Robin Without A Hood

Robin stepped up onto the steep, slippery steps of the bus. She shivered and sighed. It’s ok, she thought to herself, if you managed to survive the day, it’s ok. The thunder grumbled as if it were tired of Robin kidding herself. It started to drizzle. She looked around the bus, her eyes darted from face to face, desperately looking for an empty seat, a kind soul willing to give up their space. She saw her chemistry partner, Neil, and made eye contact for three whole seconds before she broke their stare and looked down at her feet. She hadn’t even noticed the empty seat next to him until he waved her over. The rain started to pour down onto the tiny bus, which made little tapping noises against the metallic hull of the bus.

Neil took one glance at the new girl and knew that she was lost and that she was pretty. He also knew that if he let her sit next to him, he’d be crushed by Brandon, Jordan and Sasha, the cool kids who sat at the back of the bus, and if he just left her there, she’d be the one getting crushed. You know what choice to make! shouted the voice inside his head. Neil looked at her once more, sighed quietly and signaled to her to quickly take the seat next to him before the ‘cool’ kids saw her. What are you getting yourself into? his voice hissed as he squished against the seat to let her pass through.

Robin looked at Neil for the hundredth time in 5 minutes. Gosh, what has gotten into you lately? her conscience said. I don’t know she admitted. Instead of looking back up at him she looked at the window and sighed, watching as her breath fogged up the glass.

Meanwhile, Neil had been busy pulling out his science book. If I could just maybe convince her that I’m smart, maybe she might like me? That would definitely boost my street cred if only Brandon and Jordan could see her the way I do he thought to himself.

Just talk to him already! Robin was getting annoyed at herself for trying to fight against her shyness, and apparently, she was winning. Look, all you have to do is talk to him. Can you manage that? Or are you too scared? What have you got to lose? Does this mean you can’t take a dare anymore? Robin was breathing faster and faster and her heart leapt in her chest, once, twice and adrenaline was pulsing through her veins. Then she stopped and thought to herself, this is what I need every day she thought to herself. Confidence and bravery. She smiled. Robin lived in the moment for a second or two, forgetting about her worries before being torn away from that small moment by a violent bump which made her knock the side of her head against the window. Thud. Did I attract his attention by doing that? He probably thinks I’m a total klutz. The pleasant thought seemed to melt away while Neil’s friends teased him.

Neil tried to block out the horrible sound of people laughing at him. He scrunched his eyes shut and when he heard Jordan shouting. “Since when does Neil do homework on the bus?” He dug his nails so hard into his palms that four tiny crescents formed and would probably stay there for a good half an hour.
     “Yeah. Isn’t he supposed to be a bad boy or something? I heard that the teachers were getting sick of his attitude towards his classes.” chuckled Brandon.
     “THAT WASN’T ME! I HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING WRONG TO YOU SO YOU CAN JUST SHUT UP AND CONCENTRATE ON YOUR OWN PROBLEMS!” shouted Neil. Only, it was in his mind and that whole shouting scene had just given him a headache.
     “Wait, who’s that girl sitting next to him? Since when did Neil give up his ‘personal area’ seat?” squinted Sasha as she leaned forward and snickered at Robin. He closed his eyes, hoping that they would just be quiet but of course, they just continued.

Robin was suddenly awake. Her ‘super senses’ as she called them, had been breached and started to listen in to the conversations around her. “... stupid... weirdo... no friends…” Robin didn’t care who they were or whether they were talking to her or not, but she would give them a piece of her mind. As soon as she stood up, she was sat down again by one swift movement made by, Neil.

Neil didn’t know what went through his mind when he saw Robin standing up. Go girl! What do you think you’re doing? Such courage! Someone you should look up to! Whatever Neil was thinking, support or not, he just reached towards her shirt tail that wasn’t tucked in and pulled her down. She looked a little surprised, as if she didn’t expect someone like him to come and swoop in, just in time. She probably didn’t because Neil was in his own fantastical world, and nothing would stop him from being in it.

Dumbfounded. Flabbergasted. Those were the things going through Robin’s head right now. She glanced again at Neil but he seemed to zone out to really be responsive like a normal human being, kind of like the zombies in her brother’s video game. Of course, they weren’t exactly ‘normal’ human beings, they were teenagers, but they definitely weren’t unique kind either. Maybe she should be the ‘unique’ one for a change. Robin was sick and tired of other people surprising her and just doing what was expected of them, that she decided that she would take a big risk for her, and a small change in the community around her. Actually, maybe a tiny change, or maybe just a small risk for her and that’s it. But she was going to do it. “Hi there” the girl whispers, her voice almost not being heard.

Suddenly Neil drops his book on the floor with a loud thud. All his worksheets fall out and his face turns to a bright shade of pink. Like a ripe strawberry. Everyone starts laughing again. Brandon is doubled up, Jordan is wheezing and Sasha is giggling like a maniac. Maybe he should have just had faith in her. What would have happened then?

Robin immediately bent down to help Neil. Not because she was just a genuinely nice person but because she was pink like a ripe strawberry. She had to hide her embarrassment someway. After All, she had caused his friends to laugh, him to drop his book and papers. So the least she could do was help him, right?

All of a sudden the bus took a sharp turn to the right. Robin toppled straight into Neil’s lap as he picked up his worksheets from the ground. For once, everything on the bus was completely silent. All you could hear were hearts beating.

“Nice of you to drop in,” Neil said and laughed and immediately stopped, embarrassed by what he said.
     “My pleasure,” Robin replied, smiling while squinting because of the sun. There was a pause.
     “Soooo...aren’t you my science partner?”
     “Haha, you just noticed?”
     “Yeah sorry, science isn’t really one of my favorite subjects,” Neil sighs and looks away.
     “Same,” Robin said. “You have a very warm lap,” she said, frowning slightly. Duh, it was because he was sitting in a hot bus.
     “Sorry,” Neil replied. Another pause.
     “Gosh, I’m making this so awkward, sorry,” Robin said, sitting upright and stroking the creases out of her shirt.
     “No it’s ok,” Neil said and immediately shut his mouth.
     “So, do you, at least, know my name?” asks Robin.
     “Uh…”Neil paused, thought for a while and then continued “Robin, right?”
     “Yup,” Robin said, “and you are Neil?”

     “The one and only,” Neil smiled a tight smile and stopped there. He didn’t mind talking to Robin but he was revealing more than he could have bargained for in the first place. She really did get people talking.
     “Look at them, they’re already best of friends!” cries Brandon, hysterically laughing.
     “Aren’t they so sweet, just look at them, falling into each others laps so to speak,” says Jordan, laughing at his own joke.

Neil was scrunching up his eyes again but Robin didn’t look at him. She was looking at Sasha and saw a strange emotion across her face. Sort of like a scowl but she was trying to hide it with an obviously huge fake smile. Like an unwanted friend. Robin shook her head and looked away, already she was processing the events that happened a few minutes ago but she wanted to let that load into her brain without reliving them. Instead of looking out of the window she looked at Neil. “What’s going on inside that head of yours?” Robin asked, quizzically.
     “As if you wouldn’t know,” said Neil, annoyed at the flat tone in his voice but unable to change it.
     “Well, maybe you just have your own story to back up onto.”
     “I suppose you would be right but it really isn’t a lot to lean onto.”
     “I’m listening.”
     “Well, they’re just plain old-”
     “bullies,” finished Robin.
     “Exactly.”
     “So why do they bother you?”
     “I don’t know, sometimes they don’t and sometimes they do, the only thing is they pick the bad days to pick on me and the good days to be nice so it doesn’t really make sense,” explained Neil.

     “You get it?”

     “Sort of...anyways, you want to know my trick?”
     “Sure...although I’m not sure it will help.”
     “Just ignore them, it’ll drive them crazy,” Robin smiled.

Neil thought about this for a while and smiled back at Robin and they were silent for a couple of seconds until Robin asked, “Do you know what stop I have to get off at to get to Willow Lane?”
     “Are you kidding me? That’s the same street I live in! What number?” Neil couldn’t help keeping the excitement out of his voice. He was jumping up and down.
     “Um, I think 47, you?” Robin asked, completely unaware of Neil’s antics but was also buzzing with excitement.
     “48! We’re neighbours!” Neil said triumphantly.
     “Aren’t the odd numbers on the other side of the evens?” Robin was happy that they were close, but her entire body just crippled.
     “Not at all,” Neil couldn’t stop himself grinning.
     “Why?” Robin always liked a little mystery.
     “Because there’s a forest on the other side.”
Robin squealed in delight. She could have hugged Neil. She loved the outdoors and as the bus slowed to a halt, they were already chatting about what they would do and out the door before Neil realised he had forgotten his science book on the bus.

- Margaud Nguyen

An Empty Canvas

“Nerd!” someone shouts from the crowd as everyone starts laughing. “He’s never been absent before,” someone else adds, followed by another round of the laughter. Again and again in a never ending cycle of torment. All the faces staring at him, the laughter that is mean and harsh, cutting him off from society and creating a barrier between him and others.         
A social outcast, he thinks to himself. He tries to run away and hide, escape from the torture and pain of society. People are calling him names, taking photos. He tries to prevent the tears from coming but they come anyway. Someone snatches his book and throws it away.
I wanted to get away from all that, Anton realizes. “So, I pretended to be someone I am not, sporty, athletic, the cliche cool person of society.” he says, shaking his head. “But is it really worth it?” Anton asks himself. “Is being popular worth it?”
     “Anton,” someone whispers, a tone of emergency in the voice that came from behind the table.
Anton quickly turns around, hastily composing himself as he wipes the last remnants of tears in his eyes, stopping the dreadfully loud sniffing that had accompanied it.
     “Rob?” Anton exclaims, his voice cracking, sounding strained and tired.
     “Shh,” Rob says, his voice barely above a whisper, looking around to make sure nobody sees them, scanning the teacher's desk in the front, the other students at the back, the entrances, located at either side of the classroom. 
     “What is it?” Anton asks, his breathing layered and heavy as his eyes stare down at the ground.
     “I saw what happened to your painting and I’m sorry,” Rob says, staring out of the window at the dark storm clouds gathering,  Anton's eyes. Silence ensues as Rob feels the air around him, thick and heavy. 

Anton feels his face heat up, blood boiling through his veins. He lets out all the emotions he realizes have been pent up inside him, hidden under a mask of numbness. 
     “Shut up and go away!” Anton shouts, much louder than he intended. BOOM. The sound of thunder, fills the class, drowning out Anton’s voice. “Just go away,” he mutters, letting his hands fall to his side, pain and exhaustion threatening to overwhelm him. “Please just go.”
     “Why do you hang out with them?” Rob asks, trying once again to reach through to the person that sits in front of him, the one with his head in his hands, silent now.
     “You wouldn’t understand,” Anton croaks. “I just want to lie down and sleep. To forget about all this.” Rob leans in and tries to pat Anton on the back, to be able to offer some comfort to the broken person he sees in front of him. He fumbles with his glasses, unsure of what to do or say. Rob looks around, feeling awkward and uncomfortable about the series of events that have taken place.

     “What to do...What to do?” he asks himself, tapping his foot on the floor trying to figure out how to handle this situation and help Anton. As he turns around, he sees Thomas and Eddie. They always are mean to me and now look at what they have done, he thinks. He feels the blood in his veins boil, and, glowering in anger. He stares at them, laughing and messing around, oblivious to what they have just done, and Rob realises what he has to do next.  
Almost immediately, Rob is standing in front of their table, staring at them. His eyes reflecting his annoyance and anger. They are on their laptops watching youtube videos as they laugh, oblivious to Rob’s presence. Their canvases are a mess, where one colour dominates the others, having no real order in them.  
He acts in a menacing manner, baring his chest out and cracking his knuckles while gnashing his teeth, trying to intimidate them. “You guys are jerks!” he shouts, unable to conceal his anger, stepping forward, inches away from Thomas and Eddie. “Why are you always so mean and unfair to everyone?” he adds, his face white, absolutely livid with rage.    
     “Really?” Thomas says coolly, looking elsewhere as though he is focused on other things. His face is relaxed, free of tension as he turns and looks at Rob, a smirk plastered on his face. “To whom?”
     “For starters me!” Rob shouts, breaking into a sweat. His throat feels dry and he is conscious of the entire class's attention on him. 
     “So?” Thomas replies. He shrugs his shoulders and adds, “Nobody cares about you, but everyone likes me.” He shrugs, turns away, and starts talking to Eddie, ignoring Rob . Everyone around him shifts their attention away once more, starting up their conversations again.
     “HEY!’ Rob shouts, trying to arouse people's attention again as he waves his arms in quick succession. “I can name people who don’t … don’t like you.” he says sighing as he throws his hands down, annoyed at the class. He does one more sweep, and his eyes settle right at Thomas and the cool attitude on his face.
Thomas turns towards Rob once again. Calling his bluff, Thomas asks him 
     “Like who?” as he shakes his head in a disapproving way. 


Rob starts playing with his glasses, his eyes wide open. Anton can see confusion in Rob’s eyes as he desperately scans the room for someone who can support his claim. From the exit of the classroom, his focus travels from the sink, to the teacher's desk, all the way to the other end of the class, to Anton. His face is red, and he is sweating profusely despite the chilled air of the art room. 
     “Anton.” he counters, his voice high pitched. 
The words come tumbling out there, so easy to say, impossible to take back. By now everyone's attention is back on us, looking eagerly about what going to come. 
     “You...You ruined his painting,” Robs says, stuttering slightly, taking a slight step back. 
Thomas laughs, rolling his eyes in amusement, he turns and stares at Rob, his gaze demanding, undeniable like a hurricane that won’t stop until it destroys everything in it’s path.
     “Anton doesn’t care about any of that. He thinks I’m cool too. Right Anton?” Thomas asks in a tone that seems innocent enough, but has an underlined threat in it.

The room turns deathly silent as everyone turns towards the top of the classroom where Anton sits, trembling. Sharp quick panic rises up in him, an aching pain that rises up in his throat. The abyss that he had been tethering on the edge of, loomed closer than ever, threatening to ensue him into an eternity of emptiness and pain. Everyone leans forward, eagerly awaiting his answer. Blind terror rises through him as he considers the looming prospects of being a social outcast. He see’s Thomas cold, lifeless stare, as he waits for the answer that will decide it all for Anton. Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees Mr Paul walking down the corridor at a slow place.
     “Hurry up and answer the question...or else!” Thomas exclaims, not trying to hide the threat anymore. He walks up towards Anton, cracking his knuckles and smirking again, in that horrible twisted sense. Anton shudders at that sound, wincing as he imagines that coming in contact with his stomach, the pain and agony, the humiliation.

I just want to be able to express myself freely and have friends, Anton says to himself. But if I agree with Rob, I will become a social outcast, and could get hurt real bad, he adds,  feeling his knees shaking at the thought. He thinks back to Rob, the only one who tried to comfort him. Thomas and Eddie keep treating me like somebody who can be discarded at will. I am the only one who makes sacrifices for them.
The blood rushes to his face as he thinks about all the times, he has had to lie for them. The terror is gone as anger rushes through him, replacing the fear and doubt he had. He thinks about Rob. He gets teased all the time, yet he never gives up and is always his own master. I wanted control of my life, but I was too scared to take it.

As he sees Mr Paul approaching the classroom door, he knows it’s now or never. He stares straight at Thomas, sizing him up, taking on that hard stare and accepting the challenge that has been issued… His face shows no trace of hesitation, as his speech rings through the cold silence clearly. 
     "Rob’s...Rob’s right.” he says. He looks at all the people around him taking the information in, the shock and astonishment all too plainly written on their faces. Some people even have their mouth open while others whisper to their friends about those two words. 

Two words that change everything, Anton thinks. Reflexively, he ducks under, as something hurtles over him, where his head was just a moment ago . “You guys are jerks,” Anton continues, determined to finish saying all of it, no matter what the consequences of it might be. “When I was your friend, I had to change my personality just to maintain my friendship.”  Anton’s face feels hot as the whole embarrassing truth comes out. “I wanted to be cool and popular so I idolized you guys,” Anton can sense everyone staring at him, taking in this information. “I actually like school, especially art and math,” Anton, almost stops, afraid that the faces around him will break into laughter. “I lied though, to remain ‘cool’. But today, I finally realized that you guys aren't worth it. You destroyed our friendship, like it was nothing to you.”
Thomas’s fist comes down again, barely missing Anton. Thomas’ face was white with rage, lit up with deathly fire.          
Anton stares blankly at Thomas, before grabbing a glass of water. “You did this to my painting, now let’s see how you like it!” He hurls the water all over them, and throws down the glass, finally free from the cage he had been trapped in, able to be who he truly wants to be at last.

Thomas is livid, soaked from head to toe in water. His nostrils are flared and his fists are ready to come down on him again in a furious onslaught. He glances out and find Mr Paul is outside, talking to another teacher. He turns and grins, ready to make mincemeat of the person who defied him today. The room turns deathly silent, as everyone stares at them, as though they were boxers about to fight till one is unconcious. “I really hope it doesn’t come to that” Anton says, biting his nail. The grin turns into a glare as Thomas continues looking at him. He sizes him up. He can feel his body tense as he got ready for what is about to come.

Thomas walks away, calm. His shoulders are relaxed, As Anton slowly loosens up and stands to his full extent, he opens his mouth in surprise. 
“Nerd!” someone shouts from the crowd as everyone starts laughing. “He’s never been absent before,” someone else adds, followed by another round of the laughter. Again and again in a never ending cycle of torment. All the faces staring at him, the laughter that is mean and harsh, cutting him off from society and creating a barrier between him and others.         
A social outcast, he thinks to himself. He tries to run away and hide, escape from the torture and pain of society. People are calling him names, taking photos. He tries to prevent the tears from coming but they come anyway. Someone snatches his book and throws it away.
I wanted to get away from all that, Anton realizes. “So, I pretended to be someone I am not, sporty, athletic, the cliche cool person of society.” he says, shaking his head. “But is it really worth it?” Anton asks himself. “Is being popular worth it?”
     “Anton,” someone whispers, a tone of emergency in the voice that came from behind the table.
Anton quickly turns around, hastily composing himself as he wipes the last remnants of tears in his eyes, stopping the dreadfully loud sniffing that had accompanied it.
     “Rob?” Anton exclaims, his voice cracking, sounding strained and tired.
     “Shh,” Rob says, his voice barely above a whisper, looking around to make sure nobody sees them, scanning the teacher's desk in the front, the other students at the back, the entrances, located at either side of the classroom. 
     “What is it?” Anton asks, his breathing layered and heavy as his eyes stare down at the ground.
     “I saw what happened to your painting and I’m sorry,” Rob says, staring out of the window at the dark storm clouds gathering,  Anton's eyes. Silence ensues as Rob feels the air around him, thick and heavy. 

Anton feels his face heat up, blood boiling through his veins. He lets out all the emotions he realizes have been pent up inside him, hidden under a mask of numbness. 
     “Shut up and go away!” Anton shouts, much louder than he intended. BOOM. The sound of thunder, fills the class, drowning out Anton’s voice. “Just go away,” he mutters, letting his hands fall to his side, pain and exhaustion threatening to overwhelm him. “Please just go.”
     “Why do you hang out with them?” Rob asks, trying once again to reach through to the person that sits in front of him, the one with his head in his hands, silent now.
     “You wouldn’t understand,” Anton croaks. “I just want to lie down and sleep. To forget about all this.” Rob leans in and tries to pat Anton on the back, to be able to offer some comfort to the broken person he sees in front of him. He fumbles with his glasses, unsure of what to do or say. Rob looks around, feeling awkward and uncomfortable about the series of events that have taken place.

     “What to do...What to do?” he asks himself, tapping his foot on the floor trying to figure out how to handle this situation and help Anton. As he turns around, he sees Thomas and Eddie. They always are mean to me and now look at what they have done, he thinks. He feels the blood in his veins boil, and, glowering in anger. He stares at them, laughing and messing around, oblivious to what they have just done, and Rob realises what he has to do next.  
Almost immediately, Rob is standing in front of their table, staring at them. His eyes reflecting his annoyance and anger. They are on their laptops watching youtube videos as they laugh, oblivious to Rob’s presence. Their canvases are a mess, where one colour dominates the others, having no real order in them.  
He acts in a menacing manner, baring his chest out and cracking his knuckles while gnashing his teeth, trying to intimidate them. “You guys are jerks!” he shouts, unable to conceal his anger, stepping forward, inches away from Thomas and Eddie. “Why are you always so mean and unfair to everyone?” he adds, his face white, absolutely livid with rage.    
     “Really?” Thomas says coolly, looking elsewhere as though he is focused on other things. His face is relaxed, free of tension as he turns and looks at Rob, a smirk plastered on his face. “To whom?”
     “For starters me!” Rob shouts, breaking into a sweat. His throat feels dry and he is conscious of the entire class's attention on him. 
     “So?” Thomas replies. He shrugs his shoulders and adds, “Nobody cares about you, but everyone likes me.” He shrugs, turns away, and starts talking to Eddie, ignoring Rob . Everyone around him shifts their attention away once more, starting up their conversations again.
     “HEY!’ Rob shouts, trying to arouse people's attention again as he waves his arms in quick succession. “I can name people who don’t … don’t like you.” he says sighing as he throws his hands down, annoyed at the class. He does one more sweep, and his eyes settle right at Thomas and the cool attitude on his face.
Thomas turns towards Rob once again. Calling his bluff, Thomas asks him 
     “Like who?” as he shakes his head in a disapproving way. 


Rob starts playing with his glasses, his eyes wide open. Anton can see confusion in Rob’s eyes as he desperately scans the room for someone who can support his claim. From the exit of the classroom, his focus travels from the sink, to the teacher's desk, all the way to the other end of the class, to Anton. His face is red, and he is sweating profusely despite the chilled air of the art room. 
     “Anton.” he counters, his voice high pitched. 
The words come tumbling out there, so easy to say, impossible to take back. By now everyone's attention is back on us, looking eagerly about what going to come. 
     “You...You ruined his painting,” Robs says, stuttering slightly, taking a slight step back. 
Thomas laughs, rolling his eyes in amusement, he turns and stares at Rob, his gaze demanding, undeniable like a hurricane that won’t stop until it destroys everything in it’s path.
     “Anton doesn’t care about any of that. He thinks I’m cool too. Right Anton?” Thomas asks in a tone that seems innocent enough, but has an underlined threat in it.

The room turns deathly silent as everyone turns towards the top of the classroom where Anton sits, trembling. Sharp quick panic rises up in him, an aching pain that rises up in his throat. The abyss that he had been tethering on the edge of, loomed closer than ever, threatening to ensue him into an eternity of emptiness and pain. Everyone leans forward, eagerly awaiting his answer. Blind terror rises through him as he considers the looming prospects of being a social outcast. He see’s Thomas cold, lifeless stare, as he waits for the answer that will decide it all for Anton. Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees Mr Paul walking down the corridor at a slow place.
     “Hurry up and answer the question...or else!” Thomas exclaims, not trying to hide the threat anymore. He walks up towards Anton, cracking his knuckles and smirking again, in that horrible twisted sense. Anton shudders at that sound, wincing as he imagines that coming in contact with his stomach, the pain and agony, the humiliation.

I just want to be able to express myself freely and have friends, Anton says to himself. But if I agree with Rob, I will become a social outcast, and could get hurt real bad, he adds,  feeling his knees shaking at the thought. He thinks back to Rob, the only one who tried to comfort him. Thomas and Eddie keep treating me like somebody who can be discarded at will. I am the only one who makes sacrifices for them.
The blood rushes to his face as he thinks about all the times, he has had to lie for them. The terror is gone as anger rushes through him, replacing the fear and doubt he had. He thinks about Rob. He gets teased all the time, yet he never gives up and is always his own master. I wanted control of my life, but I was too scared to take it.

As he sees Mr Paul approaching the classroom door, he knows it’s now or never. He stares straight at Thomas, sizing him up, taking on that hard stare and accepting the challenge that has been issued… His face shows no trace of hesitation, as his speech rings through the cold silence clearly. 
     "Rob’s...Rob’s right.” he says. He looks at all the people around him taking the information in, the shock and astonishment all too plainly written on their faces. Some people even have their mouth open while others whisper to their friends about those two words. 

Two words that change everything, Anton thinks. Reflexively, he ducks under, as something hurtles over him, where his head was just a moment ago . “You guys are jerks,” Anton continues, determined to finish saying all of it, no matter what the consequences of it might be. “When I was your friend, I had to change my personality just to maintain my friendship.”  Anton’s face feels hot as the whole embarrassing truth comes out. “I wanted to be cool and popular so I idolized you guys,” Anton can sense everyone staring at him, taking in this information. “I actually like school, especially art and math,” Anton, almost stops, afraid that the faces around him will break into laughter. “I lied though, to remain ‘cool’. But today, I finally realized that you guys aren't worth it. You destroyed our friendship, like it was nothing to you.”
Thomas’s fist comes down again, barely missing Anton. Thomas’ face was white with rage, lit up with deathly fire.          
Anton stares blankly at Thomas, before grabbing a glass of water. “You did this to my painting, now let’s see how you like it!” He hurls the water all over them, and throws down the glass, finally free from the cage he had been trapped in, able to be who he truly wants to be at last.

Thomas is livid, soaked from head to toe in water. His nostrils are flared and his fists are ready to come down on him again in a furious onslaught. He glances out and find Mr Paul is outside, talking to another teacher. He turns and grins, ready to make mincemeat of the person who defied him today. The room turns deathly silent, as everyone stares at them, as though they were boxers about to fight till one is unconcious. “I really hope it doesn’t come to that” Anton says, biting his nail. The grin turns into a glare as Thomas continues looking at him. He sizes him up. He can feel his body tense as he got ready for what is about to come.

Thomas walks away, calm. His shoulders are relaxed, As Anton slowly loosens up and stands to his full extent, he opens his mouth in surprise. “Okay Anton.” Thomas says in a calm and dignified manner, without any of the rage he had shown before. “If you don’t want our friendship then don’t be our friends. Yeah, you are not our friends anymore.” 

- Akshat Jain
     “Okay Anton.” Thomas says in a calm and dignified manner, without any of the rage he had shown before. “If you don’t want our friendship then don’t be our friends. Yeah, you are not our friend anymore.”


- Akshat Jain