Age twelve (Nearly 7 years ago)
Joss
You would’ve thought a tornado had just torn through the room, but this was all him. The tall boy with hair dark as ink and a storm gathering in his eyes—Dane Golden.
I’d only learned his name when Ms. Kent took attendance, right before all hell broke loose.
Shock held me and twenty-plus classmates hostage, huddled in a corner beneath the periodic table. This was where we felt safe and out of harm’s way.
Out of his way.
It happened so quickly. One minute, things were quiet. The next, Dane was flying out of his seat, tackling Alex to the floor. While most thought the scuffle was completely unprovoked, I knew better. The outburst happened when a hate-filled slur left Alex’s mouth, but it wasn’t aimed at Dane.
It was meant for me.
This being my first day of school in a new city, I distinctly remember having prayed for it to be as boring as humanly possible. Clearly, that turned out to be a bust.
He stood at the epicenter of the disaster he created; overturned desks, scattered chairs, and drops of blood dotting the tile. His knuckles paled when gathering Alex’s lapel into both fists, so tightly there was an audible rip when the stitching gave. Still, it was as if Dane was numb to the pleas for mercy, the begging that made the rest of us cringe. Even me, the girl Alex’s words were meant to wound.
“I swear, I’ll never say it again!” he begged.
Ms. Kent, realizing she’d completely lost control, fled for help. Dane, on the other hand, was unmoved by the fountain of blood pouring from Alex’s nose, dripping down onto the embroidered crest of his uniform blazer.
“I was only kidding! Chill!” he pleaded again.
That storm in Dane’s gaze darkened, threatening to make landfall. At that moment, Alex seemed to notice his excuse hadn’t gone over so well.
“Okay, I’m sorry! It was a stupid thing to say!”
“You think I need your apology? Say it to her!” Dane snapped, flashing a look toward me. It was that same bold green stare that caused a breath to hitch in my throat every time I’d gotten lost in it that morning.
“I’m sorry! I take it back!”
Alex’s head bobbed when he was yanked forward by the lapel a second time.
“Tell her again!” Dane growled. “And this time, say it like you fucking mean it.”
A collective gasp filled the air when he swore. At twelve, I guess we weren’t used to hearing that kind of language roll off another kid’s tongue, but I’d later realize Dane was nothing like other boys.
Visibly shaken by the threat, Alex stuttered through another apology, hoping to earn Dane’s approval.
“I—I’m really, really sorry. I swear I’ll never say it again,” he sobbed.
Dane stared down at him, scowling with disgust as the kid melted into a whimpering mess. Then, in a fit of rage none of us saw coming, his fist slammed Alex’s already battered face one last time. A horrified shriek left Ms. Kent’s mouth because, of course, she came back just in time to catch Dane in that final, merciless act.
Three suits rushed past her, flooding the room to wrestle Dane into submission. I’d never seen rage like his before—raw, so easily triggered—but there it was, as vivid and wild as his green eyes.
As he was dragged from the room, I managed to mouth the words “Thank you” before he disappeared down the hallway. It wasn’t lost on me that whatever punishment he’d face would be because he stood up for me. A shy, wiry girl with braces he didn’t know from a stranger on the street.
That day was a monumental one. Not because of the hatred that could’ve left me emotionally wounded and insecure. It’s etched into memory because it’s the day I met the guy who taught me the definition of loyalty. As it turned out, the savage I’d seen off his leash became the best friend a girl could ever have.
That chaotic episode was the beginning of something epic.
It was the beginning of us.
