People are complicated. Much of the time their motivations for doing something are hidden. And many of those motivations are hidden even from themselves. I'm no different than anyone else in this respect. I'll do things and have no clue why I've done them, until I sit and reflect on it and puzzle it out. But other times I know in a flash why I'm taking a certain path. This story starts with me doing just that: taking action because something rubbed me wrong...
As a kid in high school I was a quiet kid, you know the one who always stood apart, didn't say much, who had a few (very few) friends and who was never included in the cool kids group because I was how I was. It's not that I couldn't be crazy and wild. With my friends I was and we did some really wild stuff, but I was very shy with everyone else.
And it wasn't because I wasn't tough. Hell my father beat me with willow switches from the time I was 7 or 8. I could take almost any physical pain sent my way. But that also built into me a hatred of bullies and those who would take advantage of the weak. I wasn't physically weak either. I worked on my family's small farm every day and every weekend tending the stock, cutting wood and any other chores needed.
The work on my family's farm kept me from joining any clubs, sports or doing other extracurricular activity. We lived 12 miles out of town and I didn't have a car until I finally saved enough to buy one a month before this happened, so I never had the chance to date much either. It was a combination of all those things, the lack of social interaction with kids my age (other than the few afore mentioned friends who were in the same boat I was). It remained the same even after I was 18 and into my Senior year.
That was me on the fateful day, shy, insecure, trying to just slip under everyone's radar. Our school campus was large and open. The buildings were spread out and there was close to 1/4 of a mile from one end of the campus to the other. I had just gotten out of English class and was headed to my Biology class on the other end of campus. I was hurrying to make the class when I rounded a corner and was startled by the sight in front of me.
Charlie Corrigan, a Senior classmate and the star left tackle for the football team, was holding a skinny kid by his skirt front and had him pinned to the concrete wall of the building. Two of Charlie's buddies were standing behind him grinning. Charlie had his fist cocked back and was talking as I rounded the corner "...your kind here. I'm going to mess that pretty little sissy face of your's up real good."
Charlie swung and I saw his fist hit the kids jaw and a split second later the back of the kids head bounced off the concrete wall. The kid's head wobbled like a dolls head, then Charlie drew back to hit him again. Charlie had 40 lbs and stood 3" taller than me, but something about that scene triggered me. Before I could think about it I stepped forward and grabbed Charlie's wrist before he could strike again.
"Hey, don't," I said, "He's a lot smaller then you and I think you've hurt him pretty badly already."
Charlie looked over his shoulder and grinned, an evil nasty grin. He let go of the kids shirt and the guy slid down until he was sitting on the sidewalk leaning back against the wall, his head resting limply on his shoulder.
Charlie turned to face me and said with a smirk, "I guess you want the beating I was going to give him."
"Hey all I'm saying is I think he's hurt bad and I don't think you should..." I never got a chance to finish.
Charlie lashed out and hit me hard on the left side of my face. I staggered back and he swung again, landing a hard punch on my jaw. How I kept my feet I'll never know. I looked up to see him standing in front of me with that evil grin on his face.
As if from a distance I heard Charlie say, "Oh a tough guy huh? Well I'm going to enjoy beating your ass to a pulp."
The last thing I remember was that grin. I felt a surge of anger and all I saw after that was a wall of red. The next thing I remember was looking down at Charlie sprawled on the ground. His face was covered with blood, his eyes were swollen shut and he was unconscious. His two friends were staring at me like I had two heads.
A second or two later I heard the voice of the Assistant Principal as he ran up to the scene yelling, "Stop! Stop right now! Bowie Garlick, you stop right where you are!"
As my name was called I turned to look at Mr. Franco. I could only see him out of my right eye because my left was swollen shut.
"Now what in the name of hell is going on here?" Mr. Franco said as he stopped between me and the supine form of Charlie.
"I...aw...I..." I stammered not having the sense right then to know what to say.
Mr. Franco bent down to check on Charlie just as he moaned and began to sit up. He made sure Charlie was sitting up then turned to the skinny kid who was still sitting against the concrete wall. The kid had come to but was whimpering and holding his mouth with his hand.
Mr. Franco looked him over then stood and demanded, "I'm still waiting for an explanation of this!"
Frank Carlin, one of Charlie's friends who had been watching piped up, "That dude jumped Charlie while he was talking to Trent and began to beat on him for no reason!"
Mr. Franco looked at Charlie, then Trent, then me and finally back to Frank and said, "This is very serious. Trent has a tooth missing, it looks like Charlie has some serious injuries and Bowie is pretty beat up too. I think the first thing is to get them to the hospital for treatment, then we will sort the rest out later."
An ambulance was called. Charlie, Trent and I were transported to the emergency room. After they checked us out Trent was the least hurt. He had one tooth knocked out and a split bruised lip. I had a black eye and my jaw was swelled to the point I could barely talk. Luckily it wasn't broken. Charlie was the worst. He had a broken cheek bone, a fractured jaw, a broken nose, both eyes were black and he was missing three teeth. I was released and my father came to get me.
When I explained what happened the only thing he asked was, "How did the other guy look?"
When I told him the extent of Charlie's injuries he grunted and replied, "Good, cause if you'd a lost I'd have kicked your ass again."
So much for parental concern.
I arrived at school the next morning and was taken straight to the Vice Principals office. The kid, Trent, was sitting in a chair in front of the office. Frank and the other guy who was there the day before (I later found out his name was Carl) were sitting in chairs down the hall.
When I walked up I greeted Trent, "Hey. How's the face and tooth?"
He smiled nervously and replied, "It's..aw...fine thanks."
Mr. Franco came out and told me to take a seat, which I did. Over the next hour Trent, then Frank and finally Carl went into the office. I was wondering where Charlie was and asked Trent, but he said he hadn't seen him. Finally I was called in.
When I entered his office Mr. Franco waved at a chair and told me to sit. He then asked me what had happened the day before. I recounted the whole story from the time I rounded the corner to the time he had arrived.
After I was done Mr. Franco looked at me with a puzzled look and asked, "I take I t you don't know Trent before this?"
I told him I hadn't met the kid before.
"And you jumped in with a bruiser like Charlie to help Trent?" He asked.
"Yea." I replied.
"Are you gay?" Mr. Franco asked.
I was totally taken by surprised and stunned by his question. The only thought I had was, 'Where the hell did that come from?'
The only thing I could do was to yell, "No! Hell no!"
"Watch your language young man! Now you had no idea Trent is gay?" Mr. Franco asked, frowning at my use of profanity.
Again I was stunned.
"No...hell no! I...I had no idea!" I replied.
"I told you to watch your language! Ok, so far here's what I've been told: Frank and Carl swear you attacked Charlie without provocation and from behind. Charlie tells a similar tale. He said he was talking to Trent and you jumped him from behind and beat him up."
"I..." I began to say.
Mr. Franco held up his hand to stop me and said, "Trent tells a different story. He says Charlie hit him and smashed his head into the wall which knocked him out. When he came to he saw you standing in front of Charlie with your eye swelled shut and blood running down your face. He said he watched you attack Charlie and hit him three times before Charlie collapsed on the ground. Then you tell me you grabbed Charlie's wrist to stop him from hitting Trent a second time, where upon Charlie strikes you twice. After that you don't remember anything until you see Charlie laying on the ground."
I hung my head and replied, "Yes. That's...all I remember."
"Well," Mr. Franco said, "If I were to believe Charlie and his friends you attacked him and are the cause of this altercation."
I opened my mouth to protest, but again Mr. Franco held up his hand and said, "However, I know Charlie, Frank and Carl. They are bullies. This has happened before but no one would stand up and tell anything against them. I don't believe even a small part of their story, while I do believe you and Trent. All three of them are being expelled from school. Being an innocent party to this, Trent will be sent back to class with no punishment. You however were part of it. I know you were defending yourself but you did engage in a fight on school ground so I have to give you something. You will be suspended for three days and receive three weeks detention."
When I left his office I was both elated because of the relatively light punishment and pissed because I felt I shouldn't have received anything. As I headed down the hall Trent fell into step with me.
"Thank you for helping me yesterday." He said with a smile.
"Yea no problem." I replied, then asked, "Mr. Franco says your gay, is that true?"
"Yes, but I don't normally broadcast it." He replied.
"Is that why Charlie was getting ready to smear your brains all over that wall?" I asked.
Trent shuttered and replied, "Yes. I must have let it slip and someone told him I was gay and he wanted to prove a point."
"Well, if I were you I wouldn't tell anyone else in this school anything like that again."
Trent grinned sand said, "I don't think that will be a problem."
I was puzzled by his statement and asked, "Why not?"
"Words already gotten around. You hit Charlie three times, messed him up badly and knocked him out. He's a lot bigger then you are. No one, and I mean no one in this school is going to bother you again. That's not all though, because you were protecting me I don't think there will be anyone who will bother me because I'm gay. "
