Gabriel spent the rest of that class sitting on the edge of his seat. He traded texts with Jai-Lee who advised him to get out of class immediately and find somewhere secluded to eat lunch.
"He'll forget about you if he doesn't see you during lunch. Don't worry, I'm sure he has practice or something after lunch," She texted, and he had to agree with that. He needed to, because he could feel Harry's malicious gaze burning a hole in his back.
Once the bell for class rang, Gabriel shot out of his seat like a bullet and made his way outside as fast as he could. He could hear Harry calling his name, but that only spurred him to move faster. Other than the teacher's lounge, the safest place during lunch would be away from the cafeteria and football field.
Gabriel found himself looking over his shoulder as he looked for a secluded spot. He felt like every student he passed was staring at him in disdain. People expected him to fight Harry. With Harry's reputation, if he had won, it would have established his reputation in school as someone not to be messed with. At first, he avoided the fight out of an unwillingness to get in trouble. However, one day, he saw Harry beat a boy until he broke his nose and began avoiding him out of fear.
At lunch, Gabriel sat behind the oak tree behind the track field and texted Jai-Lee his location. In under ten minutes she found her way there, sat beside him and pulled out her meal.
"Something has to be wrong with Harry. He seems to be on your case more than usual." Jai-Lee spoke fast, pulling out a pair of chopsticks as Gabriel pulled out a sandwich. Her chopsticks hovered over a lunch box her mom packed that morning, rice with sweet and sour chicken, and orange slices.
"Yeah, I noticed. Whatever's wrong with him has nothing to do with me," Gabriel said with a shrug before turning back to his food. They both fell into silence with Jai-Lee sneaking glances at him.
"You're quiet today," she finally said, cutting through the silence.
He shrugged. "Harry."
"Thought you said it had nothing to do with you," She chewed for a second before answering.
Gabriel poked at the corner of his sandwich.
"I don't know, I've been thinking about it, and I don't know why something felt different today. Usually he just says something and keeps it moving, today felt like he was determined to follow me around and get a reaction."
"Did you give him one?"
"No, or at least I don't think so"
"Good, I don't think anything good will come out of that," she declared.
Rather than respond to that, Gabriel felt silent. It was the first time he had really disagreed with her on something. With how bad things were, he had been wondering if he should just get the fight with Harry over with.
Jai-Lee had been his friend since his first week. When he walked into English class, feeling out of place with no idea where to sit, she ignored the unfriendly gazes on him and patted the desk beside her. She was like no other friend he had made before.
She was a short Chinese girl with strips of hair dyed blue, eclectic jewelry and an even more eclectic fashion sense. He thought he stood out already, with students turning to look at him as they assessed the way he was dressed. He could see the question 'why are you here?' in their eyes. However she stood out in a good way.
She asked him questions like what his favorite horror movie was instead of his favorite sport. Somehow she had become his closest and maybe even only friend in school.
Now, their relationship was close enough that they could tell when something was off with each other even before the other person opened their mouth.
"I think he's building up to something," Gabriel said after a while.
"And you think it involves you? You better pray it doesn't. He's been walking around like a ticking time bomb. One of these days, he's gonna blow and you better make sure you're not in the blast zone." She spoke in a low but panicked tone. Gabriel met her eyes, she looked scared for him.
"What would you do?" he asked in a resigned tone.
"I'd ignore him."
"Come on, you know I've tried that."
"Try harder," she glared at him and tapped his forehead with one of her chopsticks before putting them away. When she hit his head, the wooden bangles around her wrists jangled, making him laugh.
"I will, but honestly? One of these days, I won't be able to run anymore," in a bit of desperation, he said what he had been thinking about. He had not told his mom about his problem with Harry because he felt like she was more concerned about Daniel than him.
Jai-Lee looked at his face after he spoke, she could see the seriousness in his eyes. She didn't know what to say to him, all she could do was pray that he was overthinking things and what he spoke of would never happen.
They finished eating and returned to class right on time, slipping behind their seats in the chemistry lab like ghosts right as the teacher stepped in.
By the last period, the tension was thick. Chemistry class passed in a blur. Jai-Lee sat next to him, but she could feel the difference in his posture. He was tighter. Tense.
Gabriel looked at the chemicals around, some of them were familiar. They reminded him of the mix he had made that exploded, he snuck a look at Harry and wondered if it would get him expelled again if he did it again. Maybe that would get him to a new school. However, a new school wouldn't have Jai-Lee.
After class, Gabriel bent down to zip his bag when a shadow fell across his desk.
"Hey, Gabe," Harry said, he called Gabriel's name slowly, with malice and the promise of violence in his eyes.
"Yeah?"
"You free after school?"
"Why?" Gabriel looked up slowly before speaking. His heart skipped a beat as he looked into Harry's eyes. The boy's eyes were red with rage. He felt his stomach sink as the realization that what he had spoken of earlier had become reality.
Harry sneered in response before tapping his fingers on Gabriel's desk.
"I just asked a question. Relax. I just wanna see what all that private school money bought you. I heard you're a good fighter. Out behind the gym. You and me," Gabriel barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
What a crappy excuse to pick a fight, he thought. No matter what, he was sure no one believed he was a good fighter. He could see Jai-Lee beside him out of the corner of his eyes, she was shaking her head. It was good advice, but he did not know if he was going to listen to it.
Several kids nearby paused, waiting. A crowd was forming, they had somehow sensed that there was a free show.
Gabriel stood. His heart pounded, and although he wanted to run away, he held Harry's gaze instead.
He knew he wouldn't win the fight, but he had grown tired of the constant harassment from Harry. He thought to himself that even if he couldn't beat the boy, he should be able to leave a mark on him.
"Okay."
"Shocking move, rich boy," Harry said with a smirk before he walked away with a swagger in his steps.
Gabriel turned to Jai-Lee, he couldn't bear looking at the condemnation on her face. He couldn't help but wonder if he had made the right choice.