tofightinjustice | (no subject)

(no subject)

At the end of the school day, Bryce's usual routine is to walk home as quickly as she can. Sometimes, like today, she has to wave off an invitation to the Bronze or the beach -- though not often. She gets along with people and people get along with her, but she's not really part of the popular crowd and doesn't have any real close friends.

But there are a few people, like Barbara, or Oswald, who make regular overtures of friendship for one reason or another, and don't seem put off when Bryce smiles and says I'm sorry, I gotta get home and do my homework for the umpteenth time.

Bryce has just declined yet another offer to hit the mall from Vicki and is headed home, her backpack slung over one shoulder.

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Annoyed, she drops her bag and charges straight into the aggressor.

Finesse is for when she's wearing a mask.

She succeeds in knocking him away from Laney, who sags disinterestedly into the fence.

Of course, now she is both the closest target and the most enraging.

He takes a swing at her head; she ducks and comes up under his guard to grab him by the shirt front.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she demands.

Laney smiles a little, watching her move.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?" the other guy protests. "Are you fucking this freak or something?"

Laney stops smiling.

Bryce gives him a disgusted look and shoves him, hard.

"Go home."

Apparently, he would rather try hitting her again!

It catches her off guard enough that he catches her on the jaw. She stumbles sideways with a grunt, then throws an arm up to block his next blow.

Laney slides down the fence with a rattle and sits on the ground.

It's kind of fun, watching this guy try to kick her ass and fail.

He does have a longer reach than her, though, and she lost the element of surprise that she usually uses to her advantage in these situations. She's having to play a lot more defense than she'd like.

The guy grabs her wrist, and she lets out a startled, scared yelp.

Laney snorts.

"Get out of my face," the guy snaps at her.

"Let go of me," Bryce whimpers.

Yeah, this is pretty hilarious.

The guy snickers.

"Aw, you're adorable."

"Let me go," Bryce repeats.

"Little louder," he laughs.

Bryce's pained expression drops off her face, replaced by a cold, hard blankness.

She grabs his thumb and yanks back with a snap. The guy screams.

Aaaaand there's the punchline. Laney puts his hand over his mouth to stifle a giggle.

"My hand! My fucking hand!"

Bryce winds up and socks him in the solar plexus, dropping him wheezing to his knees, and turns to Laney.

Cold: "Can you get up?"

"Probably," he says, "but I'm comfy."

. . . Bryce is real unimpressed by your shit, Laney.

"That was hot, though."

He grabs a handful of fence and hauls himself to his feet, not without a certain amount of trouble.

With a wink: "You can break my bones any day."

"You freak," rasps the kid on the ground.

The smile drops off his face; he looks away from both of them.

Bryce huffs, annoyed.

"Fine." She starts towards her abandoned bag. "Fight your own fights."

...Laney blinks after her, entirely at a loss.

"Bitch," the guy on the ground spits, trying to get to his feet. Bryce rolls her eyes.

Well.

He shakes his head and smiles at her, a little crookedly, not that he has any other way to smile.

"Thanks, I guess."

"I'm so done saving your ass," she says over her shoulder, retrieving her bag.

The guy finally gains his feet, looking warily between Bryce and Laney.