The sun was dying behind the school.
It bled out across the sky in streaks of orange and red, casting long shadows that stretched like claws from the old maintenance shed behind the football field. The wind was dry. The gravel under my cheek was warm from the leftover heat of the day. I could taste dirt and iron.
Someone was laughing.
"Look at him," Kendrick said, his voice thick with disgust. "His face is pissing me off."
Evelyn giggled. It sounded distant. Far away. Like something underwater.
"Don't talk about him too bad," she said. "He's just trying to be strong. Give him a break."
"Trying to be strong?" Kendrick scoffed.
I heard the sound of his footsteps approaching — slow, confident. He dragged his shoes across the gravel like he wanted me to hear it. Wanted me to dread it.
A pause. Then the hiss of his breath as he ran a hand through his hair.
"No," he muttered. "That's not strength. That's pathetic."
He crouched down beside me. The sunlight hit the side of his face, lighting up his jawline and the gold chain around his neck. He smelled like cologne and sweat. I didn't move. I couldn't. My limbs were trembling. My vision kept pulsing, hazy with pain and panic.
He grabbed my chin and jerked it upward.
"Look at me."
My eyes met his — warm brown, but dead. No sympathy. Just hatred dressed in boredom.
"You know…" he said slowly, like he was savoring it, "I really do hate you."
Jason, the muscle of their little pack, finally spoke. His voice was low, dumb curiosity.
"Why do you hate him?"
Kendrick didn't answer right away. He turned to look at Jason over his shoulder, then back down at me like I was a puzzle he couldn't solve.
"Why?" Kendrick repeated, tilting his head. "Because he doesn't fight back. He's so weak even a girl could beat him."
He stood and rolled his shoulders. I closed my eyes, bracing for it.
Then came the blow.
CRACK.
His fist landed against the side of my face with a sound that didn't belong to skin. It sounded like a branch snapping in half — sharp, clean, echoing. My head slammed into the ground. Everything spun. White-hot pain bloomed across my skull, leaking down into my jaw and teeth and neck like fire.
"Holy sh—" Evelyn gasped. "That sounded like a gunshot!"
"Yeah," Kendrick said proudly. "I've been practicing."
He flexed his hand and shook it out like a boxer. The others laughed. I couldn't hear what they said after that. Just static. Buzzing. My own heartbeat punching the inside of my skull.
The sky darkened above us.
Somewhere in the distance, the final bell rang.
School was over.But for me…It never ended.
Not out here.Not behind the shed.Not under their boots.
And no one ever came looking.