Academic Rival looked hero up and down, gaze like shattered glass cutting into hero. Hero knew if Rival could draw blood with their stare, Hero would be bleeding out on the ground right now.
“It’s a good thing you’re pretty, Hero,” Rival said stepping closer. Hero stepped back, back hitting the wall with a stifled gasp huffed out their nose as they tried to not look intimidated by Rival. “God knows your poor brain can barely scrape by.”
“Still sore about Professor Sagacious’s apprenticeship? Honestly, Rival. I’d say jealousy looks good on you, but I know how much you hate liars.”
Rival flashed a toothy grin. That was all Hero saw before the wind was knocked out of them and they were bent double, looking at the hardwood floor and gasping lungfuls of air. Rival grabbed them by the collar of their shirt and righted Hero against the wall.
When Hero was righted, Rival smirked at them. “Oh I’m sorry, Hero. You okay there?”
Hero narrowed their eyes a fraction, the air reaching their lungs better now that they were standing. They opened their mouth to reply, but Rival pressed their forearm across Hero’s chest pinning them against the wall. When Hero tried to push forward, Rival twisted their body and their elbow dug into Hero’s collarbone painfully.
“Always knew you were more brawn than brain,” Hero said with a breath. Rival flashed their toothy grin that promised pain. It came in the form of a closed fist angling an uppercut to Hero’s nose. Hero’s head slammed against the wall with the force of it and they cried out as warm blood gushed down their nose passed their lips and onto their chin.
“Motherfucker!” Hero hissed. Rival leaned in close and grabbed Hero’s cheeks in one hand, grip pinching and bruising and Hero realised slow, painfully slow that they couldn’t fight back. Their arms pinned useless under Rival’s weight holding them against the wall. Rival leaned in closer, Hero swallowed hard, trying to get their face away from them but they couldn’t go anywhere.
Was Rival about to kiss them? Like this? Hero didn’t want it. Their heart pounded against their chest as Rival stuck out their tongue and licked the blood from Hero’s chin up their lips and stopped at Hero’s upper lip.
Somehow that felt worse than if Rival would have just kissed them. A shudder ran down Hero’s spine when Rival pulled back, their tongue painted with Hero’s blood and they wanted to be sick.
“Red is your colour, Hero. You look so cute when you’re utterly powerless against me,” Rival said releasing Hero’s cheeks and leaning their lips closer to Hero’s ears and they whispered: “but you’d look absolutely stunning under me.”
Something instinctual snapped like a rubber band in Hero and suddenly they were aware of everything in their body. Their hands. Their breath. Their blood drumming in their ears. They world was starting to cave in and get bigger all at once. They had to get out of here.
“Rival. Is there a reason you’re keeping my lab partner against the wall?”
Hero’s wide eyes went to Nemesis who stood at the top of the stairs. Rival looked up too and grinned, but they stepped away from Hero, looking at Hero still they said to Nemesis: “no reason, no. I was just getting to know the new genius in town.”
Nemesis was descending the stairs slowly looking between the two, hands languidly resting in their trouser pockets. Their permanent glare on Rival, and then when they looked at Hero it seemed as if their eye’s softened a fraction.
But Nemesis hated Hero, they would never feel sorry for them.
“Well don’t get caught. For whatever reason, Headmaster Argute is rather fond of the resident idiot.”
“I’m not an idiot,” Hero ground out and Nemesis’s cool, grey eyes shot a deadpan look at Hero.
“You risked your life to save a plebeian from the noose,” Nemesis said, voice measured with every word. That was all they said, however, and Hero frowned at them.
“A life is a life. They were innocent,” Hero argued, and Nemesis cocked an eyebrow as if to say: point proven.
“Doesn’t matter,” Nemesis shrugged, putting a hand on Rival’s shoulder and pushing them forward and away from Hero. “We’re not being taught how to be heroes. Next time you want to rebel against the system, make sure you’re not in our uniform.”
“My family is Plebeian you dick. They’re not all beyond saving. Just because you come from a background of elitist pricks!”
Nemesis’s glare burned this time. Burned Hero no matter what they were. Where Hero’s passion was fire, Nemesis’s logic was ice and freezing Hero to the spot.
“Doesn’t matter now,” Nemesis shrugged. “You’re here. You’re one of us, and you brought the council’s eyes on our school.”
Hero scoffed, and said: “Scared of a fucking council?”
“This is why you’re an idiot,” Nemesis sighed, pinching the bridge of their nose. “If you were smart you’d be afraid of them too. What they can do. Who they have in their pockets. Your act of foolish Heroism puts us all in danger.”
“Good,” Hero spat, wiping at their nose. Hand coming away bloody. “It’s about time people like you were scared. I was born scared. I grew up scared. Dot my I’s and crossing my T’s out of fear. Welcome to the party, pal.”
Nemesis’s expression fixed back into a bored kind of neutrality, “I’d like to decline the invitation, but thanks all the same.” They put a hand on Rival’s shoulder and steered them down the hall.
“Be seeing ya, Hero,” Rival said over their shoulder with a horrible grin.
As they walked Hero heard Nemesis say to Rival: “this is what happens when they let the rabble into education. They get ideas.”
