Stand Up Even if You Stand Alone(JK) A commotion was coming from the hallway where my locker was. It was only the second week and I already thoroughly hated this school with its labyrinth hallways and judgmental students. I turned into the wide hallway to my right and almost smacked into the backs of a large group of students. I stood on tiptoe to look over the heads of the gathering group despising how I was vertically challenged. The ones near the front were taunting someone backed against the locker next to mine. The rest were just there as spectators or attracted to the commotion just like me. I gasped and my eyes widened as I took in the boy’s state. He was leaning heavily on the locker. His lip was cut and bleeding profusely, his glasses lay shattered on the floor, his right eye was turning purple, and he bore several scratches on his cheeks accompanied with a burning slap mark imprinted on the left cheek. Anger boiled inside me and I gripped my books so hard my knuckles turned white. All I saw was red. I shoved my way through the crowd hating my shortness.

“Stop!” I yelled throwing down my books with a loud bang as soon as I reached the center.

The whole hallway turned silent and out of the corner of my eye I saw Gabriel raise his eyes in surprise, while he slumped further down against the locker to the floor. As he did so, I noticed the back of his head left a smear of blood on the locker. My anger mounted even more, if that was even possible and my hands shook uncontrollably.

“Who made you kings and queens of the school?! Who said you have the right to beat other people up and treat them like trash just because they don’t fit in with your established cliques?!” I shouted making the quotation mark gesture around the word “cliques”.

“We’re all equal! I’m sick of seeing you snobby, high and mighty ‘people’ with your noses in the air thinking down on everyone else.” I paused for breath but before I could continue one of the guys cut in.

“Since when did you start telling us the rules and preaching what we can or can’t do… newb!” He spat back arrogantly with a toss of his head.

I drew myself up and tossed my hair back, mimicking him. “Ever since you assumed the role of arrogant stuck up class bully with your disgusting pack of goblins and hags.” I yelled back distastefully shoving him backwards with two hands causing him to stagger, trip, and fall backwards onto people’s feet and finally landing heavily on the hard floor, earning a few snickers from the crowd and a chorus of “ohs and ahs”.

He immediately sprang up, his face red from anger and embarrassment. Leaning in, his breath blowing on my face, he threatened, “If you were a guy, this would be the last thing you remembered, and I’d shut you up permanently.” He stood tall again and continued with another arrogant toss of his head, “and I would prefer going by the name ‘handsome’.”

“Oh please,” I scoffed “spare me the excuses. Just ‘cuz I’m a girl you say? Well let’s see what damage you can do ON YOUR OWN, without your backup gang of monsters. Oh, and the name’s Karla.” I said gesturing at the “popular crowd” gathered around Gabriel, “handsome”, and I.

He did not bother answering me; just whispered to the girl hanging onto his arm. I eyed her disgustedly. She wore way too much makeup, reminding me of a wedding cake with fondant smoothed over its every feature, her skirt was much shorter than the school’s standard limit, and her hair had obviously undergone hours of work. She was pretty but in a fake way. I know, I’m such a hypocrite, I criticize people of being judgmental and then I judge them.

She whispered loudly in his ear, “Beat her up for me”, and then they locked lips. I gagged dramatically; earning a few snickers and giggles from the crowd.

As I anticipated, he swung a punch at my mouth with his right fist. I calmly caught it with my left while it was still a foot away from my face. I made sure to keep my face cool and keep my emotions inside. I hated having to fight someone even if I’d gone through ten intense years of karate training; and no matter what the root of the problem was.

The way “Handsome” fought reminded me of a flapping, headless chicken. I don’t mean to brag but every time he threw a punch or a kick, his eyes would stray to his target and enable me to catch or block his hit before it was even a foot within me.

I was so focused that I did not hear the crowd cheering, or the principal and a few staff members gawking at the sight of me fighting a boy twice my size. I only knew that I had to end this fight soon without injuring him too seriously. The way this scuffle was going, I was not too concerned about myself. He threw a punch to the side of my head and I quickly seized my chance. I grabbed his wrist, pulled his arm over my head and deftly and neatly flipped him on his back and for the second time in less than five minutes, dropped him to the floor with a thud. I smiled sweetly at his startled face, adjusted my glasses, grabbed my books from where I’d previously dropped them on the floor and was about to beat it when I suddenly recalled why I’d come in the first place. I spun back quickly and dropped on my right knee at Gabriel’s face level.

“Can you get up?” I asked worriedly.

“Not really, I’m too dizzy.” He rasped, his eyes remaining closed and holding his head in his hands.

“Here,” I offered my free arm, “let’s get you out of here.” I helped him to his feet while keeping my stack of books in the crook of my left arm. I wasn’t too eager to open my locker with everyone still staring. I ignored the eyes as they parted a path down the hallway for us. Behind me, I heard Mr. Terre, the principal, finally taking control of the situation with the help of various staff members. I shook my head, wishing they’d taken charge sooner.

Gabriel suddenly lurched forward, jolting me out of my thoughts, and I barely managed to catch him. I adjusted my grip so I was holding him firmly under the arms but before I could proceed my books were gently tugged out of my left arm. Surprised, I glanced up to see a guy, at least two heads taller than I, and who I recognized from several classes, grinning down at me, revealing a set of straight pearly whites. I vaguely remembered his name was Eduardo. Other people soon flocked over to us. Helping me in supporting Gabriel and giving me congratulatory pounds on the back. It seemed as if that whole scene I had just caused, and what I had recently stood for, was resounding through my schoolmates. I was now making friends through my actions.

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