*

After collecting my hearing aid from the office, I returned to the teacher's room. They were all exiting the room when I came across them, with Charlie stopping in his tracks the moment he noticed me. He smiled widely and signed his greeting. I signed back with a smile. Donny was looking at me, but averted his gaze when I met his eyes.

They didn't know my aid was back in my ear. "What are you doing?" I signed, gesturing to them collectively.

"I don't know how to explain in sign," Charlie said to Tom. "Can you answer him? It'll be good if he comes along."

"He should be in class," Tom said. "It's no good him getting in trouble, too."

Oops, it was a little late for that. Charlie gave him a stubborn pout, to which Tom reluctantly responded with a sigh. My uncle was pretty on point with his teacher authority role, but he seemed to give me and my friends a little bit of leeway. The kind that other students wouldn't get. He'd definitely include me in whatever was going on.

"Donny says there are hidden cameras in bathroom. We are going to check."

Hidden... cameras? Who'd dare?

"Principal's son," he signed, as if he could read my mind. Of course he'd dare. He'd be the only type to dare. What a creep.

"I'm coming," I said.

What I didn't understand was why Donny was going along as well. They must've reconciled, or maybe it was him who gave the information away. There must be something in it for him. But what? They were on their way to being expelled once investigations were finalized. I just wished they'd hurry up.

Being around Donny wasn't nearly as bad as Jesse, but it still made me nervous. I especially didn't like him being around Charlie. That was my biggest peeve right now. But we walked to the C-block bathroom and I listened to them talking. They didn't know I was listening, of course.

"It's not like I helped him or anything," Donny said, smacking his gob left and center. "He told me about it 'cause he thought I'd find it funny. I laughed 'cause he was helping me not to get kicked out. That's it."

"You gotta uphold your promise though. Getting him kicked out isn't enough to make me take your side," Charlie said, leading us along the halls.

"I know," Donny said, though he sounded anxious and reluctant. "Not like it's gonna do much or anything."

"It's in your best interest to make sure it does," Charlie said stubbornly. "Anyway, I hate talking about Aubrey when he can't hear so let's stop."

My breath caught in my throat. They were talking about me. What promise did they make that'd involve me? At least I knew that Charlie was being consistently protective of me, even when I wasn't able to hear. It reaffirmed those feelings of safety I've felt around him since the beginning.

Whatever this was, I could trust Charlie Rascal.

We arrived at the C-block boy's bathroom, where Tom entered ahead of us first. "Where'd you say it was?" he asked, glancing back at Donny.

"I think somewhere over the urinal wall," he said, walking close behind him. We approached the steel urinal and looked up at the tank hung awkwardly above it. Sure enough, there was a little blinking red light that wouldn't have ever been seen if we weren't looking for it.

Tom reached up and pulled whatever it was down. We crowded his hand before he opened his palm, revealing a small square with a circular lens above the blinking red light. Looks like it was true after all.

"Good god," Tom muttered. He clicked his tongue and shook his head. Charlie, who was a good foot shorter than the rest of us, jumped up and down in front of the tank; presumably to see the top of it. He was so cute, I chuckled.

I came behind him and rested my arms on his head, looking over him on tiptoe. There was another camera there, further back against the wall.

"There's another," I whispered close to his ear, making him jump a little. "Oops."

"Don't whisper so close to my ear," he said, turning to look at me. His face was completely red. He looked me in the eyes, and I could literally see his thoughts from his face. He was fiddling with hand signs, trying to say exactly what he'd just said to me that he thought I couldn't hear. He eventually sighed, settling for "good job."

"Over here," I said to Tom, reaching up and feeling for the other camera. Once I felt it in my hand, I picked it up and handed it over. The two little cameras clacked against each other, little red lights blinking.

"Can't believe the little perverted shit," Charlie muttered.

"Same," I agreed.

Charlie nodded enthusiastically. "Like with this, he's gonna get thrown out for sure. There's no way Principal Atkinson has any le-" he paused and grabbed my shoulders, turning me to face him. He reached up and pulled my hair back, seeing the aid in my ear.

"You sneaky bugger," he grinned. "You've been hearing everything."

Smiling casually, I shrugged. "Maybe."

"Keeping secrets, I see."

"Actually, you just assumed."

We both broke out in a grin. Tom must've noticed our name since he said my name, making me turn to him. "Glad you had a change of heart, kid. I'm going to take these to the Dean, so you all head back to class now. You'll be called out for questions at some point in the day so be ready for it."

Tom exchanged a few words with Donny, but I didn't really care enough to take any notice. My attention was mostly on Charlie. At some point, I needed to ask him to come hang out with me after school. I wanted to spend some time with him so I needed to find the perfect, most casual opportunity to do it.

My phone vibrated from my pocket. Ikeisha texted me, asking where I was. The teacher had come out to let me back inside the classroom and freaked when she saw I was gone. This may or may not have made me smirk a little bit. Charlie briefly studied my reaction before glancing over to see what I was looking at.

Tom said a quick goodbye and left the bathroom, leaving us with Donny. Most of my focus was on Charlie while his hands clung to my arm while he peered over it.

"You got kicked out, too?" he asked in surprise while glancing at our text exchange. "What'd you do?"

"Same thing I thought you would," I answered. "Better go quick."

Either first break or lunch would be the best times to ask him. It just felt awkward to try and bring it up. Was there a way to do so naturally? Donovan started to leave the bathroom when Charlie suddenly let go and half turned to face him. "Don't forget about it," he said.

"Yeah, yeah," he said. "If you want me to be sincere then don't push me."

"Don't get dry with me." Charlie rolled his eyes but turned back to me with a winning smile. I adore that smile. "C'mon, let's go."

The opportunity to ask Charlie during school hours never came up. During first break, he'd gone off somewhere with his friends while at lunch, we were all called in to speak with the Dean and police. It was an actual crime to have put cameras in the bathroom. We'd encountered a real life criminal.

The questioning had finished just a few minutes ago, now an excessive heap of us stood watching the grand exit even after the bell went for last class. Mrs. Anderson came through the hallway yelling for everybody to disperse, heels clacking on the floor while she vigorously gestured for everybody to move. It was already the end of lunch time and nobody even flinched. We were all watching Jesse being escorted by the police.

Charlie and I stood behind the crowd, leaning against the wall while watched. Just two wallflowers He looked emotionless on the outside, but in his eyes, it was clear he was totally pissed. He glared at me, but the look he gave Charlie was palpably hostile. If he got let back in school, it was game over.

For now, we could only count our victories. One down – I scanned across the masses of students, where Donny came into view near the front double glass doors – one to go. Jesse had noticed him at around the same time I did. Pulling away from the cops, he thrashed his arm out and grabbed Donovan by the shirt.

"You betrayed me, son of a bitch," he snarled. "You did this."

They spoke clearly from this short distance, letting me hear every emotion in his voice. Scornful, angry; irate.

"You're the perv, not me," Donny shrugged, unfazed by the boney hands wrapping around his collar. He shoved Jesse's shoulders. "This's on you."

"You'll pay for this," Jesse growled when the officers yanked him away, scuffling with him towards the door. "You'll f- you'll pay!"

"Save it," Donny said, rolling his eyes.

"Move along, pal," an officer said, shoving his back forward. "Noncompliance isn't a good look, son. Keep goin'."

Principal Atkinson could be seen through the other side of the glass doors, hurrying towards the school staff parking lot. Looks like he'd be following them to the police station. The thought of a Jesse-free school made me sigh with relief, relaxing every tense muscle in my body. Charlie might've noticed, because his hand quietly slipped into mine and clutched it tight.

When I looked down at him, he grinned at me. "Crazy stuff, huh?" he asked.

He looked so beautiful like this; my throat went dry. Please, please, please; let me find the right moment to invite him to mine after school. Mrs. Anderson returned to her unfruitful pursuit, grabbing my attention while she cleared the hallway of busybody students. Some people had run to the glass and were smudging the glass with their hands and faces, dicking around as they watched Jesse climb in the police car.

I squeezed Charlie's hand and smiled down at him. People were dispersing now, so I quickly let go and put my hand back at my side. No sooner that we stood apart did Donny approach and come partially between us, standing mostly in front of me. He wasn't a lot taller than me, but he was stockier, and this was the first time I'd really made the comparison.

"I gotta talk to you," he said, voice low.

Confused, my brows quirked while I let my face tell him everything I was thinking. That he was an absolutely trash heap and he was kidding if he thought I'd let him stand this close to me without repercussion. My message translated perfectly because he took a couple of steps back and looked helplessly at me. His shoulders slumped; head lowered. It's like he was giving puppy eyes.

It didn't suit him. It actually just pissed me off. His short ash blonde was buzz cut along the sides leaving the longer length to come quarter way down his forehead when he looked downward. His ears were too big. His face was too ruddy. He was too tall and stocky, overpowering me just by standing near me.

How I managed to get any punches in on this asshole last week was completely beyond me.

But that face he made. That stupid annoying face. I couldn't help from grumbling when Mrs. Anderson's heels came clacking towards us. The motion of her long flowy skirt catching between legs irritated me until she reached us.

"What're you still loitering for? Time for class. Move it! Snap, snap!"

"I'll catch you in class," Charlie said to me, then nodded towards Donovan before shuffling off with the rest of the dispersing crowd.

Why was he leaving me alone with Donovan for?

"Both of you too," Mrs. Anderson said, looking at us. "Off you go."

"I'll walk him to class," Donovan said, putting his arm over my shoulder and leading me in the opposite direction of my next class.

His arm on me was heavy, causing goosebumps up my back. It was aggravating the way he just acted like we were familiar, or he could do what he wanted just 'cause Charlie seemed okay with him now. Well, I sure as hell wasn't gonna go along with it. As soon as Mrs. Anderson was out of view, and only a few people were left down this hall, I grabbed his arm and yanked it off me.

"Ah," he said, putting his hands up in defense. "My bad, my bad. Just wanna talk, okay?"

I grunted. "Fine, speak then piss off."

Donovan whinnied. Neighed. He was pissing me off. "Look, I made a deal with Charlie and I gotta apologize to you meaningfully for somethin'. I'm bein' sincere, okay? I won't cause any more trouble."

"I know you won't," I deftly answered. "You won't be here to when you're finally kicked out."

As he stood nervously playing with his hands, his face fell, and his arms dropped to his sides. "Yeah, well, you see ah..." He seemed to have a hard time verbalizing his thoughts. "That's what I'm apologizing for, so I don't get kicked out."

I scoffed, looking around us to see if anyone else heard this idiot's looney balooney talk. When I didn't see anyone else around, I turned back to him and scoffed again. Where did he get this audacity from? He should put it back and pay a wastage fee. "You're kidding me, right?"

"No," he said, earnestly. "I'm being serious."

"You harassed Ikeisha and got your cronies to hold and beat Charlie. You sent us both to hospital; almost made me a vegetable. Used the school psychopathic criminal for a get out of jail free card. Helped him trick and lock me in a closet inside a closed construction building, abandoned me without my hearing aid, and from what I can tell, was even involved with spying on boys in the C-block bathroom."

This barely even covered the magnitude of what a genuine asshole he was.

"You're actually messed up, dude. Why should I forgive you? I can't wait for you to get your ass thrown out. Happy living." I started turning to leave, but he grabbed my shoulder and spun me back around. "Oi! If you wanted my forgiveness then this really isn't the way t-"

The sight of him stopped me in my tracks. Donovan Hughes, the biggest bully and general asshole at our high school, had his shirt lifted. His entire torso was covered top to bottom in bruises and broken skin. Now that I took a proper look at him, I could see from up close the faded hints of brown stains on his white cotton uniform shirt.

What I thought to be dirt at first glance, I realized is dried and rigorously scrubbed blood. But it seems like he never got it all out. But... his face. He looked pained. Not pain from the wounds, but pain of bearing himself to me like this. I didn't move an inch, staring at the coat of many colors on his skin.

"Wh... why are you showing me this?" I asked, forcing my eyes up towards his.

"I stall every day after school and get home after four-thirty. Between then and seven PM when I tell my dad I'm goin' a bed, I get beat. Forty-eight hours over weekends unless I find somewhere t'go, I'm his punchin' bag. Those five days I spent at home, this's what I end with, I-" He paused, seemingly gathering his thoughts while he struggled to get this out. "I don't wanna go home. He'll kill me. If I get expelled, he'll really kill me. I know I've been a real asshole but..."

He looked helpless. For the first time, he didn't look like "Horse-Face Hughes" as Charlie so eloquently put it. He looked like a helpless, hurt, suffering teen. Suddenly, his shitty behavior made so much more sense. Everyone already knew the rumors already, but it's not like any of us saw any hard proof.

The school liked to bitch because his crappy attitude justified it. But this... I needed to talk to my parents about this. Uncle Tom was right about his situation and helping him to stay home. Maybe I started thinking for too long, because Donny took a step closer and started to freak.

"I had nothin' to do with the spyin', I swear," he said, putting his hands up defensively. "And I didn't even know he took your hearing aid. I already left the building. I didn't know what he was planning or anythin'. And as for-"

"Alright, alright," I interrupted him. I wasn't sure how much more of this I could take. Had Charlie seen? Was this why he was so confident I'd accept the apology? "You have my...f-forgiveness... then."

Donovan let out the biggest sigh as he dropped his shirt, then ran a hand through his hair. I remained rigid and awkward.

"What did Charlie say if I did?" I asked. "That he'd help you not get kicked out?"

"Just if you both took my side with Mr. Hardy then I can stay," he said in a defeated whisper. He really was as big as a horse, but he looked as tiny as a mouse.

"Alright, but no more acting like a stupid prick. You don't like getting all those bruises and fearing for your life, right?" I asked, looking him straight in the eyes. He shook his head adamantly. "Well, no one else does either. So cut that shit out and act like a normal student. Make proper friends and stuff, alright?"

Donovan broke into a smile. "You won't regret it," he said, slapping my shoulder and running off. "Thanks, Aubrey Keats. You won't regret it!"

I turned and watched him enter his classroom just two doors down from where he'd dragged me. Prick. It was still a long walk to my next class that he'd already made me late for. Still, I'd have to talk to Charlie about what the hell just happened. I felt a little confused, but gushy towards how soft and forgiving Charlie could be.

He was my hero; he was safe.