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Sunday

You did Something to make Her Love You
Chapter Eight
By MixA4

Your eyes flutter open, the events of the night prior instantly playing back in a headache-lined, second-long slideshow. You remember Dash, the dance, several songs, and your confrontation with Brute. You absentmindedly trace the outline of the bandage as the memory of your assault makes you wretch. Even if Brute did start the fight, you feel terrible for escalating it needlessly, and you wonder what the potential consequences could be.

Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do for now. You might as well start going through your insane homework pile. As you roll out of bed, your stomach begins verbally protesting your decision.

After breakfast, of course.

You peek into the kitchen to see if your parents are awake. You'd prefer to avoid explaining the grisly scene that is your face to them until you've at least eaten. Before you can duck out though, your dad's eyes widen from over his newspaper as he spots the telltale bandage stuck to your cheek.

"Blu, did you go to a dance, or a fight night?"

"We... ran into some trouble." You reply, taking a seat next to him. Your mother already decorated the table with eggs and toast before heading out to work.

"Yeah, I can see that! Do you want to tell me what happened?"

The unsavory details pour into your head, making you noticeably shudder.

"Someone picked a fight with me in the parking lot." You blurt out, finally.

"And you let them hit you?"

"I didn't let them do anything, dad."

"Well what happened? It looks to me like I should call the school."

"I..." You sigh. "Someone was being disrespectful to Dash, and when I stood up to them, he attacked me. I was forced to fight back."

"So you did hit them back?" He cocks an eyebrow. You simply nod in response. His expression softens. "Huh."

"I know, I shouldn't have instigated-"

"Did he leave you alone afterword?" He cuts you off.

"Uh, well, yeah you could say that." You reply. He glances at the bandage on your face.

"Take off the bandage, let me see what happened. " You slowly peel the scotch tape away, wincing with each slight tug experienced. When fully removed, your dad is silent for a moment, seemingly admiring the sheer damage you sustained. "You must have really hurt him if he did that and still backed down."

"I uh.." You trail off, unsure of whether to tell him or not.

"Yes?" He presses.

"I.. broke his nose."

"Oh, wow, Blu!" Your dad smiles, raising his hand for you to high five. It only intensifies the guilt you feel. "I'm so proud of you for sticking up for yourself!"

"Dad, I assaulted someone!"

His expression drops to confusion.

"Blu, you stood up for yourself - and your date. You shouldn't be angry, you did what was right."

"Fighting is the right thing to do? You're proud of me for injuring another student?" You shoot back.

"I wouldn't be proud if you attacked someone unprovoked." He clarifies. "He did attack you first, right?"

"Well, yeah, but I could've avoided-"

"No, you couldn't." He cuts you off again. "Blu, there are people in this world who will go looking for fights. No amount of 'avoiding' or de-escalation will help you. Sometimes you need to know when to defend yourself."

"Dad, you know I'm a pacifist. Fighting isn't who I am."

"And that's very admirable, I want you to keep doing that." His expression softens. "I'm not saying you need to give up pacifism at all, I want you to try and avoid fights at all costs. I am saying you need to learn when it's just not an option."

You sigh and nod.

"I'm going to go to my room, dad." You turn and start to walk off, carrying a plate of eggs with you.

"Hey!" He calls, making you stop. "When am I going to meet your girlfriend?"

The day passes slowly after that, no thanks in large part to the hours of homework you have.

Truth be told, it would go a lot faster if you weren't texting Dash back and forward every 3 - 5 minutes.

"Do you like turtles? I think they're sooo awesome!!" A text from Dash appears on your phone.

"Turtles? You honestly never struck me as the type." You hit send and turn your attention back to your book.

Plant Cells, Animal Cells, Ameoba, Bacteria, Viruses...

Actually, Rainbow Dash might be helping you fight boredom-induced fatigue.

"I know it's weird haha but have you ever seen a pet turtle? They might be slow but they never give up and they have this huge shell they hide in!"

"We'll have to go to the Aquarium together sometime." You write.

White blood cells are a general term for several subspecies of lymphocyte, blah blah blah. A message from your phone redirects your failing attention span.

"That reminds me, do you want to come down and run at the track with me tomorrow morning?? I need a reliable running partner!"

That officially marks the first time you've ever been invited to a sports activity - and the first time you've seriously considered going to one!

"You know I'm not as fast as you are, Dash." Hitting send, you return your attention to your homework.

"Go anyway! It's about doing it, not about how fast you do it!" Dash even replies fast.

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