Antonio grabbed hold of the sadness and converted it into anger. His chest swelled with rage and I could hear his knuckles cracking one by one as he clenched his massive fists. His alter ego took over instantly and the next few seconds seemed to pass in slow motion. I saw Antonio draw back and swing so fast that his arm flew through the air in a blur. My first instinct was to get between them……and that proved to be a bad idea. As soon as I jumped in, I was knocked right down, slamming my head into the unforgiving ground beneath me. I nearly blacked out upon impact. There was scuffling in the background and then a few loud thuds. A moment later I could hear a teacher running toward us yelling, “Stop!” This is the last thing I remember before losing consciousness.
I awoke in the small room off from the office that was used as the nurse’s station. My head spun when I tried to sit up too quickly. Slowly this time, I tried again. There was a bag of ice on the table near the cot I was on, and it was safe to assume that it was meant for me. I picked it up and pressed it to the back of my head, gently applying pressure because of the searing pain.
The door was open slightly so I was able to see out into the office lobby. AJ sat there alone and I could see from his expression that he was furious. It almost didn’t even look like him. He sat there slouched down in his chair with his arms folded over his chest and his fists clenched. His eyes were fixed on something across the room, but I couldn’t see what it was. I got to my feet and eased over to the door. I opened it to find Antonio staring right back at AJ from near the administrator’s desk. Antonio had a huge gash over his eyebrow and another on the side of his lip. The sound of the door got both of their attention and they were instantly on their feet. AJ reached me first.
“Are you alright?” He asked, looking me over like I imagined my mother would when she showed up. He caught my arm when I stumbled back a bit because I was still feeling a bit dizzy.
“Not really, but I’m sure I will be,” I replied. Antonio stood nearby trying to control his anger. It was visibly difficult for him to watch AJ touch me. He still loved me and it was like pouring salt in a wound. I wanted to be sensitive to his feelings, but didn’t want to hurt AJ by pushing him away. When AJ released me, Antonio stepped forward a little.
“Sam, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. You know I’d never do that,” Antonio explained.
“It doesn’t matter if you meant to do it or not!” AJ yelled back.
Antonio snapped his head in AJ’s direction. “You know what? I should’ve ended your life Saturday night. Keep tryin’ me. It’s not like I don’t have a reason to do it!” Antonio yelled back.
The principal was already between them before AJ could respond. “Alright. Alright. That’s quite enough gentlemen. Both of you have earned yourselves three days suspension. Take these to your parents. I have to meet with them before either of you can return,” Mr. Turner said as he handed them both an envelope. “I’m walking you two to your cars and I’d better not see you on school grounds until I say so. Is that clear?” Both AJ and Antonio nodded as they continued to stare at one another.
Mr. Turner led the way out of the office, but AJ turned to me before leaving. “I’ll call you later.”
Antonio growled at AJ’s statement and punched the door on his way out.
“That’s enough Mr. Martin. You just earned yourself two extra days!” Mr. Turner exclaimed.
When they were gone the nurse stepped back into the office. “I’m glad to see that you’ve finally come around. I called your parents and they’re on their way here. It shouldn’t be much longer,” she explained. I sighed and dreaded having to explain this situation to my mother and father. There was no way to make it sound good. There was nothing to do but to prepare myself.
Five minutes later I could hear a pair of heels clicking down the hall and the low murmuring of voices. The next second, my parents burst through the door. My mother’s face was filled with worry as she moved toward me to examine me more closely like I expected her to. “What happened?” She asked in a shrill voice.
“It’s a long story,” I replied.
“Start with who’s responsible for this.”
“Mom, I really don’t want …..”
“Samantha, don’t play with me,” she warned.
I peered up at Daddy who was anxiously awaiting my answer. “Before I tell you, let me stress that it was an accident.”
“Answer the question,” she replied flatly.
I sighed and thought about lying, but then just blurted, “Antonio, but remember that I said it was an accident.”