Chapter Text
Ralph was walkng down the crowded highschool hallway for the first time in 3 months. He was back, a little taller and a little tanner. He navigated his way through the surprisingly loud sleep deprived students to his locker.
He turned the lock back and forth and got it on the first try. Ralph sighed, 'cheers to a crappy new year.' He thought. He shoved his books inside and tried to avoid the obnoxious seniors chasing freshman through the halls by hiding behind his locker door.
When he closed the locker he yelped in surprise.
"Jesus Piggy!"
His short friend just stared at Ralph, probably wanting to reunite with a hug and possibly a musical number, but he wasnt getting either, not in this lifetime.
"How long have you been standing there you creep?"
"Just a few seconds, i was waitin and bein nice, seein as how today will suck." The chubby boy replied. "An' dont call me Piggy. I went a whole summer without bein called a pig and it aint about to start up again." The boy huffed.
"Good luck with that." Ralph replied, unamused. "Have you seen Simon?"
Piggy shook his head. "He probably slept in, he was all nervous about commin back."
Ralph stared out at all the chaos of highschool hallways. "I can see why."
Ralph decided to get to class early to avoid any unnescesary confrontation in the hall. Besides, maybe could could get a few more minutes of needed sleep.
He walked in the door with only a few others in the class, found a seat, plopped down and lay his head on his arms, hiding from the rest of the world.
He felt someone tap his arm and looked up in annoyance but then smiled when he saw who it was.
"Ralph!" His friend said smiling.
"Hey Simon."
"We're back huh? You ready for another year?" He said sarcastically with fake happiness.
Ralph just groaned in response.
"At least we haven't seen the savages so far." Simon said hopefully.
"Im sure that will change." Ralph said in monotone.
The "savages" was a name created by Ralph and Simon, given to the rudest and most irresponsible group of boys in their grade.
"I heard Jack looks a lot different." Simon commented. Jack was the groups leader, as well as Ralphs arch enemy.
"Hopefully he got hit by a car." Ralph muttered.
"That would be an improvement." Simon laughed.
Simon didnt get on with Jack either. Jack was head of select choir, and while Simon was in the group, he wasn't the leader. Simon didn't mind not being the leader, he just hated Jack and his minions. His two right hand men; Roger and Maurice were equally infuriating. And if it were the mob, (which would surprise no one) they'd be his bodyguards. Roger was especially cruel, beating kids up and throwing rocks at cars. Maurice was gentler, and still had a conscience. Maurice used to be Simons friend, until Jack turned him to the dark side.
The two friends stayed quiet for the rest of class, not really paying attention, daydreaming about the hopefully not so sucky possibilities of a new year.
The bell rang loud and off key to end class and all the sudents filed out like zombies. Ralph and Simon were talking when Piggy ran up out of breath.
"Whoa man," Ralph said as Piggy strangled to speak. "What- why are you breathing like that?"
"I was-" he gasped. "Running."
Ralph laughed. "I can see that. I mean why? You dont run."
Simon chuckled.
"Jacks commin this way." Piggy heaved.
"The peace was nice while it lasted." Simon commented and looked towards his glasses wearing friend. "Why were you breathing so weird?"
"Just told ya, i was runnin." Piggy replied.
"No but why were you Breathing weird?" Simon insisted and Ralph caught on.
"You know why." Piggy said ashamed.
"Why?" Ralph demanded.
"Jack's commin! Lets just go!" He tried to pull them away.
"Piggy." They said together stubbornly and refused to move.
"Cuz i have asthma." Piggy replied, defeated.
"Sucks to your ass-mar!" The two friends yelled together and laughed.
"Please dont call me Piggy again guys." He pleaded.
"Its better than fatty." Ralph said.
"Better than just lots of grunting and snorting pig noises." Simon added. "Remember that time in gym?"
Piggy was about to make some dramatic speech about his injusitces, that, wouldve changed the world if heard but he was stopped by sudden deafening silence.
Jack and his crew, the savages, were comming down the hallway. And Simon was right, really right. Jack looked a LOT different from the year before.
The redhead was leading the group, strutting his stuff. His hair had grown out to his ears and his face had thinned. He wore a leather jacket over a band shirt and black skinny jeans with a metal spike belt that probably made Piggy feel faint. Behind him, Roger and Maurice just looked taller, but the new clothes and the new atmosphere of impending domination made them seem scarier. It seemed as if the world was changing gears and they walked down the hall in slow motion.
Ralph looked to his friends for words but Simons mouth was hanging open and Piggys was closed but quivering. The bell rang and everyone was freed from their trance and hurried along. Piggy scrambled away, almost tripping, and wheezing again.
"What the hell." Simon said when the effects of what had happened started to fade. "What the hell was that."
"That was Jack." Ralph stammered. He had so many questions.
"Whats his game? Why do that?" Simon questioned as they hurried along.
"No idea why that asshole does anything." Ralph muttered and Simon laughed.
This year, it seemed like Ralph was going to be the first one to lunch since his last class was the closest. He sat down at his table from last year and began to eat. Although the room was loud he felt alone and peaceful. He had spent most of the summer alone without gross idiotic teenagers, maybe lunch would be his safe haven.
The table rattled as someone slammed their hands on it across from him and Ralph looked up.
It was none other than Jack god damn Merridew and his possy was trailing behind him.
"What are you doing at my table?" Jack asked, acting as if he was king of the world.
"Your table?" Ralph laughed.
"Yes, my table." The ginger clarified in a slow mocking tone.
"Youre serious." Ralph said in disbelief.
Jack smiled fakely at him, his humored emotion never reaching his eyes.
"Well, this was my table last year so im going to stay." Replied Ralph and took a bite out of his sandwich.
Jack laughed and looked towards his minions and they proceeded to laugh as well.
Ralph just stared at Jack with hatred. He hated how Jack was mean to anyone whenever he felt like it. He hated how the guy thought he owned the world. He hated how he was looking at his follower minions, with the bullshit authority. He hated the way that Jack laughed at him with his head thrown back and his mouth open. He hated how Jack had perfect teeth without braces and his adams apple bobbed and how his clothes were tighter than last year and...
Ralph felt his face get hot. What the hell was that? That was.. Nothing. Its the first day of school and he was tired. That made sense. He pushed the odd thoughts to the back of his mind.
Jack looked above Ralphs head and the fair boy noticed the evil laughter had subsided. Ralph turned around to see what Jack was staring at. It was Simon and Piggy walking towards them and Ralph sighed internally, this was going to get explosive.
Simon walked up to the table, Piggy was lagging behind, not meeting Jacks eyes, like the runt he was.
"Ahh Piggy has arrived!" Jack cooed menacingly.
"Don't call me Piggy!" The boy yelled angrily and Simon's hand went to his forehead. People were starting to stare.
"Just ignore them." Simon said to Piggy.
"Piggy can make his own decisions, freak." Jack said to Simon.
Simon stayed quiet but probably more because he wanted to avoid a scene than his lack of balls.
"Now." Said Jack standing up straight and adressing all of them. "You three losers better find another table or there's going to be hell to pay."
Piggy squirmed in his seat and Ralph could see Simon debating in his head on whether or not a table was worth a fight. However Ralph wasnt feeling so scared. Besides, he needed to prove to the rest of the students, that Jack was no mastermind, there was no reason for him to monopolize and terrorize everyone and that he could be stood up to.
Ralph took a breath. "Yeah. Go ahead and beat us up in the lunchroom with tons of witnesses and staff, and on the first day no less." Ralph said mockingly. "Real smart, asshole."
Jack made a face. "You know what? Stay here." He said graciously but then leaned over the table, inches away from Ralph's face. "I have the whole year to make your lives a living hell, and to get the table." He threatened quietly but menacingly, scanning the boys like prey. But then his eyes stopped at Ralph and said, "Might as well... Ease into it." He held Ralphs eyes as he straightened up and then he turned and walked away.
Ralph shuddered at how intense Jacks eyes felt close up and how he stressed the word 'ease.' It reminded him of how a snake slowly digests its prey.
"That guy needs counceling." Simon remarked and then started to eat.
"An' he called me Piggy!" The chubby boy complained and shoved an handful of jellybeans into his mouth. "Thinks hes so great, but you showed him Ralph!"
"Yeah." Ralph replied but his thoughts were elsewhere.
Apparently this year, none of Ralph's friends would be in his gym class. However, that wasnt even the worst part. The real horror was that Jack and his two main minions were. Fun.
He opened his gym locker, shoving his new clothes into it and on himself. After he was changed two boys, twins, walked up to him expectantly.
"Uh hi." Ralph said uncomfortable.
One of them spoke up, "Hi Im Sam-"
"And Im Eric." The other finished.
"Hi." Ralph said again, confused. "What do you want?" He asked the younger boys.
"We wanted to say that it was cool-"
"It was amazing-"
"What you did at-"
"When you stood up to Jack." They both beamed at him.
Ralph smiled modestly. "Thanks. You could too you know; stand up to him." He clarified.
Sam and Eric exchanged glances. "Yeah, no we cant." Said Sam.
"Why not?"
"Uhh he'll kill us." Eric said matter of factly.
Ralph contemplated the possibility. "He might." He finally said.
The three boys exited the locker room and found everybody hitting eachother with lacrosse sticks. Jack and the minions seemed to be trying very hard to show off their mostly nonexistant skills. They were menaces to society.
Jack ran by Ralph and the twins wiggling his eyebrows and then tossed the ball to Roger who proceeded to chuck it at them, narrowly missing Eric. It hit the wall and bounced away.
"Assholes."
"Douchebags." The twins cursed.
Ralph silently agreed.
It was finally time to go home, the first day was over. And honestly, it went better than expected. Hopefully the rest of the year would go the same way.
Ralph shoved a few books in his bag and exited the building with Simon. Alone, he climbed onto the bus and plugged earbuds in. He looked out the window, getting lost in the music and the scenery until the bus stopped at his house and he walked up the driveway.
The next morning was pleasantly uneventful, as a typical morning should be. Piggy was annoying, Simon complained about thier general lack of sleep and Ralph was bored out of his mind in class. But the dull and peaceful atmosphere, unfortuneatly, could not last forever. Ralph recalled his dad once telling him, "It's always calm before a storm." And seeing how lunch had rolled around and once again, Ralph was the first one there, a storm was indeed comming.
He plopped his lunch down on the circular table he had claimed the day before. He began to eat, and realized there were people staring. One boy, started to giggle. Ralph glared in the boys general direction, but he had turned back to his friends. Voices came from behind and startled him, however it was the twins he had met in gym.
"Hey Ralph." One of them greeted.
"We're sitting here today." The other one said and sat to they sat to his left.
"Why?" Ralph asked. They probably shouldnt for their safteys sake, Jack could pummel them to bits.
"We wanna help you stand up to that jerk."
"Show him he cant mess with us!" Both their faces mirrored happy smiles.
"Fine." Ralph said looking down. "Just dont go looking for trouble. Believe me, he'll give it to you."
"We wont." They replied syncronized.
Simon and Piggy entered.
"Whos trying to steal our table now?" Simon complained theatrically and sat to Ralphs right.
"Guys this is Sam,"
"Hi."
"And Eric."
"Hi."
Luckily the twins had spoken up or no one would've known who was who.
"They know Jack hates us right?" Piggy asked them as he sat between Simon and the twins. "Hates all of us nice folk."
"We know." Sam replied.
"We're on your side." Eric said.
"Didnt know we were amassing soldiers." Simon commented with a sour tone.
"No one's going to fight Jack." Ralph assured.
"What if he starts it? You know he wants to!" Piggy squealed.
Everyone nodded.
"Well don't fight back then." Ralph said. "Unless youre in real trouble obviously, but we only see him in school, and outside of school is the only place anyone needs to worry about. We should be fine."
The gangs demeanor had softened, now picking at the food in front of them.
Of course right after the ashes died down, the flame just had to ignite again.
The red headed boy swaggered up to the table with similar dark clothing as the day before and it seemed everyone was watching.
"See you're sitting here again Ralph." He dragged out each syllable as if it were a delicate poison. "And you brought more friends!" He said looking at Sam and Eric. "All the more blood to spill." He grinned and his followers laughed with anticipation. It was more than a threat now, it was a promise.
"You should really see a physciatrist." Ralph shot at him.
Jack leaned on the table, hunching forwards, again. Ralph didnt like it when he did that.
"You should really see someone about your nose." The ginger said.
"Whats wrong with my nose." Ralph asked in monotone because he wasn't sure he wanted an answer.
"Nothing yet, but I'll break it soon enough." His minions laughed. "Seriously, leave the table alone." The lunchroom was quiet.
Ralph sat back and stared at him. "No. We claimed it yesterday, we're sitting at it now, and we will sit here tomorrow. Thats how it works."
"Theres no rule that cant bend for me." Jack smugly said.
"What about the law?" Simon commented. "Because unless you see that psychiatrist, you'll find that jail time wont be such an easy rule to bend."
Jack turned his head like a horror movie doll and glanced at Simon unimpressed. Simons gaze didn't falter, and the choir leader's power began to spill.
"Whatever it takes to leave this hell hole." Jack said scratching at his freckles and then left.
The twins cheered as the group walked away and Ralph couldnt help to look at their retreating backs. And Jacks lower back. And lower. And- The cafeteria was loud again.
"Nice comeback," Piggy said to Simon. "And Ralph, you really burned him!"
They all grinned at him as if he had saved the world, but Ralph felt like he had done nothing heroic at all.
Ralph was wrong, he had done something. In gym he found people werent letting the savages step on them, and saying no. Where the ball was usually passed to Jack, it was thrown somewhere else. When Jack ran at someone, they did not cower. When the savages weren't looking, someone was pointing and whispering. Ralph had accidentally started a revolution. And everyone knew it too. Including Jack.
When Jack was getting visibly frustrated with his lack of support, he came charging over to Ralph.
"What do you think your doing huh? You think you can beat me?" There was venom in Jacks voice as he crowded Ralph against the wall.
"I dont know." Ralph admitted, struggling to break free from the evil redhead's grasp.
"Hey!" Jack demanded attention, and Ralph stopped squirming and stared. Their faces were only inches apart once again and Ralph did not feel comfortable with this new habbit.
Jack clenched and unclenched his teeth. "You stop this right now or I swear-"
"You'll what?!" Ralph challenged. He wasnt afraid of Jack, well he was, but he'd stand tall and stubborn even if it killed him.
Jack looked puzzled as if he never expected their struggle to go this far, and his eyes potrayed confusion.
"Yeah that's what I thought." Ralph spat as he pushed at the boy, and then walked away with confidence.
Sam and Eric practically danced in his wake to the bathrooms.
"That was awesome!"
"You totally burned him!" They celebrated and high fived.
Ralph looked into the mirror, splashing water on his face. "He wont stay quiet forever. He'll be back, maybe even with Roger."
The twins grew silent as the thoughts stirred and Ralph ran a hand through his fair hair in desperation.
"But still what you did-"
"It was amazing." SamnEric complemented.
"Thanks." Ralph nodded.
SamnEric walked back out to the gym leaving Ralph alone with his thoughts about the situation.
Jack was threatening him everywhere he went. And his said evil stalker was an angry psychopath, and he didnt know what the extent of the loose canon's capabilities were. So that was great.
To add to it, the psychopath seemed to have developed a habbit of leaning in close, eyes burning into his, breath huffing and his demeanor threatening.
The worst of it all was buried deep down in Ralph's mind and he was angry enough to surface the tsunami of feelings. Jack was a terrible person with no good qualities and only bad intentions. And yet, Ralph couldn't bring himself to look away. Everytime the evil teen stepped in close, Ralph had to fight both urges to step back and to step closer.
Jack horrified and fascinated him. He was like a book with a heartbreaking and terrifying plot but the cover was coated in thorns, so no one ever discovered the genious of it. Jack also intrigued him because of his stubborn confidence. Ralph wanted to see if he could break it. There might be a good person on the other side of the wall that Jack had obviously built, but it was too late for Ralph to care. Jack was a lost cause.
Everyone came filing in as it was time to change and Ralph receded away from the sinks back to his locker and changed. He took his time, not wanting to go back to class, dragging his feet to the door.
All of a sudden someone grabbed his arm and he stumbled back. They shoved him into a bathroom stall and locked it with him and his attacker inside.
"What the fuck are you doing Merridew?!" Ralph panicked.
Jack threw him against the door saying nothing. He seemed confused and hesistant, odd even for a bipolar asshole like him.
"Dude are you okay?" Ralph, asked. Now he was genuinely concerned.
Jack took a step back, looking around.
"Are you high?" Ralph persisted. If he was, it happened very quickly and quietly. This was weird, what could this psycho possibly be thinking?
Jack's eyes suddenly flashed up and met Ralph's, startling the blond. Slowly, Jack inched forwards towards Ralph. In seconds their faces were only inches apart.
Their eyes darted back and forth between eachother's eyes. The shared breathing grew louder and Ralph realized this wasnt an ordinary showdown. This was more, it was complicated and intimate.
Ralph couldnt focus, he hated Jack. He was awful and mean and manipulative and bossy and rude and and... and sexy. Jack was seductive and mysterious. Jack was everything he hated but was also everyting he ever wanted.
So Ralph decided to hurry it up grabbed the boy's shirt and yanked it closer to his own chest. Their lips didnt meet, instead Jack went for Ralph's neck, and nipped it as Ralph threw his head back against the dingy stall door.
Jack set his hands on Ralph's hips and crushed them to his own, slowly grinding. Ralph closed his eyes in pleasure of the friction and pulled at fistfuls of red hair. One of Jack's hands sunk lower, underneath the blond's jeans and groped his butt. It was dry and dirty but slow. However romance was the last thing on either of their minds.
Jack suddenly pulled away and Ralph leaned against the door, breathing. His eyes remained closed in ecstacy but also in horror at what they had done.
When his eyes opened, he found Jack staring at him, his eyes full of uncertainty and lust. Ralph looked away, blushing under the scrutiny. It was hard enough holding his enemy's gaze before, but now? It was impossible and Jack seemed to know it because he smiled an unsettling grin.
It made Ralph wonder if that was his plan all along. And Ralph did not like how insecure that made him feel.
Turning around, Ralph opened the door of the stall to exit. But Jack pulled him back and then ran out in front, leaving Ralph behind in the cubicle. Just as the door of the bathroom closed Jack had stuck his head in and yelled a word that made Ralph stop in his tracks.
The word made him realize he was on shaky ground and that both their status's could be compromised and both their lives could change so fast no one would remember Ralph's courage or his message.
One word that made Ralph realize that their feud was not a love story, but a bloodthirsty war.
"Faggot!"
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