. I failed my GCSEs because I spent my revision evenings making sure he didn't hit our mum in the face again. I couldn't take the course I want in college because I have to come and pick him up from school, because Mum can't. So yeah, sometimes we get into it, but he gives back just as much as he gets.
Because you got involved, our Mum's in bits, and the fucking social have been around. And now I can't keep him in line, he's worse than ever. He's way too big for Mum to defend herself against."
"How about putting Fry down?" Lenny follows Maurice back around the corner. "He couldn't have known all that, the conclusion he reached was entirely logical."
Kevin looks at Lenny, and starts to relax his grip on Fry. There is suddenly a thunk. Kevin drops Fry, and falls to the floor unconscious, a half brick clattering down with him. Blood starts to ooze from his head.
"Oh God." Maurice says.
"Who the hell threw that? We had this under control!" Lenny yells, getting down and prodding the unconscious man.
Fry stares. And fights, doing the tensing thing Max taught him.
"Oh God, is he dead?" Maurice asks.
"Someone call a fucking ambulance! Jo, you do it!" Lenny yells. "Kathy, go get a teacher! Where did Nigel go?"
"I think he's bleeding from the jugular!" Maurice wails.
Fry doesn't hear the ensuing argument about anatomy, as everyone's voice seems to blur into the background with his vision.
"Easy there." Miss Cartwright says, when the vision returns. He's on the floor, and she's holding something onto his head. He can see a couple of the other teachers administering first aid to the fallen Kevin.
"Is he dead?" he asks.
"No no, he's already come around. Ambulance is on its way, we've sent the other kids back inside."
Fry sits up slowly, and she carefully keeps the dressing on his head.
"Did I get hit with a brick too?"
"No, you fainted and whacked your head on the pavement." Miss Cartwright says.
"But apparently you stayed on your feet a good twenty seconds, which is pretty good for you." Mrs Carter comments, coming to sit next to Fry. "Maybe sit down next time. We know what Kevin was doing to you and that it wasn't you who hurt Kevin, but nobody has yet owned up. Did you see who threw the brick?"
Fry hesitates.
"It wasn't Lenny, Maurice, Jo or Kathy. They were in the wrong position. That leaves Nigel, James or an outsider. I've never known James thump anyone, ever, and Nigel has scarpered." Glancing at Kevin lying on the ground, he starts to feel light headed again. Mrs Carter looks at him then intervenes.
"We've called your Dad. He's going to meet you in the emergency department."
"I can't go to hospital." Fry says, panicking.
"You've had a head bump sweetheart, we've got to get you looked at." Miss Cartwright says. "One of us will go with you until your Dad comes."
He was relieved not to need stitches or a scan, and to get the police interview over. But Kevin had asked for him, and when they'd discharged him, Dad took him through. The man looked much recovered, thank goodness.
"I want to apologise to you." Kevin says. "I was mad but I know you did it because you were trying to help and I shouldn't have grabbed you. And please thank your friends for me for looking after me until the ambulance came."
"It was Nigel that hit you wasn't it?" Fry says.
"Yeah. Just got arrested." Kevin says. "Our family's struggles with him are over. He'll get prison for this."
"Fry." Jo takes him aside one art lesson, just after lunch. "I don't want Nigel sitting with us at lunch. He might have stopped picking on you, but he keeps asking me intimate questions, Maurice is terrified of him, and he keeps perving on Kathy."
"I don't want him there either but I don't know how to get rid of him." Fry says. "If I tell him no, he'll go back to bullying."
"You don't have to be someone's friend unless you want to." the art teacher, Miss Cartwright, comes over and sits on a chair. "It was kind of you to help Nigel with his family situation, but you're not obliged to continue."
"I want a truce, but I don't want to be his BFF." Fry says. "It's not that I want to go back to being enemies, I just want him to back off a bit."
"Well, you should try and let him down gently." Miss Cartwright says. "How about we role play it after art? Or would you rather it was Mrs Carter?"
Fry had to admit it helped a bit, getting a bit of preparation. And he knew Miss Cartwright was keeping half an eye out the art room window when he approached Nigel in the playground at the end of school. It occurs to him, for the first time, that teachers other than Mrs Carter could be useful for support. That said, Mrs Carter has been his form teacher for three years, and he sincerely hopes she isn't going anywhere soon.
"Nigel... look, I need to say something." Fry pauses, as Nigel is quiet for once. "I like that we're not enemies any more, but I need you to back off a little bit. I'm not ready for us to be best mates, especially not so soon after you used to bully me."
"So you would be open to it later?" Nigel asks.
"Probably not." Fry says.
"...Fair enough. We're still allies right?"
"Yeah. Just... less intense."
Seeing Nigel seems to have taken it fairly well (though unsure if it will work), Fry collects the others he usually walks home, and heads towards the gate. Just as they get outside, Nigel suddenly starts running after them.
"Fry, I'm not having him tell me my bra size in different units again." Kathy says. "You said you were going to talk to him."
"I did, he said he got it and was going to back off..." Fry says.
But it doesn't seem that Nigel intends to walk home with them; in fact he looks panicked and yells out a warning.
"Fry, look out!"
Fry blinks, looks around, and finds himself suddenly hoisted off his feet by Nigel's ninteen-year-old brother, Kevin, the one he spoke about to the school for bullying Nigel. Kevin is accompanied by a couple of mates, and shoves the struggling Fry into the railings.
"You interfering little shit!" Kevin yells. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused my family?"
"You shouldn't have picked on Nigel then." Fry says, trying to twist out of the grip. Maurice darts back into the school for help.
"Yeah, you know what, I'm a bully to him." Kevin yells. "I admit it, I'm not perfect. But you should see him at home! I can't bring friends over because he kicks off. I can't play music even quietly because he comes into my room and smashes everything up. He kicked a hole in my bedroom door and we can't afford it replaced. I had to give up the trumpet. I've not had a birthday party since I was four because he doesn't like them. I failed my GCSEs because I spent my revision evenings making sure he didn't hit our mum in the face again. I couldn't take the course I want in college because I have to come and pick him up from school, because Mum can't. So yeah, sometimes we get into it, but he gives back just as much as he gets.
Because you got involved, our Mum's in bits, and the fucking social have been around. And now I can't keep him in line, he's worse than ever. He's way too big for Mum to defend herself against."
"How about putting Fry down?" Lenny follows Maurice back around the corner. "He couldn't have known all that, the conclusion he reached was entirely logical."
Kevin looks at Lenny, and starts to relax his grip on Fry. There is suddenly a thunk. Kevin drops Fry, and falls to the floor unconscious, a half brick clattering down with him. Blood starts to ooze from his head.
"Oh God." Maurice says.
"Who the hell threw that? We had this under control!" Lenny yells, getting down and prodding the unconscious man.
Fry stares. And fights, doing the tensing thing Max taught him.
"Oh God, is he dead?" Maurice asks.
"Someone call a fucking ambulance! Jo, you do it!" Lenny yells. "Kathy, go get a teacher! Where did Nigel go?"
"I think he's bleeding from the jugular!" Maurice wails.
Fry doesn't hear the ensuing argument about anatomy, as everyone's voice seems to blur into the background with his vision.
"Easy there." Miss Cartwright says, when the vision returns. He's on the floor, and she's holding something onto his head. He can see a couple of the other teachers administering first aid to the fallen Kevin.
"Is he dead?" he asks.
"No no, he's already come around. Ambulance is on its way, we've sent the other kids back inside."
Fry sits up slowly, and she carefully keeps the dressing on his head.
"Did I get hit with a brick too?"
"No, you fainted and whacked your head on the pavement." Miss Cartwright says.
"But apparently you stayed on your feet a good twenty seconds, which is pretty good for you." Mrs Carter comments, coming to sit next to Fry. "Maybe sit down next time. We know what Kevin was doing to you and that it wasn't you who hurt Kevin, but nobody has yet owned up. Did you see who threw the brick?"
Fry hesitates.
"It wasn't Lenny, Maurice, Jo or Kathy. They were in the wrong position. That leaves Nigel, James or an outsider. I've never known James thump anyone, ever, and Nigel has scarpered." Glancing at Kevin lying on the ground, he starts to feel light headed again. Mrs Carter looks at him then intervenes.
"We've called your Dad. He's going to meet you in the emergency department."
"I can't go to hospital." Fry says, panicking.
"You've had a head bump sweetheart, we've got to get you looked at." Miss Cartwright says. "One of us will go with you until your Dad comes."
He was relieved not to need stitches or a scan, and to get the police interview over. But Kevin had asked for him, and when they'd discharged him, Dad took him through. The man looked much recovered, thank goodness.
"I want to apologise to you." Kevin says. "I was mad but I know you did it because you were trying to help and I shouldn't have grabbed you. And please thank your friends for me for looking after me until the ambulance came."
"It was Nigel that hit you wasn't it?" Fry says.
"Yeah. Just got arrested." Kevin says. "Our family's struggles with him are over. He'll get prison for this."
