Opposite but Equal Forces
Jun. 5th, 2013 03:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sg_wonderland
Summary: Chapter Two of Square One: Continuing story of Clone Jack in high school
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Rating: Gen
Word Count: 680
Disclaimer: Don’t own ‘em, wish I did, you know who does, yadda, yadda, yadda
Opposite but Equal Forces
My fifth period English Lit class is just settling down when I hear loud voices from the hallway. I hold my hand up, “Please, stay in your seats.”
I open the door to see a small crowd of students in a tight circle. Just as I start forward, one of the students, Adam Chaffins, shoves one of the other boys, staggering him across the hall. I keep moving, trying to get between the two, but the other boy, awkward in a long-legged coltish way, is already up and swinging his fist. He misses me but gets Adam squarely on the nose. Adam goes down and the blood starts to flow.
Behind me, I can hear a laugh then someone starts clapping, just one person. Within seconds, the hall echoes with the sound. “Stop that!” I shout and the hallway goes quiet.
I put my hand on the other boy’s arm but he’s not moving, just holding his fists up in front of him, tense, defensive; his long hair falling across his face. His cheeks are still childishly rounded but his eyes say he’s ready to go another round. “Enough,” I tell him.
“Ms. Oliver,” Jack O’Neill pushes in beside me. “Security’s on the way, I called them.”
“Thank you,” I see the guards running up the hallway. “Mr. Chaffins probably needs to see the school nurse.” Randy, one of the guards, hands Adam a hanky and takes his arm to walk him down the hall.
I take the other boy’s arm gently and say over my shoulder, “Mr. O’Neill, return to the class. Read quietly until I get back.” We’re halfway down the hall before I realize he’s following. “Didn’t I tell you…?”
He shrugs. “I kinda saw what happened, figured they’d want to know.”
*
The boys are in the clinic so the rest of us end up in the security office. I quickly tell Randy what I saw, that the other student, whose name I still don’t know, punched Adam but only after being pushed.
“Well, Chaffins is saying the other kid swung first.”
I shake my head but before I can answer, Jack pipes up. “Chaffins pushed the kid down and the kid popped him one. Got him right on the nose, too.” There is a bit of admiration in his voice.
“Son,” Randy glares at him, “I hope you’re not condoning violence.”
“Well,” he looks kind of sheepish, “there are times when you have to stand up and not let people push you around. It just saves time.”
“Would you care to explain that?”
“Listen,” he jumps up to pace. “There’s always going to be people around like Adam Chaffins. Who think they can do anything because they’re bigger or meaner or because of who they are.”
“The other boy should have come to one of us.” Randy points out.
“And Chaffins would have pounded that kid for telling on him. All I’m saying is that he will think twice before he hits that guy again.” Jack gives me a look, “And, you know, you jumping in there? Not the smartest move in the world because you’re…”
“Mr. O’Neill, if the next words out of your mouth are ‘because you’re a woman’, I suggest you quit while you’re ahead.” I give him the evil eye.
He grins broadly. “No, I was gonna say because you’re a midget.”
“Excuse me?” My voice is icy even as Randy muffles a snort.
“You’re…what? Four foot two? And you wouldn’t weigh a hundred pounds if you had rocks in your pocket.”
Randy is laughing out loud as I motion Jack back down the hallway. “You do know that violence is never the right answer, don’t you?”
His eyes glaze over just for a second. “Sometimes, Ms. Oliver, it’s the only answer.”
With a frown, I follow him into the classroom.
Found this on Debrief
Date: 2013-06-10 01:14 pm (UTC)I dusted off my google fu and found the 1st part of the series over on LJ; love Ms Oliver and the fact she's reached out to him. She sounds like one of the rare teachers you're lucky to get once in a lifetime.
I'll be looking forward to more of this should the spirit so move you.
Re: Found this on Debrief
Date: 2013-06-10 02:05 pm (UTC)